B2B Brand Awareness Strategy -- The Impact of Modern SEO

The purpose of search engine optimization (SEO) is to attract web traffic from users who bring with them an inherent interest in your brand, product, or service. However, your brand’s reach, image, and authority can also be improved by SEO efforts when done right. Understanding modern SEO is as impactful as ever on your B2B brand awareness.

Improved reach, image, and authority are generally considered beneficial side effects of SEO work. But boosting your B2B brand awareness doesn’t have to be a passive side effect of your SEO campaign. It’s possible to actively promote these assets.

A good place to start is by asking yourself whether or not potential customers recognize and are aware of your brand. This is the job of your online marketing agency, and SEO is a primary means by which this is done.

Here, we will offer some more strategies to help you maximize these effects:

SEO + Reach for B2B Brand Awareness

While precise numbers are not available, it’s estimated that Google manages over 3 billion searches every day. There’s no contesting the value of high visibility in this, the most influential search engine in the world. Every company worth its salt is working hard to achieve better SEO results on Google. But the landscape has changed in recent years. Here are five important strategies that must be leveraged to achieve reach in the new age of SEO:

1. Long-Tail Keywords

These give brands an opportunity to reach specific subsections of a broader audience, subsections of target demographics who would be lumped in with a more general audience otherwise.

Great keywords are an important tool, but thanks to recent SEO changes they shouldn’t be your only trick … see #2 and #3 for more.

2. Pillar Pages

One of the latest developments in SEO, pillar pages are something you shouldn’t ignore. They are comprehensive resource pages which cover a topic in-depth. They include links to high-quality content, which support subtopics that are their own blog pages. The subtopics help further segment sub-groups of potential customers.

3. Topic Clusters

Another cutting-edge tool in SEO development, topic clusters join subtopics and pillar pages.

You should create one topic cluster for each of your key core topics Use a content strategy tool like HubSpot to measure your topic cluster for domain authority and monthly search volume.

4. Image & Video Search

Video is the most consumed media type on the internet. Images remain a powerful way people use to narrow down search results.

5. Local SEO

This branding strategy is critical for brick-and-mortar establishments with a primarily regional audience. Local SEO enables small vendors to compete with anyone in their location.

SEO + Image for B2B Brand Awareness

Every SEO campaign should incorporate branded SEO features. These target specific branded keywords that help Google search managers to better place and rank these terms.

Branded keywords are similar to long-tail keywords in that they divide an audience into finer subsections. They allows you to market directly to each of the subsections without trying to sell very specific offerings to misguided targets. Branded campaigns draw the highest percentage of sales conversions because of their improved specificity.

Branded campaigns have another beneficial effect. They tend to draw viewers to your page via prominent organic visibility. This reduces the chance that a user searches one of your branding terms and does not see you listed near the top of results pages. The more your company appears as a result of the industry-relevant search, the more attractive your brand image is.

SEO + Authority for B2B Brand Awareness

Holding a position as a trustworthy thought leader is highly sought after in every industry -- especially for those who value brand awareness. This is also an important effect of the tech revolution, which has made written, verbal, and visual content supremely valuable. Buyers want to find answers on their own nowadays, and you have the chance to provide those answers first (or at least best).

Developing content that offers value to your audience is essential. Whether it’s information on using your products or service to optimal effect or something else educational, people love (and need) to consume and share useful information.

Bringing views to your informative or entertaining content will make your company look like it’s a leading expert in its industry.

Imagine the difference between a flashlight company that just sells flashlights and one that also offers valuable flashlight-related information. It sounds silly, but think of the possibilities: This could include blogs on self-defense, which flashlights make the best shop tools, and so on.

The company offering educational content will always win the brand authority battle. However, they only win that battle if their SEO strategy brings views to those pages.

A New Age of SEO

Image, authority, and reach are as important as ever for building brand awareness through SEO. Here are some other tips to keep the momentum going as you tweak your SEO practices:

• The Importance of SEO in your Inbound Marketing Strategy

• How to Avoid Penalties from Your B2B SEO Strategy

• The Cost of SEO Services (Infographic)