Before we dive into this topic how to decide which keywords are worth winning, I think it’s worth being clear what ‘winning’ actually means in B2B marketing. It doesn’t necessarily mean owning the Search Engine Results Page…or capturing every single click.
In our world, just having more than our fair share of visibility is usually enough. The goal is to be consistently present, credible, and influential for the prospective clients that matter, not to dominate traffic charts.
I think the average marketer on the street feels that winning is ranking number one for a broad head term, generating lots of traffic and being competitors for every industry related keywords.
But winning is probably more like showing up reliably during buyer research, being able to support live sales conversations, having and owning a point of view that prospective clients may trust and, overall, improving pipeline quality.
If ranking does not help any of that, it is not a win.
Start with what you already rank for
Before deciding what you could win, it’s good practice to understand what you already own.
Most B2B websites already rank for far more queries than teams realise. Not just headline keywords, but dozens or hundreds of related terms that show how search engines already understand (or not) your relevance and authority.
This baseline matters because:
• It shows where you already have credibility to build on
• It reveals near win opportunities
• It prevents duplicated effort across similar topics
• It grounds decisions in reality
The four things that must stack up
To win a keyword in B2B, four conditions need to broadly stack up.
• Authority
• Intent alignment
• Content advantage
• Commercial relevance
You do not need all four to be perfect. But if one is missing entirely, you are unlikely to win in any meaningful way.
Keyword difficulty is context, not a decision
Keyword difficulty is one of the most misunderstood SEO metrics.
Most tools calculate difficulty by analysing the authority and backlink profiles of pages currently ranking. It tells you how strong the competition is, not whether you should compete.
Difficulty does not tell you:
• Whether the keyword is worth winning
• How long it will take to rank
• Whether ranking will support revenue
Treat difficulty as context. Never as a green or red light.
Step 1. Compare your authority honestly
Look at the pages currently ranking and ask
• Are these global publishers, niche specialists, or vendors?
• How strong are their domains compared to yours?
• Do they have deep topical authority or general strength?
If the SERP is dominated by brands with fundamentally stronger authority than you, the honest answer to can we realistically earn a fair share of visibility here is usually no.
Step 2. Decide if this is a domain or page level battle
Not all keywords require the same level of authority.
A simple rule helps
• If the SERP is dominated by broad category pages, this is a domain level battle
• If it is dominated by specific guides or explainers, it is more likely a page level battle
This is why narrow, intent rich keywords are often more realistic targets in B2B.
If winning this keyword would require your entire domain to outrank brands it has never realistically competed with before, SEO is not the right lever today and the topic needs broader marketing and brand work first.
If winning depends on one strong page answering an unmet need better than what exists, this is a realistic SEO opportunity.
Step 3. Decide if you can genuinely create something better
This is not about writing more words.
Ask
• Can we explain this more clearly than what already exists?
• Can we add insight competitors cannot?
• Can we reflect real buyer questions and objections?
• Can we bring first-hand experience, data, or a usable framework?
If the only advantage you can articulate is that your content will be more comprehensive, you probably do not have a real advantage.
Search engines really like to reward usefulness, not effort.
Step 4. Assess backlink reality, not backlink theory
Backlinks still matter. But in B2B, they are about credibility, not scale.
Ask
• Do the top-ranking pages have strong editorial or industry links?
• Are those links earned through expertise or just volume?
• Can we realistically earn comparable references over time?
If winning requires link tactics that only work as long as nobody asks how they are done, walk away.
Sustainable rankings come from authority, partnerships, and trust maintained over a period of time.
Step 5. Factor in time to value
Timing also matters.
Ask:
• How long would this realistically take to rank?
• Does that timeline align with business priorities?
• Will the topic still matter when we get there?
A keyword can be winnable and still be the wrong use of time. Time to value is a commercial decision, not an SEO one so this is another consideration that goes into your pot.
Step 6. Apply the B2B commercial filter
This is where SEO becomes marketing.
Ask:
• Does this keyword map to real sales conversations?
• Does it reduce friction or objections?
• Does it help buyers make decisions?
• Would sales teams actually use this content?
The three decisions every keyword must end with
I think every keyword assessment should end with one clear outcome.
• Go now
• Park it
• Walk away
“Go now” does not mean you expect to own the SERP. It means the keyword is important enough that earning a fair share of credible visibility will influence buying decisions.
Just like when sales teams are deciding to ‘no bid’ an RFP that has come their way…A well-reasoned ‘no’ is often the most valuable SEO decision a B2B marketing team can make.
Common mistakes
Most failures that I've seen over the years fall into three categories.
Metric led mistakes
• Treating difficulty scores as decision makers
• Prioritising volume over intent
Authority blind mistakes
• Assuming good content can overcome any SERP
• Underestimating entrenched competitors
Commercial blind mistakes
• Chasing visibility instead of influence
• Ignoring how sales will actually use the content
Key buzzwords explained
• Keyword difficulty, an estimate of competition strength
• Domain authority, trust built across topics
• Page authority, strength of one page for one query
• Topical authority, credibility built through depth
• Commercial relevance, whether ranking influences revenue reality
Why this matters even more now
The same signals that determine who ranks also influence how AI tools summarise, recommend, and describe brands.
AI systems do not reward dominance. They reward repeated, credible presence across related topics. If you cannot win trust in a SERP, AI systems are unlikely to surface you accurately or at all.
Call to action
If you are serious about making SEO work in B2B, stop asking whether a keyword looks attractive and start try diving deeper to ask whether it is even worth winning.
Write down the keywords your team is currently targeting. Then assess each one honestly.
• Do we already have, or can we realistically earn, a fair share of visibility on this topic?
• Do we have the authority to compete?
• Does the intent match how we sell?
• Would ranking actually help revenue?
If you want an external contractor or agency to help you decide which keywords are winnable, and for the right reasons, get in touch and we will personally introduce you to people who genuinely know what good looks like.
