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The Difference Between Business-to-Business and Business-to-Consumer Search Engine Optimization…Yes, It Matters

By Galen De Young
Francis SEO

To date, most adopters of search engine optimization have been business-to-consumer companies operating in an e-commerce environment. However, as business-to-business marketers recognize the potential of search, many are seeking ways to implement an effective search engine optimization strategy.

But to be successful, one needs to understand the critical differences between business-to-consumer and business-to-business search engine optimization and the implications of those differences.

A Difference in Goals

While the ultimate goal of both business-to-consumer and business-to-business marketing is to create a sale, their search engine optimization goals couldn't be more different. The business-to-consumer environment usually wants to generate an online sale in a single visit. Ideally, searchers find a high-ranking site in the search engine results and navigate quickly from the landing page through a prescribed channel, and ultimately through the shopping cart and checkout process.

This, however, is unrealistic for most business-to-business marketers whose products and services are generally not acquired in an e-commerce environment. The goal of search engine optimization for them is not an immediate sale. Rather it is inclusion in the consideration set, which is the short list of preferred suppliers from which the ultimate provider will be selected.

Conversion in the business-to-business realm is usually not immediate, nor does conversion typically occur online. For them, getting found is merely the beginning.

Stickiness versus Prescribed Conversion Channels

Because driving site visitors through a prescribed conversion channel is often not applicable in business-to-business, your focus should be on "stickiness," which is getting visitors to dig deeper into other relevant, confidence-building content. Often, the primary motivator in business-to-business purchase decisions is risk or, put another way, fear of making the wrong decision. Therefore, one of the key objectives for business-to-business searchers after they click to your site is to evaluate both your company and its offerings.

Although searchers ultimately seek a solution to a need, their predominant behavior during the purchase research phase is to separate wheat from chaff. Their purpose of clicking deeper into a site is one of inspection.

Companies that make the initial cut move on to the next round of consideration. Make sure that your landing pages have carefully chosen links to other content that will build credibility and get you in the consideration set.

In addition to creating strong content, use a good Web analytics program to help you evaluate “stickiness” factors such as length and depth of visits, time spent on specific pages and whether the number of return visitors is growing.

Greater Importance of Copy

The words that you use in both on-page and off-page copy have a tremendous influence on rankings in the search engine results. However, nowhere is the nature of copy more important than in business-to-business search engine optimization. Not only does Web copy need to influence ranking in the search engine results, but it must also persuade the business purchaser. Of course this is true in the business-to-consumer environment as well, but the nature and purpose of business-to-business copy is vastly different.

The typical value to a consumer on a Web site gets evaluated on things such as product specifications, available colors, pricing and perhaps a short blurb extolling the product. As noted earlier, however, business purchases are most often driven by risk avoidance. Just because you offer the product or service, or have low pricing, doesn't mean you're the best source for it.

Business-to-business purchasers do much more research as part of the buying process. Your ability to establish confidence and credibility by writing intelligently and persuasively about your product and company, as well as your ability to clearly articulate complex selling propositions, will determine whether you continue to be considered as a potential supplier. Therefore, not only does the landing page copy need to be compelling, so does the copy on every other page.

One Searcher, Multiple Searches

In business-to-consumer, the sales cycle could be as short as 10 to 20 minutes from search to sale. In the business-to-business world, the buying cycle may last months or even years. That's because business-to-business purchases undergo more scrutiny throughout all phases of the buying cycle. And in those phases, the same person may perform multiple searches, each with a different intent.

In the first phase, research, the purchaser is seeking alternatives, seeing who's out there to potentially fill the need. During this phase they may use generic search terms related to the product or services sought in order to form a short list of potential providers. Later, in the evaluation stage, the purchaser's focus turns from researching potential suppliers to researching specific issues related to the product or service such as performance, efficiency, maintenance, ergonomics, whitepapers, etc. Different search terms will be used and different sites will be found, just as different suppliers may be unearthed, supplanting those previously identified. Late in the process, just prior to the purchase decision, the searcher has a thorough understanding of specific needs, wants and issues affecting the purchase decision. One last round of searching will likely ensue to confirm the purchaser's intended direction, and again different search terms may be used.

In business-to-business search engine optimization, it's important to understand the search terms your prospect may be using in the different phases of the buying cycle. If you have a good understanding of this, you can use search engine optimization to ensure that you not only get found but also get confirmed during every search throughout the buying cycle.

One Prospect, Multiple Searchers

While most business-to-consumer purchases involve a single decision-maker, the typical business purchase is influenced by multiple parties throughout the buying cycle, each with the ability to easily research and evaluate purchase alternatives. The user-buyer wants to know how the product will improve day-to-day operations. The technical buyer is charged with ensuring that the product meets established specifications. The economic buyer is concerned with return on investment and other financial matters. The prospect may also have engaged consultants or "coaches" that help the company with the decision-making process.

Today, each of these parties has the ability to quickly and easily research purchase alternatives and vet purchase recommendations with a few clicks of the mouse. And they all use varying search terms depending on their role and their specific concerns. Although one person may have spent weeks doing purchase research, a vice president who spends only 10 minutes on Google can raise enough questions to dramatically alter the organization's purchase decisions.

Good business-to-business search engine optimization considers the different influencers and search terms they are likely to use, and has landing pages that speak to the various parties.

More Complex Keyword Strategy

Business-to-consumer searchers often use well-known brand names. Many already have a firm idea of what they want to buy; they merely want to find the best source for it. But when they do use generic terms, there is often less variance in those terms. For example, a person searching for sweatshirts is likely going to use that term.

Business-to-business search engine optimization presents many more complexities. A person searching for material handling solutions may search for "material handling," "conveyor systems," "conveyor technologies," "systems integrators," "warehouse management systems" or dozens of other related or more specific search terms. Next, there is variation in what to call things. Take for instance the subject of this article. Is it B2B SEO, B2B search engine optimization, business-to-business SEO, BtoB search engine optimization or some other combination? You'll get different search engine results for each of these queries.

Also, business-to-business searchers often use search terms focused on the need or problem, rather than a product or solution. Add to that the multiple searches during the buying cycle and the multiple parties potentially influencing the sale, and the complexity of search engine optimization keyword strategy grows exponentially. That can have a huge impact on landing pages and site architecture. You can see that it quickly gets quite complicated.

Keyword strategy is critical to successful business-to-business search engine optimization. Make sure that you take the time to fully explore and select the potential terms that searchers are likely to use in the purchase process and design your site accordingly.

Knowing the Search Engines Your Prospects Use

People use different search engines, and different search engines use different algorithms to index content and rank search results. If you want a page to rank highly on MSN, you'll optimize it a bit differently than you would for Google.

It's important to know which search engines your prospects use and how to optimize Web content for them. Although there is little research regarding business-to-business search engine optimization, what research there is indicates that business-to-business purchasers overwhelmingly prefer Google. Absent compelling reasons to the contrary, optimize for Google. In doing so, you'll still do pretty well on Yahoo! and MSN, but don't make them your primary focus.

And as the list of vertical search engines continues to grow, make sure you know which vertical search engines your prospects might be using, and take steps to ensure your presence in those search results as well.

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Galen De Young is managing director of Francis SEO, a Michigan firm specializing in B2B search engine optimization. Francis SEO is a division of Francis Marketing, one of the leading marketing consulting firms specializing in repositioning B2B companies and their brands.