How Local SEO Can Help B2B Businesses

Portrait of Reilly Phelps on a teal circle background. by Reilly Phelps   |   Jan 23, 2025   |   Clock Icon 10 min read
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Bringing in new business in the B2B sector can be difficult. The industry is defined by long sales cycles, niche audiences, and a growing demand for custom solutions. Sometimes you may focus your efforts on expanding your reach nationally or even globally, but the value of gaining local business can sometimes be overlooked. Don’t get us wrong - national presence is important too! But local partnerships can be a significant source of growth, and who knows, maybe it will help shorten the sales cycle since you’ll be nearby.

This is where local search engine optimization (SEO) comes in. By optimizing your digital presence for local search, you can connect your business with other companies and customers in your own backyard. Whether it’s appearing at the top of search results for “industrial robots near me”, earning positive reviews on Google, or even providing directions to potential customers, local SEO can help you become the go-to in your region.

This blog post will provide information on why B2B local SEO matters, its benefits, essential strategies, and how to measure success in your efforts.

Why Local SEO Matters for B2B Businesses

If you are used to focusing on national markets, the idea of focusing on local SEO for a B2B business may seem strange. However, did you know Google processes about 2 trillion searches per year, and 46% of those have a local intent? Local SEO opens the door to opportunities in your region, meaning you can connect with nearby businesses and establish yourself as the trusted local provider in your area.

Key Benefits of Local SEO for B2B

There are various benefits to focusing on local SEO as a B2B company:

1. Increase visibility for local keywords

The most obvious benefit of local SEO is to reach local customers. There is also an opportunity to close deals faster by doing so if you need to meet with the customer in person or even by building trust from improved brand awareness in the community.

2. Attract higher-quality leads

Bringing in quality traffic to your website can then translate to higher-quality leads and therefore higher profit.

3. Build trust

Focusing on positive reviews, accurate location listings, and an overall strong local presence can help establish your business as the go-to source in your region.

4. Drive foot traffic

If your business relies on foot traffic, such as showrooms or facilities open to the public, optimizing your Google Business Profile and other location-specific content can help users find your business and the location information quickly.

5. Gain an edge over competitors

If your competitors are focusing on a national presence, your region may be easy to “capture” in terms of search visibility. Emphasize your community presence to show why your business is the right choice.

6. Better connections with local partners

Local SEO can generate stronger relationships with nearby suppliers, distributors, and other B2B partners who rely on local searches to find B2Bs.

Local SEO Strategies for B2B Companies

To get started in local SEO for B2B companies, it’s essential to formulate strategies that align with your end goal: bring qualified users to your website and convince them to convert. Here are a few strategies to keep in mind.

Google Business Profile Optimization

I believe the most important first step of local SEO is ensuring your Google Business Profile listing is claimed and optimized. It is a free service from Google that allows you to provide more information about your business when it appears in search results.

Screenshot of Super Radiator Coil's Google Business Profile.
Example of a Google Business Profile listing from Super Radiator Coils

Here are the main things to optimize for a B2B listing:

  • Name: The name of the listing should match your exact business name. For us, it would be “Workshop Digital”, not “Workshop Digital - Richmond” or “Workshop Digital - Digital Marketing Services”. These can be marked as spam and hurt you in the long run.

  • Category: The category explains what type of business you are. For the example above, the category is “Manufacturer”. I recommend choosing the category that best describes what your business is, rather than choosing what you think could bring in more traffic. For example, if you make auto parts, the category would be “Auto parts manufacturer”. If you’re not sure what categories are out there (there are a lot!), this is my favorite list that is kept up-to-date.

  • Products/Services: Google Business Profile allows you to add products or services to your listing for free. Make sure to include the name, description, and the price (if applicable).

Those aspects are just the starting point for optimizing your listings. For more optimization information, check out our Google Business Profile Optimization Guide!

💡 Tip: Bing also has a similar platform called Bing Places, which can sync with your GBP listing to make sure everything is the same across the board.

Consistent Local Listings

It’s also imperative that you keep third-party listings updated. For example, manufacturers often appear in multiple directories, both general and industry-specific. Ensuring that your business information is accurate across these platforms can make a huge difference in how search engines and potential customers view your business.

For example, here is a Yelp profile that has been claimed and updated:

Screenshot of Generator Interlock Technologies Yelp listing.
Example of a claimed Yelp listing for Generator Interlock Technologies

There are various tools you can use to keep track of your listings and their progress:

  • Moz Local offers a free citation checker where you can see how you are performing on large directories. Keep in mind that these are general directories, not B2B-specific. You will also have to manually update each directory.

