When searching for a product or service online, have you ever struggled to find exactly what you need?. Now, think about your business. What are the search terms your potential clients use to find you? In the B2B environment, the selection of keywords is one of the most important and at the same time one of the first steps in further SEO activities.

While B2C keywords may be as basic as ‘buy now,’ B2B SEO has to take into consideration the buyer’s journey, their needs, and their actions. In this guide, we will learn how to choose the right keywords that will enable one to target the right audience and how to get to the first page of the search engine.

Understanding B2B Keyword Strategy

However, it is essential to have a plan on how to go about the process of listing keywords. B2B keyword research is about your target audience and how they acquire information about your product and make a decision to purchase it for their business.

Ask yourself:
✔ Who is your ideal client?
✔ What are the issues that they tackle?
✔ In what ways do they use the internet to search for solutions?

The three main areas of B2B SEO are as follows:

• Competitor Analysis: Find out what keywords your competitors are using and how you can beat them.
• Customer Awareness: This is the process of identifying how the targeted customers get their information, the language they understand, and the type of content that may interest them.
• Keyword Mapping: The keywords should be placed in the right stages of the buying cycle so that the right information can be provided to the buyer.

The Right Keywords for Your B2B Company

Keyword research is not just about identifying the most popular keywords but rather identifying the ones that will attract the right traffic. The following are the steps that can be followed in order to do it effectively.

1. Identify Your Market Niche

What makes your business unique? The more specific the market is, the more you will be able to focus on the right kind of traffic. It is not recommended to have broad categories such as ‘business software’ or ‘marketing services’. It is much more effective to use keywords that are more closely related to your specialization and offerings.

For instance, it is recommended to use the following expressions instead of ‘CRM software’:

• "Best CRM software for SaaS companies"
• "Customer relationship management for startups"
• "Affordable CRM solutions for small businesses"

These keywords may have less traffic, but it is more relevant to your business whereas ‘CRM software’ could be anyone generally looking up information on the subject.

2. Analyze Competitor Keywords

Your competitors are out there, and they have already done some of the work for you—why not take advantage of this? To identify the keywords your competitors are using, you can use SEO tools such as Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Ubersuggest.

Look for:

• The most important keywords that attract traffic to their site and are crucial for gaining traffic.
• Areas where you can create more content.
• Keywords that they haven’t targeted, but are also available and not widely used in the market.

This way, you can see what others are doing right and what they are not doing, which you can leverage.

3. Focus on Long-Tail Keywords

Which of the two is better: using the keyword “marketing automation,” which is highly competitive, or “best marketing automation software for B2B startups,” which is less competitive but more specific?

The traffic is much less, but it is more targeted, which implies that the users are searching for a solution to a specific issue. These keywords are closely related to the buying process and this has a positive effect on conversion rates.

For example:

• "Enterprise-level project management tools" (Decision-stage)
• “B2B email marketing automation: Consideration-stage”
• "What is marketing automation?" (Awareness-stage)

All keywords are used in the customer journey and help the right audience to find the right content.

4. Keyword Mapping to the Buyer’s Journey

Business-to-business buyers are not emotional buyers but rather rational ones, and they will always research which option is the best for them. The following are the steps that your keyword strategy should have:

• Awareness Stage: Use broad and comprehensive keywords, for example, ‘SaaS marketing definition.’
• Consideration Stage: Use comparison-based keywords like "best CRM tools vs. HubSpot vs. Salesforce."
• Decision Stage: Use transactional keywords like ‘purchase an AI-based SEO tool’ or ‘request a demo on our HR solutions.’

In the case of the buyer’s journey, you can provide the prospect with content that is relevant to their stage and lead them to conversion.

The Use of SEO Tools in Keyword Research

You do not have to guess which keywords will work, as SEO tools will tell you what people are searching for, what your competitors are doing, and how hard it will be to rank for a certain keyword.

Best Tools for B2B Keyword Research:

• Google Keyword Planner – Great for finding search volume and competition levels.
• Ahrefs / SEMrush – Ideal for competitor analysis and keyword gap research.
• Keywords Everywhere – A useful browser plugin that displays search terms.
• Serpstat – An all-in-one tool for keyword research, competitor tracking, and content optimization.

These tools assist you in identifying the keywords that your competitors have not used and how you can use them for ranking.

Creating Content Around Your Keywords

The next step is not only to define the keywords but to use them correctly in the content of the article. Google prefers fresh and relevant content, so you should try to provide your target audience with the most valuable content.

Best Practices for Content Optimization:

• Ensure that the keywords are placed in the title, headings, and the meta description of the website.
• Use blog posts, FAQs, and case studies to answer frequently asked industry questions.
• Incorporate conversational keywords to optimize for voice search.
• Update content regularly to maintain rankings and include current trends.
• Link articles and services in a way that the user does not feel lost when moving from one article to the other.

This means that content writing should not only be done with the aim of optimizing for certain keywords but also to convey information, entertain, and convince the reader.

SEO is Not a One-Time Process

Search behaviors evolve, competitors may come and go, and new trends may arise. Keyword research is not a one-time activity—it has to be checked and modified after some time.

• Keyword Tracking: This is done using Google Analytics to determine the ranking and traffic of the keywords.
• Adapt to Industry Changes: There is a need to look for other trends in the market concerning the search process.
• Experiment: Different keywords can be used to determine which ones perform the best for YOU.

A flexible SEO approach helps ensure that the content is always fresh, competitive, and on the right growth trend.

Final Thoughts – Your Next Step

Keyword research is not just about words—it’s about people, their needs, and giving them what they seek. Using the right keywords effectively improves leads, rankings, and business growth.

Are you ready to improve your website’s SEO and discover which keywords are best for your business? With Brew My Idea, you can develop an SEO plan that connects your brand with the right audience.

Ready to begin? Get in touch with us now!