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SEO tin truly assistance your B2B business.
So, cheque retired the beneath database of B2B SEO statistic to animate your hunt motor optimization efforts. And perchance unafraid buy-in and fund for your ain SEO strategy.
1. SEO Is the Most-Used B2B Marketing Tactic
Nearly 50% of B2B companies usage SEO arsenic portion of their selling strategies, according to a 2023 study from Sagefrog. Which makes it the most-implemented B2B selling tactic and up of different activities similar video selling (21%) and integrated societal media (43%).
This means your competitors are apt doing immoderate signifier of SEO. And if you aren’t, you’ll privation to commencement incorporating it into your selling activities to outrank them successful hunt results.
Here’s a much broad database of B2B selling activities that Sagefrog evaluated:
Marketing Activity | % of B2B Companies |
Search motor optimization | 49% |
Content marketing | 43% |
Organic societal media | 43% |
Email marketing | 36% |
Paid societal media | 35% |
In-person tradeshows | 35% |
Virtual events and webinars | 28% |
Search motor marketing | 27% |
Public relations | 27% |
Video marketing | 21% |
Direct marketing | 20% |
Telemarketing | 20% |
Print advertisements | 12% |
2. 66% of B2B Buyers Use Search arsenic Their Main Product Research Method
A survey from BigCommerce shows B2B buyers successful the U.S. often crook to hunt engines erstwhile they statesman their customer journey—the process buyers spell done earlier buying products
Here’s a simplified mentation of what that process looks like:

Other apical channels buyers usage see online marketplaces (50%) and manufacture associations (42%):
Channel | % of U.S. B2B Buyers |
Internet hunt results | 66% |
Online marketplaces (e.g., Amazon) | 50% |
Industry associations | 42% |
Product catalog | 43% |
Referrals | 33% |
Online advertisements | 35% |
Industry publications | 29% |
Trade shows | 23% |
Physical advertising | 24% |
Social media advertising | 23% |
TV advertising | 14% |
You tin people B2B buyers astatine the commencement of their journeys by optimizing your tract with top-of-funnel keywords—terms your perfect customers are searching erstwhile they’ve go alert of their problems.
To find top-of-funnel keywords, usage Semrush’s Keyword Magic Tool.
Open the instrumentality and participate a effect keyword—a wide keyword applicable to your niche. Enter your website successful the barroom below, set your state (optional), and click “Search.”

Click the “Intent” filter, prime the checkbox adjacent to “Informational,” and click “Apply.”

You’ll spot lone presumption that person informational search intent.
This means the main crushed idiosyncratic is searching those presumption is to larn astir a topic. And those types of searches thin to beryllium astatine the apical of the funnel.
The instrumentality volition besides show each term’s monthly hunt measurement and Personal Keyword Difficulty (PKD%) score—how hard it volition beryllium for your circumstantial tract to fertile good for those keywords.
Go done these keywords and take ones that are astir applicable to your concern (and comparatively casual to fertile for).

Then, make pages connected your website that people these keywords.
3. B2B Organizations Allocate 15% of Marketing Spend to SEO
B2B businesses walk the bulk of their selling budgets connected activities similar events (25%) and nonstop selling (23%), according to Sagefrog probe from 2024. While lone 15% of their budgets spell toward SEO.
Here’s Sagefrog’s breakdown of however B2B businesses allocate their budgets:
Marketing Activity | % of Marketing Spend |
In-person tradeshows and events | 25% |
Direct marketing | 23% |
Content marketing | 23% |
Directories and sponsorships | 23% |
Print advertisements | 22% |
Public relations | 21% |
Paid societal media | 21% |
Email marketing | 20% |
Branding | 20% |
Marketing technology | 17% |
Search motor marketing | 17% |
Search motor optimization | 15% |
Virtual events and webinars | 15% |
AI chatbots | 12% |
Video marketing | 9% |
Market research | 9% |
Website development | 8% |
4. SEO Is the Top Source for Quality B2B Leads
Over 50% of B2B businesses recognition integrated hunt for generating tons of leads, according to research by Databox.
SEO sits supra sources similar email selling and integrated social. And the bottommost 3 activities for bringing successful leads are sponsorships, in-person events, and affiliates.
That said, your chances of generating leads are higher if you absorption connected creating the champion contented you can.
Semrush’s SEO Writing Assistant tin assistance you make high-quality contented by scanning your penning for readability, SEO, originality, and code of voice. To summation your accidental of ranking precocious successful hunt results.

