When you want to purchase something new, whether it’s a pair of shoes or a new software solution for your organization, you probably start the same way we all do: with a Google search.
Some 68% of online experiences start that same way, which is why so many B2B companies rely on search engine optimization (SEO) to get in front of leads and drive organic traffic.1
Optimizing pre-existing content is a significant component of an SEO strategy. But deciding which pages to optimize can be time-consuming, so many companies fall into the trap of choosing pages randomly, to the detriment of their content’s organic potential.
As SEO experts, we have a lot to say about the topic. But today, we’re focusing solely on how to select which website pages to optimize for SEO in a strategic and effective way. Read on for a step-by-step guide on picking the right pages for strategic optimization and how to optimize content for SEO that can lead to significant lead generation growth.
Brief Recap: What is SEO?
Search engine optimization, or SEO, encapsulates all the work done to help your website rank higher in search engine results and appear more frequently for relevant search terms. SEO is made up of three main categories:
- On-page optimization: All the materials on your website that prospects can see, such as every piece of written content, alt text and images.
- Technical SEO: Everything that happens behind the scenes to make your site faster and easier to navigate, like fixing broken links, compressing images and more.
- Off-page SEO: Strategic efforts away from your website, such as link building to improve domain authority.
Why Does Content Optimization Matter to My Business?
Approximately 8.5 billion searches take place on Google each day.
Figuring out how to tap into all of your potential buyers and drive relevant traffic to your site can be challenging. Optimizing content is a systematic process for maximizing your reach and engagement and increasing the chances of your content being the answer for some of those 8.5 billion searches.
When done right, content optimization can lead to:
- Increased visibility on search engine result pages (SERP) and higher search engine rankings
- A better user experience through clear formatting, structures, and relevant keywords
- Improved user engagement with readable and relatable content that resonates with prospects
- Increased conversion and click-through rates with higher-quality leads
By optimizing every piece of content, you can reach a wider audience and ensure that your content resonates with readers, drives engagement and creates a smooth path for conversions.
Picking the Right Pages for Web Content Optimization
For B2B companies, it is essential to optimize content, and there are two primary approaches to consider when selecting pages for optimization.
- Commercial intent: The average B2B website has one or more service pages that describe their products or solutions in detail. Prospects who land on service pages through searching are likely looking for a SaaS solution or a B2B product to address a certain gap or pain point. Potential buyers who intend to purchase a solution are valuable leads, which is why optimizing these pages to attract this type of traffic is a great place to start.
- Current traffic: Which pages currently drive the most traffic? The pages that produce the most traffic are not always the same pages with high commercial intent. Still, blogs, case studies, and other pages that receive a high volume of visitors are worth optimizing because they educate prospects early on in their buyer’s journey and can eventually lead to conversions.
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Expert SEO Recommendation We recommend starting with the first option. Generating new, high-quality leads that turn into customers is truly the primary goal of SEO, so beginning by optimizing service and product pages is the best way to go. Once you’ve optimized those, you can move on to the second option and focus on non-commercial content. |
Regardless of your chosen method, picking your pages to optimize will always require the right marketing tools.
Top 3 Content Optimization Tools
There are a handful of viable content optimization tools available, but our SEO experts picked the three best websites to consider when starting your SEO strategy process: Google Keyword Planner, Google Search Console and SEMRush.
1. Google Keyword Planner
You can use Google Keyword Planner to conduct extensive keyword research and identify keywords related to your business that you can target in your content.
Whether you’re running ads or not, you can use this free tool, which is nested in Google Ads. Google Keyword Planner’s “discover new keyword” function is a great place to start for content optimization before you even begin creating content:
- Enter a webpage URL or your entire website domain, and Google will show you the topics it thinks your content currently covers.
- Type in keywords you want to target with your content, and Google will share other similar keywords that you can consider incorporating into your strategy.
You’ll also have visibility into keyword search volume over the last three months and the last year, as well as insight into how competitive a search term is. Using this information, you can understand if Google is correct about the topics your page covers and optimize or rebuild content to ensure all search engines understand the context of your website pages.
This tool is an excellent place to start if you have a page where you’re happy with the content but know it could be doing better. Keyword Planner helps you answer the essential question: “What else could I be writing about?"
2. Google Search Console
Google Search Console lets you monitor organic traffic, keyword rankings, average keyword position, and more to help you improve search traffic and performance.
If you’re looking for your website pages that are on the cusp of performing better than they are now, Google Search Console4 is a helpful tool. This free resource clearly showcases your website’s organic search results and keyword rankings.
In Search Console, you can easily find your website’s current keyword and SERP rankings. The #1 ranking result is shown at the top of the first SERP, and usually gets the most clicks. Your rank will let you know which result page your website is on, and which pages might be on the threshold of change.
By “threshold of change,” we mean pages that are at the top or bottom of a certain result page and whose position can be improved with just a little optimization effort.
For example, if your service page ranks eleventh on SERP for the keyword “growth marketing agency,” which would be the top of the second result page, you can optimize the meta content, headers and copy on that page for the keyword to boost its ranking to the first result page.
Using Search Console, you can stay competitive and relevant by optimizing pages with on-topic keywords and low-hanging fruit, making it a noteworthy tool for those starting out.
3. SEMRush
Commonly used in paid search and organic search spaces, SEMRush is a paid tool that provides comprehensive information about organic and paid search results.5 It combines the capabilities of Google Keyword Planner and Google Search Console into one solution.
In SEMRush, you’ll find the keywords for which you rank, which website pages rank for which keywords and more detailed SEO reporting. With this information, you can boost your overall ranking on the most relevant keywords and meet your target audience exactly where and when they are searching for a solution.
The website has many other functionalities, from keyword position tracking and topic ideation to site audits and competitor analysis, but in terms of optimizing current content, it gives you a complete view of how your content performs and how you can make simple changes to improve visibility, establish credibility and close deals faster.
B2B Content Marketing Optimization: The Conclusion
In the world of SEO, every decision you make has the power to transform your online presence. Selecting the right pages to optimize is not a matter of random chance; it's a strategic endeavor that can significantly impact your website's performance.
It's not about how many pages you optimize but how wisely you choose them and the quality of your optimization. Make those selections thoughtfully, and you’ll start to generate high-quality traffic that can be easily turned into sales-ready leads.
Investing in the help of an SEO agency can ensure the page selection and optimization process is done in a way that best serves your business goals. At ProperExpression, we helped one B2B SaaS client increase organic impressions by +174%, organic clicks by +151% and organic traffic by +74% within the first nine months of engagement.
Want to find out how our SEO experts can help you boost your ranking with informed strategies?
