If you run a B2B organisation are you taking a risk if you don't take SEO seriously? That can appear to be a loaded question, but lets look at some of the lead generation alternatives around to work out if SEO has the advantage?

Firstly, there is always a lot of hype around new social platforms and fads, and to be honest, if you are creative, love being on camera and can edit video, then social media is probably your domain to thrive in. It's not always about leads and it certainly isn't for the camera shy, but social media is always changing and you do need to stay on top of trends if you want to maximise your reach. It's not typically suited to B2B organsisations yet some recent TikTok development and YouTube shorts ate changing this narrative.

Then there's good ol Google Ads. These tend to go up in price every 3 months or so and there can be a ton of wasted budget spent on irrelevant clicks, so it can be hard to gauge if it's worth the full investment long term. Google Ads have been a stalwart of the advertising industry for a long time now (espcecially in B2B) yet its appeal is flattening, it's prices rising and some would say it is dying a very slow death.

And of course, everyone is speaking about AI at the moment. Lets just say that this is in its infancy and unless you know how to integrate it successfully into your business, the jury is out on whether it will be beneficial for your business. Don't get us wrong, it will have a huge impact on many industries (including B2B) and its progress is very exciting to watch, but it's way too early to rely on it as a constant lead genrator at this stage.

And finally, every B2B sales persons favourite in-house strategy, email and cold calls. These are both common outreach methods and each has its own set of pros and cons. Email certainly has a wide reach and is cost-effective, allowing for easy and low-cost communication with a large number of prospects. However low open rates, increased competition, and the risk of getting caught in spam filters are potential drawbacks. Cold calls or face-to-face meetings certainly provides a personal touch and allows for immediate feedback. It help you build relationships with prospects, but lets face it; it is time-consuming, can result in a high number of rejections, and requires a lot of resources and there is a knack to its success. A good cold call can pioneer your whole sales strategy, but they are few and far between, whilst the bad ones can knock your confidence and waste a lot of time and energy.

There are others out there that work really well (e.g chatbots), but these are the main types of B2B advertising at the moment, which leaves us to unpack SEO and answer the question, should you take it seriously?

We will answer our own question first by stating that we still believe in 2023, that if you're not on the first page of Google, then you basically don't exist. (or at least that's how your target audience will see it). But why do we feel that way?

1. Increased online competition: It's never been easier to start a businesses or website (some new website builders can do it in less than 30 mins) so the competition for search engine real estate is only getting tougher and harder. The first page is a premium and if you want to stand out from the crowd and be visible to your target audience, it's worth investing in SEO as a reliable long term strategy
2. It's more than just a trend: SEO is no longer just a trend, it's a necessity and has been around longer than just about every other strategy combined (with the exception of calla and emails). Why has it been around this long? Because it works! If you're not investing in SEO, you're missing out on valuable leads and B2B sales opportunities. Nearly every client we get to the first page of Google wishes they had started earlier.
3. Cost-effective marketing: Compared to traditional advertising methods, SEO is viewed cost-effective way to reach your target audience and generate leads. It doesn't spend money on a platform, it doesn't waste time with vanity metrics, it doesn't charge a CPC and let's face it, you don't need a camera or filter to be successful.

Now we've explained why we think SEO is a seriously good B2B strategy that needs to be taken seriously, what can you do you optimize your own website for SEO in 2023?

1. Start with keyword research: Research keywords that your target audience is using to find your products or services. Make sure to include these keywords in your website's content and meta tags. If your not sure, survey your own clients or ask them when they contact you.
2. Produce quality contentfor your audience: Google loves quality content, and so do your potential customers. Make sure your website is regularly updated with relevant, informative, and engaging content that isn't just a cookie cutter approach.
3. Mobile optimization: The majority of people are using their smartphones to search for products and services, so make sure your website is looks good on mobile devices and does your brand justice.
4. Link building. Request quality backlinks from other reputable websites (ideally in your industry) so that you can boost your website's search engine ranking. You may want to add quality backlinks through guest blogging, directory submissions, and other link building tactics.

It's time for B2B organizations to get serious about SEO in 2023. Yes you can play around with social videos, cold call yourself silly and run Google ads campaigns if you wish, but over the long run it is a well setup and managed SEO campaign that will provide the consistency and reliability of leads that your B2B and sales teams deserve.