5. 30% of Growth-Mode B2B Companies See SEO arsenic a Major Conversion Contributor
Growth-mode companies are those that absorption connected scaling operations. And successful a Wpromote report, 30% of those companies accidental SEO considerably contributes to bottom-of-funnel goals—like converting postulation to customers.
Companies successful maturation mode should absorption connected transactional keywords—keywords that bespeak the user’s intent is to buy.
You tin find transactional keywords with Keyword Magic Tool. Use the “Intent” drop-down, prime the checkbox adjacent to “Transactional,” and click “Apply.”

Then, make contented for these keywords with the SEO Writing Assistant.
6. 49.7% of Clicks Originate from the First 5 Search Results connected Desktop
The archetypal 5 integrated (unpaid) hunt results relationship for 49.7% of clicks connected desktop devices, according to research by Semrush. With the archetypal presumption getting 22.2%.
The click-through rates (the fig of clicks divided by the fig of radical who spot the hunt result) connected mobile are somewhat higher, with 58.2% of clicks coming from the archetypal 5 hunt results.
This means you tin inactive thrust postulation by ranking wrong the archetypal 5 results. Even if you aren’t capable to unafraid the archetypal position.
Here’s each effect and its click-through complaint connected desktop and mobile:
Organic Position | % of Clicks (Desktop) | % of Clicks (Mobile) |
Search presumption 1 | 22.2% | 22.4% |
Search presumption 2 | 9.3% | 13% |
Search presumption 3 | 8.1% | 10% |
Search presumption 4 | 5.8% | 7.2% |
Search presumption 5 | 4.3% | 5.6% |
Search presumption 6 | 3.3% | 4.5% |
Search presumption 7 | 2.7% | 3.7% |
Search presumption 8 | 2.3% | 3% |
Search presumption 9 | 1.9% | 2.6% |
Search presumption 10 (if present) | 1.6% | 2.3% |
7. 19% of B2B Marketers Say SEO Drives Their Top-of-Funnel Goals
Almost 20% of B2B marketers accidental SEO is simply a apical operator for their top-of-funnel goals (like expanding marque awareness), according to Wpromote.
The highest-performing transmission for top-of-funnel goals is societal media (50%). And the lowest-performing transmission is converged TV (the operation of accepted tv with integer and streaming content).
Channel | % of B2B Marketers |
Social media | 50% |
| 43% |
In-person/live events | 34% |
Video | 30% |
Interactive content | 30% |
Influencer marketing | 30% |
Paid search | 28% |
Site contented (e.g., blog posts) | 26% |
Direct mail | 24% |
Virtual events | 23% |
Account-based marketing | 22% |
SEO | 19% |
Podcasts | 16% |
Converged TV | 11% |
8. The Average ROI of SEO for B2B SaaS Is 702%
The ROI of SEO varies crossed industries, according to research from First Page Sage. And B2B SaaS sees a 702% ROI from SEO tactics. While industries similar existent property spot the highest instrumentality connected concern (1,389%).
As you tin see, SEO tin beryllium a worthwhile concern for galore industries:
Industry | Average ROI |
Addiction treatment | 736% |
B2B SaaS | 702% |
Biotech | 788% |
Construction | 681% |
Ecommerce | 317% |
Financial services | 1,031% |
Higher acquisition and college | 994% |
HVAC services | 678% |
Industrial IoT | 866% |
Commercial insurance | 758% |
IT staffing | 612% |
Legal services | 526% |
Manufacturing | 813% |
Medical device | 1,183% |
Oil and gas | 906% |
PCB plan and manufacturing | 1,101% |
Pharmaceutical | 826% |
Real estate | 1,389% |
Solar energy | 770% |
9. 30% of B2B Buyers Engage with Blog Posts
Writing blog posts is often a cardinal portion of an SEO strategy. And for bully reason—Gartner’s research shows 30% of B2B buyers work blog posts astatine antithetic stages successful the buyer’s journey.
This is much than those who click connected ads (24%) and ticker virtual merchandise demos (29%).
And you tin usage blog posts to nexus to different pages connected your tract (known arsenic internal links). Which is the astir important channel—37% of B2B buyers prosecute with a supplier’s website.
Channel | % of B2B Buyers |
Supplier's website | 37% |
Supplier's societal media | 36% |
Online hunt for suppliers | 35% |
Supplier’s interactive tool | 35% |
Supplier's lawsuit portal | 34% |
Supplier's virtual product | 30% |
Training supplier's email | 30% |
Supplier's virtual event | 30% |
Supplier's blog | 30% |
Supplier's video ad | 29% |
Virtual merchandise demo | 29% |
Clicked connected supplier's ad | 24% |
Plus, adding strategical interior links tin assistance you fertile higher. As interior links from authoritative pages tin walk ranking authorization to different pages connected your site.
Use Semrush’s Site Audit to find pages connected your tract that request much links pointing to them.
Open the tool, participate your domain, and click “Start Audit.”

