How to Help Potential Customers Find You Online

Whether you operate in a B2B or B2C environment, potential customers need to be able to find you quickly and easily.

Traditionally, B2B professionals have relied on trade shows, networking, and sales calls as key methods to reach prospects. While these methods will always be valuable, procurement specialists, engineers, and project managers are increasingly likely to rely on the internet to find and research suppliers.

This is not much different than how the typical B2C customer approaches a sale.

Estimates vary, but it is reasonable to assume that more than 70% of B2B procurement professionals are conducting online searches and research before they even reach out to a salesperson. This means that your company is at a disadvantage if it is not “findable” online.

Improving your company’s “findability” is the job of Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

SEO is the art and science of attracting motivated customers to your website by increasing your site’s presence within the search results of major search engines (i.e., Google, Bing and Yahoo).

Most B2B professionals have heard about keywords, metatags, and other SEO tactics. Large, national companies probably have an in-house or agency team tasked with implementing and maintaining various SEO strategies to improve search engine rankings. In some cases, this may involve paying for the desired search placement.

Not every company, however, – particularly small and mid-size ones – can afford to pay for results or has a marketing team devoted to SEO. That is one reason why local search engine optimization is also important.

Local search engine optimization is a branch of SEO that focuses on optimizing your website to be found in local search results.

One reason why is because, on a daily basis, millions of B2B and B2C consumers use local search to find local products and services. These often take the form of searching for “________________ (fill in the blank) near me” in Google.

It seems obvious to state that local search is important for local companies. However, it is just as relevant for larger companies and those with multiple locations. Why?

First, many buyers and procurement professionals prefer to support businesses with a local presence. This makes it easier to hold in-person meetings, conduct factory tours, and control the cost of shipping and transportation.

Secondly, and on the most basic level, optimizing for local search will boost your overall “findability” regardless of where a potential buyer is located.

Thus, it is important to make local SEO an integral part of your online strategy. There are numerous ways to approach local SEO. Key tactics include utilizing Google My Business, content marketing, business citations, on-page SEO, region-specific keyword targeting, and reviews.

These and other tactics will be the focus of upcoming posts.

NWI Business Solutions has extensive expertise in SEO, local SEO, sales and networking skills training, sales process analysis and development, and determining the proper tools needed to build an integrated sales and marketing operation for your B2B or B2C organization. Contact us to learn more.