Beyond Vanity Metrics: B2B SEO should drive leads 

Beyond Vanity Metrics: B2B SEO should drive leads 

Posted on
May 5, 2023

Many agencies fall into the trap of focusing on clicks, page views, bounce rates, and social media followers, only to realize that these numbers might not reflect the true impact of their SEO efforts. It's time we move beyond these superficial metrics and introduce a more meaningful approach: placing lead generation at the core of B2B SEO.

What are vanity metrics in B2B SEO?

Let's start by defining what vanity metrics are and looking at some examples:

Clicks

A click is simply a user clicking on a link or a button. While it's great to have people engaging with your content, clicks alone don't give you any insight into the quality of your traffic or the likelihood of a conversion.

Page views

This metric refers to the number of times a webpage has been viewed. But remember, more page views don't necessarily mean more sales or leads. A high number of page views might just mean that people are browsing without taking any action.

Bounce rate

A bounce occurs when a visitor leaves your site after viewing only one page. While a high bounce rate could indicate a problem with your content or site design, it's not always indicative of poor performance. In some cases, users might simply find the information they need on that one page and leave.

Social media followers

Gaining followers on social media platforms is nice, but it doesn't necessarily translate to increased revenue or leads. Followers might not even be part of your target audience, making this metric less relevant to your B2B SEO strategy.

The main limitation of relying solely on vanity metrics for B2B SEO success is that they don't tell the whole story. Sure, it's essential to keep an eye on these numbers, but they shouldn't be the primary focus of your B2B SEO strategy. Instead, concentrate on metrics that truly reflect the impact of your SEO efforts on lead generation and revenue growth.

Read more: B2B SEO need not be boring: 5 ways you can jazz up your organic marketing efforts

Real revenue-focused metrics you should focus in B2B SEO

Organic search traffic growth

Rather than just focusing on clicks or page views, track the overall growth in organic search traffic to your website. This will give you a better idea of how well your SEO efforts are performing in attracting potential customers.

Keyword rankings for relevant and high-intent search terms:

Keep an eye on how your website ranks for specific keywords that are relevant to your target audience and have a high conversion potential. Improving your rankings for these high-intent terms can directly impact your lead generation efforts.

Click-through rate (CTR):

CTR measures the percentage of users who click on a link or a call-to-action (CTA) compared to the total number of impressions. A higher CTR indicates that your content is engaging and relevant to your audience, which can lead to increased conversions.

Conversion rate:

This metric reveals the percentage of website visitors who complete a desired action, such as filling out a contact form, signing up for a newsletter, or making a purchase. Tracking conversion rates helps you assess how effectively your SEO efforts are driving leads and sales.

Cost per acquisition (CPA):

CPA measures the average cost of acquiring a new lead or customer through your SEO efforts. By tracking and optimizing your CPA, you can ensure that your B2B SEO strategy is cost-effective and delivering a solid return on investment.

Read more: The Blueprint to Effective B2B Customer Acquisition in 2023

Lead quality and lead scoring:

Not all leads are created equal. Assess the quality of the leads generated by your SEO efforts and implement lead scoring to prioritize those with the highest potential to convert into customers.

Customer Lifetime Value (CLV):

CLV is the estimated total revenue that a customer will generate for your business over the entire duration of their relationship with you. Focusing on CLV helps you make data-driven decisions about which SEO strategies are most likely to attract high-value customers.

Return on Investment (ROI) of SEO efforts:

Ultimately, the success of your B2B SEO strategy should be measured by the ROI it generates. Track the revenue and leads generated through your SEO efforts and compare them to the costs of implementing and maintaining your SEO strategy.

Five ways you can prioritize lead generation in B2B SEO

Leveraging marketing automation CRM tools:

Marketing automation and CRM tools can help you streamline your lead generation process by automating tasks like lead capture, scoring, and nurturing. These tools can track and analyze user behavior, enabling you to deliver personalized and targeted content to your audience, ultimately improving conversion rates. Additionally, they allow you to segment leads based on various criteria, ensuring that your marketing efforts are tailored to the specific needs and preferences of each lead, resulting in more effective lead nurturing and higher conversion rates.

Align with buyer’s journey:

A well-rounded B2B SEO strategy should consider the entire sales funnel, from awareness to conversion. This means creating content and optimizing your website for each stage of the buyer's journey. For example, at the top of the funnel, focus on generating awareness by targeting informational keywords and creating educational content. In the middle of the funnel, emphasize consideration by showcasing case studies, testimonials, and product comparisons. Finally, at the bottom of the funnel, drive conversions by optimizing landing pages, calls to action, and lead capture forms. 

