SEO Strategy for B2B and e-commerce – what are the similarities and differences?

Theoretically, marketing for B2B and e-commerce are two different worlds. But does this apply to SEO as well? Is the approach different for B2B company websites compared to those selling online directly to consumers? Optimizing every website requires a custom approach to fully account for industry specifics, as well as customer needs and intentions. While certain fundamentals apply to every website, there are aspects where an SEO specialist must differentiate their strategy for B2B versus B2C. So, let’s take a closer look at what B2B and e-commerce SEO have in common, and what sets them apart.

Common Ground – What’s Similar in B2B and E-commerce SEO?

Technical SEO

Whether you’re marketing sophisticated AI-driven applications to corporations or selling sports gear online, your site must be technically optimized. Even the best content strategy or links from top-tier industry domains won’t help if crawlers can’t access and index your site. The reverse is also true: if your site’s structure is cluttered with masses of low-value pages that should be blocked from indexing or even deleted, your SEO will suffer. Let’s look closer at the individual elements of technical SEO:

Crawl budget

As is well known, Google doesn’t have infinite resources for crawling websites. Every website is allocated its own crawl budget, and our job is to make the most of it. What challenges do B2B and e-commerce sites face?

B2B – One thing to check for is the presence of outdated landing pages, for example, from past campaigns or discontinued services. B2B sites also often have massive numbers of files in various formats (PDF, XLS, DOCS, etc.). These files can also get indexed, so it’s a good idea to verify if each one is necessary and needs to be on your site.

E-commerce – Here, the main culprit is often faceted navigation. Endless combinations of filters and sorting options can generate thousands of low-value URLs. Add to that empty categories or duplicate pages, which also consume precious crawl budget.

B2B and E-commerce – In both business models, however, a problematic area can be the internal search function and the new pages it generates, as well as improperly managed pagination.

How can you tackle these challenges? The key is to conduct an audit and regular site crawls with appropriate crawlers, along with analyzing server logs. This will allow you to detect all URLs within the site’s structure and identify which ones are most frequently visited by Googlebot. This enables you to intentionally exclude unnecessary resources from indexing (e.g., using the noindex tag or the robots.txt file).

URL Structure

The principles for generating URLs are identical for B2B and e-commerce. In both cases, a URL should be short, easily readable, and contain a keyword or phrase that describes the page’s content/title. You should avoid special characters or punctuation marks. You also shouldn’t create URLs that consist of nothing but a string of numbers and letters. Ideally, the URL structure should mirror the breadcrumb navigation, making it easier for users to navigate the site.

In B2B, it’s worth categorizing services in the URL, while in e-commerce, the directories should correspond to the respective categories. However, for online stores with a very deep category tree structure, limiting the number of directories to the 1-2 most important ones may be a better solution.

Examples of Poorly Optimized URLs:

Examples of Well-Optimized URLs:

Mobile-First Indexing and Core Web Vitals

Today, having a mobile-friendly site is an absolute must, not an option. In e-commerce, transactions on smartphones are far more common, and their share is growing year by year. In B2B, the role of mobile is just as important, though typically different. A potential client might first encounter your company on their phone while browsing industry news (the TOFU, or Top of the Funnel, early awareness stage). They will likely perform their next interaction on a desktop, for example, when searching for the best partner for their company during work hours. However, if the site provides a poor mobile experience initially, they may never return on their desktop to explore your offer.

Both large-scale e-commerce platforms and interactive B2B sites struggle with heavy JavaScript libraries, bloated builders in their CMS (e.g., in WordPress), or an excess of third-party scripts. You have to find a balance between an impressive design and performance. Techniques like lazy loading (outside the Above The Fold section), using a CDN, and ensuring a low CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift) can help—shifting buttons are a surefire way to frustrate users and increase your bounce rate.

Structured Data

Structured data (Schema.org) is special markup in your site’s code that helps search engines precisely understand its content and purpose. This can result in enhanced search results (so-called rich snippets) that catch the eye and increase CTR. However, it’s important to note that adding structured data doesn’t guarantee rich snippets will appear — it only increases the likelihood, as the final decision always lies with Google.

Structured data is an SEO fundamental that applies to absolutely every website. However, the SEO specialist’s task is to select the appropriate schema markup for the business type. What structured data can we use in B2B versus e-commerce?

