Keyword research is one of the easiest ways for B2B marketing teams to waste time without realising it.
Bad keyword research creates content that ranks but does not convert, traffic that looks good in reports but goes nowhere, and frustrates CMOs that suspected there was a disconnect between writing for SEO and what we actually needed to write. I know, because I’ve been there.
So it's not an SEO problem. It is a keyword research problem.
Step 1. Start with buyer questions, not tools
A keyword is simply the phrase someone types into a search engine. In B2B marketing, those phrases usually reflect a question, a concern, or a decision being made by a committee of different stakeholders.
Before you open a tool, pull real language from real conversations:
Sales calls, discovery notes, objections, competitor comparisons
Customer success and support tickets, onboarding questions, renewal risk
RFP documents and lost deal notes
Internal Slack messages that start with “Does anyone know…”
And the absolute nirvana, talk to clients! Yes, even you marketers!
Those who follow me know I get very frustrated with marketers that don’t talk to clients as much as possible. This is a scenario where it helps, so, so much.
Turn that into a list of buyer questions in plain English. Buyer language, not your product language.
Step 2. Translate questions into intent
Search intent is the reason behind a search. What the buyer is trying to do?
In B2B marketing, intent usually falls into these buckets:
• Problem understanding, what is this, why is it happening
• Solution exploration, what are the options, what approaches exist
• Comparison, alternatives, best tools, vendor shortlists
• Validation, proof, pricing, implementation, risk, reviews, case studies
Do not treat all keywords equally. Two phrases can look similar but signal totally different intent.
It is also worth remembering that the same keywords, topics and intent signals now shape how AI tools summarise, recommend and describe your brand, not just how you rank in Google.
Step 3. Do SERP analysis, every time
SERP means Search Engine Results Page. It is the page Google shows after a search. SERP analysis is manually reviewing that page to understand what Google believes the searcher wants.
This step is non-negotiable.
For every priority keyword, search it and answer these questions:
• What intent is Google rewarding here, education, comparison, or purchase focused
• What format wins, guides, list posts, product pages, category pages, tools, videos
• Who is ranking, publishers, vendors, communities, directories
• What angles keep repeating, definitions, templates, pricing, pros and cons
• What is missing, what could you say better or more clearly
If your planned content does not match the intent and format of the SERP, you are not competing with competitors. You are competing with Google’s interpretation of the query. You will lose.
Step 4. Use tools to expand and validate, not to decide
Tools are essential, but they are not the strategy. Use them to expand your list, validate language, and understand competitive context.
Here are the tools most B2B teams actually use, and what each is good for:
Google Search Console: Use it to see the real queries that already drive impressions and clicks to your site. This is buyer language you have already earned. It can be clunky, but you’ll soon find the stats you need.
Google autocomplete and People Also Ask: Use them to discover how buyers phrase questions and what related questions cluster around a topic.
Ahrefs: Use it for keyword discovery, SERP comparison, and concepts like parent topics and traffic potential. It is strong for understanding what one page could realistically rank for, not just one keyword.
Semrush: Use it for keyword expansion and competitor analysis, especially keyword gap analysis. Keyword gap means identifying keywords competitors rank for that you do not.
Keyword Insights: Use it to group large keyword lists into topic clusters and reduce the risk of cannibalisation.
Two important terms to keep straight:
• Search volume is an estimate of how often a keyword is searched. It is directional, not precise. In our B2B world, low volume often means high value.
• Keyword difficulty is a tool generated estimate of ranking difficulty. Useful for context, not a decision maker.
Step 5. Consider topic clusters to avoid cannibalisation
Sorry, we’re getting a bit technical and buzzword heavy. I’ll try and keep things simple and high level. A topic cluster is a structured set of pages around one core theme. It usually includes:
• A core page that covers the main topic
• Supporting pages that answer specific questions
• Comparison pages for alternatives and evaluation
• Validation pages like case studies, implementation, pricing, and risk
Keyword cannibalisation happens when multiple pages on your site target the same intent and compete with each other. That splits authority and confuses search engines.
A simple rule helps: one page per intent. If two pages are trying to answer the same question for the same reader at the same stage, consolidate or reposition.
Step 6. Prioritise like a true B2B marketer
This is where I see most teams going wrong. They prioritise by search volume because it is easy to sort in a spreadsheet. And it looks quite exciting, seeing the volume of all those relevant key terms… “ooh, look at the traffic we can get”.
Instead, prioritise using commercial relevance. Commercial relevance means how closely a keyword maps to revenue, buying decisions, or real sales conversations.
Use this filter:
• Does this map to a real sales question or objection?
• Is the intent aligned with how we sell?
• Can we realistically win this SERP based on what is ranking today?
• If we rank, does it help pipeline quality, sales velocity, or deal confidence?
A keyword can be high volume and still be a waste of time. A keyword can be low volume (especially comparing b2c with b2b) and still influences serious revenue. Your business likely has its niches and plenty of opportunity to own them.
Step 7. Define what success looks like
If you measure success only by rankings, you will optimise for the wrong outcomes.
In B2B marketing, good keyword research shows up as:
• Better quality inbound conversations
• Content being used by sales in live deals
• Fewer late stage objections because buyers are educated earlier
• Clearer alignment between marketing language and buyer language
• A topic footprint that grows, not random one off pages
Rankings are useful signals. They are not the goal.
Key buzzwords, translated
Here are those basic terms I threw around and what they mean in plain English:
• Keyword, the phrase someone searches
• Search intent, what they are trying to achieve
• SERP, what Google shows for that search
• SERP analysis, reading the SERP to validate intent and format
• Search volume, estimated demand, directional
• Keyword difficulty, estimated competition, directional
• Topic cluster, a structured set of pages around one topic
• Cannibalisation, your pages competing with each other
• Keyword gap, what competitors rank for that you do not
• Commercial relevance, whether the keyword connects to revenue reality
Call to action
If you are serious about making keyword research work in B2B, start with the fundamentals.
Write down the questions your buyers actually ask before they buy. Not keywords. Questions.
Then read your existing content honestly.
If it does not answer those questions clearly, no amount of optimisation will save it. And please don’t leave it to the person responsible for SEO…those b2b marketers with the most context must weigh in and help…and they must also not simply overrule the person responsible for SEO… team work makes the dream work.
Next, think in terms of commercial relevance, not just search volume. The best B2B marketing teams can answer questions like:
• Which keywords map to real sales conversations?
• Where does intent actually increase?
• Which terms help buyers make decisions, not just browse?
• How does our content support sales credibility?
If you want help turning this into a clear, prioritised keyword strategy that actually supports revenue, get in touch and we will introduce you to people who genuinely know what good looks like.