Collaborate with sales teams:

To maximize the effectiveness of your B2B SEO efforts, it's crucial to maintain open communication and collaboration between your marketing and sales teams. Sales teams can provide valuable insights into the needs, preferences, and pain points of your target audience, helping you create more targeted and relevant content. They can also offer feedback on the quality of the leads generated through your SEO efforts, allowing you to refine your targeting and optimization strategies. 

Utilize thought leadership:

Establish your brand as an authority in your industry by consistently creating and sharing informative, insightful, and valuable content. This includes blog posts, whitepapers, case studies, webinars, and podcasts. By offering valuable resources, you'll attract and engage your target audience, encouraging them to explore your products or services and become leads.

Implementing local SEO:

If your B2B business serves clients in specific geographic locations, optimize your website and online presence for local search. This includes creating and optimizing local business listings on platforms like Google My Business, using location-specific keywords, and collecting and showcasing positive reviews. Focusing on local SEO will help you attract leads from your target regions and increase the chances of converting them into customers.

Want to learn more on local SEO and Global SEO? Check out this blog Local SEO vs Global SEO: A Comprehensive Guide.

Unfortunately, many agencies still chase vanity metrics, leading to superficial successes that don't necessarily translate to actual business growth. Here at Freshboost, we take a different approach. We work closely with clients to understand their specific needs and objectives, and then craft customized SEO strategies that drive high-quality leads, improve conversion rates, and ultimately, boost revenue. If you work with us, you will be investing in a B2B SEO strategy that delivers real, meaningful results.

Start with our B2B SEO audit to know how we work.

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Description

Pricing

Webflow plans cost

Webflow has varied plans depending on your requirements.
The lowest plans start from $14 and the highest can go above $300/month for enterprise sites.

Developer cost

Most custom web-flow websites require additional HTML, and CSS code to change the appearance and this will require a developer. 
$25/hour to $150/hour depending on regions

Designer cost

The custom Webflow site will have a custom design, which will require a design.
Starts from $50/hour and upwards depending on Region

Integrations

Webflow uses integration to work with third-party data sites or apps like Zapier.
Integrations like Zapier start at $19.99/month.

Site Type

E-commerce sites are heavy, while small business sites are light.
A small custom site can range from $3500. Whereas, ecommerce sites will start from $10,000 and above
Conference
When
Location
Sydney SEO Conference‍Mar. 1, 2024‍Sydney, Australia‍
WTSFest London‍Mar. 8, 2024‍London, UK‍
PubCon‍Mar 4-6, 2024‍Las Vegas, US‍
SMX Munich‍Mar. 12 & 13, 2024‍Munich, Germany‍
SMX Paris‍Mar. 14 & 15, 2024‍Paris, France‍
Friends of Search‍Mar. 21, 2024‍Amsterdam, Netherlands‍
SEO Mastery Summit‍Apr. 9 - 11, 2024‍Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam‍
BrightonSEO‍Apr. 24 & 25, 2024 / Oct. 3 & 4, 2024‍Brighton, UK‍
Mozcon‍Jun. 3 & 4, 2024‍Seattle, US‍
WTSFest Berlin‍Jun. 7, 2024‍Berlin, Germany‍
LondonSEO XL‍Jun. 13, 2024‍London, UK‍
SEO on the Beach‍Jun. 14 & 15, 2024‍La Manga, Spain‍
WTSFest USA‍Sep. 19, 2024‍Philadelphia, US‍
Chiang Mai SEO Conference‍Nov 22 & 23‍Chiang Mai, Thailand‍
International Search Summit‍Nov. 14, 2024‍Barcelona, Spain‍
BrightonSEO (US edition)‍Nov. 19 & 20, 2024‍
San Diego, US
UPDATE SUMMARY
DATE
DURATION
November 2023 reviews update8 Nov 202329 days
November 2023 core update2 Nov 202325 days, 21 hours
October 2023 core update5 Oct 202313 days, 23 hours
Ranking is experiencing an ongoing issue5 Oct 202326 days
October 2023 spam update4 Oct 202315 days, 12 hours
September 2023 helpful content update14 Sep 202313 days, 11 hours
August 2023 core update22 Aug 202316 days, 3 hours
April 2023 reviews update12 Apr 202313 days, 2 hours
March 2023 core update15 Mar 202313 days, 7 hours
February 2023 product reviews update21 Feb 202314 days

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Frequently asked questions

Is SEO important for eCommerce platforms?

Yes, SEO is crucial for eCommerce platforms. It enhances visibility on search engines, attracts potential customers, and improves the chances of higher conversion rates, ultimately boosting online sales.

How to increase eCommerce sales with SEO?

To boost eCommerce sales with SEO, focus on keyword optimization, create high-quality and relevant content, optimize product pages, improve website speed, utilize social media, encourage customer reviews, and invest in a mobile-friendly design.

How Is SEO for E-commerce Different?

