Most industrial, construction, and B2B companies ignore SEO, and it’s costing them big dollars. Even if search volume is low, it doesn’t mean that opportunity doesn’t exist. In a high-intent, niche industry, a single search can be worth five to six figures — if you rank high in search. Here are three reasons why B2B SEO should be a higher priority for your marketing team.
Low Volume Doesn’t Mean Low Value
Tip #1 – Compete on keywords where you have a competitive advantage and an easier time ranking near the top of search
The power of intent is critical with B2B SEO, where one conversion can be worth $50K+. Many industrial and construction companies see low volume in their niche, but fewer searches doesn’t mean low value. A high percentage of keywords in these industries have 50 searches per month or fewer but they have high intent – putting in the effort to optimize for search is a winning marketing strategy for industrial, construction, and other B2B businesses.
Find keywords and needle-moving queries where you can see user intent is further down the funnel. A term like “custom aluminum extrusion manufacturers” may get fewer than 100 searches per month, but with CPCs pushing $12 per click, the potential to save on paid search costs while owning a critical brand-building keyword can make your brand stand out across the entire marketing funnel.
Own the Niche
Tip #2 – Own keywords that larger companies ignore – industry lingo, synonyms, and specific product details are a winning strategy
Not every keyword has low volume in B2B, industrial, and construction — “metal fabrication” is a highly competitive term with up to 100K searches every month. If your brand can’t compete with larger companies, you need to focus on owning the niche.
Start an SEO strategy that focuses on specific SKUs, specs, part numbers, and industry lingo that is frequently ignored by larger companies. A keyword like “304 stainless steel corner brackets for HVAC” receives fewer than 20 searches per month. However, if you focus on these minor keywords and rank for 1,000 of them, you have the potential to drive as much traffic as one medium-to-large keyword.
Create Content for Long Tail and Informational Searches
Tip #3 – Go beyond product-focused spec sheets and technical details. Add in industry and breaking news to set your company apart
Many B2B, industrial, and construction companies avoid the long tail. They aren’t doing content marketing to any great extent, beyond some spec sheets explaining their product and industry, which is a big miss for supporting sales and driving higher lead quality.
Today’s breaking news is tomorrow’s best practices. Get in on the ground floor for potential future search and discovery terms and topics by reporting on the latest and greatest in your field. Getting to the top of search for a brand-new keyword is much easier to rank, and more importantly hold, than trying to rank for a solidified high-volume term.
SEO isn’t just for eCommerce or trendy SaaS brands. In industrial, construction, and other B2B markets, it’s one of the few marketing strategies that can deliver high-quality leads without burning budget. Using a strategy that focuses on low-volume but meaningful terms, owning your niche, and supporting sales with content that makes you the go-to source in the industry is a winning approach that will drive full-funnel brand recognition and ultimately, sales. Already investing in industrial or construction SEO? Take the next step with advanced discovery strategies and evolving search roles.