Look before You Leap into B2B SEO
- SEO is not a be-all-end-all.
- It is not a miracle cure for a sick web presence.
- It is not a starting point for marketing.
- It is not a stand alone marketing activity that can be divorced from other marketing and sales functions.
B2B companies sometimes make the mistake of rushing into SEO full throttle before they’re ready. This is not as bad as ignoring SEO, but still bad. Here are 10 signs you have more prep work to do before you begin optimizing in earnest.
B2B SEO Preparation Points
- You don’t monitor your web stats.
- You don’t know what search terms people are using to find your site now.
- You don’t have any idea what search terms you’d like to be found for.
- You don’t have a budget for marketing.
- You don’t have a budget for SEO.
- You don’t have anyone on staff clearly responsible for search marketing.
- Your website doesn’t have a clear purpose.
- Your website doesn’t have at least one clear and compelling call to action.
- Your website is hopelessly out of date in terms of content, design, and/or programming.
- Your main rationale for diving into SEO is that all your competitors are doing it.
I’m sure I’ve missed plenty, but this list is a good start. In future posts, I’ll go into detail on why each of these 10 SEO preparation points is vital.
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Chicago based SEO copywriting, blog consulting, and content marketing.
Content Marketing from Word Sell
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How ’bout: You only accept orders via Fax.
And yes, I recently ran into this.
Amazing, Fred, amazing. What in the world are they selling … buggy whips?
No, Jedediah’s takes orders over the phone and has an email address….
Unfortunately all I can remember is what wasn’t there. No email, no order. I think it was for a trade show premium but it’s not coming to me. I’ll think of it in a week or so.
Great points Brad! I especially enjoy #10……that is the most difficult point to get across to my boss and co-workers
Hi Jami, Great to hear from you. The best way for company leaders to understand the what, why, and how of social media is for them to participate. Once people get into it, they generally develop good ideas about how to approach it in the business. Would that help in your situation?
Yes, I think that is a great idea! Thanks.
Brad, this is a great post. So often people rush into SEO because they know it drives traffic but are unaware of what it really takes to make it successful. I think it is better to dig deep to understand and meet the needs of your target audience than to jump head first into SEO or social media for that matter. Your list is a handy reality check.
Karen, Preparation is definitely needed in social media – in fact, things change so rapidly, “preparation” must happen on a monthly basis to keep current. SEO is a moving target as well, but not moving as quickly I think.