  • Semrush has a paid Listing Management Tool that will not only check your business information but also automatically distribute your business information to the most important directories so you don’t have to.

Make sure to research local B2B directories near your business location so you can also appear in those.

Local Keyword Research

Turning more to the on-page side of things, it’s important to focus on what and how people are searching. Part of a good SEO strategy is focusing on every stage of the marketing funnel so you can bring in customers at different times in their buying journey.

Even with the changing search engine results page (SERP) landscape, keywords are still important to include in content (without stuffing them in). But, it’s also important to analyze the intent behind the keyword (why people are searching in the first place).

Let’s look at the keyword “industrial robot”:

Screenshot of aggregated search results for the term 'industrial robot'
Aggregated search results for “industrial robot”

Based on past user activity, Google has determined that they may not be looking for industrial robot products quite yet. Instead, the search engine provides mainly informational content and then a few results with actual products. The intent of this keyword is more on the informational side.

Now, let’s take a closer look at a local keyword, “auto parts near me” (with a location set in Houston, TX):

Screenshot of aggregated search results for the term 'auto parts near me' in Houston, Texas.
Aggregated search results for “auto parts near me” in Houston, TX

For this keyword, Google presents a mix of location pages and directories, such as Yelp. The search intent is further down the marketing funnel here - clearly, the user is looking for a solution near them. Overall, when conducting keyword research, it’s important to keep the intent of the keyword in mind - it’ll pay off in the long run!

Local Content Creation

Now, we move to the most time-consuming yet most important aspect of a well-developed SEO strategy - creating content! Publishing content that is tailored to your target local audience means showcasing your expertise, experience, and trustworthiness.

Google has repeatedly noted that they favor websites that provide high-quality, helpful content that addresses the user intent (I told you it was important!). When you incorporate local keywords and content on your website, you can increase your visibility in search results and therefore, increase the number of local potential customers visiting your website. Having good content on your website can also help improve the trust of people arriving on your website.

So, what types of content can be looked at from a local perspective? Here are a few to get you started:

  • Location pages: This may seem like an obvious one, but you’d be surprised how many websites don’t have optimized location pages. This is where you should include any location-specific information, such as hours of operation, specific services, and contact options.

  • Blog posts: It’s important to keep local audiences in mind when writing blog content. For example, if a window manufacturer in Florida writes a blog post about insulation against cold weather, the users arriving on the site may not be the ones you want to target. Additionally, if there is location-specific information you can include, that can help you improve visibility for those keywords.

  • Community-focused content: If you are involved in the local community, write about it! Not only does it build trust with users on your site, but it helps get your brand name out there. Paul Flick stated in this article from Forbes, “Making your charitable efforts a natural outgrowth of your company will yield better results”.

  • Location-specific service pages: If one of your locations offers something another branch doesn’t, make sure that is prevalent on the site and any location-specific pages.

Measuring Success

Having an SEO strategy is for naught if you don’t know how to track the results and find more room for improvement. A few things to focus on are:

  • Organic website traffic: Has traffic to your website increased? What about traffic to your location-specific pages?

  • Keyword rankings: How does your website rank compared to competitors for your target keywords?

  • Google Business Profile activity: Has traffic from Google Business Profile increased? What about phone or website clicks on the listing itself? How many people are requesting directions?

  • Referral traffic: How has traffic from third-party websites, such as Yelp, changed over time?

  • Conversions/leads: How are local leads? Have they increased? Have more qualified leads come in? Have incoming calls been locally based?

Not sure how to track these? Not sure if you even have tracking on your website? Our Analytics team can help!

Ready to Improve Your Local Presence?

For B2B companies, local SEO is a gateway to creating new business opportunities and growing within your region. By optimizing your online presence for local searches, you can connect with nearby customers, build trust in your community, and establish your company as a reliable partner.

Don’t overlook the potential of your local market. Schedule a consultation with Workshop Digital to get started.

Portrait of Reilly Phelps

Reilly Phelps

Reilly began her career in organic marketing in 2019 and has been working in SEO since 2022. She specializes in data visualization and on-page SEO and has experience working with both small business and enterprise-level clients across various industries, including financial services, homebuilding, B2B, B2C, and healthcare.

Reilly received a B.B.A. in Marketing with a concentration in Digital Marketing and a minor in Communication Studies. She holds certifications in GA4, Hotjar, STAT, Looker Studio, and Google Tag Manager, as well as being an Adobe Certified Professional in Visual Design. Reilly is also a member of the Young Business Professionals Council at JMU, her alma mater.

She enjoys reading, playing with her adorable corgi Maisie, and listening to Taylor Swift when she’s not working.

Connect with Reilly on LinkedIn.