{"id":622175,"date":"2024-05-28T16:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-05-28T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/3-common-b2b-seo-mistakes-sabotaging-cost-per-lead\/"},"modified":"2024-05-28T16:00:00","modified_gmt":"2024-05-28T13:00:00","slug":"3-common-b2b-seo-mistakes-sabotaging-cost-per-lead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/3-common-b2b-seo-mistakes-sabotaging-cost-per-lead\/","title":{"rendered":"#3 common B2B SEO mistakes sabotaging cost per lead"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a32f6778123a\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a32f6778123a\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/3-common-b2b-seo-mistakes-sabotaging-cost-per-lead\/#Be_careful_not_to_ONLY_rely_on_paid_media_in_B2B_Heres_why_SEO_and_content_can_reduce_CPLs_years_from_now\" >Be careful not to ONLY rely on paid media in B2B. Here&#8217;s why SEO and content can reduce CPLs years from now.<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/3-common-b2b-seo-mistakes-sabotaging-cost-per-lead\/#1_Over-relying_on_paid_acquisition_for_long-term_growth\" >1. Over-relying on paid acquisition for long-term growth<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/3-common-b2b-seo-mistakes-sabotaging-cost-per-lead\/#2_Relying_on_heavily-branded_bottom-of-funnel_in-market_leads\" >2. Relying on heavily-branded, bottom-of-funnel, in-market leads<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/3-common-b2b-seo-mistakes-sabotaging-cost-per-lead\/#3_Cannibalization_of_search_intent_content_structure_mismatch_leading_to_low-to-no_profitable_rankings\" >3. Cannibalization of search intent &amp; content structure mismatch leading to low-to-no profitable rankings<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/3-common-b2b-seo-mistakes-sabotaging-cost-per-lead\/#Conclusion\" >Conclusion<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"subhead\" itemprop=\"alternativeHeadline\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Be_careful_not_to_ONLY_rely_on_paid_media_in_B2B_Heres_why_SEO_and_content_can_reduce_CPLs_years_from_now\"><\/span>Be careful not to ONLY rely on paid media in B2B. Here&#8217;s why SEO and content can reduce CPLs years from now.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<div class=\"bialty-container\">\n\u201cBuying\u201d customers can work.<\/p>\n<p>Just not all that well over the long haul, it turns out.<\/p>\n<p>Direct-response, digital ads (like paid search) are among the best converting channels anywhere.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/1038259\/SEL_Post-text --><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1693000027709-0\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"post-break\"><\/div>\n<p>Like, ever. In the history of time.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>No joke. Google it. <\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s the #1 best way to spend money today to generate revenue tomorrow. (Or even over the next ~2-3 months.)<\/p>\n<p>But here\u2019s why this can set you down a dangerous path if you aren\u2019t careful \u2013\u00a0and actually result in a higher CPL over the long term.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-1-over-relying-on-paid-acquisition-for-long-term-growth\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_Over-relying_on_paid_acquisition_for_long-term_growth\"><\/span>1. Over-relying on paid acquisition for long-term growth<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>There are a few giant implicit problems for B2B brands with paid <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">media<\/a>:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Auction-based networks, like Google Ads, will keep getting more expensive over the long-term.<\/li>\n<li>While you might be able to improve ad spend optimization over the short-term (A\/B testing creatives, graphics, audiences, placements, timing, etc.), you\u2019re unlikely to significantly control or bring down the ROI over the long-term (as CPCs continued to get bid up by your competitors).<\/li>\n<li>Part of this is because you\u2019re forced to compete head-on, directly, in a red ocean blood bath for a tiny sliver of only ~5% \u201cin-market\u201d prospects at that time (more on this in the next section).<\/li>\n<li>To top it all off, you\u2019re dealing with the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/andrewchen.com\/the-law-of-shitty-clickthroughs\/\">Law of Shitty Clickthrough rates<\/a> (where the required minimum spend and performance of a channel traditionally falls over the long-term anyway) and it gets more expensive to compete long-term.<\/li>\n<li>And complex, consultative buying processes with sophisticated buyers don\u2019t just \u201cclick and convert\u201d but often require multiple ads in succession or funnels before ever paying you a dime.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Go look at any chart of CPC and CPL costs across not just one year, but over the last 10, and you\u2019ll pretty quickly see a similar trend:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Paid media (in established categories) increases over the long term.<\/li>\n<li>Ad creative click-throughs and response rates often fall over the long term.<\/li>\n<li>Thus, your potential ROI and profit margins decreases over the long term, too.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This ain\u2019t new, either.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>B2B CPCs and lower-click through rates have been maligned on this very site since 2007!\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s not because B2B marketers are dumb. It\u2019s actually the opposite. It\u2019s just that low-priced, transactional sales or impulse buys are <strong>easy<\/strong> to generate \u201cclick + convert\u201d B2C sales.<\/p>\n<p>So why is this especially troubling today for B2B brands?