Learn How We Build an Actionable B2B SEO Strategy

Quick summary

In this guide, we explain how to build a B2B SEO strategy that works, from setting goals to scaling what’s proven. Backed by real client results and our experience working with several B2B clients, it’s a practical playbook for teams that want search to drive real growth. 

Tired of B2B SEO strategies that don’t move the needle?

Too many businesses treat SEO like a checklist.

They publish a few blog posts, stuff some keywords into a landing page, and hope for the best. Then they wonder why leads aren’t rolling in.

Meanwhile, their ideal buyers are out there, searching for solutions, tools, insights, and partners that truly understand their needs.

That’s where a real B2B SEO strategy comes in. A focused approach that connects your business with high-intent prospects already looking for what you offer.

In this Embarque guide, we’ll show you how to build a B2B SEO strategy that drives real results, backed by real-world examples from companies we’ve helped scale.

But first…

Why listen to us? 

We’ve helped 50+ B2B and SaaS companies grow through SEO, from early-stage startups to fast-scaling teams. Cleanvoice tripled MRR. Picflow saw a 525% boost in signups. BlueTally grew traffic 140x.

At Embarque, SEO isn’t just a deliverable. It’s the engine behind predictable, compounding growth. As a successful B2B SEO agency, we’ve built predictable pipelines for companies across industries, and this guide is everything we’ve learned doing that. 

What is B2B SEO (and how it’s different from general SEO)

B2B SEO is the process of optimizing your website and content to attract and convert other businesses, not individual consumers, through search engines.

While general SEO (B2C-focused) often targets high-volume, broad keywords and fast sales cycles, B2B SEO is about longer decision journeys, multiple stakeholders, and lower search volumes but higher-value conversions.

Unique challenges in B2B SEO

Longer sales cycles

You're not just convincing one person, you’re influencing an entire buying committee. That means your content needs to support every stage of the funnel, from awareness to decision-making.

Low-volume, high-intent keywords

Many B2B keywords don’t generate massive traffic, but that’s not the point. What matters is intent. These keywords signal that the searcher is actively evaluating solutions, which makes them far more likely to convert.

Technical products & niches

In B2B, especially in SaaS, your audience isn’t just browsing. They’re evaluating. That means your content needs to speak directly to technical decision-makers, not just skim the surface. You’re often explaining complex features, integrations, and workflows. Generic writing won’t cut it.

Unique opportunities in B2B SEO

More measurable ROI

Unlike brand campaigns that are harder to quantify, B2B SEO delivers clear, trackable returns. You can tie content performance directly to leads, sales pipeline, and closed revenue. At Embarque, we specialize in ROI-driven SEO, not just rankings for the sake of it. We implement tracking frameworks that show exactly how your content contributes to business growth.

Underserved keyword opportunities

Because B2B keywords are often underserved, it’s easier to rank with well-researched, high-quality articles, even in competitive niches. For example, a cybersecurity firm targeting niche queries like “best SOC 2 compliance software” can quickly climb rankings because these terms have less competition but high purchase intent.

BOFU content that drives revenue

Bottom-of-funnel content captures buyers who are ready to make a decision. Product-led pieces like “how to use [tool] for [problem]” or comparison pages are especially effective. Take ClickUp, for example. They rank for keywords like “Asana vs ClickUp”, pages built to convert high-intent traffic into paying users.

Trust that scales

Ranking for the right terms doesn’t just drive traffic, it builds credibility. Showing up on the first page signals authority, which builds trust before the first sales call even happens. For instance, SaaS companies that consistently rank for educational terms like “what is project management software” position themselves as thought leaders, making prospects more likely to engage and buy.

Evergreen lead generation

SEO doesn’t shut off when your ad budget runs out. Once your content ranks, it keeps working 24/7, bringing in qualified leads, long after it's published. It's a channel that compounds, not one that burns out.

How to create a B2B SEO strategy that delivers results

1. Set clear, measurable goals

Before you write a single word or touch an SEO tool, define what success means for your business. SEO isn’t just about rankings, it’s about driving meaningful business outcomes (leads, pipeline, and revenue).

Ask yourself:

• What does success look like? More demo requests? Increased MRR? Faster sales cycles? Be Specific.
• How will we measure it? Think beyond vanity metrics. Focus on KPIs like qualified leads, conversion rates, and pipeline growth.
• What’s our timeline? SEO is a marathon, not a sprint. Set realistic milestones. Think quarters, not weeks.

