With any B2B marketing strategy, it’s easy to get lost in the jargon. This is definitely true of search engine optimization.

There are so many tactics, channels, metrics and tools involved with modern SEO that trying to keep them all straight can be downright scary!

As you embark on your quest to master the art of B2B SEO, it’s essential to familiarize yourself with the key terminology that will be your guiding stars. Here’s a glossary of the top SEO terms tailored specifically for B2B marketers:

1. Bounce Rate: The percentage of visitors who navigate away from your website after viewing only one page. A high bounce rate could indicate that your content isn’t meeting visitors‘ expectations.
2. SERP (Search Engine Results Page): The page that displays the results of a user’s search query. Ranking higher on the SERP increases the likelihood of your content being clicked and visited.
3. Keyword Research: The process of identifying and selecting keywords and phrases that your target audience is likely to use when searching for information related to your products or services.
4. On-Page Optimization: Refers to optimizing individual web pages to improve their search engine rankings. This includes optimizing content, headings, meta tags, and URLs.
5. Meta Tags: HTML tags that provide information about a web page to search engines and website visitors. Important meta tags include the title tag (title of the page) and meta description (a brief description of the page’s content).
6. Backlinks: Also known as inbound links, these are links from other websites that point to your website. High-quality and relevant backlinks can boost your site’s authority and search engine rankings.
7. Organic Traffic: The traffic that comes to your website from search engines without any paid advertising. The relevance and quality of your content drives it.
8. Paid Traffic: The visitors who come to a website through paid advertising efforts rather than through organic search results. While SEO focuses on improving a website’s visibility in non-paid (organic) search engine results, paid traffic involves using various advertising methods to drive visitors to a website and generate immediate visibility.
9. E-E-A-T: Experiences, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (EEAT) are essential criteria used by search engines, especially Google, to evaluate the quality and credibility of a website’s content.
10. Crawling and Indexing: Crawling is the process by which search engines discover and analyze web pages. Indexing involves adding these pages to the search engine’s database for retrieval in search results.
11. Alt Text: Descriptive text added to images on a web page. Alt text helps search engines understand the content of the image and is important for accessibility.
12. Long-Tail Keywords: Longer and more specific keyword phrases that typically have lower search volume but higher intent. They are valuable for targeting niche audiences.
13. Canonical URL: The preferred version of a web page that search engines should consider as the main source of content when there are multiple similar versions.
14. Mobile-Friendly: A website that is designed to provide a seamless and user-friendly experience on mobile devices, which is crucial for SEO rankings since search engines prioritize mobile-friendly sites.
15. Page Speed: The time it takes for a web page to load. Faster-loading pages are favored by both users and search engines.
16. Schema Markup: Code added to a website’s HTML to provide search engines with additional information about the content. It can enhance how your site is displayed in search results.
17. Meta Description: A brief summary of a web page’s content that appears in search engine results. A compelling meta description can improve click-through rates.
18. Intent-Based Strategy: The approach of optimizing content and web pages to align with the specific intent or purpose behind a user’s search query, focuses on understanding the underlying motivation of users. (Learn more!)
19. Snippet: A concise preview or summary of a web page’s content that is displayed in search engine results that is designed to provide users with a snapshot of what they can expect to find on the linked page before they click on the search result.
20. Crawl Budget: The number of pages search engines will crawl on your site during a given time. Optimizing for crawl budget ensures that important pages are crawled and indexed.
21. Content Marketing: The strategic creation and distribution of valuable and relevant content to attract and engage a target audience. SEO plays a vital role in content marketing by driving organic traffic to your content.

In the world of B2B marketing, SEO isn’t just an option – it’s a necessity. The foundation of a robust B2B content marketing strategy is built upon the pillars of enhanced visibility, credibility, and quality lead generation that SEO provides. By mastering the basics of SEO – from deciphering the bounce rate to building backlinks – you’ll be ready to get the most out of your brand’s valuable marketing content.

Learn more about TopRank Marketing’s SEO services and how we can help you make sense of your search strategy.

The post SEO Terms: A Glossary of Common Search Marketing Phrases appeared first on B2B Marketing Blog – TopRank®.