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Because it forces you to realize that you\u2019ll need to seek out, explore, test, and scale other channels if you want to continue pushing 7-figure revenues into 8-figure ones, then 9 and 10-plus ones as you grow at scale.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>To add insult to injury, paid media is also incredibly capital intensive:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>You have to front-load a huge budget, every single month, month after month.<\/li>\n<li>That\u2019s likely to only continue increasing over the next five years from now.<\/li>\n<li>In order to hopefully squeeze out revenue over the next few months.<\/li>\n<li>So that you can hopefully just break-even on each customer within ~6 months.<\/li>\n<li>In order to make a profit and get \u201cpaid back\u201d 6-12 months later (assuming the customer sticks that long, too).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>So. If you live in a world where your <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/metadata.io\/resources\/blog\/b2b-paid-social-benchmarks\/\">paid CPL is anywhere near ~$5k\/each<\/a>\u2026 you should probably find some better alternatives ASAP if you want a <strong>long-term<\/strong>, <strong>scalable growth engine<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>And <strong>not<\/strong> a temporary bandage that works \u2013 kinda\/sorta \u2013 for the next year or two but becomes cost prohibitive 5+ years from now.<\/p>\n<p>In other words:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Your budget that should be going to other channels so that you can grow the pie next year (hello, SEO!) continues getting cannibalized today and tomorrow and next month by paid ones.<\/li>\n<li>Just to keep the lights on and numbers moving in the right direction \u2013 for now!<\/li>\n<li>Despite decreasing margins and increasing Cost of Customer Acquisition the rest of next year.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>I\u2019m not saying don\u2019t do it if it\u2019s working. You obviously should!<\/p>\n<p>But you also can\u2019t be surprised two years from now when it\u2019s \u201cworking less well\u201d and \u201ccosting more money\u201d and you should have explored other channels, faster, two years previously (like today!).<\/p>\n<p>Especially when these other channels, like SEO, require you to lay the proper groundwork to actually move the needle 2+ years from yesterday.<\/p>\n<p>This problem only compounds with time, allowing your savvy, well-funded competitors <strong>years<\/strong> of moat-building that you\u2019ll need to desperately-and-futility-claw back at a higher premium later on.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"361\" alt=\"You Relying On Paid Vs Competition\" class=\"wp-image-442607\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/you-relying-on-paid-vs-competition.png.webp 1999w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/you-relying-on-paid-vs-competition-600x108.png.webp 600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/you-relying-on-paid-vs-competition-800x144.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/you-relying-on-paid-vs-competition-200x36.png.webp 200w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/you-relying-on-paid-vs-competition-768x139.png.webp 768w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/you-relying-on-paid-vs-competition-1536x277.png 1536w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/you-relying-on-paid-vs-competition.png.webp\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"361\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/you-relying-on-paid-vs-competition.png.webp\" alt=\"You Relying On Paid Vs Competition\" class=\"wp-image-442607\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/you-relying-on-paid-vs-competition.png.webp 1999w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/you-relying-on-paid-vs-competition-600x108.png.webp 600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/you-relying-on-paid-vs-competition-800x144.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/you-relying-on-paid-vs-competition-200x36.png.webp 200w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/you-relying-on-paid-vs-competition-768x139.png.webp 768w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/you-relying-on-paid-vs-competition-1536x277.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-2-relying-on-heavily-branded-bottom-of-funnel-in-market-leads\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_Relying_on_heavily-branded_bottom-of-funnel_in-market_leads\"><\/span>2. Relying on heavily-branded, bottom-of-funnel, in-market leads<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>It\u2019s actually pretty obvious when a B2B brand has \u201cover-relied\u201d on paid media for too long.<\/p>\n<p>It resembles the top-heavy body builder who LOVES arm day, only to wear baggy pants to cover up their weak foundation of embarrassingly-disproportionate chicken legs.<\/p>\n<p>Except in SEO, it\u2019s often upside down.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s what I mean:<\/p>\n<p>Fire up your favorite keyword research tool, plugin your site URL to pull up organic rankings and tell me if any of these red flags sound familiar:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Your homepage is one of the top trafficked pages on your site.<\/li>\n<li>Which means you\u2019re overly-reliant on brand aware people, and ignoring the other 95% of out-of-market people who should and could need you months and years from now.<\/li>\n<li>Your homepage is cannibalizing other non-branded queries for commercial terms (more on this chestnut below).<\/li>\n<li>Which often means you\u2019re getting little-to-no traffic to the very pages on your site designed to educate and convert customers.