Growth for B2B service firms: be on the shortlist before the first call

How business buyers choose a provider

The search starts with a problem in the buyer's words: "reduce cloud costs", "outsource payroll for 50 employees", "ISO 27001 audit preparation". Very few people search for a category of firm. The ones who find a clear, specific explanation of their problem, written by someone who obviously does this work, start to trust that firm.

Then comes the shortlist. More and more buyers ask an AI assistant "who can help with …" or "what should I check before hiring …". Google says there are no special requirements to appear in its AI features beyond normal SEO best practices, and no special file or markup is needed for them. Other assistants read the web in their own ways. In every case, they can only repeat what a page states clearly.

What we do for a B2B firm

• Problem pages, one per real question: what causes the problem, how to assess it, what the options are (including doing it in-house), what a project with you looks like. Each based on one real search from your Search Console or from search volume data, with sources for every figure. See SEO.
• AI search readiness: a llms.txt fact sheet (a proposed standard), AI crawlers allowed in robots.txt where you agree, an answer in the first sentence of each page, structured data that matches what is visible, and IndexNow so changes are announced the same day. See AI search and our llms.txt guide.
• Search ads on project searches only: exact keywords for the problem and the service, negatives for jobs, courses, templates and "free", a daily cap and a stop rule written in advance. Meta ads are rarely the first choice for B2B, so we only use them to retarget visitors when there is a reason to. See Google Ads.
• A contact page wired to your CRM: a short form, a clear next step (a call, a short audit), and the source of each lead recorded so you know which pages bring projects. See landing pages.

Rules and pitfalls in B2B

Email prospecting is not consumer marketing, but it has rules. In France, the CNIL explains that emailing professionals can rest on legitimate interest without prior consent, provided the message relates to the person's job (its example: presenting software to a company's IT director), the person was told their address could be used, and every message shows who is writing and offers a simple way to refuse future messages. We do not send cold emails as part of this service; if you do, keep these rules in mind.

Long cycles make bad stop rules. A B2B campaign judged on day 14 by signed contracts will always look like a failure. We define the measure before launch (qualified enquiries, booked calls) and read it on the date agreed.

Thin "thought leadership" does not help anyone. Ten vague articles are worth less than one page that answers a precise question with real detail from your work. We publish less, and better.

What we need from you

• One hour with the person who sells your service, to list the questions prospects ask before they buy.
• Anonymised examples of real projects you are allowed to describe (no client names unless they agree).
• Access to your website, Search Console and CRM, and an ad account in your name.
• Someone to review each page for accuracy before it goes live.