Setting clear, measurable goals ensures your SEO efforts align with your business objectives and create a roadmap to track progress and prove ROI.

2. Know your audience and what they’re searching for 

Before you can drive any meaningful traffic, you need clarity on who you're trying to reach and what they’re actually Googling. Too many B2B brands cast a wide net, writing for everyone, and converting no one.

Create buyer personas that reflect real decision-makers

You’re not writing for vague “users.” You’re writing for the specific people who make or influence buying decisions. Think CTOs, Ops Managers, Engineering Leads, or RevOps Directors. Each has their own goals, language, and search behavior.

A strong buyer persona helps you:

• Write content that resonates and converts
• Match search intent across the funnel
• Prioritize keywords tied to revenue, not just traffic

You don’t need 10 personas. One or two well-defined ones are enough to anchor your strategy.

You can use Semrush’s free buyer persona tool to build one quickly. 

For example, when we worked with Instatus (a status page tool for monitoring uptime and incidents), we built a persona around DevOps engineers, people who care about uptime, status pages, and incident comms. We then created content around those pain points, which helped Instatus grow traffic by 15x and 8x their MRR in under a year.

Do keyword research that matches intent

Once you know your persona, find out what they’re typing into Google.

Keywords are the bridge between your content and your potential customers.

Here’s a checklist that works: 

• Start with bottom-of-the-funnel (BoFu) keywords: These long-tail, high-intent phrases usually signal buying readiness and have higher conversion potential. Use them in comparison pages, solution pages, and in-depth guides.
• Layer in top-of-the-funnel (ToFu) keywords: Broader, informational queries help you capture attention earlier in the journey. Great for blog posts, how-to guides, and tutorials.

Evaluate keywords using these criteria: 

• Search volume: Is anyone actually searching for this?
• Keyword difficulty: Can we rank without a massive link profile?
• CPC: Are businesses bidding on it? That’s a buying signal.
• CTR Potential: Will people click, or is the SERP full of ads?
• Conversion Intent: Would a decision-maker Google this before buying?

3. Build a site that’s ready to rank

Even the most well-written content won’t drive results if your site isn’t technically sound. Before scaling your SEO efforts, you need to ensure your site can support and sustain search visibility. 

Structure Your Content for Search Engines (and People)

Use the pillar-cluster model to organize your content in a way that aligns with how your audience searches, and how Google crawls.

• Pillar pages: Cover broad, top-of-the-funnel topics (e.g., “The Complete Guide to CRM for B2B Teams”). These pages serve as authoritative hubs for a core topic and attract users early in the buyer’s journey.
• Cluster content: Create supporting articles targeting bottom-of-the-funnel (BoFu) keywords like “Best CRM for B2B SaaS” or “CRM pricing comparison.” These should address specific questions or pain points and link back to the relevant pillar.

Run a technical SEO audit

Technical issues are often silent killers of SEO. A site that’s slow, hard to navigate, or blocked from being indexed won’t perform well, no matter how good the content is.

Here’s what to audit:

• Fix broken links and redirect chains: These create poor UX and waste crawl budget.
• Resolve Crawl issues: Use tools like Screaming Frog or Ahrefs to ensure important pages aren’t blocked by robots.txt, noindex tags, or server errors.
• Link Orphan pages: Every page should be linked from somewhere, otherwise, search engines may never find it.
• Improve page speed and mobile performance: Especially critical for B2B audiences who are often on the go. Use Google PageSpeed Insights or Lighthouse to find and fix bottlenecks.

4. Optimize existing pages before churning out new content 

One of the biggest untapped SEO wins for B2B companies? Improving what you already have.

Most B2B websites are sitting on underperforming pages that, when properly optimized, can become lead-generating machines.

Start with on-page SEO

Solid on-page optimization can unlock more traffic with less effort:

• Use real keywords: Go back to your research. Are you targeting terms your audience actually searches for?
• Update title tags and meta descriptions: Keep them compelling, relevant, and keyword-optimized.
• Tighten headers:  Clearly outline each section. No fluff.
• Make it readable: Use short paragraphs, bullet points, and clean formatting for easier scanning.

