Navigating SEO Feasibility in Competitive B2B Niches
Most B2B companies waste resources on SEO that never converts
The biggest SEO mistake in B2B? Starting at the top of the funnel and working down. This approach wastes resources, delivers minimal conversions, and creates content that ranks but doesn’t drive business results.
Here’s the truth: in competitive B2B niches, conventional SEO wisdom fails. Creating broad, informational content like “What is a KPI?” might drive traffic, but it rarely converts. Smart B2B companies focus on bottom-of-funnel keywords that capture high-intent, solution-seeking audiences.
As our Bottom-of-funnel SEO strategies course explains: “You always start with the bottom of the funnel and work your way up. This is controversial to some, but I don’t think it’s very controversial at all.”
Why most B2B companies get SEO completely wrong
Most B2B websites are filled with what experts call “deadweight content” – pages that get minimal traffic, generate zero conversions, and waste valuable resources. This happens for several key reasons:
Targeting impossibly competitive keywords
Many B2B companies target keywords they’ll never rank for given their domain authority. They’re fighting battles they can’t win.
Example: A data privacy company creating content about new privacy laws will never outrank government websites or legal authorities that publish the original laws. The distribution burden falls entirely on the company, resulting in content that gets minimal organic traffic.
Misaligning content with search intent
When companies create content without understanding what users actually want for a particular query, they’re setting themselves up for failure. If search results for a keyword show primarily informational content, but you create a sales-focused page, Google won’t rank it.
The “thought leadership” trap
Many B2B companies create content under the guise of “thought leadership” without a clear distribution strategy.
True thought leadership, according to Ben Horowitz, involves sharing earned secrets: “You did something in your past to solve a hard problem and learn something about the world that not a lot of other people know.”
Most B2B “thought leadership” is just thinly veiled product promotion disguised as content marketing.
Ignoring channel alignment
Creating content without considering how it will be distributed is a recipe for failure. Blog posts that aren’t optimized for search and don’t have another distribution channel (like email or social) are destined to fail.
Platform and channel alignment is critical. Rarely do people successfully spread ideas through blog writing now unless they have an established audience.
The bottom-of-funnel approach that actually works
The solution to these common problems is a bottom-of-funnel SEO approach that prioritizes commercial intent keywords and solution-seeking audiences.
Assessing SEO feasibility first
Before investing in SEO, B2B companies need to assess feasibility by considering:
- Competition level: Are you up against results that are impossible to conquer?
- Search result noise: Are results cluttered with ad carousels, featured snippets, and videos?
- Click-through potential: Even if you rank #1, will you get enough clicks to justify the effort?
- Audience search behavior: Does your target audience use search to find solutions like yours?
According to SEMrush data, B2B companies that target bottom-of-funnel keywords see an average conversion rate of 2.5%, compared to 0.5% for top-of-funnel keywords. That’s a 5x difference.
Identifying high-impact keywords
Not all keywords are created equal. The most effective B2B SEO strategies prioritize keywords based on business impact:
- High impact: Keywords where your product is critical to solving the problem, and buyers are actively seeking solutions. Examples: “embedded analytics platform” or “enterprise data warehouse solution.”
- Medium impact: Keywords where your solution could solve the problem, but search results show a mix of informational and commercial intent. Example: “enterprise data warehouse.”
- Low impact: Keywords where your solution partially solves the problem, and buyers aren’t in solution-seeking mode. Example: “data pipeline automation.”
- Zero impact: Keywords with absolutely no buying intent, where your product can barely be showcased. Example: “what is a KPI” or “difference between ETL vs. ELT.”
Commercial intent modifiers that signal buying intent
To identify bottom-of-funnel keywords, look for modifiers that signal commercial intent:
- System
- Solution
- Platform
- Vendor comparison
- Feature comparison
- Alternatives
- Pricing
These modifiers typically indicate that the searcher is solution-aware and actively evaluating options.
Content quality and expertise matter more than ever
Google’s helpful content guidelines emphasize the importance of first-person experience and credibility. A study by Cyrus Shepard found that the top positively correlated factor with ranking improvements following the helpful content update was first-person language.