<\/li>\n<li>And little-to-no MOFU or TOFU-related, top-five rankings that help you future-proof your pipeline years from now or bring down ad costs with better targeting across multiple channels.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Or, essentially this:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"613\" alt=\"Organic Keywords Brand Product Name\" class=\"wp-image-442609\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/organic-keywords-brand-product-name.png.webp 1999w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/organic-keywords-brand-product-name-600x184.png.webp 600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/organic-keywords-brand-product-name-800x245.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/organic-keywords-brand-product-name-200x61.png.webp 200w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/organic-keywords-brand-product-name-768x236.png.webp 768w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/organic-keywords-brand-product-name-1536x471.png 1536w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/organic-keywords-brand-product-name.png.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"613\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/organic-keywords-brand-product-name.png.webp\" alt=\"Organic Keywords Brand Product Name\" class=\"wp-image-442609\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/organic-keywords-brand-product-name.png.webp 1999w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/organic-keywords-brand-product-name-600x184.png.webp 600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/organic-keywords-brand-product-name-800x245.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/organic-keywords-brand-product-name-200x61.png.webp 200w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/organic-keywords-brand-product-name-768x236.png.webp 768w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/organic-keywords-brand-product-name-1536x471.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"><\/figure>\n<p>What\u2019s h<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ening here?<\/p>\n<p>You\u2019re bottom-heavy, where you\u2019re only reaching the tiny subset of potential customers \u2013 vs. the wider, broad, bigger, and deeper pool of potential customers who will undoubtedly need you in the future.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"613\" alt=\"Awareness Consideration Decision Stages\" class=\"wp-image-442610\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/awareness-consideration-decision-stages.png.webp 1999w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/awareness-consideration-decision-stages-600x184.png.webp 600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/awareness-consideration-decision-stages-800x245.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/awareness-consideration-decision-stages-200x61.png.webp 200w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/awareness-consideration-decision-stages-768x236.png.webp 768w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/awareness-consideration-decision-stages-1536x471.png 1536w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/awareness-consideration-decision-stages.png.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"613\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/awareness-consideration-decision-stages.png.webp\" alt=\"Awareness Consideration Decision Stages\" class=\"wp-image-442610\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/awareness-consideration-decision-stages.png.webp 1999w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/awareness-consideration-decision-stages-600x184.png.webp 600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/awareness-consideration-decision-stages-800x245.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/awareness-consideration-decision-stages-200x61.png.webp 200w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/awareness-consideration-decision-stages-768x236.png.webp 768w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/awareness-consideration-decision-stages-1536x471.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"><\/figure>\n<p>Now let\u2019s add this problem to the last one.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Marketing channels don\u2019t actually exist in silos. Unlike the very marketing teams managing them. <\/strong>(How\u2019s that for irony?)<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s say your marketing team starts allocating 10% of the paid budget over to SEO as a \u201cproof of concept\u201d to \u201cget the wheels going.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Good? I guess. <\/p>\n<p>Good enough? Not really.<\/p>\n<p>Because SEO:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Takes a long time, where the ROI compounds greater over the long haul (12+ months) vs. short-term.<\/li>\n<li>Unlike paid ads budget (which is a hamster wheel you\u2019ll have to continue growing over the long haul), should require a <strong>greater<\/strong> front-loaded investment so that you <strong>don\u2019t have to spend as much in years 5+<\/strong> (as an overall % of your total marketing budget.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Hundreds, if not thousands, of intro calls over the past 15 years tells me this is disappointingly common.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In other words, you spend 10% of the paid budget this year on SEO.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Not really enough to move the needle for next year\u2019s results to roll in and give your team (and bean counters) the <strong>certainty<\/strong> that it\u2019ll overtake ads anytime soon (as your primary method to generate customers).<\/p>\n<p>So what happens?<\/p>\n<p>They cut budget in year two and de-prioritize SEO\/content\/etc.<\/p>\n<p>And you\u2019re back on the paid media hamster wheel in no time.