Skip to main content

Six Mistakes B2B Marketers Continue to Make With Organic Search

By now, many B2B marketing professionals know the basics of content optimization and how to make a site search-friendly. With that complete, their focus turns to link building. While that's an admirable pursuit, it may not yield the maximum results if unaddressed website issues aren't resolved. Here are some of the most common mistakes we see.

Inadequate site architecture

I'm surprised how often even large B2B companies fail to have organic landing pages on their website related to key revenue streams (e.g., product or service lines). It's usually not that they forgot key segments of their business, but rather that they failed to get specific enough. For instance, a leasing company promotes leasing of office equipment but fails to have a page focused on copier leasing. One of the reasons for this may be that many B2B marketers have often taken a minimalist approach to site architecture, incorporating only that which is necessary to establish initial credibility.

To be found for a specific keyword, there needs to be an optimized landing page on the website that revolves around that search term. Simply put, this means you need to review your business and ensure your site has at least one page that promotes each specific revenue stream. However, the complexities of B2B keyword strategy—which include the lack of shared lexicons in most B2B verticals—mean that you may have to create and incorporate several landing pages for each revenue stream. For instance, an accounting firm promoting litigation support services may have a page on expert witness services, but it may do well to also consider having a page on forensic accounting.

Simply put, most B2B websites need more content, both to respond to likely organic search and to be seen as being by the search engines as an authoritative site on a given topic.

Lousy meta descriptions

That is if any have been specified in the first place. It seems like B2B marketers often leave meta descriptions blank or simply leave it to the IT department to fill something in. This leads to poor descriptions in the search engine results.

When B2B marketers actually specify the meta descriptions for site pages, they often write from an internal standpoint, using corporate and internal lingo that doesn't speak to the searcher. Typically, B2C marketers are much better at writing meta descriptions that promote click-through. When you write meta descriptions for B2B, think about what will entice the searcher (your prospect) to click on your search result versus all the others on the page. While you can write as much as you want, Google will only display about 165 characters. Make sure you use those characters wisely to create a keyword-rich, compelling message. You've only got a few seconds before searchers decide on which results they will click.

Not analyzing organic landing pages

Many B2B marketers don't bother to evaluate, let alone manage, organic landing pages. Test your organic landing pages for all significant, ranking keywords. You may rank highly in the search results for a given search phrase. You may even have a meta description that drives click-through. But is the page searchers land on the page you want them to land on? If not, optimize a different landing page or make changes to the content at the current landing page.

Not monitoring analytics

The analytics associated with PPC landing pages are often scrutinized in great detail. Bounce rates are analyzed. Alternate landing page versions are tested. Ad copy is tweaked. Yet organic landing pages rarely see the same rigor, despite the fact that B2B purchasers tend to first look at and click on organic results almost twice as often as they do paid search results. So, dive into your analytics, and do the same for your organic visitors. Isolate your organic traffic. Look at the organic landing pages. Analyze the bounce rates. Adjust landing page content. Tweak meta descriptions. You'll be glad you did.

Failing to optimize printed marketing assets before converting them to the web

B2B marketers are frequently guilty of mindlessly posting lots of print marketing communications to their websites, often in lieu of html content. Hundreds of hours and great sums of money have been spent creating these pieces, yet most people won't spend even an hour to optimize these pieces before posting them to the web. These often include PDFs of brochures, case studies, technical or white papers, and product and spec sheets. While these represent valuable, influential information, if you don't optimize them, they won't show up in the search results; the only people that will find them are those who actually visit your site. Why not make sure searchers can find them, too.

Some will wonder why anyone would want to bother optimizing PDF files. Who wants to click on a PDF search result when there are plenty of html results? Well, the types of information mentioned above are some of the assets most desired by B2B purchasers. Savvy B2B searchers (and savvy B2B marketers) know that they can quickly find these rich resources using Google advance search to search for PDFs only. For more information, see this previous Search Engine Land article and also this more in-depth article on optimizing PDFs for search engines, searchers, and site visitors.

Duplicate title tags and meta descriptions

B2B sites are often rife with duplicate title tags and duplicate meta descriptions. In addition to decreasing the chances that more of your site's pages will rank well, this practice will likely lead to less of your site's pages being indexed by the search engine. Moreover, it's a clear sign that you haven't optimized you site for searchers. Title tags and meta descriptions help determine whether a searcher is actually going to click on your search result. Today, there's really no excuse for this. You can easily check for duplicate title tags and meta descriptions using Diagnostics>Content Analysis in Google Webmaster Tools. If you currently don't use this or don't want to wait for someone to upload a meta tag or html file (so Google can verify the site is yours), you can use Aaron Wall's Website Health Check Tool.
Source: searchengineland.com

Comments

Anonymous said…
Thanks to the blog owner. What a blog! nice idea.
Leaflet distribution in surrey
vinod said…
Thanks to the blog owner. What a blog! nice idea.
Unknown said…
Apart from tears, only time could wear everything away. While feeling is being processed by time, conflicts would be reconciled as time goes by, just like a cup of tea that is being continuously diluted.