This means creating content based on actual experience, not just regurgitating what’s already out there.
Real-world case studies that prove this approach works
Case study 1: Ranking for “Sales Management”
A CRM company successfully ranked for the highly competitive keyword “sales management” by taking a long-term approach. Instead of creating multiple pieces of content and hoping something would stick, they focused on a single, comprehensive page.
The process took a full year and involved:
- Creating high-quality, expert-driven content
- Continuously refining and optimizing the page
- Building high-quality backlinks consistently
- Monitoring performance and making data-driven adjustments
The result? A top ranking for a competitive keyword that drives qualified leads and conversions.
Case study 2: Identity theft protection company grows to 1M+ monthly visitors
An identity theft protection company grew from zero to over 1 million monthly organic visitors by focusing on pain-point content that addressed specific user concerns.
Instead of targeting obvious keywords like “identity theft protection,” they created content around queries like:
- “Warning signs of identity theft”
- “How to tell if your identity has been stolen”
- “How to check for identity fraud”
These keywords didn’t have explicit commercial intent but converted surprisingly well because they addressed specific pain points at the moment users were experiencing them.
The company leveraged firsthand experience, with the first page on the site written by someone whose identity had actually been stolen. This authentic, experience-based content resonated with users and performed well in search results.
Case study 3: The Jira Cloud backup challenge
A company offering cloud backup solutions for Jira faced a significant challenge: competing with Atlassian’s own documentation pages for keywords like “Jira cloud backup.”
Despite successfully ranking for the term, they found that users still preferred to click on Atlassian’s documentation pages. This case study highlights the importance of assessing feasibility before investing in SEO.
The solution? They shifted their focus to keywords where they could provide unique value beyond what Atlassian offered, targeting more specific pain points and use cases that Atlassian’s documentation didn’t address.
Implementing a bottom-of-funnel SEO strategy: What to do now
Based on expert insights and case studies, here are concrete steps to implement a bottom-of-funnel SEO strategy in competitive B2B niches:
1. Assess SEO feasibility before investing
Before creating content, evaluate:
- Competition level: How difficult will it be to rank for your target keywords?
- Search intent: What type of content is currently ranking for these keywords?
- Click potential: Even if you rank, will you get enough clicks to justify the effort?
- Conversion potential: Will the traffic convert, or is it too early in the buyer’s journey?
2. Prioritize keywords based on business impact
Focus on keywords where:
- Your product is critical to solving the problem
- Buyers are actively seeking solutions
- Search results show commercial intent
Use tools like Google Ads data to identify keywords that are already converting well in paid search.
3. Create expert-driven, experience-based content
- Leverage internal subject matter experts
- Use first-person language and share real experiences
- Include unique insights that can’t be found elsewhere
- Address specific pain points with actionable solutions
4. Build a strong backlink profile
- Focus on quality over quantity
- Target relevant industry sites
- Consider podcast guest appearances (which often include recap pages with backlinks)
- Create high-quality guest posts for authoritative sites (but only when you can provide unique value)
5. Monitor and optimize continuously
- Track ranking positions for target keywords
- Analyze user behavior on your pages
- Regularly update and improve existing content
- Be patient – ranking for competitive B2B keywords can take 6-12 months
Stop chasing traffic. Start capturing the right traffic.
The traditional approach to B2B SEO – creating broad, informational content to capture top-of-funnel traffic – is increasingly ineffective in competitive niches. Successful B2B companies focus on bottom-of-funnel keywords that capture high-intent, solution-seeking audiences.
This approach requires a shift in mindset from “How can we drive more traffic?” to “How can we capture the right traffic?” It’s about quality over quantity, expertise over generalization, and patience over quick wins.
As search evolves with AI-generated overviews and increasingly competitive results, the companies that will succeed are those that provide genuine expertise, address specific pain points, and align their content with the buyer’s journey.
The question isn’t whether you can rank #1 for a competitive keyword – it’s whether ranking for that keyword will actually drive business results. By starting at the bottom of the funnel and working your way up, you ensure that your SEO efforts are focused where they’ll have the greatest impact on your business.
Are you ready to stop wasting resources on SEO that doesn’t convert?
