Introduction

B2B keyword research is a strategic process that helps businesses identify the phrases their target customers (businesses, organizations) use when searching for solutions, products, or services on Google. Unlike the B2C market, B2B purchase cycles are longer, purchase decisions often involve multiple stakeholders, and search language carries higher professional terminology.

What is B2B Keyword Research?

B2B Keyword Research is the process of finding, analyzing, and selecting keywords that businesses (rather than individuals) use when searching for business solutions. The goal is not just to attract traffic, but to attract the right decision-makers.

For example, a B2B business in the ERP software industry will search for "best ERP software for manufacturing" instead of "buy ERP software".

Types of Keywords in B2B

Informational Keywords: "how to optimize supply chain", "what is CRM software". Used at the early stage of the customer journey (Awareness).

Comparison Keywords: "SAP vs Oracle ERP", "HubSpot vs Salesforce pricing". Used at the Consideration stage.

Transactional/Commercial Keywords: "ERP software demo", "request Salesforce pricing". Used at the Decision stage.

Brand Keywords: "Lumina Media Agency Google Ads services", "Lumina Media Agency Google Ads case study".

Step 1: Identify Core Topics

Before finding keywords, you need to clearly understand:

What problem does your business solve?
Who is your target customer? (Large, medium, or small business?)
Which industry? (Manufacturing, Healthcare, Finance, Tech...)
What stage are they in the buying journey?

Step 2: Brainstorm Keywords

Use tools such as:

Google Keyword Planner: Free, data from Google
SEMrush / Ahrefs: Competitor analysis, search volume, difficulty
AnswerThePublic: Find popular questions
AlsoAsked: Find related questions in Pillar structure

Create a list of seed keywords based on:

Your main products/services
Problems your customers are facing
Industry terminology of your target customers

Step 3: Analyze Competitors

See what keywords competitors are ranking for:

Use SEMrush/Ahrefs to view competitors' organic keywords
Find gaps — keywords competitors don't cover
Evaluate the quality of competitors' content for each keyword

Step 4: Evaluate & Filter Keywords

Criteria for evaluation:

Search Volume: Is the search volume large enough?
Keyword Difficulty (KD): Is the ranking difficulty appropriate for your resources?
Intent: Does the search intent match your business goals?
CPC: Ad click price indicates commercial value
Relevance: Is the keyword directly related to your solution?

Step 5: Distribute Keywords

After having a filtered keyword list:

Pillar Page: Main page for broad topic ("B2B Keyword Research Guide")
Cluster Content: Smaller articles linking to pillar page ("B2B SEO best practices", "B2B content marketing strategy")
Assign primary and secondary keywords to each page

Conclusion

B2B keyword research is not a one-time task — it's an ongoing process. Markets change, competitors compete, and customer search behavior also changes. Schedule keyword reviews periodically (at least quarterly) to ensure your strategy is always optimized.

Contact Lumina Media Agency for Google Ads and B2B Keyword Research strategy consulting tailored to your business.

Stay updated with the latest news

How to do B2B Keyword Research

Latest Post

Google Ads ROAS Optimization 2024

TikTok Ads for E-commerce: Effective Selling Strategy

SEO On-Page: Complete Optimization Guide 2024

Facebook Ads Remarketing: Triple Your Conversions

B2B Content Marketing: Building a Content Strategy

Email Marketing Automation: Streamline Your Marketing