Here are the most common complaints I hear from clients in B2B:

1. We've invested heavily in content for the past year, but we're still not showing up for key terms.

2. Our blog gets decent traffic, but visitors aren't turning into leads.

3. We're getting leads, but they're mostly smaller businesses with tiny budgets when we really need larger clients who can sign 6-figure contracts.

4. Our blog posts read like everyone else's—generic advice that could apply to any business.

5. We're struggling to produce thought leadership that positions us as experts and feel like we're shouting into the void.

Most SEO content won't take businesses to the next level because most content doesn't bring the kind of clients required for that to happen.

There are, obviously, many other reasons why SEO content can fall short.

However, the important take-away here is that, even if you rank for relevant keywords and bring in plenty of traffic, and even if you start seeing some conversions, more likely than not, you won't achieve the ROI you need to scale up operations.

Not unless your SEO content converts highly qualified searchers into leads.

In this article, I cover the 5 aforementioned problems along with how to solve them.

Problem #1: Content isn't ranking for target keywords

It's frustrating because you've invested a lot of time and resources, and it's difficult because you don't know where the problem really stems from. This, unfortunately, is part of the SEO content game because Google doesn't make its algorithm public.

What I can tell you is even if your website architecture, on-page SEO, technical SEO, and backlinks are in order, your content won't rank if there's misalignment between what you're publishing and what you're target audience is searching for.

Most content creators focus on writing what they think is important or what they think Google wants, rather than what searchers—your clients—need.

Here's a graphic showing the typical progression for how needs translate into searches.

I wasn't able to break into the top positions on Google Search Engine Results Pages (SERP) until I realized that writing for the user and writing for Google is largely the same thing. Because the algorithm factors in user behavior to inform ranking, successfully gaming the system will have a very limited shelf-life.

Solution: Write for humans

Better rankings starts with understanding exactly what users want when they type queries into Google. This means going beyond keyword research to uncover the real problems your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) is trying to solve.

For instance, when writing about B2B appointment setting pricing I recognized that searchers weren't just looking for basic definitions and examples of pricing models—they wanted to understand the difference between pricing models as it relates to their business requirements.

Only by first getting an idea of what those business requirements were could I produce an article that satisfied search intent.

Why your content hasn't ranked or for the right keywords is a complex topic. There could be multiple issues at play. Just remember that satisfying Google's algorithm doesn't guarantee you'll win the SERP, it's simply the price for admission.

Problem #2: Content isn't converting traffic into leads

The answer to this one is simpler: Content that drives traffic is different than content that converts readers.

If you want a lot of traffic that results in very little content marketing ROI, stick to "What is" and "How to" type articles.

Conventional ideas for what makes thought leadership posts are also guilty here, such as posting about trends or a new approach to a common issue in your industry. These types of content can work well to establish brand awareness and authority in your space.

But that's the point—they're designed to build trust and drive traffic, not convert.

Here's some performance data for 2 different articles I published for a client and the number of clicks and CRM-qualified opportunities they achieved over a 9-month period.

The first article, with 132 URL clicks and 8 opportunities is a comparison post between my client and one of their competitors. This content strategy was targeted at searchers who are in the latter stages of the buyer journey (a.k.a. bottom-of-funnel), and are shopping different service providers.

The second one that's received far more URL clicks and produced less opportunities is more of a guide. It has some buying intent but is designed for searchers in the research phase. Most marketers would call this middle-of-funnel content.

You can see how if this trend were to continue, as we move up the funnel, the disparity between clicks (traffic) and opportunities (conversions) would increase.

The assumption that, "We should stay focused on increasing traffic and some of it will convert" is most responsible for robbing companies of their expected financial return on SEO content. Not only that, but when you cast a wide net using short-tail keywords and beginner-level educational content, you're not attracting the decision-makers who can actually sign off on a six-figure contract.

Solution: Target keywords with buying intent

Think about it—a VP of Sales isn't looking for basic marketing tips. They're trying to figure out how to hit next quarter's pipeline and revenue targets. If you want your content to compel them to do something like fill out a contact form, it needs to spell out how your product or service helps them achieve their goal.

Bottom-of-funnel keywords are those with buying intent behind them. There are 3 types that I target, in order of highest buying intent to lowest (but still high):

1. Category keywords: Best X for Y

2. Competitor keywords: X vs Y, Alternatives to X

3. Jobs-to-be-done (JBTD) keywords: How to [do something job-related]

Here are some of the articles I wrote for a client and where they fall in terms of keyword type. I've put the actual keywords in bold.

The beauty of going for these bottom-of-funnel keywords is that you can and should choose those with low search volume because they tend to be less competitive and easier to rank for.

Here's what Devesh Khanal from the content marketing agency, Grow and Convert, has to say about it.

If conversion is ultimately the goal of all traffic, and high-converting terms are easier to rank for, then it makes sense to consider starting at the bottom of the funnel and building up.

Problem #3: Content is attracting the wrong leads

The key to selling any service through blog content is to state your differentiators and explain how they solve your audience's pain points. So, you need to know what your target audience's pain points are. These not only give you a way to sell yourself to them, but also allow you to qualify leads.

But let's say you've already been doing that. Let's say your situation looks more like this:

• You've got plenty of clients, most are good, a few are a big headache, and one or two are absolute unicorns.

