B2B marketing
B2B SEO
and AI search.
Business buyers now research with AI as well as Google: Forrester found 94% use AI somewhere in their buying process. Google says its AI features rely on its core ranking systems, with no special files or tricks needed. So B2B SEO is still about pages that answer real buying questions well: the problem, the options, the comparison and the price.
Written by Dan Picken, a marketer who checks the sources. Last checked 2 November 2026.How buyers
use AI.
In a 2025 G2 survey of 1,169 B2B decision-makers, 29% said they start research in AI chat tools more often than in Google, and nearly 8 in 10 said AI search had changed how they research. Forrester's 94% figure covers any use of AI during buying.
Google's guidance is clear that its AI features use the same ranking systems as Search, and that making pages mainly to manipulate AI answers breaks its spam policies. Write for the buyer, and the AI follows.
Answer the questions buyers ask after the first one, too: how long it takes, what can go wrong, what it costs to switch later. Pages that cover those follow-ups are the ones an AI summary, or a busy finance manager, can use on their own.
The pages
buyers look for.
Each page should answer the follow-up questions too, so it can stand alone when an AI tool or a buying group member lands on it.
- Problem pages: the business problem in the buyer's words, and the ways to solve it.
- 'How to choose' guides: questions to ask any supplier, including you.
- Comparison and alternatives pages: fair, dated, and clear about who each option suits.
- Pricing: a price, a range, or at least what drives the cost.
- Integration and security pages for IT, and a procurement page with your ABN, insurance and terms.
Comparison page planner
Plan the pages buyers
compare you on.
Buyers compare vendors before they call. Put in your category and the names they compare you with, and it outlines the pages that answer those searches honestly.
Pages to build
Write only what you can stand behind, keep competitor facts dated and sourced, and say who each option suits. A fair comparison gets read; a one-sided one gets ignored.
Show
the price.
In TrustRadius research with B2B technology buyers, pricing transparency was the top change buyers wanted from vendors, named by 45%. If you can't publish a price, publish what drives it and a typical range. A buyer who has to call to find out whether you're in budget often doesn't call.
Be mentioned
elsewhere.
AI tools and buyers both look beyond your website. Business buyers say AI search has changed how they research, and many now start in AI chat tools. Those tools draw on what other credible sites say about you: industry publications, review sites, partner directories and associations.
Earn a few of those mentions on purpose. Contribute to an industry newsletter, get listed by the partners you integrate with, ask customers for reviews on the sites your buyers use. Each one is a signal to buyers and to search systems that you're real and relevant.
What I see most often
What I see
most often.
- 1
Feature lists instead of problems
Pages about what the product does, none about the problem the buyer searches for.
- 2
No comparison pages
Competitors write the comparison instead, and frame it their way.
- 3
'Contact us for pricing'
No price, no range, no sense of what drives it.
- 4
Thin blog posts
Short posts on broad topics that compete with large publishers and never rank.
The honest bit. B2B SEO is slow, and the volumes are small. A page that ranks for a search 50 people a month make can still be worth a lot, if those 50 are buyers.
Questions
people ask.
How do I get my company recommended by ChatGPT?
Publish clear, specific pages that answer buyers' questions, and earn mentions on other credible sites. Google says its AI features use the same ranking systems as Search.
Should B2B companies put pricing on their website?
Usually, at least a range. Pricing transparency is the change B2B tech buyers most want from vendors.
Are comparison pages good for SEO?
Yes, if they are fair and useful. Buyers search for them, and a one-sided page tends to get ignored.
Do I need an llms.txt file?
Not for Google. Its guidance says AI features don't need special files.
Related
Keep
going.
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search audit.
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What happens next
- 1I'll ask for read-only access, or just your website for a search audit.
- 2I go through it and write up the 3 biggest fixes.
- 3A 20-minute call to walk you through it. No pitch unless you ask.