Podcast Summary: B2B Marketing Exchange - "How Content & SEO Strategy Can Turn Your Website Into A Lead Gen Machine"
Introduction
In this insightful episode of the B2B Marketing Exchange podcast, hosted by Demand Gen Report, Jessica Woodside, the Marketing Director at WIKA USA, and Laura Lee from EVG Media, delve deep into the transformative journey of leveraging content and SEO strategies to convert a website into a powerful lead generation tool. Released on November 20, 2024, this episode provides a comprehensive exploration of effective B2B marketing tactics, enriched with real-world experiences and actionable insights.
Reevaluating the Initial SEO Strategy
Jessica Woodside begins by shedding light on the pitfalls of their initial SEO approach. In 2018, WIKA USA's marketing efforts were heavily reliant on live events, which, while effective, were costly in terms of lead generation.
"Our content creation and SEO strategy was trapped in a box... we were focused on a pre-selected list of short-tail search terms that were chosen by our friends at our corporate office in Germany."
— Jessica Woodside [02:12]
These short-tail keywords like "pressure measurement" and "temperature measurement" attracted high traffic but resulted in a high bounce rate, as many visitors were not the intended audience.
"People would get to the website and then realize, this is not the product I'm searching for... we were getting a lot of visits to the website, but they weren't converting as leads."
— Claudia Tirico [04:42]
Transition to a Targeted Content and SEO Strategy
Recognizing the inefficiencies, Jessica and Laura collaborated to overhaul their content and SEO strategy. They shifted focus to long-tail, highly relevant keywords that better matched the search intent of their target industries.
"We started focusing on those long-tail, hyper-relevant search terms that honestly would never have been approved as official search terms by our corporate office because the monthly volume was pretty low, but the intent was incredibly high."
— Jessica Woodside [06:29]
This strategic pivot involved regular meetings with subject matter experts, fostering collaboration over mere task execution, and producing diverse content types such as case studies, industry trends, and thought leadership pieces.
Implementing EEAT Principles
A significant component of their strategy was enhancing content quality based on Google's EEAT principles—Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness.
"We focused on some special projects that would not normally have fallen under the initiatives that corporate was laying out for us. So whereas they were saying, hit these search terms, we took some side projects that ended up paying off a lot."
— Laura Lee [07:23]
They emphasized creating authoritative content by leveraging internal experts and ensuring technical accuracy, which made the content more credible and engaging for their educated B2B audience.
Maximizing Featured Snippets and AI Overviews
One of the standout strategies discussed was the proactive management of featured snippets and adapting to Google's AI Overviews (formerly known as SGE).
"We increased our number of Featured snippets by 366%, which was awesome."
— Jessica Woodside [06:29]
By analyzing competitor content and systematically improving their own, WIKA USA successfully doubled their featured snippets within two years. Additionally, they began tracking their presence in AI Overviews to maintain visibility in an evolving search landscape.
Optimizing Internal Linking and Conducting Content Audits
Jessica and Laura also focused on refining internal linking strategies to prioritize key pages and conducted annual content audits to ensure relevance and optimization.
"Every time you post a new article and it says pressure gauges, you link back to that page. You have a keyword map that is sort of a guide for anyone who touches your website."
— Jessica Woodside [18:23]
These efforts streamlined user navigation and reinforced the authority of crucial content, contributing to improved SEO performance and user engagement.
Addressing B2B Marketing Challenges
The duo did not shy away from discussing the inherent challenges in B2B marketing, such as prolonged sales cycles, expansive buying committees, and increasingly anonymous customer journeys.
"We've got to make sure that you're putting the right content in front of the right people at the right time to capture their attention without knowing who they are."
— Jessica Woodside [22:31]
They emphasized the necessity of creating tailored content for various personas within buying committees and developing strategies to engage potential leads at the top of the funnel, even when their intentions are not overtly apparent.
Results and Impact
The revamped content and SEO strategy yielded impressive results over a five-year period:
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148% Increase in Blog Page Views: From Q2 2018 to Q2 2023, blog engagement surged, demonstrating the effectiveness of targeted content.
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366% Growth in Featured Snippets: Active efforts to optimize for featured snippets significantly boosted their visibility in search results.
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180% Rise in Website Leads: A substantial increase in lead generation underscored the strategy's success in attracting quality traffic.
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Improved Engagement Rate: The engagement rate climbed to 66%, a remarkable improvement from the previous 70-75% bounce rate.
"Our current engagement rate on our website is now at 66% for this year for year to date. As you remember, our blog or our bounce rate was at about 70 to 75% in 2018 when we started measuring that metric."
— Jessica Woodside [22:31]
Key Takeaways and Best Practices
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Focus on Relevant, Long-Tail Keywords: Prioritize keywords that align closely with search intent to attract qualified leads and reduce bounce rates.
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Collaborate with Subject Matter Experts: Regular interaction with internal experts ensures content accuracy and authority.
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Adhere to EEAT Principles: Enhance content quality by emphasizing experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness.
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Leverage Featured Snippets and Adapt to AI Overviews: Strategically optimize for featured snippets and stay abreast of changes in search algorithms to maintain visibility.
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Implement Strategic Internal Linking: Create a consistent keyword map to guide internal linking, reinforcing the importance of key pages.
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Conduct Regular Content Audits: Periodic reviews and updates of existing content ensure continued relevance and optimization.
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Address B2B-Specific Challenges: Develop content that caters to diverse personas within buying committees and engage leads throughout the long sales cycle.
Conclusion
Jessica Woodside and Laura Lee's experience underscores the pivotal role of a well-crafted content and SEO strategy in transforming a B2B website into a robust lead generation engine. Their methodical approach—grounded in data-driven decision-making, collaboration, and continuous optimization—serves as a valuable roadmap for B2B marketers aiming to enhance their digital presence and drive meaningful business results.
Notable Quotes
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"We took a new approach to content strategy... focusing on those long-tail, hyper relevant search terms."
— Jessica Woodside [06:29] -
"Our engagement rate on our website is now at 66% for this year... which is pretty awesome."
— Jessica Woodside [22:31] -
"You have to write content and you have to create content not just for the different stages in the funnel, but for the different perspectives of the different members of the buying committee."
— Jessica Woodside [22:31]
Listening Recommendations
For B2B marketers seeking to refine their content and SEO strategies, this episode offers practical insights and proven tactics. Jessica and Laura’s discussion is especially beneficial for those grappling with high bounce rates, ineffective lead generation, and the complexities of managing large buying committees.
Connect and Engage
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