Do B2B SEO campaigns work?

While it’s true that an SEO campaign won’t necessarily help every kind of business, can it help companies with a business-to-business focus? Yes, it can.

Some executives think that their buyers or customers aren’t looking for them in the search engines. Perhaps they conclude this based upon their own, personal experience- thinking that the web is for “the kids” but from their experience new business comes from relationships or trade shows or a great sales staff. While those channels can be productive ways to grow a business, a recent study in The Economist, in association with Peppercomm, shows a different story.

When asked, “Which of the following sources have been the most helpful in finding content from companies that is credible/trustworthy?”, 33% of executives surveyed said “Online search tools.” The second-most credible source of information was “Company websites” – according to 24% of respondents. “Recommendations from friends and/or business colleagues” was third, at 17%.

Since search and websites were able to generate a significant amount of trust among executives, B2B search engine optimization campaigns can be an important part of a company’s marketing channels.

Maybe SEO works for some B2B companies, but not mine

According to another survey by Brightedge, SEO drives the majority of B2B traffic.

B2B SEO campaigns drive the majority of traffic not only to technology or internet (49% of their traffic) and media and entertainment (51%) companies but also business services (73%). Clearly people looking for B2B services are turning to the search engines to find services or solutions they need.

Have you tried a B2B SEO campaign for your business? Did it “work” or not? Leave your thoughts, below, in the comments.