UX

Although the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in e-commerce and B2B differ dramatically—one focuses on transactions, the other on valuable leads—the foundation of success remains the same: the best possible user experience. The site should guide the user directly to their goal, supporting the achievement of your business objectives.

In both models, thanks to well-thought-out UX, a user knows immediately upon landing on the site that they are in the right place. Their search intent is satisfied, and they can easily find the information, product, or service they need. Moreover, at every stage, they are reassured that they have made the right decision by choosing a particular product (e-commerce) or service (B2B).

Information Architecture: The Blueprint for a Great User Journey

Information architecture and good menu design are crucial elements. A common mistake on B2B sites is using generic, corporate jargon. A menu heading like “Our Solutions” tells a potential client absolutely nothing. A user looking for specific support will engage much more quickly if they see precise messages, such as “Apps for HR Departments” or “IT Solutions for the Manufacturing Industry.”

In e-commerce, on the other hand, chaos can creep into the category structure. Imagine a store where the main menu has a “Jackets” category with a “Leather” subcategory, and also a “Belts” category, also with a “Leather” subcategory. The result? Two categories with the same name, leading to completely different products. This is a straight path to customer frustration. A much better and more intuitive solution is to create precise, unambiguous categories: “Leather Jackets” and “Leather Belts”.

Consistent Experience Across All Devices

A common problem for both business models is inconsistent navigation between the desktop and mobile versions. Remember that users often explore a site on multiple devices over a period of time before converting. If the tab they found on their smartphone is in a completely different place on their laptop, they might feel lost.

The Role of UX Copy

Using benefits-oriented language is a UX writing element worth weaving into landing page descriptions in B2B and category and product descriptions in e-commerce. When creating headlines, remember to add value that encourages a potential client to convert, while also incorporating keywords. For example:

E-commerce Heading Examples:

The Impact of Page Speed

User experience is inextricably linked to the site’s technical performance. You cannot allow a situation where a customer has to wait impatiently for a key product photo or a service presentation video to load.

What if an element on the site is inherently slow to load, like an advanced service calculator in B2B or a product personalization module in e-commerce? You must ensure you visually show the user that the process is ongoing. A simple progress bar or an animated loading circle is enough to reduce impatience and the risk of the user abandoning the page.

Proactive User Support

Additionally, remember that the site should always anticipate and prevent customer problems. This can be reflected on a B2B site by creating an application tutorial, a detailed step-by-step description of the service implementation process, or a glossary explaining industry terms and acronyms. In e-commerce, clear sizing charts with measuring instructions are an absolute must. And if you’re selling a specific product, it’s good to go a step further, for example, by creating a guide on how to measure a finger to find the perfect ring size, or how to choose ski length based on a skier’s height.

Keyword Research

Technically, keyword research will look the same for B2B and e-commerce. However, the real task is to understand the intent behind the query. Right from the start, you should categorize phrases as informational (for blogs, guides) and transactional (for offers, products).

What should you pay attention to during keyword research for your store or B2B site?

Long-Tail Keywords – in e-commerce, ultra-long-tail keywords will refer to specific, detailed product features, e.g., “men’s light blue slim fit linen shirt.” In B2B, they often include additional industry or local context, e.g., “ERP system implementation for manufacturing companies in Chicago” or “best HR application for resume screening.”

Comparison Keywords – when analyzing phrases for e-commerce, you might encounter keywords comparing one product to another, e.g., “iPhone 14 vs iPhone 15.” In B2B, you’re more likely to see phrases comparing certain solutions or tools, e.g., “Asana vs Trello.”

Question-Based Keywords – question-based keywords are perfect for creating an FAQ page on your site. But they can also be freely used in the headlines of a landing page, category, or product description.

Entities – SEO is no longer just about individual keywords, but about entire topic clusters, or entities. To become an expert in Google’s eyes, you need to comprehensively cover a given area and target sales, informational, and how-to phrases within the same entity. Therefore, keyword research should be as broad as possible within a given topic area.

Keyword Research Tools – fortunately, there’s no need to use different tools for B2B and e-commerce keyword research. Your favorite tool, such as Senuto, will suffice. There, you can not only find classic keywords but also discover question-based phrases. Senuto is also a good tool to support a keyword gap analysis against your competition.

Authority and Trust

You can’t build a business relationship or persuade a customer to buy without building their trust. It’s the same in SEO. Google prefers sites that it considers to be industry authorities, are credible, and inspire trust. In other words, sites that meet all the E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trust) factors. How do you apply this in practice to e-commerce and B2B?

