B2B Lead Generation: Guide to Strong Landing Pages
Landing pages must meet many requirements to successfully turn visitors into leads. The lead-goal itself also plays an outstanding role in B2B lead generation. But these factors alone do not do much when visitors are missing. Therefore, the website must also rank well in Google. But how can conversion and search engine optimization be combined and what are the essential success factors?
Especially in the B2B sector, lead generation is of enormous importance, since the buying processes can sometimes take a very long time. New customer acquisition succeeds
only if the course is set early and decision makers are convinced already in the early stages. To do this, companies must be present at all stages of the buying process and
provide the content they want. Because behind every visit to the website is a need that wants to be satisfied. Only with the optimal landing page interested parties can be
inspired bit by bit with the services and be convinced. But what factors are needed to turn traffic into valuable leads via landing pages? And is it even possible to optimize
websites for a higher conversion rate and search engines at the same time? Read on to find out…
Station 1: The need behind the keyword
Great landing pages with an excellent conversion rate only lead to success if the traffic is right. Since B2B decision-makers primarily use search engines for research,
landing pages must therefore be optimized for Google. That's the only way to get the websites up in the ranking. First of all search engine optimization is finding the right
keywords. These must also be searched by the relevant target groups. It always has to be internalized what the intention behind a search is. Because they all have a very
specific need that needs to be satisfied. By the way, the goal of the revolutionary Google update Hummingbird was to better understand user needs and the intent behind a
search query. Therefore, always keep in mind the need behind a search request and in what phase of the purchase your target group is. Only then can you provide suitable
content.
Station 2: suitable content for the respective target group in their purchase cycle
The lead-goals themselves form the absolute basis for successful lead generation. The best landing page does not lead to the goal if the lead goal does not fire itself. It is
essential to ensure that the respective target groups are offered the right content in their current purchase phase. Generating leads via a general contact form, for example,
only works if the purchase process is already very advanced. It assumes that the potential customer has already narrowed down a very specific need and you as a provider. A
more attractive alternative to the contact form would be, for example, a specific appointment. Your interested parties can comfortably arrange a telephone appointment via
the website, and do not have to first clarify this via a general inquiry and necessary follow-up calls.
However, if the potential customers are still at the beginning of the purchase process, then their need for information must first be satisfied. Your target groups often do
not even know about their problem. They need the enlightenment to show the problem. For example, an analysis or test can be used to identify the problem, with the help of
which you can analyze a specific situation and identify problems or optimization potentials. Since you provide the solution to the problem with your services, you can
immediately build on this and awaken a concrete buying interest in the target groups.
If your target group knows about the problem and is already in the information phase, they also need special lead-goals. White papers, fact sheets, studies or even webinars
work well here. If the demand is already more concrete, demos in the case of software can make sense. However, these types of lead-goals are the ones that competitors also
offer. Here it is then necessary to be more creative. Offer lead-goals that your target groups cannot resist because they make them feel like they’re missing out on something
else. Give your users the feeling of getting something unique through the lead goal that they will not find anywhere else.
Station 3: Achieving Conversion and SEO Optimization
Especially in today's fast paced world, you often have only seconds to convince. For landing pages, this means communicating to users in a fraction of a second what their
benefits are. Because otherwise they jump off again. It is therefore important that you meet the expectations of the users 100%. On the one hand, the above mentioned
stations are essential. On the other hand, the website must convince visually as well as contentwise and lead the user without detours and distraction to the destination.
At this point it becomes a bit difficult if the landing-page should also rank well in Google. Because Google loves – especially since the panda update – relevant and
qualitatively valuable content. But we want to market this very valuable content for lead generation and therefore not offer it freely accessible. In order to reconcile
both, the user guidance plays the most prominent role. Users must also be led to lead-goal despite SEO-relevant content. They should not be bored or scared off with
unimportant text. Its contents are often not even new to them, as they are, for example, already very deep in the subject as users.
