As companies move upmarket from small to mid-market, traditional SEO strategies, which focus primarily on bottom-of-funnel, product-led content, often fail to deliver the desired impact. While these strategies work well when the end-user and the economic buyer are the same, upmarket targets usually comprise larger teams and specialised roles, with decision-makers, like CFOs or VP-level executives, disconnected from the hands-on users. This shift requires a unique approach to SEO that integrates a differentiated keyword strategy, advanced content, and effective distribution channels.
Changing SEO for Larger Businesses
In mid-market and enterprise contexts, decision-makers are less interested in “how-to” content or technical deep dives aimed at end-users. Instead, they look for high-level insights, such as strategic overviews and data-backed reports that align with their broader business goals, like revenue growth, retention, and operational efficiency. As a result, tech marketers must pivot their content to resonate with this audience—moving beyond product specs to provide value through thought leadership, advanced insights, and actionable strategies. As let’s face it, when’s the last time a CFO read a ‘beginner’s guide’?
To illustrate this shift, imagine a company that targets CFOs, revenue operations leaders, and VPs, creating content around pricing, revenue, and churn rather than specific product functionalities. This approach directly engages decision-makers who influence high-level purchasing decisions. Similarly, your content should focus on attracting decision-makers like VPs of Product, Operations, Customer Success, and Marketing—personas interested in business outcomes rather than technical minutiae. After all, they’re looking for ‘big picture’ transformations, not ‘how-to’ hacks.
Keyword Strategy for the Mid-Market & Enterprise
1. Refine Keywords to Target Decision-Makers
Traditional SEO often prioritises high-volume keywords that attract traffic but don’t necessarily engage the right audience. To effectively reach mid-market and enterprise buyers, keyword mapping is essential. Start by analysing your highest-converting keywords and build around terms that matter to your target audience’s pain points, such as "customer retention strategies" or "revenue expansion." By aligning your content with these themes, you position your brand as a trusted adviser rather than a basic product provider.
2. Leverage Paid Media Insights for SEO
Paid media data can be a goldmine for organic strategy. Analyse your high-performing paid keywords in search query reports and revenue dashboards to identify terms driving conversion and engagement. Once isolated, these “money keywords” can serve as pillars for your content strategy, driving organic traffic from terms that you know align with mid-market buyer interests.
Content Strategy: Thought Leadership Over SEO-Driven Content
With a more sophisticated audience, tech marketers need to shift away from “SEO-y” topics. Instead, focus on thought leadership content that appeals to executive-level concerns. These readers are seeking well-researched, evidence-based insights, data-driven advice, and real-world examples that challenge the status quo. Avoid introductory articles like “What is expansion revenue?”—these won’t capture the attention of a CFO or VP.
Content Types to Consider
- Reports and Case Studies: Provide in-depth reports and case studies on industry trends, business outcomes, or success metrics from your platform. Decision-makers prefer data they can reference in their own strategic discussions. As for them, “Show me the data” is more than a line from Jerry Maguire.
- Strategic How-Tos and Guides: Rather than step-by-step product guides, create high-level guides on complex strategies, such as “Driving Revenue Growth in SaaS” or “Optimising Customer Retention.”
- Expert Opinion Pieces: Show thought leadership by challenging established practices or bringing fresh insights to resonate with your advanced audience.
Leveraging Multi-Channel Distribution
Targeting enterprise buyers effectively requires diversifying beyond search traffic alone. Here are a few key distribution tactics to consider:
Integrating SEO and Paid Media for a Synergistic Strategy
Rather than treating paid and organic efforts as separate entities, integrate them. By using insights from your paid media spend, you can identify the high-impact keywords and content formats that resonate with decision-makers. For example:
- Keyword Insights: Paid search query reports can reveal valuable keywords, which you can optimise across organic content for increased visibility. Who says paid can’t fuel organic?
- Content Pillars for High-Impact Keywords: Create foundational content around keywords that show closed/won deals or have led to long-term customer retention.
- Paid Landing Page Optimisation: Optimise your best-performing paid landing pages for organic reach, building the foundation for a broader organic strategy.
Expanding Beyond SEO: 32 Essential Tactics to Drive SaaS Growth Upmarket
When moving into mid-market and enterprise territory, your growth strategy must go beyond traditional SEO and leverage a diverse set of channels and tactics that align with your audience’s journey. Here are 32 high-growth tactics that integrate organic and paid channels to reach and engage decision-makers where they’re most active.
Curious to know more about how to optimise your website to grow your business? Check out our blog: Conversion Rates and Landing Pages: A Path to Growth Marketing
Need help with your SEO strategy? Have a chat with us at hello@radialpath.com or send us a message on our website: https://www.radialpath.com/contact.
