What Do B2B SEO Agencies Do? Services, Costs & ROI
- Technical SEO audits to fix site issues and improve rankings
- Content strategy targeting 5-7 decision-makers per deal
- Lead generation requiring 6-12 months for significant results
- Investment range of $5,000-$25,000 monthly
- ROI potential of 3x to 120x through account-based marketing
You’re likely already familiar with B2B SEO agencies (and their high price tags).
So perhaps you’re wondering, what do they actually do? And is the service provided worth the up-front costs?
Here, you’ll learn all about the services and responsibilities of B2B SEO agencies, including a breakdown of their most common services. You’ll see the process they use to boost demand generation, add SEO to less traditional content, and benchmark their progress with metrics and reporting dashboards.
B2B SEO agencies focus on longer sales cycles, multiple decision-makers, and technical content, typically requiring 6-12 months to show significant results with costs ranging from $5,000 to $25,000 monthly.
Table of Contents
- What Do B2B SEO Agencies Do?
- How Do B2B SEO Agencies Drive Demand Generation?
- 5 Core Services B2B SEO Agencies Provide
- How to Evaluate and Select from B2B SEO Companies
- Working Successfully with a B2B SEO Agency
- Is a B2B SEO Agency Worth the Price?
- Frequently Asked Questions About B2B SEO Agencies
What Do B2B SEO Agencies Do?
First, let’s define our terms.
There are two acronyms in ‘B2B SEO’: B2B, which stands for ‘business to business,’ and SEO, which stands for ‘search engine optimization.’
A B2B SEO Agency refers to any marketing agency that helps B2B businesses get visibility and leads via demand generation.
A B2B SEO agency’s primary responsibility is to strategize, develop, and implement search engine optimization strategies for your brand. These can vary according to the agency in question, but typically follow an account-based strategy with specific targeting frameworks to generate potential leads for your company.
To do this, they deliver specific types of services to increase your web presence, boost visibility, and generate leads. We’ll get into those specific services later.
For now, you just need to know that B2B SEO agencies can:
- Help capture leads. Revamping or rejuvenating your content strategy can help to drive more inbound leads without expensive ads or paid social media placements. Learn more about B2B demand generation services.
- Scale your content marketing engine. Considering the average B2B buyer requires ~63 touchpoints across three or four channels, it’s worthwhile to find ways to scale up your content. Investing in an SEO agency can help you make the most of your services without pulling away from your internal resources.
- Drive awareness of your brand. This may not necessarily generate leads right away, but it will certainly generate interest and awareness. Keep in mind that a nurtured prospect often spends 47% more than a lead who purchases from you outright.
What Makes B2B SEO Different From B2C Strategies?
Apart from differences in audience served, B2C and B2C agencies take very different approaches to optimizing your web presence.
One key difference is the focus on sales cycles. A B2B sales cycle can last anywhere from 40 days to 374 days, while B2C businesses can be as short as one or two weeks. This means most B2B SEO agencies use tactics that focus on long-term results rather than ‘quick fixes’ or short-term gains.
Another difference in B2B SEO vs B2C SEO is the type of customer targeted. B2C strategies usually target customers with a single decision-maker, such as a person who wants new shoes or a family purchasing new gutters for their home. B2B buyers typically work on behalf of a company, meaning there might be multiple stakeholders or decision-makers involved.
Ultimately, a B2B SEO campaign must target a specific decision-maker while accounting for audiences who may need to ‘raise awareness’ to the next level. This may require content for various levels of the funnel, or taking a unique approach to complex audiences such as developers or technical leads.
To summarize: B2C SEO agencies typically target short-term wins and only need to optimize your web presence for a single, independent decision-maker. On the other hand, B2B SEO agencies focus on much longer sales cycles and develop demand generation to funnel multiple dependent decision-makers.
How Do B2B SEO Agencies Drive Demand Generation?
As mentioned, B2B SEO agencies focus on driving visibility and leads for your business, which is often referred to as ‘B2B demand generation.’ This is a multi-step process that looks somewhat different depending on the agency and its industry specialization.
That said, most demand generation and lead generation processes look relatively similar from the ground floor.
Content Mapping
Content mapping is the process of creating specific content for various buyer journey stages. There are three:
- Top of funnel content (TOFU): For readers who are unfamiliar with your brand
- Middle of funnel content (MOFU): For readers who are familiar with you, but likely considering multiple options
- Bottom of funnel content (BOFU): For readers who are ready to make a purchase decision
You’ll need a different ratio of TOFU, MOFU, and BOFU content depending on your industry, age, and market position.
