Search marketing is a popular strategy used by marketers to establish a prominent online presence. This approach requires the usage of paid and unpaid tactics to generate traffic through leading search engines. Why do marketers use search marketing? Well, the answer is quite straightforward. Every day millions of users log-on to search engines to look for information relevant to their query. All the options that appear towards the top of the SERP (search engine results page) have a better chance of being clicked by the user.

Marketers keenly desire to leverage this opportunity to attract the users to their landing page, then engage them with the brand and then turn them into paying customers. Every brand that wishes to grow in the digital space must invest adequate time and resources in search marketing.

Search Marketing Categories

For the sake of convenience, search marketing can be divided into two primary categories, i.e.,

• PPC (Paid Advertising): This option involves paid strategies to include the listings towards the top in the SERPs.
• SEO (Unpaid Advertising): This option involves using unpaid strategies to attract organic traffic to the landing page.

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Common Search Marketing Mistakes and Challenges in B2B

In order to get the best results from search marketing in the B2B segment, it is crucial for marketers to be aware of common pitfalls that can come up while using this strategy. Here are some of the search marketing mistakes and challenges that marketers can encounter:

1. Overlooking mobile optimization:

The majority of internet users are now accessing websites on their mobile devices. If the website has not been designed to meet the requirements of mobile devices, the customers are likely to move on to the next option. Hence, ignoring mobile optimization can lead to a poor user experience and lower search rankings.

2. Incorrect keywords:

The selection of the right keywords is the key to success in search marketing. Failing to research and target the most relevant keywords for your target audience can result in low traffic and poor conversion rates. Focusing solely on generic keywords instead of long-tail, specific keywords that target the needs of B2B buyers is a common mistake that must be avoided.

3. Ignoring local SEO:

Many B2B companies assume that they don’t need to focus on local SEO. But optimizing the search marketing campaigns for location-based searches can improve visibility and attract more qualified leads.

4. Focus on lead generation:

Lead generation is a key goal of B2B search marketing. But it’s equally important to also consider other stages of the sales funnel, such as nurturing and customer retention, to ensure success with search marketing strategies. Companies need to have dedicated customer success teams in place to guide the customers through the various stages of the sales process.

5. Not tracking and analyzing data:

Proper tracking and analysis of search marketing efforts is crucial. Otherwise, it will be difficult to identify what’s working and what’s not, thereby leading to issues with making data-driven decisions for optimization. Hence, it is crucial to have relevant mechanisms in place to monitor metrics and undertake data analysis to measure and optimize the performance of B2B search marketing campaigns.

6. Lack of integration:

Search marketing should be integrated with other marketing channels, such as social media and email marketing, to create cohesive and effective marketing. If there is a lack of integration of your search marketing campaign with relevant social media channels, then the desired results cannot be obtained. Hence, you must have a cohesive strategy in place to ensure seamless integration between all marketing channels.

7. Ignoring paid search:

While organic search is the ideal option to generate traffic, paid search can also be an effective way. If executed correctly, you can reach the target audience and drive conversions, especially for competitive keywords. Paid search tools are extremely useful in the initial stages of search marketing campaigns. They will help the brand acquire one of the top places in the results.

8. Insufficient budget:

Search marketing requires the allocation of adequate money and resources from the company. Whether it be organic strategies like content marketing or paid strategies like PPC, adequate budgets must be in place to ensure the timely execution of the campaigns. If the budgets allocated are not sufficient, the results will not be as per the expectations.

Search marketing is an extremely important strategy for businesses operating in the hyper-competitive digital space. If any marketer wishes to drive a company’s growth in the online world, then having a comprehensive plan in place is vital. Moreover, it is crucial to allocate adequate resources and budgets to search marketing activities to yield desired results. With new and interesting strategies being explored across domains, marketers must be geared up for the new challenges in the coming years.

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