Source:: toprankblog.com

Which Core B2B Marketing Responsibilities Have Most Increased in Importance? [Study]
Analytics and performance measurement has seen the greatest increase in importance among the key marketing responsibilities of B2B marketers, followed by content development and distribution, with lead generation holding the third spot, according to newly-published survey data of interest to B2B marketers. MarketingCharts

Are Marketers Equipped to Build Trust for the Long Term? [Edelman Trust Barometer]
The importance of long-term trust and ongoing brand engagement were among the key findings in the latest edition of Edelman’s annual Trust Barometer report, with over 70 percent of consumers having said it’s more important in 2023 to trust the brands that they purchase from than it has been previously — three of numerous statistics of interest contained in the recently-released trust report data. ANA

LinkedIn Updates Collaborative Articles, a Key Traffic Driver for the App
Microsoft-owned LinkedIn (client) has rolled out an array of new collaborative article features, including new content layouts that better highlight key contributors and include a more robust user interface, along with easier-to-access in-feed emoji and other reactions, Microsoft recently announced. Social Media Today

YouTube Q3 Ad Sales Jump 12.5% to Nearly $8 Billion, Alphabet Beats Estimates
Search giant Google parent firm Alphabet has reported revenue that was up by 11 percent for the period ending in September, with its YouTube video business having recorded third-quarter advertising sales that climbed by some 12.5 percent, with Google’s Cloud segment having seen revenue rise by 22.5 percent, Alphabet announced recently. Variety

LinkedIn Reports ‘Record Levels‘ of Engagement With 985M Members
Microsoft’s latest quarterly performance report has revealed that its LinkedIn professional social network has topped the 985 million member mark and seen continued record levels of engagement, with the number of user sessions expanding by 12 percent, accompanied by revenue that grew by eight percent during the most recent quarter year-over-year, Microsoft recently announced. Social Media Today

Most B2B Tech Decision-Makers Are Sometimes Disappointed by the Value of Gated Content
23 percent of B2B technology decision-makers have said that they are often disappointed with gated content, with 48 percent finding disappointment sometimes, while 22 percent said that they were rarely disappointed with the gated content they accessed — some of the findings included in newly-published survey data of interest to B2B marketers. MarketingCharts

Instagram Adds Polls in Comment Streams on Feed Posts and Reels
Meta-owned Instagram has begun rolling out the ability to add custom polls within the comments of posts on the social platform’s general feed as well as its Reels video posts, an addition that will offer brands a new option for connecting with audiences, Instagram recently announced. Social Media Today

LinkedIn influencers are a thing now—and brands like Intel and Hootsuite are courting them
An increasing number of major brands have begun harnessing the power of creators on LinkedIn, with influencer partnerships becoming more commonplace as brands have increasingly found success with such relationships on the professional social platform, and Fast Company recently took a look. Fast Company

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“It’s important to acknowledge that LinkedIn is not designed for virality, and the reason for that is we’re about economic opportunity.” — Alice Xiong of @LinkedIn
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AI Verve: Brands Worldwide Are Adding The Tech To Their Marketing
When it comes to the use of AI within the marketing departments at organizations, 88 percent of businesses have said that they were already using at least one form of AI in 2023, with 64 percent having noted they plan to adjust their strategy around AI within the forthcoming year — two of numerous findings of interest to B2B marketers contained in newly-published report data. MediaPost

LinkedIn Looks to Help Candidates Stand Out With ‘Top Choice‘ Job Application Option
LinkedIn has rolled out a new “Top Choice Jobs” premium subscriber feature that allows users on the platform to choose their top job role choices, which are then highlighted more prominently as part of the platform’s top job initiative, LinkedIn recently announced. Social Media Today

ON THE LIGHTER SIDE:

A lighthearted look at “Share of Wallet and Funflation” by Marketoonist Tom Fishburne — Marketoonist

PLATO: How an educational computer system from the ’60s shaped the future — Ars Technica

TOPRANK MARKETING & CLIENTS IN THE NEWS:

• Donna Robinson / TopRank Marketing — 5 Ways To Think About Leadership For 2024 — Forbes
• TopRank Marketing — Insights from the World’s Top Content Marketing Influencers — Public Sector Marketing Institute
• TopRank Marketing — The Top Generative AI Tools for B2B Marketers [Infographic] — MarketingProfs
• Lee Odden — 59 Content Marketing Quotes That Will Make You a Better Marketer — ActiveCampaign

FRIDAY FIVE B2B MARKETING FAVORITES TO FOLLOW:

Pantelis Chiotellis @pantelischio
Shruti Deshpande @shruti12d
Caroline Hof @Caroline_Hof
Rasmus Sørensen @rumbas
Lisa Marcyes @lisa_marcyes

Learn more about TopRank Marketing‘s mission to help elevate the B2B marketing industry.

Have you found your own top B2B marketing news item we haven’t yet covered? If so, please don’t hesitate to drop us a line in the comments below.