Account-Based Marketing
Next, your B2B SEO agency identifies specific market segments they need to hear about your message. These are typically individual leads or groups of prospects, which are often referred to as ‘accounts.’
For example, your agency might identify a list of CEOs in large consulting firms who could benefit from a product in your SaaS platform. So it develops a messaging campaign that’s specific to said target.
This, according to some B2B agency sources, can yield a 3x to 120x ROI.
Aligning SEO with Sales Enablement
Next is connecting your SEO efforts with actions taken by your sales team.
One of the biggest pieces of this is identifying two types of leads:
- Marketing qualified leads (MQLs): Anyone who has expressed interest in your brand, product, or solutions.
- Sales qualified leads (SQLs): Anyone who showcases buying intent, meaning they’re interested in actually purchasing from your brand.
A solid B2B SEO agency can help with MQL to SQL conversion by identifying touchpoints where marketing prospects are most likely to convert into sales leads.
This includes working through lead scoring and qualification processes, as you’ll see in the section below.
Lead Scoring and Qualification
Some B2B SEO firms provide guidance on how to allocate points that ‘score’ leads for your team.
For example, you might assign more points to a lead that has interacted with one of your blog posts, or someone who’s downloaded a webinar or ebook from your website.
This is typically done through monitoring organic traffic and connecting with a third-party tool such as Google Analytics.
Some B2B SEO agencies will handle the entire process. More commonly, however, this is left to your internal team. The agency will simply provide you with content for lead scoring, which can help you make more informed decisions about when and where qualification takes place.
💡Related: B2B Demand Generation Strategies
Of course, there are many different ways to accomplish these tasks, from AIO services to link building to digital PR and beyond.
The following section explores common services of a B2B SEO agency, including how they work and what you can generally expect.
5 Core Services B2B SEO Agencies Provide
Each B2B SEO agency approaches its work a little differently. That said, there are a few core services you can expect from every provider.
These include:
- Technical SEO audits
- Keyword research and strategy
- Content strategy and creation
- Link building and digital PR
Now, let’s explore what B2B SEO agencies do in greater detail.
💡Related: B2B Demand Generation Tips and Tactics
1. Technical SEO Audits and Implementation
- Purpose: To benchmark website performance and develop positioning strategies
- Timeframe: 1 to 3 months
- Best For: Repositioning and optimization
Technical SEO audits are commonly referred to as ‘SEO inspections,’ which involve a careful inspection of your primary website(s). This allows your agency to get a better idea of where you’re at, what’s going right and wrong, and how to take advantage of future opportunities.
Most technical audits start with site architecture optimization, which can help determine headings for complex B2B sites. If you only have a single page of ‘features,’ for example, a B2B SEO firm can help to determine which ones deserve their own page.
Another important piece of technical auditing is checking the overall health of your website. Are there error codes that need fixing? Is the page speed low? This process can identify improvements to core web vitals that encourage new visitors to stick around.
This eventually flows into processes like schema markups, which can help search engines like Google better understand your business. There are five different types depending on what your business offers: organization, product, service, blog post, and FAQ. Getting these implemented on proper webpages can help boost clickthrough rates by 40%.
Keep in mind that technical SEO auditing is typically just the first step in a broader process. However, some SEO agencies offer auditing and site repair as a standalone service. If you just need a quick benchmarking of your website, especially if you’re an established brand and just want to get the ‘lay of the land,’ this may be a one-off service that makes sense.
That said, you can also integrate technical SEO audits with broader marketing efforts:
2. B2B Keyword Research and Strategy
- Purpose: To increase website visibility by targeting what people are searching
- Timeframe: 1 to 3 months
- Best For: Increasing web traffic
B2B keyword research uncovers specific words or phrases that your target audience may be searching for. This is particularly important for B2B, which can involve five to seven different decision makers compared to B2C’s one to two. That means your keyword strategy must serve multiple personas with unique questions, priorities, and pain points.
A solid B2B keyword strategy usually begins with multi-persona keyword mapping. This helps to identify what each type of stakeholder is typing into Google. For example, a technical researcher gathering specs may be interested in niche keywords like “mobile-first payments API,” while a C-suite executive looking for ROI might search for broader terms (think “online payroll and HR solutions”).
