SEO might sound like a buzzword, but for B2B companies, it’s simply about ensuring your site shows up when people search online. This article will help you with SEO for B2B.
After all, Google handles over 90% of searches – as one marketer wryly notes,
“if you’re not on Google, you don’t exist”.
In 2025 and beyond, SEO has evolved: Google now uses AI-generated summaries on ~20% of searches (up from 7% last year) wordstream.com, and it increasingly rewards content that truly answers users’ questions.
The good news is, B2B SEO can be broken down into three manageable steps – Audit, Orientate, Enrich/Create – to get you started. Each step below includes practical tips, tools, and even a bit of wit (yes, SEO can be fun!).
SEO for B2B can be applied to the following
- SEO for Manufacturer
- SEO for Industrial Sector
- SEO for IT Services
- SEO for Audit Services
- SEO for Business Services
- And so much more
If you are wondering about the ROI of SEO
Table of Contents
1. Audit: Check Your Site’s SEO Health
First things first: audit your site.
Think of this like a health check or a car inspection. You’d like to know where you stand right now. Run site crawls and use SEO tools (Google Search Console, Ahrefs, Screaming Frog, Ubersuggest, etc.) to find issues. For example, Screaming Frog’s free version can scan up to 500 URLS and flag broken links, missing images or alt-text, duplicate content, and other tech hiccups (neilpatel.com).
A GSC or Screaming Frog crawl will reveal broken pages, indexing problems, and slow-loading pages (primeavenuegroup.com). Make a checklist:
🏷️ Page Elements: Review meta titles, descriptions, headings and alt text. Are they clear and keyword-targeted?
⚙️ Tech Issues: Use tools to spot broken links, mobile/responsiveness problems, slow pages or missing schema markup. Fix these first so Google can crawl you properly.
📊 Analytics: Check Google Analytics/Search Console to see which pages get traffic and which don’t. A page with high traffic but high bounce might have a misleading title or irrelevant content.
🔗 Backlinks & Authority: Examine your backlink profile. Are you getting quality industry links? Identify spammy links and opportunities for high-value links. Strengthening your backlink profile will boost domain authority.
📄 Content Inventory: List all your site content (pages, blogs, PDFs, etc.). One approach is to spider your site or use your sitemap to export a list. This inventory lets you spot thin or outdated pages. You can then update, consolidate or delete low-value pages (thin/outdated content should be rewritten or removed)
Keeping notes in a spreadsheet helps – Neil Patel advises cataloguing all your assets before diving in. An audit is a lot of work, but it’s essential. (Feeling overwhelmed? Our Malaysia SEO team at Laman7 can handle audits for you – give us a shout!)
2. Orientate: Plan Your SEO Strategy
With the audit in hand, it’s time to orient your strategy – think of it as charting your course. This step is about positioning your business: choosing the right topics, keywords, and site structure so you look authoritative in your niche.
👤 Identify Your Audience (Persona): Who are the decision-makers you want to reach (marketing directors, procurement officers, IT managers, etc.)? Use tools like HubSpot’s ‘Make My Persona’ to outline their needs and search habits. In B2B, your audience is usually a small set of roles, not “everyone” – target each persona’s concerns.
💡 Pick Topics & Keywords: Don’t just blog about your product features. Find “shoulder topics” – related issues your audience cares about. For instance, a marketing software company might write about “best email marketing practices” instead of “why buy our product.” Use keyword tools (Ubersuggest, Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs) to find actual search queries for each topic, covering different intent stages. Keep in mind B2B keywords often have low volume (even 10–50 searches/month) but high relevance. Focus on quality, intent-driven keywords that align with your business goals.
💁♀️ Competitive Research: Spy on your “real” competitors – those who rank for your target terms. Use tools to see what keywords they rank for and how their content is structured. As one expert notes, “identify these real competitors and reverse-engineer the SEO strategy they have used to rank” (skale.so). (Hint: competitor analysis often reveals gaps you can exploit.)