Thank you for taking the time to join us for this week’s Elevate B2B Marketing News, and we hope that you’ll return again next Friday for another array of the most up-to-date and relevant B2B and digital marketing industry news. In the meantime, you can follow us on our LinkedIn page, or at @TopRank on Twitter/X for even more timely daily news.

The post Elevate B2B Marketing News Weekly Roundup: LinkedIn’s Collaborative Articles, New Trust Barometer Report & Gated Content in B2B appeared first on B2B Marketing Blog – TopRank®.

Source:: toprankblog.com

Most companies that are looking to elevate their digital marketing strategy are not starting from scratch. Unless your business is brand new, you likely already have a website and a library of existing content. If you’ve been around for a while, you might have a LOT of existing content, and odds are some if it is neither fresh nor relevant.

Conducting an SEO audit is a key practice for gaining a firm grasp on your company’s website and digital assets, their performance, and where the opportunities lie to grow your impact in search.

What is an SEO audit?

Whereas a site audit analyzes website health and opportunities more broadly, an SEO audit serves as a comprehensive assessment of your site specifically with respect to its performance in search.

Why is this so important? Research has found that organic search accounts for more than half of all website traffic globally.

Although there are tools and technologies that can support an SEO audit, expertise is required to ensure the project aligns with key business goals, and that the findings lead to strong, actionable recommendations.

What are some components included in an SEO audit?

There are many different factors that can affect your website’s search performance, so in order to be effective, SEO audits need to be thorough and wide-reaching.

Examples of techniques and elements of a typical SEO audit include:

What can you learn and achieve with an SEO audit?

We’ve established that an SEO audit can provide a lot of information to your company. How does this information support your marketing strategy? There are a few key learnings and actions that often emerge through an expert SEO audit.

Turn around negative organic search trends

If your business has seen downward trends in organic traffic over the past year or so, you are far from alone. We’ve observed this trend with many of our clients, and it’s being talked about across industries.

While there are several macro trends and factors affecting the search landscape, Google’s Helpful Content update – launched in late 2022 – has had a significant impact on many search rankings.

This is not necessarily a bad thing! Google is prioritizing content that provides users with a relevant and rewarding experience, which is exactly what your content should be striving to do. (It’s also a specialization of TopRank Marketing’s content service.) Still, this major algorithm update has altered many previous rankings, and may have even impacted some of your top-performing content.

An SEO audit will help illuminate and explain any negative search trends your brand might be experiencing as a result of algorithm updates or otherwise, while helping you chart a course to reverse them.

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“An SEO audit will help illuminate and explain any negative search trends your brand might be experiencing as a result of algorithm updates or otherwise, while helping you chart a course to reverse them.” — Nick Nelson @NickNelsonMN
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Uncover key opportunities to make fast gains

As any B2B marketer knows, organic SEO tends to be a long game. But when we conduct SEO audits for our clients, we almost always discover opportunities for quick wins and short-term impact.

Achieving quantifiable progress and results can help fortify your immediate search footprint while building confidence toward your long-term strategy.

Find white space and differentiate from competitors

If a competitor is beating you out in the search engine results page (SERP) for a term with commercially valuable intent, that means they are siphoning away qualified traffic and potential interest from your brand.

Without a competitive analysis, it is difficult to know which important keywords you’re getting beat on, and what it will take to win them. Additionally, SEO audits are great for surfacing key insights around unaddressed white space that you can tap into with your SEO content strategy.

Eliminate technical issues impeding your content

It’s really easy to overlook technical issues that affect SEO performance on your website, even if those issues are being directly experienced by your users. For example, if your marketing team usually interacts with your website and its content via desktop computers in the office, they may be unaware of prominent mobile accessibility issues.

The objectivity and comprehensiveness of a data-driven SEO audit – especially when overseen by a specialized third party – can help ensure you’re not missing hidden problems that are diminishing your organization’s search visibility and organic acquisition potential.

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“The objectivity and comprehensiveness of a data-driven SEO audit can help ensure you’re not missing hidden problems that are diminishing your organization’s search visibility and organic acquisition potential.” — Nick Nelson @NickNelsonMN
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Step up your brand’s search impact with an SEO audit

The bottom line is that without an SEO audit, your marketing team has a limited understanding of how your company’s website and content are performing from a search standpoint. That means leaving valuable opportunities on the table.

At TopRank Marketing, we’ve helped countless clients solve their SEO problems and drive powerful, sustained organic traffic. Learn about this and other SEO services we offer.

The post Here’s Why You Should Conduct an SEO Audit, and What You Can Learn From It appeared first on B2B Marketing Blog – TopRank®.

Source:: toprankblog.com