Add clear, compelling CTAs

A page without a clear CTA is a missed opportunity. Your calls-to-action should:

• Tell users exactly what to do next
• Highlight value (“Get the guide,” “Start your free trial”)
• Stand out visually

Our landing page is a perfect example here, with two CTAs directing our website visitors to check out pricing or book an intro call. 

Build trust with visuals and proof 

• Add screenshots, explainer videos, or product GIFs
• Include testimonials, logos, or case study links. These help decision makers go from “Hmm…” to “Let’s talk.”

We did exactly this with BlueTally, no major redesign, no new content blitz. We tightened internal links, aligned the content with actual search intent, and polished the on-page elements. 

The results?

140x traffic growth, 80+ top-three rankings, and a surge in qualified leads.

Before writing another post, optimize what you’ve already built. It pays off.

5. Create new content and optimize internal linking

Once your existing content is optimized and performing, it’s time to build out what’s missing. 

Create content that drives action

You’re not just writing blog posts. You’re creating assets that solve real problems, speak your buyer’s language, and make your product feel like the obvious solution.

Here are some content types we focus on and how we approach them: 

• Product-led content (Bottom-of-funnel): This isn’t a pitch disguised as a blog post. It’s content where your product naturally fits in as the solution. Use it in:
  
  • How-to articles that show your product in action
  • Use case explainers
  • Comparison guides and feature breakdowns
• Case studies: Show, don’t tell. Real outcomes with real customers do more than any feature list ever could. Structure them like this:
  
  • The challenge
  • What was done
  • The result (with numbers)
  • A quote or two for credibility

Our SEO clients’ case studies are perfect examples to drive home this point.

• Comparison pages: Decision makers compare. Make them do it on your site, not someone else’s. Make it visual. Make it honest. And always map back to what matters: use cases, pricing clarity, support, and features.
• Educational content (Top-of-funnel): These are your entry points. They attract early-stage interest and build authority. Think:
  
  • “How to...” guides
  • Explainers for core concepts in your industry
  • Intro-level listicles and roundups

For example, Cleanvoice nailed this by targeting queries like “how to remove background noise from podcasts.” Those ToFu pages fed the funnel without needing to sell upfront.

Proper planning makes creating high-quality content easier. For a head start, we recommend checking our SEO content planning guide. 

Then, link it all together

Internal linking isn’t just for SEO hygiene. It’s how you guide users through your site.

Here’s how to do it right:

• Use descriptive anchor text: No vague “click here.” Link actual phrases that describe what’s next.
• Build topic clusters: Connect related blog posts and landing pages to a central pillar page. It boosts topical authority and improves navigation.
• Surface your deep pages: If a page is buried three clicks deep, Google is less likely to index it, which means users won’t find it. Link to it from related content or navigation.
• Keep it clean: Audit your site regularly, fix broken links, remove irrelevant ones, and update old URLs.

For instance, when we implemented a smart internal linking system for Instatus, it helped push more content into Google’s index and strengthened their rankings for competitive terms tied to DevOps workflows.

6. Build backlinks that earn trust and authority

Backlinks are like digital endorsements. When someone links to your content, they’re saying, “This is worth paying attention to.” And Google listens.

In B2B, backlinks do more than boost rankings, they signal credibility in niches where buyers do their homework before committing.

Here’s how to build backlinks that actually drive results:

Create stuff people want to link to

Not all content deserves a backlink. If you want to attract links, publish something that adds unique value.

That could be:

• Comprehensive guides that outshine everything else on the topic
• Tools, templates, or checklists that solve specific pain points
• Original data, surveys, or industry insights that people reference

Guest post where your buyers already hang out

Guest posting isn’t dead. It just needs to be strategic.

• Pitch content to industry-relevant blogs and media outlets
• Focus on educational, non-promotional topics that their audience will care about
• Include natural, contextual backlinks (not keyword-stuffed sales pitches)

This builds high-quality backlinks, boosts referral traffic, and positions you as a subject matter expert.

For example, we helped a D2C/B2C marketplace 4x their organic traffic in one year, growing from 10K to 40K monthly visits.

We did it by building high-quality content, strengthening internal links, and earning authoritative backlinks.

Find and fix broken links (the smart way)

No one likes broken pages. If you find one on a relevant site, offer up your content as a replacement.

Use tools like Ahrefs or Semrush to:

• Use tools like Ahrefs or Semrush to find broken outbound links on relevant industry sites
• Create or identify a content piece that can replace it
• Send a polite, helpful email offering your link as a fix

It’s a win-win: they fix a broken link, you get a backlink.

