Four Search Engine Optimization Capabilities for the Demand Marketer’s Tech Stack

Buyers are searching for information through multiple channels, including traditional search engines, social media, mobile apps and voice assistants. To be discoverable by search engines, content is ranked according to numerous factors, including quality, authority and relevance to search intent.

B-to-b marketers must account not only for what buyers are searching for, but also for the context in which they search to optimize digital properties for search results, deliver relevant information and design an engaging user experience. As online search behavior has matured, search engines and their algorithms have become more sophisticated, using semantic analysis, machine learning and artificial intelligence in their search engine optimization (SEO) ranking algorithms to assess the relevance and authority of a site and its content.

SEO is no longer just a “nice to have” in the demand marketer’s tech stack but a foundational element that enables b-to-b organizations to drive brand awareness; attract, engage, and qualify target buyers; and support existing customers. Because SEO is both technical (site) and nontechnical (content), serving multiple audiences (human and nonhuman), success relies on several disciplines, including Web design and development, content operations, digital marketing, and analytics, each of which has unique technology requirements.       

Marketers require not only deep insight into buyer and customer search behavior, search query language and Web site performance, but also the ability to make those insights actionable through diagnostics and recommendations for optimizing content and improving technical Web site components. B-to-b marketers investing in an SEO solution should require, at a minimum, the following four capabilities to support both strategic and tactical SEO activities and initiatives:

• Keyword research. Keyword discovery tools help marketers surface related keywords, analyze and prioritize targeted keywords and topic clusters, and understand which keywords are driving the most impact for the business. SEO solutions must provide keyword research tools that allow marketers to optimize for targeted keywords and phrases and discover opportunities based on search channel and intent.
• Site monitoring. Marketers must ensure that the Web site provides a positive user experience free of errors and inconsistencies. Technical SEO capabilities provide the ability to audit the Web site for technical issues such as broken links, site errors, duplicate content and load speed problems, along with rank monitoring for target keywords and analysis of internal links and backlinks.
• Search marketing optimization. SEO solutions must provide site- and page-level diagnostics and recommendations to increase search rankings and improve user experience. B-to-b marketers benefit from SEO diagnostics and recommendations that address content alignment to buyer needs and search query, in addition to analysis of headlines and descriptions, URL structure, internal links and anchor text, external link building opportunities, mobile experience and competition.
• Reporting and analytics. SEO solutions must provide a basic level of reporting including search volume, rankings, backlinks and referrals that can be tailored for the end user’s role and needs. These reports must deliver real-time insights into keywords, topics, and trends and the ability to segment this data by persona or buying stage signals for further analysis.

SEO solutions provide deep insight into search behavior and give b-to-b marketers tools to optimize the content and technical elements of SEO and to leverage search insights and behavior across other systems and tactics.

Join Research Director Jonathan Tam and me at SiriusDecisions Summit 2018 to learn more about the capabilities in the demand creation technology stack that are required to drive growth and achieve scalability. 

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