SEO and ABM: A Match Made in Heaven?

We all know that SEO and ABM are two completely different beasts, right? SEO is all about getting your website to the top of the search engine results, while account-based marketing (ABM) is all about targeting specific accounts. So, how could these two be related? Well, we’re here to tell you that they’re not only related, they’re a match made in heaven!

From developing targeted content to validation and credibility, we look at how SEO can be leveraged to fuel your marketing efforts and maximise the success of any ABM campaign.

We uncover the below fundamentals of SEO and ABM;

• The importance of SEO in ABM
• How SEO can improve your ABM strategy
• How SEO can help with validation and prospect sourcing
• Benefits of the combined power of ABM and SEO
• How to use ABM and SEO together
• Challenges of combining ABM and SEO
• ABM and SEO FAQs

The importance of SEO in ABM

Let’s start with SEO. Search engine optimisation is all about increasing the authority, relevance and visibility of your site to ensure you’re getting found by as many people as possible. SEO isn’t just about boosting organic search results – it’s also about providing relevant information that encourages visitors to stay on your website. Without proper SEO, you will struggle to reach your target accounts and increase your ROI.

With an effective SEO strategy, you can target potential customers searching for topics related to your products or services. However, if you’re only targeting specific accounts, then your website only needs to be seen by a particular group of people. That’s where ABM comes in.

ABM is all about identifying the specific accounts that are most likely to convert and then targeting them with personalised campaigns. But, it’s not just about getting your website seen by the right people, it’s also about making sure that your website is providing those people with the information they need by optimising for both search engines and users.

When used strategically with ABM, SEO can be a powerful tool for engaging with potential prospects, as well as maintaining relationships with existing customers.

How SEO can improve your ABM strategy

Let’s take a look at how the components of SEO can accelerate your ABM programme…

Content Marketing

Now, let’s talk about the role of content marketing in SEO and ABM. Content marketing has been proven to help build relationships and increase brand awareness, while ABM focuses on targeting specific accounts that could turn into valuable customers.

By creating valuable and relevant content, you can attract the right people to your website and strengthen your inbound marketing strategy. And by targeting specific accounts, you can ensure that your content is reaching the decision-makers at those accounts. Personalisation and tailored messaging allow you to reach out in a way that resonates with each account individually. This personalisation is invaluable for getting prospects excited about your product or service, as it shows that you understand their needs.

Additionally, SEO can help you create content that is tailored towards target accounts, further increasing the chance of conversions from those accounts.

On-Page SEO

On-page SEO and ABM – the two go hand in hand! When it comes to ABM, it’s all about providing targeted messages to your prospective buyers.

With on-page SEO, you can ensure that your content is easily found by the people who are most likely to convert to your website. It includes a number of different factors – such as the quality of and demand for your content, your title tags and alt tags, your metadata and your URL.

Content should be digestible, engaging and written with your target audience in mind. By optimising your website’s content and structure, you can provide the right information to the right people, ensuring that your target audience finds your content quickly and easily.

Technical SEO

To reap the benefits of Technical SEO when it comes to ABM, your website needs to perform well from both a technical and user experience perspective. Improving page loading speed, mobile optimisation, optimising images, and ensuring content is crawlable by search engine bots – these are all examples of ways Technical SEO can improve the performance of your website so that you can capture more leads from your targeted accounts.

By addressing technical SEO issues, you can improve the user experience, which in turn can improve the chances of converting those specific accounts you’re targeting with your ABM efforts.

Additionally, Technical SEO helps marketers identify opportunities to optimise content in order to rank higher in search results pages – ultimately reaching your target customers faster than ever before!

Core Web Vitals

Another important aspect of technical SEO to consider is core web vitals. These are a set of metrics that measure the loading speed, interactivity and visual stability of a website. Google uses these metrics to evaluate the user experience of a website and determine how well it will rank in search results.

By monitoring and improving core web vitals, you can make sure that your website is providing a good user experience and that it’s reaching the right people. Advanced ABM techniques offer unbeatable personalisation capabilities and can help boost engagement with your target audience. 

Together, core web vitals and ABM give you an unbeatable combination for boosting website performance and visibility.

Local SEO

Local SEO is essential for local businesses as more consumers are utilising smartphones and geo-specific searches to attract more customers and increase their visibility. By optimising your website for local search results, you can make sure that it’s reaching the right people in their specific geographic areas. This includes things like claiming your Google My Business listing, getting listed in online directories, and optimising your website for local keywords.

Additionally, by focusing your keyword research around your business location, you can ensure that potential customers see accurate descriptions of what services or products you sell.