........................................
Anonymous said…
[p]YOU CAN [url=http://www.ugg6bootsuk.co.uk]ugg boots uk stockists[/url] WEAR UGG BOOTS SALE WHENEVER ALONG WITH WHERESOEVER

While just simply chill fall, although before long additionally and further significant, 100 % cotton, winter months " booties " get time-consuming also been there will be ladies, repleat utilizing dog's hair camel coat as soon as the significant solution, illumination creativity does it is unquestionably come to feel warm, gorgeous to trap any two bottle thought of inexpensive ugg have a look at is reached . UGG snow boots emphasize the function [url=http://www.cheapugg6boots.co.uk]ugg boots sale[/url] of warmth a lot, so that why many women choose them to have a happy and warm winter . These [url=http://www.cheapuggbootsaleonline.co.uk]ugg boots sale[/url] Uggs high heels are 100% handcrafted, they are famous for its comfort . The third is that height, [url=http://www.cheapuggbootsaleonline.co.uk]ugg boots sale clearance[/url] while I just like the shorter boot for within jeans, it isn't something that would look OK with everthing else, and certainly looks goofy alone . Read > Shopping UGG Classic Short Boots Sale techniques 24th November 2010 UGG Classic Short Boots Sale These shoes [url=http://www.ugg6bootsoutlet.co.uk]ugg boots australia outlet[/url] are more popular in countries where weather UGG Classic Short Boots Sale is too cold . Previous to, automobile ancient girl use uggs bailey tab " booties " that doesn't fit in her grow old, nearly everybody all-around will laught about the woman . L e i g h t o n M e e s t e r F r o m t h a t [url=http://www.ugg6bootsuk.co.uk]womens ugg boots uk[/url] b e a u t i f u l G i r l o f G o s s i p d r a m a i n p o p u l a r a c t r e s s L e i g h t o n M e e s t e r i s a s w e e t l i t t l e p r i n c e s s.[/p]
Mary said…
This is very interesting! :) Thank you for sharing...

Popular posts from this blog

Most Billionaires Have Some Formal Education

by Justin Hitt, Strategic Relations Consultant, http://justinhitt.com/ In an excellent article presented by Forbes magazine called Some Billionaires Choose School of Hard Knocks by Matthew Herper he presents interesting statistics about the some 234 US billionaires today. Mr. Herper presents the fact that 18% of these billionaires never received a college degree ; many of them never finished the degree programs they started – a statistic that might make you want to quit school and run off on your latest ideas. I would ask you first to look at the other statistic he is indirectly presenting – a statistic that says roughly 80% of the 234 US billionaires have completed a college education . Billionaires have attended the School of Hard Knocks to build their fortunes, but it is not hard work alone that produces their greatness, many times college enhances their opportunities for earning their billions. First hand I learned that hard work alone will not get you greatness, my small busines

The Simple B2B Directory and Buyers Guide

Global B2B Marketplaces 4 Trade Alibaba Business Dubai BuyUSA Global Trade Village Offer 21 Terrecom T Page Trade Boss World Bid World Trade AA Continents and Countries Africa Asia Australia & NZ Europe India Latin America Middle East Directories and Resources BuyerZone Executive Planet FITA Global Sources Import Export Guide Kompass SkyMinder Trade Attache Trade Worlds Wand World Preferred B2B Small Business All Business B Central Chamber Biz D & B Small Business Office.com Skeleton Star Yahoo Small Business Your Office Resources Biz Reference Business Week Small Biz BuyerZone Entrepreneur Netbusiness Small Business Admin. . S.F.S.B. Work Z B2B Directories 1st Industrial Directory A2Z of B2B fiber2fashion BizAhead MSN Yellow Pages Thomas Register Brint.com Dmoz: Marketplaces Industry Link B2Business Wasters Online Jayde MNI Guide Biz Hwy Business.com Source: http://www.bocat.com/

AATCC honors Top Textile Scientists of 2008

The American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC) will honor the world’s top textile scientists next month, March 10-12, during AATCC’s 2009 International Conference (IC) in Myrtle Beach, S.C., USA, at the Hilton Myrtle Beach Resort. The awards will be presented at the association’s Conference Awards Luncheon on Thursday, March 12. The article published January 2007, “Describing Color Differences," written by Carol Tomasino Revels was selected as the best paper published in AATCC Review in 2007. A report on “Capillary Channel Polymer Fibers as Structural Templates for Ligament Regeneration," written by Philip J. Brown, Kristofer D. Sinclair, and Charles Kenneth (Ken) Webb, and published December 2008, has been selected as the best paper published in the peer reviewed journal of the AATCC Review in 2008. The authors will be honored for their contributions to textile literature with The J. William Weaver Paper of the Year Award, a framed certificate signed by