Apr

B2B SEO: Three Reasons Why Your Optimization Efforts Will Fail

By Sid

B2B companies have marketing departments. They also have IT (information technology) departments. In some ways, this clear departmental distinction is a good thing, but in the world of internet marketing, having a clear separation of powers doesn’t work.

As I review and analyze different B2B web sites, this battle between marketing and the geeks over at IT is abundantly clear when it comes to search engine optimization.

“You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means. ” ~ Inigo Montoya in The Princess Bride

The IT folks design the web site, focusing first on the cool factor. They push marketing for copy. Marketing hates IT, and would rather do brochures, ads, and other media about which they are more knowledgeable and comfortable. So, they write some terse, mostly meaningless language in words only they would use and send it over to IT to stuff into the web site.

This brings me to…

Reason for B2B SEO failure #1: Keyword phrase mismatch

Your IT department in their infinite geekiness emphasize the “most obvious” keywords in their optimization efforts. Since SEO is usually an afterthought, this means that they add a “keywords meta tag” to the web site that contains the most broad and general terms. There are two things wrong with this plan:

Google pretty much ignores the keywords meta tag (as far as I can tell).
These broad phrases have MILLIONS of competitors, which means your site will never see the light of day.

Plus, the copy marketing sends over isn’t at all written for the search engines. In fact, it often isn’t even good marketing copy. Here’s an example from a web site I’m reviewing:

” Academic Network is your comprehensive source for the expertise and technology that can turn medical and nutrition issues into marketplace opportunities.”

Say what?

I have no idea what they mean. If I asked the marketing VP to explain this, he or she would probably tell me that they “provide healthcare-related call center and marketing support for companies who sell food, beverages, and healthcare-related products to consumers.”

Note two things about the way I rephrases their statement:

I used keyword phrases their prospects might actually use in a search, such as “healthcare call center”.
It makes more sense because I’m using words and phrases a normal (non-marketing) human might use.

If they have to explain to you what it means, then the copy should be rewritten. Period.

This brings me to…

Reason for B2B SEO failure #2: Using “Marketing Speak”

Let’s look at the headline and lead (first couple of sentences) for Academic Network’s web site:

Welcome to Academic Network, a Stericycle company

Academic Network, a Stericycle company, specializes in communication services and strategies for our clients in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, food and beverage, nutraceutical, and healthcare fields.

There are three things wrong with their headline and lead:

1. It doesn’t give the search engines anything they can use to tie the web page to specific and relevant keywords.

2. It is NOT compelling. Does it make you want to read further?

3. It doesn’t tell me what I need to know. I don’t know what you mean by “communication services and strategies.” I can guess that they’re talking about an outsourced call center and marketing services for companies who sell healthcare, food and beverages to consumers.And what the heck is “a Stericycle Company”?

B2B companies shouldn’t necessarily follow the strict guidance of internet marketers, who will tell you to always put your primary keyword phrase in the headline. Many B2B companies are like Academic Network – they offer a variety of services. They key to SEO for B2B is to narrow your focus. Focus your home page on your most important (profitable) service, and then focus sub-pages on each other service.

The reason for this is that most of the time the search engine visitor will land on your home page. Once there, you can direct them to the appropriate pages for each other service or product you offer.

For B2B companies, my recommendation is to focus the headline strictly on benefits, and add the primary keyword phrase in the lead sentences. In ALL cases, the headline and lead should be primarily about and for the prospect or customer, and ONLY mention your company when you talk about the solution to their problem. Here’s an example of a benefit-based headline:

“Get Every Question About Your Product Answered In Half The Time… And At One-Third The Cost”

The idea is to narrow your focus to the TOP problem or issue your clients face. Think about the services or products you provide that solve this problem. Then figure out the top benefit they receive by using your service or product. THAT is what you write about in the headline.

The lead should contain the primary keyword phrase for your site. To determine the primary keyword phrase, first determine where you make most of your money. What clients make up 80% of your revenue. What do you do for them? What keyword phrase would THEY use if they were to search for help on the internet ? Don’t be afraid to ask.

Now, this brings me to…

Reason for B2B SEO failure #3: Forgetting to ask…

I’m amazed by how few B2B companies fail to ask the web site visitor to take action. Few B2B sites have a call to action.

The call to action is also a common missed opportunity when it comes to search engine optimization. The best calls to action tell the visitor what to do and adds WHY they should do it.

Most B2B web sites simply have a link to a “Contact” page with an 800 number and an “info@” email address.

Their first (non-SEO) step would be to personalize this contact info. “Please call Kathy, or VP of client services, directly at….“. They would see their response rate double from this one simple change.

Next, they make the call to action something that benefits the prospective customer. This could be “Download our FREE report on…” or “Watch this video, which tells you how…“. That is, you provide something of value TO your prospect in exchange for his or her contact information.

Now, we come to the SEO portion of the call to action. When you tell the visitor WHY he or she should download the report or watch the video, you simultaneously multiply your conversion rate (number of people who respond) AND help your search engine optimization.

For example: ”Download our FREE report on ‘The Ten Things You Should Never Say to a Consumer’ and discover the 5 closely guarded secrets of the world’s top healthcare call centers.”

See how I added a keyword phrase (healthcare call centers) and also added a reason why they should download the report?