🏗️ Organize Your Site Structure: Plan a clear hierarchy of pages and content clusters. Good site architecture is a cornerstone of SEO (victorious.com). Create main topic/category pages (pillars) that overview core subjects, and link them to related subpages (clusters). This tells Google which topics are most important and helps users navigate. Make sure every page is reachable in a logical way.
⚙️ Technical Setup: Double-check technical essentials: Is your site on HTTPS? PS? Would you happen to have a working XML sitemap and robots? Mobile friendliness and page speed are more important than ever. 2025 trends emphasize user-centric SEO—Google now evaluates how real people engage with content. Ensure your pages load fast and look good on phones.
📈 Align with Goals: Finally, tie your SEO plan to business goals. Are you aiming for more leads, bigger brand presence, or higher sales? Set clear targets (traffic, leads, keyword ranks) so you know what winning looks like.
By now you have a roadmap of whom you’re targeting, what content you need, and how your site will hold together.
(Still fuzzy? Contact Laman7 – we love talking SEO strategy over coffee.)
3. Enrich (or Create): Build Content and Authority
Now for the fun part: create or enrich content. This is where you produce the actual blog posts, pages, and resources that target your chosen keywords and topics. The goal is to become a go-to resource in your niche.
✍️ Refresh Existing Content: Start with your inventory. Update high-value older posts with new data, better visuals, and current keywords. Rewrite any thin or stale pages identified in the audit. Add clear calls-to-action (CTAs) on each page – e.g. “Get a free quote,” “Download our whitepaper,” or “Contact us today.” These CTAs turn readers into leads.
📰 Create New Content: Fill the gaps you found. Write blog posts, ultimate guides, FAQs or case studies on your “shoulder topics.” For example, a cloud services firm might publish an “Ultimate Guide to Hybrid Cloud Security.” Backlinko recommends focusing on big, comprehensive guides or focused tutorials rather than bland corporate copy. Remember: B2B readers want depth and expertise.
🖊️ Blogging & Topical Authority: A robust B2B blog is a powerful asset. High-quality, helpful articles tend to earn natural backlinks and position you as an industry resource. For instance, Hootsuite’s blog covers topics their customers care about (like Instagram ads), not just generic tips about buying tools. This kind of “shoulder topic” blogging builds trust and authority. Think of each post as a way to answer prospects’ questions and lead them towards your services.
🔗 Internal Linking: As you create content, interlink related pages. Link cluster posts back to pillar pages (and vice versa). Strategic internal links tell Google about your content relationships and can boost SEO. For example, a blog post on “how to choose CRM software” should link to your main “CRM solutions” page, making a clear site network.
🔄 Ongoing Review: SEO isn’t “set and forget.” After publishing, monitor how new content performs. Use Search Console and Analytics to track impressions, clicks and user behavior. Over time, refine titles, add depth to high-traffic posts, and prune underperformers. In short, keep iterating your content based on real data.
Throughout this process, the focus is on user intent and value. Remember 2025’s big trend: search engines want content that satisfies user intent, not just pages with keywords. Write to help your audience. Answer their exact questions. Google’s AI features and zero-click searches will pull answers from well-structured content, so concise, informative writing pays off.
Feeling the workload? Whether it’s crafting content calendars or optimizing landing pages, Laman7 can be your wingman. Our team writes SEO-focused content and sets up CTAs that convert – drop us a line if you’d like a hand.
In summary: Start by auditing what you have (tools like GSC, Ahrefs, and Ubersuggest will be your new friends). Then orient your strategy around real decision-makers and useful topics.
Finally, enrich your site with optimised, high-value content (and sprinkle in those CTAS). Keep measuring and refining. Even a boardroom or bureaucrat can climb Google’s ranks with these steps.
Would you be ready to boost your B2B SEO? Consider getting an expert review – the friendly SEO pros at Laman7 are here to help you get found and get results.
Sources: Expert SEO guides and industry reports from Prime Avenue, Backlinko, Skale, Neil Patel and WordStream, plus practical tips from our own experience.
