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.
