Today, no company working in BtoB can do without going up in Google searches. The proof, according to Google (2020), 90% of buyers use the internet in their B2B searches.

To meet this demand, an entire branch of web marketing is now dedicated to Search Engine Optimization and 62% of BtoB companies place SEO as a priority in their 2022 marketing strategy. , according to a study by the Content Marketing Institute.

SEO web agencies are flourishing on the market to help companies take advantage of this new lead generation channel.

So why and how to do SEO? And how do you know if you need to be accompanied by an SEO web agency?

1. What is SEO?

SEO or natural referencing or ranking  consists of optimizing your website to appear in a good position on search engines (notably Google but also Bing, Yahoo, Ecosia, Qwant etc.) It is a set of techniques and practices more or less known to highlight the content of your site in the eyes of search engines.

If you have a business, you probably already have a digital presence or created your website. The goal of natural referencing (as opposed to paid referencing on Google Adwords for example) is to bring your site up as high as possible in the search results, so that the Internet user looking for a service first comes across your site before that of your competitors on a maximum of topics (or keywords) relevant to your target.

2. Why SEO  is key in BtoB ?

Even if you are interested in these topics, lack of time, internal skills or budget can relegate SEO to the back of your company's digital strategy. Google's algorithm systems can seem difficult to understand and this puts off marketers who focus instead on presenting the products or services offered, without really thinking about search engines.

And yet, it has now been proven that your company has everything to gain from being accompanied by an SEO web agency to get started in SEO:

- Increased lead generation: the creation of content optimized for the internet has become a sine qua non in the hope of creating qualified traffic to your website.

- Better profitability than all other channels: SEO is fully compatible with content creation strategies that consist of attracting prospects to oneself or inbound marketing. Acquiring the lead, if it comes from a search engine, only costs the cost of content creation, which is much less expensive than direct marketing, which can mobilize many more resources.

- Better credibility and legitimacy in the market: when you create content that responds to the searches of Internet users, you position yourself as an expert in the subjects that interest them. This places you and your company as a reference in a particular sector and increases your notoriety.

>>> READ : Lead generation in the packaging industry: Best practices

3. How does the search engine algorithm work?

If  we knew in detail how Google works… You would surely not be reading this article! In fact, there is no magic formula because search engines remain very discreet about their operation and hundreds of criteria are taken into account when Google scans your pages. There are however some best practices to consider when creating content for SEO as we can know which criteria are the most important.

To be aware of the evolutions of the algorithm, you must therefore be constantly on the lookout and find the right tips according to the updates of the various search engines. In this, the help of an SEO web agency can be very useful to you, because in addition to managing your campaigns, a good SEO web agency allows you to stay on the lookout for news and adapt your strategies to different developments.

> So how do you concretely “go up” on Google?

Going up on the search engines is difficult, especially if like most sectors, your competitors have already invested in the first Google results. All SEO experts (or SEO web agency) will tell you, SEO is based on 3 main pillars:

>  The content (or semantics)

The content you want to optimize for SEO should first be easy to read and answer a user query (keyword). The content you produce must therefore be in line with what Internet users are looking for when they need your product or service. You need to build a persona (your ideal customer) and address their issues in your content. In addition to SEO, don't forget that your site must be relevant and readable for your prospects, that's the basis!
A few points to remember:

o The length of the content, your paragraphs and sentences

o The frequency of repetition of the keyword (we recommend 10%) and the fact of putting it at the beginning of the content and in the titles

o Your content outline with headings and paragraphs

o Internal linking: these are links to other pages on your site

>  The technical side 

This does not seem obvious a priori, but the technical quality of your website is very important: indeed, if it takes too long to load, the visitor may leave before even seeing your site and Google. will understand that the visitor has wasted his time and that quality is not there.

Free audits exist on the Internet to test your site, but a specialized web agency can help you solve any problems you may have.
A few points to remember:

o The speed of the loading time on computer and compatibility on mobile

o The quality of the code and the exclusive installation of useful extensions

o Optimization of tablet and mobile display

o The filling of the different tags (Alt text for example, also called alternative text) and the different levels of titles (H1, H2, H3…) of filled and unique pages…

> Trust (or netlinking, backlinking)
Search engines particularly appreciate the trust that other Internet users can place in your site. How do they measure it? They measure the number of inbound links to your site (or backlinks). Indeed, the more other sites cite you as a reference for your favorite subject, the more you will be suggested directly to Internet users for this subject.
A few techniques to keep in mind:

o Producing quality content will automatically earn you links

o The (free) exchange of links with other sites

o Registration on directories or comparators in your sector of activity

o The purchase of links on platforms (be careful, this is not allowed!)

4. How to start with an SEO web agency?

So the task is difficult, but you are making the right choice by taking an interest in it now. You now have everything you need to start in SEO: you can choose to recruit internet skills or be accompanied by an SEO web agency like Pack-2B.

Source: https://b2bdigitalmarketers.com/blog/b2b-seo-statistics/