Have you been feeling exhausted while navigating the lead generation labyrinth? You’re probably using paid media to generate quick leads. 

Let’s take pay-per-click (PPC) marketing as an example. On average, 84% of companies and marketers got good results from their PPC campaigns. While this is a lucrative option, its long-term viability is hindered when met by sky-high costs per lead (CPL). 

Industry leaders believe it’s a gross marketing expense to acquire business leads. For instance, the average paid CPL can reach USD 310 for B2B SaaS companies.

However, ‘buying’ your consumers can sometimes work if you do it the right way. For that, you’ll need a B2B search engine optimization (SEO) agency to avoid the common mistakes that affect your CPL. 

These companies will collaborate with your brand and offer actionable insights that’ll help reduce the overall costs, generating organic traffic. Read on to learn more.

#1. Relying on Paid Acquisition

Paid media is a great channel for B2B businesses to generate revenue. For example, direct-response ads on search engines can produce a conversion rate surge in a short time. According to Search Engine Land, B2B brands can face implicit problems in the long run, like:

  • Auction-based networks on search engine results pages (SERP) can get expensive.
  • You cannot control ad-spend optimization.
  • You’ll venture into a competitive marketplace without backups.
  • There can be bad clickthrough rates.
  • Sophisticated buyers in the B2B industry will require multiple ads to get them to the funnel. 

B2B sales involve low-transactional and high-value products. That’s why you might find it hard to generate quick leads from paid media.

How Can SEO Help?

Forbes reports that there is potential in SEO strategies only if you combine organic with paid marketing. A well-thought-out SEO campaign can offer the longevity that PPC advertising lacks. 

You can leverage B2B SEO services for this. With the help of the top SEO agencies, you can lay the groundwork for consistent lead generation through organic traffic. 

With their help, you can invest in high-quality content optimization, leading to reduced CPLs. The best part is that robust SEO can affect search engine rankings for a long time. 

#2. Focusing on Bottom-Of-Funnel Leads

 Think of it this way: a top-heavy bodybuilder will always neglect leg day. The same goes for B2B paid media, as it isn’t a multifaceted approach. 

It’s often a result of bottom-heavy strategies for lead generation. For example, your tactics might seem robust but suffer from a weak foundation, leading to a high CPL. 

As a result, your primary focus will be on bottom-of-funnel and branded leads. When that happens, your reach might be limited since you’re using paid media. In short, you’re only tapping the tip of the iceberg without understanding your potential audience. 

Oftentimes, these prospects are ready to convert as they’ve already passed the decision-making phase. Instead, you have to widen your perspective and segment leads properly by addressing the needs of each marketing funnel stage. This way, you’ll get to engage with those who aren’t yet ready to convert.

How Can SEO Consulting Help?

You’ll need digital marketing services and proper SEO consulting for balanced lead generation. This way, you can approach prospects throughout the various stages of the B2B buyer’s journey.

According to SpearPoint Marketing LLC, marketing agencies can effectively perform keyword research, SEO audits, and competitor analysis. With the right on-page and off-page SEO techniques, these companies can help generate long-term results from demand and offer transparent reporting.

With their help, you’ll get to curate content that addresses the audience’s education and inquiry needs, leading to decision-making processes. They also offer SEO tools to diversify lead-generation tactics and generate organic search results in the long run. 

The unique channel strategies they use will go beyond quick wins from paid media and ensure sustainable growth.

#3. Misusing Search Intent

However, one thing B2B businesses often overlook is the misuse of search intent when they use paid media, leading to high CPLs. There can be a mismatch between content structure and search intent that leads to unprofitable rankings. 

Consider this: Just using keywords without proper optimization can diminish your chances of a higher rank. Sometimes, decent ranks might mislead you. While non-optimized content can bring organic rankings, it cannot help you sustain top positions. 

SERP click-through rates can lead to traffic attrition if you don’t secure a top-three position. Similarly, user-generated content will only secure fleeting rankings. These cannot convert visitors into leads, even with paid media.

How Can You Align Content With Search Intent?

A B2B SEO agency will use a robust marketing strategy (localized or international SEO) to align content structure with your target audience’s search intent. They will use comprehensive keyword research, technical SEO, and content marketing to enhance search volume without compromising intent. 

Ideally, they will help ensure your product pages offer high-value content that’s regulated by auditing. SEO audits can help identify gaps in your branded content and rectify search intent misalignments. 

Industry leaders state that you can do this by understanding the prospects and crafting content that meets their search intent. As a result, you can fulfill user intent, enhance rankings, and improve CPL.

In the end, a company offering B2B SEO services will offer a clear understanding of how the SEO strategy to use paid media works. This way, you’ll get to enhance online visibility by creating a balance in your long-term lead generation. 

However, your B2B SEO campaigns will only be successful if you avoid common mistakes. Examples include relying on paid acquisition, misusing search intent, and using heavily branded leads. 

To solve this, you’ll need the right paid advertising strategies offered by a B2B SEO company. Are you ready to get qualified leads?