B2B SEO and AI – What Does the Future Look Like? -

Today's post is an excerpt from The MFS Guide to B2B SEO: How to Integrate SEO into a Broader B2B Marketing Strategy.

B2B SEO has always been a dynamic area. Google algorithm updates regularly cause an element of consternation as companies scramble to ensure their websites are adhering to the latest algorithm tweaks. Other changes have seen the black hat tactics of early stage SEO get replaced by a more legitimate approach to optimizing content and building up links. While SEO has always been somewhat subject to change - it is the AI revolution that promises to make the most dramatic changes to SEO as we know it.

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B2B SEO and AI - The Impact So Far

We may be in the early stages of the AI era, but there have already been some significant developments in B2B SEO.

➜ Search Results Page: Google’s unashamedly capitalistic approach to prioritizing paid search results has already diminished the power of organic search somewhat, but, with the addition of an AI overview, organic search results are pushed even further down the page. In Google’s defense, the AI overview does often meet user needs and no click search results are now as high as 60%. From a B2B perspective the question becomes about how to adapt to a changing playing field. The best guidance we could give here would be to redirect your SEO content efforts away from top of the funnel and awareness content to more tailored, buyer-specific middle and bottom of the funnel content that would cater for searches less likely to be answered satisfactorily by an AI overview.

➜ Content Production: AI content tools come with the lure of high volume content production - but at what cost? Some of these tools may have value, but - in an increasingly competitive B2B environment - one of the biggest challenges facing companies is the challenge of standing out. Companies who outsource content production to LLMs may find themselves in a race to the bottom.

➜ AI Referral Traffic: Websites today are starting to see an increase in referral traffic from ChatGPT, Gemini, and other leading AI tools that can help ease the pain of deteriorating organic traffic caused by no click searches. The good news for B2B companies here is that many of the same SEO best practices around technical SEO, on-page SEO, off-page SEO, and SEO content will also help you increase your AI referral traffic. Companies are also starting to put more focus into what is being termed Generative AI Optimization (GAIO). GAIO prioritizes brand mentions ahead of backlinks, so companies are applying more resources to areas like PR, social media, directory sites, and responding to customer reviews.

The Future of B2B SEO and AI

Without the use of a crystal ball, it is difficult to know how the future of AI will pan out. We do however have some hints at what direction things may turn. The early indications are that SEO is moving towards a more holistic, more strategic discipline. The silver bullet tactics of yesteryear used to build up top of the funnel website visitors are starting to diminish. The AI-powered future of SEO looks set to be defined by no click-searches, AI answers, and - for the first time ever - a decline in the overall number of searches. In this future, it is unlikely that we will see another example of HubSpot-type SEO strategy - the company website that was so expertly built up to rank for an incredible number of marketing terms organically. Adopting this type of strategy today, a company would quickly find themselves victim to some no-click searches.

Instead, the future of SEO will reward companies who prioritize quality over quantity. Organic traffic across the board is trending downwards - the question for a B2B company is not how to regain this lost traffic, instead companies must figure out how to best position their company to visitors who do reach their site and figure out how they can feature in LLM answers. The way to do so seems clear - a holistic B2B SEO strategy that shifts the focus to content that is specifically tailored to the buyer persona, paired with an off-page SEO program that boosts brand awareness and mentions across the board.

The future of SEO is strategic, tailored, and consistent. SEO Content will need to be carefully developed to meet the changing conditions we have outlined - it must speak directly to the buyer’s needs and do so in a way that is unique. The silver bullet merchants of yesteryear will need to sit this one out. Companies will still need to adhere to the best practices - technical and otherwise - as we have outlined in this guide, and, in the future, the SEO tips and tricks mindset will go by the wayside. Ironically, in an age that is set to be dominated by AI, it will be the high quality, human connection approach that gets the best results in B2B SEO.

This post is an excerpt from the MFS Guide to B2B SEO: How to Integrate SEO into a Broader B2B Marketing Strategy. If you would like to read more you can access the guide in full here. If you have a marketing challenge you are looking for support with, you are welcome to set up a no obligation initial strategy consultation with our team.