Configure the instrumentality for your site. (Follow our configuration instructions if you request help.)
Once the audit is done, find “Internal Linking” and click “View details.”

Look for the substance “Pages with lone 1 interior link” and click “# issues.”

You’ll present spot a database of pages that lone person a azygous nexus pointing to them.

Add much links to these pages from elsewhere connected your site. To summation these pages’ visibility and likelihood of ranking successful hunt results.
10. SEO Typically Converts Better Than PPC Ads
Pay-per-click ads—a benignant of selling wherever you wage for each click connected your ads—usually person little than SEO, according to research by First Page Sage.
And SEO’s mean conversion complaint for B2B SaaS is 2.1%, portion the mean PPC conversion complaint for B2B SaaS is lone 1.0%.
Here are antithetic conversion rates based connected industry:
Industry | Average SEO Conversion Rate | Average PPC Conversion Rate |
Addiction treatment | 2.1% | 1.1% |
Biotech | 1.8% | 0.7% |
B2B SaaS | 2.1% | 1.0% |
Commercial insurance | 1.7% | 0.9% |
Construction | 1.9% | 1.9% |
Ecommerce and retail | 1.6% | 1.3% |
Financial services | 2.2% | 0.3% |
Higher acquisition and college | 1.4% | 1.7% |
HVAC services | 3.3% | 1.8% |
Industrial IoT | 2.2% | 0.9% |
Legal services | 7.5% | 2.2% |
Manufacturing and distribution | 3.0% | 1.0% |
Medical device | 3.1% | 0.9% |
Oil and gas | 1.7% | 1.5% |
PCB plan and manufacturing | 2.3% | 1.4% |
Pharmaceutical | 2.0% | 1.4% |
Real estate | 2.8% | 0.8% |
Solar energy | 2.7% | 1.9% |
Transportation and logistics | 1.4% | 1.1% |
This means SEO mightiness beryllium amended to prosecute implicit PPC if you person a constricted budget.
11. B2B SaaS Companies That Publish Original Research See a 50% Improvement successful Rankings
B2B SaaS companies that people archetypal probe fertile higher (with a 50% betterment successful leafage 1 Google rankings) and spot a 41.2% betterment successful integrated traffic, according to Stratabeat.
Plus, B2B SaaS sites with archetypal probe pull much backlinks (links that travel from different sites). The probe shows these B2B SaaS websites spot an mean summation of 27.1% successful referring domains.
And prime backlinks mightiness assistance you fertile higher. Since Google tends to presumption sites with tons of prime backlinks arsenic trustworthy.
You tin build backlinks to archetypal probe (and different pages connected your site) with Semrush’s Link Building Tool.
Our configuration guide volition assistance you get the instrumentality acceptable up. So it tin springiness you the astir close information for your site.
Once you’ve configured the tool, caput to the “Prospects” tab.
Which has a database of applicable websites you tin effort to get backlinks from.
After picking an accidental you’d similar to pursue, click “To In Progress.”

Then click the “In Progress” tab and click “Contact” to scope retired to the website.

You tin constitute and nonstop your backlink petition straight successful the editor.

Follow our backlink outreach tips to summation the accidental of gaining backlinks from your requests.
12. Only 26% of B2B Companies Prefer to Outsource SEO/SEM Activities
B2B companies privation to support hunt activities similar SEO and SEM in-house, according to Norvell Jefferson.
Companies similar to outsource activities similar run originative (51%) and contented instauration (45%).
Here’s a implicit breakdown:
Marketing Activity | % Who Prefer to Outsource |
Campaign creative | 51% |
Content creation | 45% |
Branding and design | 43% |
Market probe and analytics | 38% |
Social media management | 36% |
PR and outreach | 32% |
SEO/SEM | 26% |
Event conception and management | 17% |
Marketing strategy | 13% |
Thankfully, keeping your SEO in-house is achievable with robust B2B SEO tools similar those from Semrush.
Start Your SEO Strategy Today
These B2B SEO statistic beryllium that hunt motor optimization is simply a invaluable concern for B2B businesses.
And Semrush has tools to assistance simplify each the tactics involved.
Ready to spot however you tin usage them to amended your B2B selling strategy?
Try Semrush today.