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:
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.
Jessie Johnson is a Research Analyst at SiriusDecisions. Jessie is a marketing technology thought leader focused on leveraging marketing automation technologies and actionable intelligence in demand creation, content strategy and development, and integrated marketing. She has more than 10 years of experience working with b-to-b organizations. Follow her on Twitter @jjhnsn.