List your product where people compare options

Sites like G2, Capterra, and TrustRadius have high domain authority. And more importantly, your buyers trust and use them to evaluate products.

Make sure:

• You’re listed on every relevant directory
• Your listings are keyword-optimized
• You actively collect and respond to reviews

Look for unlinked brand mentions

People talk about you. Sometimes, they just forget to link.

Set up Google Alerts or use Ahrefs Alerts to track brand mentions. When you find one, reach out and (nicely) ask for the link. If the content is already live, many publishers are happy to make the update.

Backlinks aren’t about shortcuts or hacks, they’re about earning trust. Focus on creating standout content, offering value in every interaction, and getting in front of the right audiences.

Not sure of where to start? Check our detailed guide on how to do backlink analysis. 

7. Track, refine, and scale

SEO doesn’t stop once the content’s live.

The real wins come from monitoring what’s working, fixing what’s not, and doubling down on the things that drive actual results. Here’s how we do it.

Track what actually matters

Skip the vanity metrics. Focus on the numbers that tie back to the pipeline.

• Organic traffic: Are the right people landing on your site?
• Keyword rankings: Are you climbing for terms that matter?
• Conversions: Are visitors booking demos, starting trials, or signing up?
• Page performance: Which pages are pulling their weight, and which need work?

We track this using tools like Google Search Console, GA4, and Ahrefs. For quick wins and technical checks, our AI SEO Audit Checklist Generator is a fast way to spot what’s broken or underperforming.

Make small bets, then double down

When a piece of content starts ranking or converting, don’t just celebrate, ask why.

• Can you update it with new data or insights?
• Can you create a spin-off post or supporting cluster content?
• Can you repurpose it into a comparison page, guide, or video?

Iterate on what’s working. Cut what’s not. Keep your content portfolio lean and effective.

For instance, after seeing a few product-led pages gain traction with Picflow, we doubled down on feature-specific tutorials and case studies. That strategy helped push their signup rate by 525%.

Scale the right way

Scaling SEO isn’t about churning out more content—it’s about doing it smarter:

• Expand top-performing topics into full content clusters
• Re-optimize high-ranking pages quarterly
• Launch new landing pages for high-intent keywords
• Strengthen internal links so content supports itself

Tools you can use to build a B2B SEO strategy

You don’t need a dozen subscriptions or endless browser tabs. You just need the right tools with a clear purpose. Here are our go-tos:

Keyword research & competitor intel

• Ahrefs: Solid all-rounder. Great for keyword discovery, tracking rankings, and seeing exactly where your competitors are getting backlinks.
• Google Search Console: Free, powerful, and criminally underused. Use it to spot underperforming pages, CTR issues, and which keywords are already sending you traffic.
• Keyword Metrics: Quickly finds keywords you're already ranking for but not targeting well. Perfect for scaling traffic from existing content.

Technical SEO & audits

• PageSpeed Insights: Diagnose slow-loading pages, especially on mobile.
• Our AI SEO Audit Checklist Generator: Built to help you quickly spot what’s broken, missing, or holding you back. Pop in your URL, get a free checklist, no sign-up required.

Content research & ideation

• AnswerThePublic: Find real user questions around your keyword. Ideal for top-of-funnel content ideas.
• Frase: Assists in creating content briefs and optimizing content for specific keywords, ensuring alignment with search intent.

Performance tracking

• Our SEO ROI Calculator: Estimate the return on your SEO investment. Input your budget, traffic, conversion rate, and customer LTV to see potential ROI in minutes.

• Google Analytics: Still the best tool for understanding what your users do on your site and where conversions happen (or drop off).
• Ahrefs/Semrush Rank Trackers: Keep tabs on how your keywords are moving and which pages are climbing (or sliding).

You don’t need every tool on this list. Start with what helps you take action today, then layer on as your strategy grows.

Need a hand? We’re B2B SEO experts.

You can absolutely build a B2B SEO strategy in-house. But if you’d rather skip the guesswork and move faster, we’re here to help.

At Embarque, we specialize in helping B2B companies grow organically through proven SEO strategies. Whether you’re starting from scratch or scaling an existing SEO engine, we’re here to help you turn rankings into real revenue.

Ready to scale your B2B business with SEO? Book a free consultation and let’s talk.