The question “Is SEO dead?” resurfaces every time search algorithms evolve or new technologies emerge. For B2B organizations, however, the answer remains clear: SEO isn’t dead—it’s evolved into a sophisticated, intent-driven discipline critical for long-term growth. Here’s why B2B marketers must refine—not abandon—their SEO strategies to stay competitive.
Why SEO Still Matters for B2B Companies?
Decision-Makers Start with Search
B2B buyers conduct 12+ searches before engaging with a brand (Gartner). From researching pain points to comparing solutions, your SEO strategy ensures visibility during this extended journey. If you’re not ranking, you’re invisible to high-value prospects.
Quality Content Builds Authority
Google prioritizes E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authority, Trustworthiness), which aligns perfectly with B2B goals. Case studies, whitepapers, and data-driven blogs position your brand as an industry leader, nurturing trust long before sales conversations begin.
Long-Tail Keywords Drive High-Intent Leads
B2B searches are specific (e.g., “Enterprise SaaS CRM integration tools”). Optimizing for niche, solution-oriented phrases captures audiences ready to convert, improving lead quality and reducing CAC.
Enough with the basic stuff…lets dive in…
SEO Isn’t Dying (It’s Just Changing) – As quoted by “Neil Patel”
According to the 2024 Organic SEO Industry Benchmarks report by Conductor, organic search drives 33% of web traffic across major industries.
To reconcile these two realities—that zero-click searches lead to reduced engagement with SEO results, yet organic search remains a key source of traffic—we need to rethink how SEO functions in the current landscape.
Rather than declaring SEO obsolete, we should evaluate how it adapts and thrives alongside these evolving trends.
Here’s How SEO will work for you going forward….
Map Content to the Buyer’s Journey
- Awareness Stage: Target informational keywords (e.g., “benefits of AI in supply chain management”) with guides and webinars.
- Consideration Stage: Create comparison content (e.g., “HubSpot vs. Salesforce for mid-market SaaS”).
- Decision Stage: Publish ROI calculators, case studies, and free trial CTAs.
People use multiple search platforms other than Google
Google remains a powerful tool, but, as we’ve established, it’s no longer the sole player in search and discovery.
Platforms like Youtube shorts, Reddit, and even voice search engines—such as Alexa and Siri—are reshaping SEO. The question is: Are you reshaping your strategies to match them?
When Google is deciding what to rank and where to rank it, it looks past its own dataset toward other spots online, like the platforms mentioned above.
All these platforms have one thing in common: They cater to users who prefer quick, conversational, or visual content.
So, how can you optimize your content strategy to leverage these platforms, expanding your visibility in SERPs (and on these platforms themselves)?
- Youtube Shorts: Create engaging, short-form videos with trending hashtags.
- Reddit: Participate in relevant subreddits and provide value without overtly promoting.
- YouTube(Long form): Create a combination of long-form and short-form videos, targeting different users on the platform.
- Voice search: Focus on conversational keywords and provide clear answers to common questions.
- Generative AI engines: Tools like ChatGPT are shaping search behavior by delivering conversational and context-aware responses. Businesses should focus on producing concise, relevant, and authoritative content to rank within these engines.
- Marketplaces: Amazon and similar sites act as search engines for product discovery. Ensuring optimized product titles, descriptions, and reviews is crucial.
“People are searching everywhere.”
They do, but before you say “SEO does not matter,” remember while Google is a search engine, it can provide results from other platforms, making them relevant.
As younger and Gen Z audiences use social media or videos more for discovery, Google will continue to update and adapt to meet user needs. Watch how user behaviour changes for a Gen Z:
Use of AI and strong research
Use AI for keyword clustering, meta descriptions, or data analysis, but retain human expertise for thought leadership content. Google’s Helpful Content Update penalizes generic, AI-generated fluff. Generating new content ideas through AI and putting in additional technical information can lead to better results for your SEO.
Content research based on specific industry application and industry accounts can help you create authoritative content. Ultimately due to strong machine learning capabilities of Google, authoritative content can help B2B companies rank faster.
Focus on establishing a niche
Your niche is where your product or services fit in the market. What do you offer, and who do you target?
If you want to do well in today’s world of SEO, focus on one niche. Google prefers topic-specific sites that provide specialized expertise.
Think about it. As a user, would you rather read medical advice on a blog that also discusses Business finance, home improvement, and what’s happening in the real estate market? Just like other users, probably not. B2B niche websites or companies can leverage the keywords that are highly important to their specific industry.
How to do marketing for niche products:
Focus on intent of the user and create content
Search intent is crucial because Google wants users to have a good experience. When a person searches specific keywords and can’t find a good result, the user blames Google for not finding what they want.
This is part of why Google has chosen to lean into personalization. It wants people to be happy with the results they get.
Instead of wringing your hands and questioning whether SEO is dead, you have to figure out how to fulfill user search intent by focusing on SEO elements, like keywords and high-quality content. Otherwise, Google will not rank you in the coveted ranking positions for searches (even if it matches your content) because it can’t tell if your posts truly meet those users’ needs.
To rank well on Google, you have to make your content useful with the four primary types of user intent in mind:
Transactional Informational Navigational Commercial investigation
Technical B2B companies often get traffic for Navigational or Commercial investigation intent. It is very critical to create the keyword strategy according to the intent of the user.
Does SEO Still Matter? Absolutely.
While younger audiences increasingly turn to TikTok or Instagram for discovery, Google aggregates content from these very platforms—and more—to deliver comprehensive results. For instance, authentic user discussions from forums like Reddit now dominate top Google results for product reviews and niche advice, proving that diversifying your presence amplifies visibility across channels.
The key takeaway? SEO isn’t fading—it’s evolving. By aligning with emerging platforms and formats, you future-proof your strategy while staying visible wherever your audience searches.