Another essential step is intent analysis. This helps agencies understand where buyers are in your funnel. For example, are they looking for broad explanations (awareness), comparing options (consideration), or ready to choose a vendor (decision)? Each stage requires different keyword clusters and different types of content, which can help inform writers later in the process.
No keyword strategy is complete without a competitive gap analysis. Here, the agency evaluates which terms your competitors are ranking for, as well as opportunities you’re not targeting yet. The right keywords can help you capture market share, outrank competitors, and open up new growth opportunities as your company scales.
Keep in mind that keyword research and strategy isn’t a one-and-done task; your strategy should evolve alongside your business offerings, keywords, and potential services. That’s why many B2B SEO agencies revisit keyword strategies quarterly or biannually to keep your B2B brand on the cutting edge.
3. Content Strategy and Creation
- Purpose: To develop top, middle, and bottom-of-funnel content that will attract inbound leads
- Timeframe: 2 to 4 weeks per piece
- Best For: Inbound lead generation
Content strategy and content creation is the number one way B2B SEO agencies drive demand generation. This involves high-quality content in a variety of forms to help reinforce your web presence with more value, visibility, and industry insights.
Most agencies begin with topic cluster development, which involves building interconnected sets of content around specific keywords. For example, a SaaS company offering a data analytics platform might create a hub page titled ‘business intelligence tools,’ followed by a blog post on ‘data visualization best practices’ and an ebook on ‘BI vs. analytics platforms.’
From there, agencies develop outlines and deliver them to content writers who are well-versed in B2B SEO strategy. Agencies like Draft.dev work with specialized writers who understand your specific technical industry, developer tool, or enterprise-level solution. Our internal team of subject matter experts and technical editors delivers your feedback directly to the writer.
The result is a high-quality piece of content structured with SEO best practices, optimized with high-opportunity keywords, and designed for specific (sometimes multiple) buyer personas.
Keep in mind, this can also integrate with video services.
4. Link Building and Digital PR
- Purpose: To build website authority and rank higher on search engines
- Timeframe: 6 to 12 months
- Best For: Competitive market share
With keywords and content now in the hopper, most B2B SEO brands pivot to the link-building and digital PR process. This involves linking content to third-party websites to help build authority, which ultimately helps your business rank higher in search engine results (SERPs).
Most backlink strategies follow a similar pattern: outreach, placement, and perhaps a reciprocal relationship with the third-party website. However, there are also industry-specific link acquisition strategies depending on your business and the customers it attracts.
For example, your B2B SEO agency might help with guest blogging on other websites to build thought leadership and brand authority. In exchange, you might host a guest blog yourself. This can work wonders in building thought leadership, partnership, and co-marketing opportunities.
Another B2B strategy is broken link building. Exactly as it sounds, this is about finding broken website links and suggesting yours as a replacement. Keep in mind this requires high-quality content. Most website hosts won’t be interested in AI-generated content or anything that doesn’t provide overt value in the piece.
Your B2B SEO agency can run these processes in the background to help build authority and links for your site. Just be advised, it’s not always 100% automated. Depending on the agency, you might have to do some minor directing or placement hunting yourself.
You can determine the extent of your link-placement involvement by having a simple conversation with your agency of choice.
5. Video SEO Integration
- Purpose: To build authority using multiple forms of content
- Timeframe: 3 to 9 months
- Best For: Developing multichannel touchpoints
Apart from traditional (i.e., written) B2B content, some SEO agencies also support video content.
Long-form videos might include technical tutorials helping developers use your project, project demos, explainer videos, and even webinars providing added value to prospects.
Short-form videos might focus more on case studies and testimonials, or short explainer-type videos answering short and specific questions. For example, this might be: “how to connect a fintech API” or “best AI tools for vibecoding.”
Keep in mind that some B2B content writers specialize in video scripts, which helps you maintain the same voice and tone while developing a video for your company. Your agency will develop the script hand-in-hand with specialized keywords, FAQs, and other topics of interest. That way, you don’t need to worry about editing or publication; you just make sure the script and visuals follow your brand guidelines.
Again, you want a B2B SEO agency that relies on trained writers to develop a clear voice and tone for your brand. The best agencies work with a team that commands experience in various tools and technologies, including editors and implementors who can help transpose the art of B2B writing.
How to Evaluate and Select from B2B SEO Companies
Just because some B2B SEO companies get results doesn’t mean they all do. And knowing how to choose the right B2B SEO agency for your business will help you maximize your impact while minimizing potential risks (such as a negative ROI).
Want more support in picking a great B2B SEO agency?