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause SEO and content didn\u2019t really work for us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Uh-huh.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-3-cannibalization-of-search-intent-amp-content-structure-mismatch-leading-to-low-to-no-profitable-rankings\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_Cannibalization_of_search_intent_content_structure_mismatch_leading_to_low-to-no_profitable_rankings\"><\/span>3. Cannibalization of search intent &amp; content structure mismatch leading to low-to-no profitable rankings<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>By now you should notice the waterfall effect of these mistakes.<\/p>\n<p>The first problem leads to the second, which now leads to the third.<\/p>\n<p>A self-reinforcing negative spiral if there ever was one.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Like how a stressful job (yours!), leads to shortcutting nutritious eating habits, which leads to lower energy and sedentary behavior, which leads to weight gain, which leads to worse eating habits and an even more sedentary lifestyle and more weight gain next year, and the one after that, and the one after that.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s how this third mistake compounds the first two on your site.<\/p>\n<p>Your product page is ranking for \u201ca lot of keywords.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Yay?!\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Except it\u2019s not actually properly optimized for targeting any of them.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>So the chances of ranking top three for any of one of those keywords is slim to none (to impossible).\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In other words, your \u201cpretty good\u201d rankings are actually lying to you.<\/p>\n<p>Based on SERP CTR averages, it means you\u2019re unlikely to ever see anything greater than ~5% of the potential traffic. Or, not enough to \u201cmove the needle\u201d for the bean counters to give you more budget.<\/p>\n<p>You pull up the organic SERPs to see why you\u2019re not ranking in the top ten yet, and notice that exactly NONE of the following results are product pages \u2013 but list comparisons and UGC or reviews of tools:<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"946\" alt=\"Serp Overview Tarraform Alternatives\" class=\"wp-image-442611\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/serp-overview-tarraform-alternatives.png.webp 1999w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/serp-overview-tarraform-alternatives-600x284.png.webp 600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/serp-overview-tarraform-alternatives-800x379.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/serp-overview-tarraform-alternatives-200x95.png.webp 200w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/serp-overview-tarraform-alternatives-768x363.png.webp 768w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/serp-overview-tarraform-alternatives-1536x727.png 1536w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/serp-overview-tarraform-alternatives.png.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"946\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/serp-overview-tarraform-alternatives.png.webp\" alt=\"Serp Overview Tarraform Alternatives\" class=\"wp-image-442611\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/serp-overview-tarraform-alternatives.png.webp 1999w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/serp-overview-tarraform-alternatives-600x284.png.webp 600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/serp-overview-tarraform-alternatives-800x379.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/serp-overview-tarraform-alternatives-200x95.png.webp 200w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/serp-overview-tarraform-alternatives-768x363.png.webp 768w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/serp-overview-tarraform-alternatives-1536x727.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Think this is a one-off? Just a unique moment in time?<\/p>\n<p>Think again.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s look at this same exact \u201calternatives\u201d-style query idea, for a completely different brand in a completely-different space, and see what we see:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"735\" alt=\"Organic Keywords Contains Phrase Alternative\" class=\"wp-image-442612\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/organic-keywords-contains-phrase-alternative.png.webp 1999w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/organic-keywords-contains-phrase-alternative-600x221.png.webp 600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/organic-keywords-contains-phrase-alternative-800x294.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/organic-keywords-contains-phrase-alternative-200x74.png.webp 200w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/organic-keywords-contains-phrase-alternative-768x282.png.webp 768w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/organic-keywords-contains-phrase-alternative-1536x565.png 1536w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/organic-keywords-contains-phrase-alternative.png.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"735\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/organic-keywords-contains-phrase-alternative.png.webp\" alt=\"Organic Keywords Contains Phrase Alternative\" class=\"wp-image-442612\" srcset=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/organic-keywords-contains-phrase-alternative.png.webp 1999w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/organic-keywords-contains-phrase-alternative-600x221.png.webp 600w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/organic-keywords-contains-phrase-alternative-800x294.png.webp 800w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/organic-keywords-contains-phrase-alternative-200x74.png.webp 200w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/organic-keywords-contains-phrase-alternative-768x282.png.webp 768w,https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/organic-keywords-contains-phrase-alternative-1536x565.