B2B – A B2B company’s authority is often synonymous with the authority of its employees. Experts should author articles on both internal and external portals, actively participate in industry discussions on social media or forums, and engage in additional promotional activities like hosting or participating in webinars.

E-commerce – For online stores, product ratings and reviews should be key. Showcasing them on product and category pages is a must-have.

B2B and E-commerce – Both business models can engage in acquiring brand mentions on industry portals, local sites, forums, and social media. Interestingly, even unlinked mentions matter, not only for SEO but also for AI search engines. Of course, link building is also an indispensable element of building authority online. When selecting domains for linking in both B2B and e-commerce, it’s worth focusing on a strong thematic relevance between the two domains and choosing domains with a strong link profile.

Automation Across All Areas

Handling all aspects of SEO manually, especially for large, complex sites, is very tedious and time-consuming. This is where tools that automate and streamline daily activities come to the rescue. You can build your own custom scripts or use ready-made, advanced platforms. Solutions like Senuto Enterprise allow for the automation of internal linking recommendations, advanced keyword analysis, and indexation monitoring, which significantly simplifies work and reporting.

Strategic Differences Between B2B and E-commerce SEO

While many SEO fundamentals apply across the board, the distinct nature of B2B and e-commerce transactions necessitates different strategic approaches. Understanding these nuances is key to developing an SEO strategy that truly resonates with your target audience and drives meaningful results.

Buyer Journey & Intent

The path a potential customer takes to make a purchase, and their underlying motivations at each step, fundamentally differ between B2B and e-commerce. Recognizing these differences in the buyer journey and intent is crucial for an effective SEO strategy, as it dictates the type of content and keywords that will be most impactful. The most significant difference between B2B and e-commerce SEO lies in the buyer journey and, consequently, user intent.

B2B – the B2B buying cycle is typically long and complex, involving multiple stakeholders and touchpoints. Decisions are often high-value, require extensive research, and are driven by logic, ROI, and long-term partnership potential. A company considering a new ERP system, for example, will likely engage in a multi-month process of research, vendor evaluation, demos, and internal discussions. Their intent at different stages will vary from initial problem recognition (informational) to solution comparison (evaluative) to final vendor selection (transactional).

E-commerce – in contrast, the e-commerce buying path is generally shorter and often more impulsive. Consumers typically make individual purchases, and decisions can be influenced by immediate needs, price, aesthetics, or brand loyalty. A customer looking for a new pair of running shoes might move from initial search to purchase within minutes or hours, driven by a desire for convenience and instant gratification. Their intent is often directly transactional.

In essence, B2B intent is often about solving complex business problems over time, while e-commerce intent frequently revolves around satisfying immediate personal needs or desires.

Keyword Strategy

The separate buyer journeys directly influence the most effective keyword strategies. Understanding whether users are seeking information to solve a complex business challenge or looking for a specific product to buy quickly will shape keyword selection and optimization efforts.

E-commerce – e-commerce keyword strategy heavily revolves around products, categories, and filters. This includes specific product names (e.g., “gaming laptop 16GB RAM”), brand names, color variations, and features. While long-tail keywords are valuable, they often appear in blog articles or buying guides that support the purchase decision rather than directly on product pages. The focus is on capturing immediate commercial intent.

B2B – B2B keyword strategy, on the other hand, prioritizes low-volume, high-value industry-specific terms. These keywords often reflect the complex problems B2B clients are trying to solve or the specialized solutions they seek (e.g., “cloud-based HR software for enterprise,” “supply chain optimization consulting”). The volume might be lower, but the conversion potential per keyword is significantly higher due to the high value of a single lead or contract.

Ultimately, e-commerce keywords target direct sales, while B2B keywords aim to capture users at various stages of a considered, often complex, decision-making process.

Content Strategy

The purpose and nature of content are fundamentally different when addressing business clients versus individual consumers. Content strategy must align with the respective buyer journeys, either educating and nurturing leads in a long-term sales cycle or supporting quick purchase decisions.

B2B – SEO content in the B2B sector is designed to educate, nurture leads, and establish thought leadership. This includes whitepapers, case studies, webinars, in-depth guides, industry reports, and blog posts that address specific problems and offer solutions. The content aims to build trust and demonstrate expertise over an extended period, moving potential clients through the awareness, consideration, and decision stages of their journey.