• Your company has grown to its natural limits. By the time you gain new clients, some have churned or gone quiet, keeping your annual revenue stable but difficult to improve upon.

• You've been improving retention rates, doing what you can to reduce churn, but the benefits are marginal or have diminishing returns.

• You've invested in SEO content and other forms of lead generation to try and inject new revenue, but it's not bringing in the kind of leads you really need.

• No matter what you do, you can't seem to justify hiring more people, putting resources into new areas of your business, and scaling to the next level.

How do you get off this hamster wheel? What do you need to change to take your company to the next level?

Solution: Refine your ICP and positioning

The answer starts with taking a in-depth look at those unicorns. Send surveys to them and only them. Get on calls with them. Put them under the proverbial microscope. They are the cure for your condition.

To share a real-life example, one of my clients defined their ICP as "coaches, consultants, and course creators." They provided a range of services including revenue operations, webinar marketing, ad campaigns, and on-demand tech and tool support.

When they looked at their current client-base, it was obvious which clients they wanted more of. 2 clients in particular stood out so, we essentially made this their new ICP, and focused on their specific pain points.

Now, they target "coaches, consultants, and course creators who are already doing about 10k in monthly revenue and have a substantial social media following of over 5,000. They are not just interested in increasing leads and revenue. Their specific pain points are that they're short on time, lack technical expertise, and don't know how to free up the necessary resources to reach a wider audience.

With a more refined ICP to cater to, my client could reposition his service offering, rework the messaging on his website, and target relevant keywords with in-depth blog posts.

The more specific your service is to your ICP's pain points and business goals the higher you stand to increase conversion rates. Therefore, create long-form content that's at least 1,200 words, but more likely 2,000+. Higher word counts give you space to go into depth about your differentiators and how your process works.

More specific content not only converts prospects into leads at a higher rate, but it brings in the type of clients and higher revenue you need to start growing your business in the right direction.

Problem #4: Generic content

Most companies and agencies like to hand a content brief or a keyword to the writer, and tell him or her to come up with a compelling article.

What if the writer isn't an expert on the subject?

What if a cybersecurity firm tells someone who's only experience is in content marketing to write an article about trends in managed detection and response?

The writer's going to turn to Google, to ChatGPT, and other sources that are publicly available.

The other common issue is that content isn't relevant enough to the target audience. An article about managed detection and response that's written to educate the president of a wholesale provider should be very different than one targeting the chief information officer at a software development company.

Either way, the problem is that your content lacks depth because it lacks what is necessary to go deep.

Solution: Conduct subject-matter expert interviews

After you've figured out your ICP's knowledge level, pain points, business requirements, and potential trigger events that make them search the keyword you're trying to rank for, then book a call with an actual expert.

A Subject-Matter Expert (SME) on a given topic can go into depth in exactly the way you need to make the article stand out.

For example, one of my clients is a B2B lead generation company. They wanted to rank for the keyword "omnichannel lead generation." I booked an interview with their CMO but, instead of asking her "what are your top tips for omnichannel lead generation?" I first thought about their ICP—CEOs, VPs of sales, and marketing directors at mid-level and enterprise companies.

One of my questions was, "of all the different industries you service, which stand to gain the most from adopting an omnichannel approach?" Her answer was industries that are still using traditional forms of marketing. Industries like healthcare, manufacturing, logistics, and construction.

I followed up with, "what are the biggest challenges that sales and marketing leaders in these traditional sectors experience when it comes to adopting an omnichannel approach?"

She explained that in almost all of these companies, sales and marketing teams are segregated and how omnichannel lead generation requires that these departments be integrated.

By asking targeted questions and follow-ups, I was able to produce an article on omnichannel lead generation (currently on page 1 of Google) with depth and relevance to the target audience.

Problem #5: Content isn't engaging the target audience

If you feel like you're shouting into the void, that's a result of producing content that's not moving the needle in terms of traffic or conversions.

Whether it's thought leadership pieces, educational content, or high-converting articles, understand that content marketing is tough because there's so much content on the internet for people to consume.

Looking to your competitors isn't much of a solution because, if they've already published content on a topic, and are getting traffic from rankings, then that content topic has already been covered.

And that's the key idea: Your content isn't engaging readers because it doesn't add anything new to the conversation.

Solution: Publish content with unique perspectives and compelling arguments

Not only does your content have to "add something to the conversation," it has to be done in a way that's highly relevant to the target audience's pain points and goals.

In other words, it has to not just be unique, not just helpful, but uniquely helpful in satisfying the intent behind the search.

The solution is achieved through SME interviews. Ask open-ended questions, and listen for when the SME feels passionate, energized, or emotional. Typically, that means he or she holds a strong opinion on this issue.

A good follow-up question to ask at that moment is "could you talk more about [area you suspect they feel strongly about]?" or "what do most people get wrong about [topic or subtopic]?"

The idea is to not only get answers to your questions on the topic you're writing about, but to mine the SME for his unique industry perspective.

Once you have a unique perspective, you can then develop a compelling argument, which I define as an argument that achieves 3 things:

1. Polarizes the audience

2. Demonstrates a thorough understanding of the problem

3. Permeates the entire piece

I go into how to build a compelling argument more thoroughly in this Belkins case study on how to write content that consistently ranks and converts.

For now, understand that building a 'compelling argument' is just one method for both adding something to the conversation on a given topic, and compelling the reader to take action