How SEO can help with validation and prospect sourcing

In addition to its other benefits, combining ABM and SEO can also help with validation and reaching out to prospects. When a prospect receives a personalised message that speaks directly to their needs and pain points, they’re more likely to take notice. However, before they do business with you, they will often research your company online to learn more about your products or services.

This is where SEO comes in. By optimising your website and other online content for relevant keywords, you can improve your search engine rankings and make it easier for prospects to find you. When a prospect searches for keywords related to your business, they’re more likely to find your website at the top of the search results, which can increase your credibility and help you appear more authoritative in your industry.

Improved visibility can also subconsciously help reach out to prospects within the accounts you are targeting. When your brand consistently shows up in search results and on social media, it can create a sense of familiarity and trust with your prospects. This can make them more likely to respond to your outreach efforts, even if they haven’t engaged with your content directly.

Benefits of the combined power of ABM and SEO

By combining ABM with SEO, businesses can create a potent marketing strategy that helps them stand out in a crowded market. Here are some key benefits;

• Improved targeting: ABM helps you target high-value accounts, while SEO helps you target specific keywords that are relevant to those accounts. By combining the two, you can create a more effective targeting strategy that reaches the right people at the right time.
• Personalised messaging: ABM allows you to create personalised messages that resonate with your target accounts, while SEO helps you optimise your messaging for specific keywords. By combining the two, you can create a more personalised and effective messaging strategy.
• Increased visibility: SEO can help you improve your search engine rankings, which can help your business get noticed by more potential customers. By combining SEO with ABM, you can increase your visibility to your target account and improve your chances of getting their business.
• Improved ROI: ABM and SEO are both effective marketing strategies, but they work even better when combined. By creating a more effective marketing strategy, you can improve your ROI and get better results for your marketing efforts.

How to use ABM and SEO together

To get the most out of your marketing strategy, you need to know how to use ABM and SEO together effectively. Here are some tips;

• Identify high-value accounts: Use data analysis and research to identify the accounts that are most likely to convert into customers. Once you’ve identified those accounts, develop personalised campaigns to target them.
• Optimise your messaging: Use SEO to optimise your messaging for specific keywords relevant to your target accounts. This will help your messaging get noticed by the right people.
• Create personalised content: Use ABM to create personalised content that resonates with your target accounts. This can include case studies, whitepapers, and other types of content that address the needs and pain points of your target accounts.
• Measure your results: Use analytics to measure the success of your ABM and SEO campaigns. This will help you identify what’s working and what’s not.

Challenges of combining ABM and SEO

While combining ABM and SEO can be highly effective, there are some challenges to consider…

• Time-consuming: ABM and SEO both require significant time and resources to be effective. Combining the two can create additional demands on your marketing team.
• Data integration: Combining ABM and SEO requires that your marketing team has access to data from both sources. This can be a challenge, especially if your data is siloed.
• Personalisation: ABM relies heavily on personalisation, but SEO requires a more standardised approach to messaging. Balancing these two approaches can be difficult.
• Measuring success: Measuring the success of a combined ABM and SEO strategy can be challenging, as both strategies have different metrics for success.

FAQs

• How does ABM differ from traditional marketing?

Traditional marketing targets a broad audience with a generic message in hopes of attracting potential customers. ABM, on the other hand, targets a select group of accounts with a personalised message. ABM is more focused on the needs and pain points of target accounts, and it aims to build a deeper relationship with those accounts.

• How can combining ABM and SEO improve targeting?

By targeting high-value accounts with personalised messaging and optimising that messaging for specific keywords, businesses can create a more effective targeting strategy.

• Can ABM and SEO be used for B2C companies?

While ABM is primarily used for B2B companies, it can be adapted for B2C companies. However, SEO is already commonly used for B2C companies.

• What metrics should be used to measure the success of a combined ABM and SEO strategy?

The metrics for success will vary depending on the goals of your marketing strategy, but some common metrics found on Google Analytics are website traffic, conversion rates, and sales revenue.

A Match Made in Heaven

ABM and SEO are both highly effective marketing strategies on their own, but when combined, they can be a powerful tool for businesses looking to grow. For ABM marketers, investing in SEO can improve their chances of converting those specific targeted accounts to influence purchase decisions and grow their business whilst also improving credibility and validation.

While there are some challenges to combining these two strategies, the benefits are clear. So, if you’re not already, we recommend incorporating SEO into your ABM strategy and vice versa. Trust us, your website and your bottom line will thank you. There we have it, truly a match made in heaven!

Get in touch to see how we can help configure your campaigns with an SEO audit to boost the success of your account-based marketing strategy.