Learn more about this in our guide covering how to find a B2B SEO agency that works for you.
Working Successfully with a B2B SEO Agency
Once you’ve selected a B2B SEO agency, you’ll need to consider how to make the most of your investment. The hardest part, of course, is choosing an agency that ‘gets’ your business needs. The second part can be made easier by setting clear expectations.
First, get off on the right foot during onboarding. Communication is essential here, so be sure to bring any and all questions to your initial meeting. A great B2B SEO agency won’t have any issues answering any and all questions, so feel free to write up your thoughts and send them to your team before meeting.
You may also want to set an initial timeline for your team (say, a 30-60-90 day plan) so you have a better idea of what to expect during the first quarter. Remember: some agencies work on a month-to-month basis, while others require retainers or up-front pricing. It’s a good idea to bring both your timeline and budget to the table so you can brainstorm ways to maximize your investment together.
Before onboarding is complete, be sure to discuss communication protocols and meeting schedules. What communication channels would your business prefer? Email? Phone calls? Texts? Live chat?
Meeting schedules may be set by the B2B agency, although you may have a say in the frequency or medium. For example, if you’re reporting to stakeholders who need reports on a monthly basis, you might meet with the agency at least once per month to touch base on metrics or confirm numbers for your write-up.
Alternatively, you may find you don’t need to follow meeting schedules at all, particularly if you prefer self-service dashboards or asynchronous communications like email. Either way, it would behoove you to set these expectations up front, or at least get clarity before a miscommunication causes problems.
Speaking of dashboards and reporting, you also need to set performance review cycles. Will those be discussed at your regular meetings? Or are those self-service options (like digital dashboards) only?
The final piece of the puzzle is discussing scaling strategies as you grow. This might be adding more content, trialing different types of content, marketing new products, features, or services, or even reaching out to a different market. You might eventually reach a place where you can no longer handle the incoming leads. In that case, you may want to back off or scale down your agency agreement temporarily to avoid growing pains if you scale up too quickly.
Sidenote: How Do B2B SEO Agencies Measure and Report Success?
You’ve taken every precaution to choose a great B2B agency. Now it’s time to see how quickly it moves the needle. There’s certainly something to be said for testimonials and case studies, but when the rubber hits the road, you need to know if it will actually pay off.
One way to do this is to keep an eye on regular reports that speak to key performance indicators (KPIs). These are numerical benchmarks that can help you better understand how the agency’s activities are affecting your bottom line.
Some KPIs to watch that are specific to B2B SEO include:
- Pipeline influence: For B2B content, pipeline influence refers to topics that are heavily in demand for blog or article readers who eventually turn into leads. For example, you might notice your technical tutorials show higher conversion rates than general posts. Or perhaps thought leadership pieces push readers down your pipeline further.
- Deal velocity: Are your B2B SEO efforts actually speeding up your closing times? You can check this by comparing previous lead times to current lead times, then averaging the two. For example, if leads took 87 days to close between March and April last year, and 56 days between the same time frame this year, you can see that B2B SEO has increased your deal velocity by roughly 36%.
- Year-over-year or month-over-month lead increase: This can help show you the number of leads you had in one time frame compared to a previous time frame (i.e., a 200% increase in qualified leads). Not sure if your number is directly related to agency activity? You can rely on attribution modeling strategies such as first-touch, last-touch, or linear to help determine the agency’s effectiveness in your B2B sales cycle.
Speaking of effectiveness, be sure to keep tabs on your return on investment for an unbiased view of how well the agency is reporting. There are a few different ROI calculation methodologies to try, depending on which services you’re receiving, although by far the easiest is:
Return on Investment (ROI) = Net Return ÷ Cost of Investment
Again, if you haven’t already set expectations for reporting, be sure to connect with your agency to create one. Should your numbers seem low, or if you’re not happy with your investment, be sure to openly communicate your feelings and concerns.
So is a B2B SEO Agency Worth the Price?
That’s up for you to decide.
But if you’re looking for a way to ‘skip the line’ for demand generation, and create a pipeline of leads you can slowly nurture over time, there’s no better option than a B2B SEO agency.
You just have to pick the right agency for the job.
If you’re marketing a technical or developer-facing project, Draft.dev may be able to help. We have decades of combined experience developing SEO content for developer marketing, product, and developer relations teams with a team of 300+ subject matter experts and reviewers.
No need to take our word for it, though. See how Draft.dev helped Sinch Mailgun get a 20% to 45% CTR.