SEO for E-commerce differs in product-focused optimization, dealing with large inventories, optimizing product pages, handling duplicate content issues, addressing seasonal fluctuations, and focusing on user experience to encourage conversions. It's a specialized approach tailored for online retail.

Which Ecommerce Platform is Best for SEO?

There is no one-size-fits-all answer. Popular platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, and Magento offer good SEO capabilities. The best choice depends on your business needs, content management preferences, and technical expertise.

What are the benefits of SEO for eCommerce Platform?

SEO for eCommerce platforms brings increased organic traffic, higher visibility in search engine results, improved user experience, enhanced credibility, and better chances of converting leads into customers, leading to increased sales and revenue.

Frequently asked questions

Is pay-per-click advertising worth it?

PPC advertising offers targeted reach, measurable results, and fast outcomes, making it valuable for businesses. It allows precise audience targeting and provides detailed analytics for performance tracking. While it delivers quick results, it requires ongoing investment and time for management. Additionally, competitiveness in certain industries can raise costs and pose challenges.

How is ranking different when comparing PPC vs SEO?

PPC: Paid placement based on bidding and ad quality for immediate results and precise targeting.SEO: Organic ranking influenced by website quality and content relevance, takes time to build and maintain.

How Is SEO for E-commerce Different?

SEO for E-commerce differs in product-focused optimization, dealing with large inventories, optimizing product pages, handling duplicate content issues, addressing seasonal fluctuations, and focusing on user experience to encourage conversions. It's a specialized approach tailored for online retail.

How do SEO and PPC work together?

SEO and PPC complement each other by improving online visibility and driving traffic. PPC provides keyword insights for SEO, while SEO informs PPC strategies. PPC serves as a testing ground for SEO keywords, enhancing organic optimization efforts. Together, they increase SERP visibility, optimize landing pages, and improve user experience and conversions. Additionally, PPC data informs SEO content strategies, resulting in better online performance overall.

How much do PPC agencies charge?

PPC agencies offer services to assist businesses in handling their PPC campaigns, with costs typically ranging from $350 to $5,000 monthly or 12 to 30% of ad spend per month.

Frequently asked questions

What criteria should I consider when selecting an SEO agency?

When looking at how to choose an SEO agency, you’ll need to go through any available client testimonials that’ll be available in their website. Also, check if they’re transparent about their business approach to you and whether they possess a multi-disciplinary team.

How can I assess and evaluate the capabilities of an SEO agency?

When you research how to choose an SEO agency, you can evaluate their capabilities beforehand by going through their previous sample works, going through client testimonials and also going through community forums to check for reviews regarding the SEO Agency you’re looking out for.

What factors should I weigh when choosing an SEO specialist?

The factors that influence your question of how to choose an SEO agency should be to check if their portfolio is diverse, and whether they have good client testimonials, and they don’t guarantee you top ranks in Google’s search results.

What steps should I take to pick a local SEO company for my business?

Go through the company’s portfolio that is publicly available. Also, while looking for pointers on how to choose an SEO agency for your business, you can go through your local SEO agency’s client testimonials and research the company’s cultural dynamics.

Frequently asked questions

What is Plastic Surgery SEO?

Plastic surgery SEO is a specific type of search engine optimization (SEO) focused on attracting potential patients to a plastic surgeon's website. It involves various tactics to improve the website's visibility in search engine results for relevant keywords.

Why SEO for Plastic Surgeons Is Important?

SEO is an essential tool for plastic surgeons seeking to increase online visibility, rank high on SERP, attract qualified leads, and ultimately convert them into patients.

How long does it take for medical SEO to work?

Based on SEO strategies and the quality of content, initial improvements can be expected within the first three months. Achieving top positions in search results and driving traffic typically takes an average of six months.

How do you get plastic surgery leads?

Utilize 3D visualizations, Content Marketing & Webchat, patient-focused blogs, testimonials, mobile optimization, and SEO to generate plastic surgery leads.

Frequently asked questions

What is manufacturing SEO?

Manufacturing SEO involves optimizing a manufacturer's online presence to improve search engine rankings and visibility, attracting potential clients and enhancing brand awareness.

How does SEO benefit a manufacturing company?

SEO benefits manufacturing companies by increasing online visibility, attracting targeted leads, and establishing credibility, ultimately boosting brand awareness and facilitating business growth.

How can manufacturing companies improve SEO?

Manufacturing companies can enhance SEO by optimizing website content, incorporating relevant keywords, improving site speed, and utilizing quality backlinks for a stronger online presence.

How do you get plastic surgery leadsWhat is the main mistake of SEO that manufacturing companies make??

The main SEO mistake manufacturing companies make is neglecting to focus on industry-specific keywords and failing to regularly update and optimize their online content for search engines.

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