E-commerce – e-commerce SEO content primarily supports purchase decisions. While product pages are central, content also extends to category descriptions, buying guides, customer reviews, FAQs, and even blog posts about product usage or lifestyle. The goal is to provide all necessary information for a confident purchase, answer common questions, and overcome objections, directly facilitating conversions.

In summary, B2B content focuses on comprehensive education and long-term lead development, whereas e-commerce content aims for immediate persuasion and conversion by providing direct product-related information.

Content Updates

The frequency and strategic importance of content updates also differs based on the business model. This impacts resource allocation and the ongoing maintenance required for an effective SEO presence.

E-commerce – e-commerce pages change frequently (e.g., prices, availability). Product descriptions, stock levels, and promotional offers constantly evolve, requiring continuous monitoring and updates. This dynamic nature requires a robust system for managing product data and ensuring SEO signals remain consistent despite frequent changes.

B2B – B2B content, especially evergreen educational resources, tends to have a longer shelf life. However, even evergreen content needs strategic updates to stay relevant, reflect new industry trends or regulations, and ensure it continues to be reindexed by search engines. This could involve refreshing statistics, adding new sections, or updating case studies. While not as volatile as e-commerce product pages, B2B content must still be reviewed periodically to maintain its authority and accuracy.

Therefore, e-commerce thrives on rapid, high-volume updates, while B2B focuses on periodic, strategic refreshes to maintain long-term relevance and authority.

Internal Linking & Site Architecture

The structural organization of a website and how its pages connect internally are critical for both user experience (UX) and search engine crawling (SEO). However, the specific goals and patterns of internal linking and site architecture vary considerably between B2B and e-commerce. The structure of internal linking and site architecture reflects the distinct content and user journeys.

E-commerce – e-commerce sites typically have a complex hierarchy with multiple product pages and categories. Internal linking strategies focus on directing users and search engines through these categories, enabling cross-selling between related products, and ensuring all products are easy to discover. Tools like Senuto’s internal linking feature can be particularly helpful for managing this task.

B2B – B2B site architecture and internal linking focus on connecting educational content, service pages, and calls to action (CTAs). The goal is to guide users through the sales funnel, from informational resources to solution-oriented pages, and ultimately to a lead generation form or contact page. Logical grouping of content by topic or solution is paramount to illustrate expertise and facilitate the sales journey.

Ultimately, e-commerce internal linking aims for comprehensive product discoverability within a vast catalog, while B2B linking prioritizes guiding users through a structured information flow towards a lead conversion.

KPIs

While some foundational Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are shared across both models, the ultimate metrics for measuring SEO success differs significantly, reflecting the core business objectives of sales versus lead generation.

E-commerce – KPIs for e-commerce SEO are directly tied to sales and revenue. This includes sales from organic traffic, conversion rate (e.g., product page views to purchases), and average order value. The directness of the transaction allows for clear revenue-based measurement.

B2B – B2B SEO KPIs are focused on lead generation and nurturing, i.e. building relationships with potential clients and gradually guiding them through the sales funnel until conversion, which is crucial in the longer B2B buying cycle. This includes metrics like leads, demo sign-ups, whitepaper downloads, contact form submissions, and assisted conversions (where SEO played a role in a conversion that might have been completed through another channel). The emphasis is on quality leads that can be moved further down the sales funnel, even if the final sale occurs offline.

In essence, e-commerce measures direct transactional success, while B2B measures the effectiveness of lead generation and progression within a complex sales pipeline.

Summary

The environment of SEO is dynamic, continually evolving beyond static best practices like simple keyword targeting and link-building. Its success now depends on crafting layered, user-focused strategies deeply rooted in understanding user intent, their stage in the conversion funnel, and specific conversion goals.

As we’ve explored, while B2B and e-commerce SEO share common ground in technical optimization, UX, keyword research fundamentals, and the pursuit of authority and trust, their strategic applications diverge significantly. These differences are driven by the unique buyer journeys, content requirements, and ultimately, the distinct KPIs that define success for each business model.

The transformation of SEO is further amplified by the increasing role of various AI and automation. Tools like Senuto allow for the automation of internal linking recommendations, advanced keyword analysis, and indexation monitoring, which significantly simplifies work and reporting. Such solutions now support not just analysis, but also content creation, intent detection, and internal linking suggestions. This empowers SEO professionals to move beyond manual tasks and focus on more strategic initiatives, building truly personalized and effective SEO strategies that drive measurable business outcomes in an increasingly complex digital world.

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