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\"><\/figure>\n<p>Ruh roh!<\/p>\n<p>This time, the intent match is slightly better. At least it\u2019s community or UGC pages picking up rankings on this specific website.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But these are obviously not optimized for search. At all.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Because that\u2019s not the primary reason this company has these on their site in the first place.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>So they\u2019re almost picking up these \u201cpretty good\u201d rankings by accident. A complete fluke.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>A happy accident of sorts? Sure.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>However, is this a \u201cwinning\u201d strategy to actually rank in the top five for these pages to actually grab ~70-80% of the people searching for these keywords?<\/p>\n<p>And then showing these people a page perfectly positioned to turn profitable prospects into potential purchasers?<\/p>\n<p>Nope. Not anytime soon.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-conclusion\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Conclusion\"><\/span>Conclusion<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Paid media works well for driving B2B leads.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But that\u2019s also part of the problem.<\/p>\n<p>Because if you <strong>only<\/strong> rely on paid media, to the exclusion of everything else, it sets you down a slippery slope of a higher CPL over the long haul.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It consumes the lion\u2019s share of the marketing budget, makes sales people lazy by only expecting credit-card-in-hand leads forever, and makes your executives think they can continue under-investing in everything else across your brand.<\/p>\n<p>And <strong>that<\/strong> has a precipitously-disastrous effect <strong>if<\/strong> and <strong>when<\/strong> you try to kickstart the SEO and content farming process you should have been doing years previously.<\/p>\n<p>All marketing channels get more competitive with time. All marketing channels get more sophisticated with time. And so all marketing channels get more expensive to start with time, too.<\/p>\n<p><strong>SEO and content, however, when done well and unlike most marketing channels, can actually decrease CPL 5-10 years from now.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>But only if you actually invest properly today.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<div class=\"about-author\">\n    About the author<\/p>\n<div class=\"information\">\n<div class=\"author-module\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-lg-3 text-center\">\n<div class=\"avatar\">\n                        <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"img-fluid rounded-circle avatar-border\" alt=\"Brad Smith\" width=\"140\" height=\"140\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2022\/10\/Brad-Smith.png.webp\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"img-fluid rounded-circle avatar-border\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2022\/10\/Brad-Smith.png.webp\" alt=\"Brad Smith\" width=\"140\" height=\"140\">\n                                            <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-lg-9\">\n<div class=\"about\">\n<div class=\"name\">\n                            <strong>Brad Smith<\/strong>\n                        <\/div>\n<div class=\"row g-2 pt-2\">\n<div class=\"col-auto\">\n                                    <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/bsmarketer\/\" aria-label=\"opens in a new tab\"><i class=\"fab fa-linkedin\"><\/i><\/a>\n                                <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>                        Brad Smith owns three content marketing companies, and has been featured in publications like The New York Times, Forbes, Business Insider, and The Next Web. Each week, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/bradsmith.io\/\">he shares first-hand experience and growth strategies<\/a> behind some of the web&#8217;s fastest growing brands.                    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology<\/a><\/span> category.<\/strong>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/common-b2b-seo-mistakes-sabotaging-cost-per-lead-442604\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Be careful not to ONLY rely on paid media in B2B. Here&#8217;s why SEO and content can reduce CPLs years from now. \u201cBuying\u201d customers can work. Just not all that well over the long haul, it turns out. Direct-response, digital ads (like paid search) are among the best converting channels anywhere.\u00a0 Like, ever. In the&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":622176,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/05\/marketing-mistakes-1920-800x450.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[107942,78070],"class_list":["post-622175","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology","tag-ppc","tag-seo"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/622175","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=622175"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/622175\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/622176"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=622175"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=622175"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=622175"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}