The document discusses search trends and tactics for B2B SEO success in 2017. It provides data on search volumes and where people search showing that Google continues to dominate but is gaining more share. It also discusses different types of search results like featured snippets and how they impact organic click-through rates. Finally, it outlines six tactics for B2B SEO success, including optimizing for related precursor queries, publishing on platforms that easily rank, using lead magnets to capture content without barriers, recruiting influential contributors for links, and planning for a long-term investment with little short-term ROI.
11. Google’s Growth
So far, 2017 is trending ~10-15% higher than
2016, not including voice or Apple devices
12. Total Searchers vs.Active Searchers
United States
Canada
United Kingdom
Average
Searches/Month
%ofSearchersw/10+
Searches/Month
103-119
120-139
120-135
~39%
~40%
~41%
35. And on mobile, even more
kinds of searches are limited
to particular networks
(Google Play & iPhone App
Store).
36. We expected answers
like these would
siphon away traffic
from our site… In
reality, we got more!
Featured Snippets are one of the most powerful
forms of this:
37. But some answers really do
remove traffic (estimates of
50%+ traffic loss to web
results after SERP changes
like these)
40. Analyze Which Types of SERPsAppear Most in the
Keywords You CareAbout
These show me how many of
each SERP type appears in
the results for this keyword
list (via KWE)
41. Then Determine What Verticals & SERPTypes You
Need to Optimize For
It might pay to
generate some
visual charts in
addition to a text-
only version…
42. You can make these estimates yourself when evaluating
keywords for SEO effort:
43. Or you can use a tool like Keyword Explorer to get the
CTR Opportunity scores
100% CTR
Opportunity
60% CTR
Opportunity
48. If Google sees high rates of pogo-sticking or other
signals that your page/site isn’t solving search
queries, they’ll likely rank you lower
Query
Satisfaction
Via WB Friday
49. Using the searcher’s keywords intelligently on
your page still matters for rankings (and for CTR in
the results)
Keywords
Ring failed to
rank until they
changed their
page title to
include “video
doorbell”
50. Domains accrue signals of quality & value.
Powerful domains may give the pages they host a
boost in ranking ability.
Quality of Host
Domain
Via OSE
51. Google wants to see sites provide an easy-to-use,
intuitive experience on every device, at every
speed, without impediment.
User
Experience
52. Speed & accessibility to crawlers still matters, and
Google still doesn’t handle non-text, or non-HTML-
link accessible pages well.
Technical &
Crawl
53. The geography, device, search history, and timing
of a searcher’s query can all change Google’s
results significantly.
Personalization
55. It’s Possible to Use SEO to Get Into Featured Snippets
(and earn big CTR boosts)
They beat out Wikipedia by
phrasing the content to match
the *answer* Google wanted for
this search query
56. More on How to Become theAnswer:
Via Dr. Pete (and more Dr. Pete)
57. Local & Maps Results Have
Different Ranking Factors
“Local Pack” Results
Geo-biased Web Results
58. Via Local Rankings Factors 2017
These Factors Govern
YourAbility to Rank for
Geo-biased Queries (~20%
of searches)
59. Images, YouTube, & Top Stories
How to Rank in Google
Images
YouTube
SEO Guide
How Google Ranks
Top Stories
61. #1: Low KW Demand?
Rank Twice!
Smartsheet produced two
separate resources to serve
two unique intents
Project *plan*
Project *management*
62. #2: Rank for the Queries BEFORE the Query
Before they search for this… They search for this:
63. #3: Publish on Platforms that Easily Rank
Quora, Slideshare, and
LinkedIn not only make it
easy to publish, but rank
well even without lots of
links
64. #4: Offer Your “Lead
Capture” Content
Without Barriers…
A)forthefirstweek
B)forvisitorsfrom
socialreferrers
C)forthefirst30%of
thecontent
65. #5: Need Links? Get Proven Contributors
Buzzsumo lets you ID powerful
authors & sources.
You can then recruit them to
your platform for high-
propensity links
66. #6: Plan 6+ Months of Investment
w/ Little to No ROI
Your first few months will
probably look like this.
67. SEO takes time & has a steep
learning curve, but it pays off.
68. SEO brings in the highest LTV customers of
any channel, with the lowest CAC