But what does that mean in concrete terms? Offer Google the valuable content, but in a way that adds value and attractiveness to your audience. Google loves it when a website
deals with a topic in detail, but a user of CRM software does not need to be told what CRM is. Enhance your content on the landing page - this can happen through formats
other than pure, informative text, such as videos, infographics or even references or customer opinions, which once again create a lot of trust. This also creates user
engagement, which in turn plays the Google RankBrain update cards. RankBrain relies on artificial intelligence and learns based on the user behavior, whether the results
chosen by Google are also relevant and helpful to the user. This means that if a visitor stays longer on a website and interacts with it - which also includes completing a
lead generation form - this is a very good signal for Google.
Of course, a lot of varied content contradicts itself with the fact that users must not be distracted to find the lead-goal. But if the user guidance to the lead goal is
optimal and the freely accessible contents already provide a good feeling, conversion and search engine optimization can be reconciled. Because Google loves it when websites
with different content formats enlighten. Integrate the landing page into your website and do not create a detached landing page. Because only on the other pages of your
website you create content width. In addition, the previous ranking of your website can positively influence the ranking of your landing page. Create theme pages for the
informational phase. These offer entertaining and attractive content, which are freely accessible and can be optimally optimized for Google. Then promote your actual lead
goal on the topic page and price it so that no one can resist requesting it. The prerequisite is, of course, that you also keep what you promise with the lead-goal. Otherwise
you will lose confidence.
With confidence, take all the hurdles
Put the most important content of your website in the visible area without having to scroll. Be concise and name the lead goal and its benefits. Rely on an emotional
presentation - both in terms of design and content. Dispense with the common, bought Stock Photos that carry no emotions. Always give them the power to reach the lead goal
directly without getting in the way of major, Google-related content. Communicate in a stimulating way and to the point and ask for the realization of the Lead-Goal by using
the right Call-to-Action. Use website SEO and Google-relevant elements. Guide your visitors through meaningful headlines quickly and without distractions to the
destination. Use bulleted lists for a quicker overview. Create trust through your landing page, because only those who trust a provider will leave their contact details
there. Trust can be achieved through a variety of ways and the combination of them then ensures a good feeling for the user. Confidence-building elements can be certain
seals, fulfilled standards, direct contacts, an appealing and convincing design and obvious ones such as the respect of spelling and grammar.
Do not get to a halt in the final meters: User-friendly forms
you have led your users quickly and directly to the Lead-goal, it is now (almost) only sending the contact is left. These last meters of lead generation must also not be
neglected. Demand as few mandatory information as possible. Arrange the input fields correctly. Ensure a flawless technical functioning of the forms. Now that you have found
your leads, they must of course also be well looked after by the sales department, in order to finally be converted from the the lead to the buyer. And while your sales force
validates the valuable leads, you can review the success or optimization potential of your website.
Station 4: evaluate user behavior and derive optimization measures
Creating a landing page is not a completed process. After go-live it should be checked whether the website is also successful. There are quantitative as well as qualitative
indicators. Traffic is quantitative, but necessary to get a certain mass on the website. For this it must be optimized for SEO, otherwise it will not rank well. The number of
leads is qualitative. For this, the lead goal must be the right one and the landing page should convince the user and lead ideally to the lead goal. Especially if landing
pages are also optimized for search engines, tripping traps might lurk in the form of too much distraction. It's all the more important not only to track the usual numbers
like traffic and conversions, but also to look beyond the box: Is there possibly a certain place where the users jump off the website? Does a particular headline and call-
to-action work better than the other, if necessary? What is the position of the CTA to achieve more leads? Try A/B testing to see which combination works best. Always
evaluate and conduct appropriate measures to increase the success of your website. Step by step you will get the optimal landing page and there will be nothing in your way to
successful lead generation.
Conclusion: Just pin your route before designing the landing page. There is no one essential success factor. Take heed of the four central stations to generate valuable leads
from website traffic. Put in the right keywords and awaken the necessary emotions through design, wording and lead goals. Offer the content relevant for Google, but always
lead to the lead goal through optimal user guide. This way your visitors can reach their destination without a compass.