Survey

Opportunities for software vendors

Google is still the go-to source of information

Despite a vocal minority proclaiming the death of search at the hands of AI and bland corporate content, Google is still an essential tool to help buyers find software. SEO will continue to get more difficult (more on that below), but there is still ample opportunity for software businesses to connect with buyers via search.

Quality over quantity

SEO and content is not just about showing up and ticking a box. You need to capture attention and earn trust. With buyers saying that they don’t view companies as trustworthy sources of information, and feel that corporate content looks the same, standing out to your buyers needs to be a bigger priority (vs simply getting in front of them). Mass-producing vanilla content isn’t going to cut it anymore — especially when it’s easy to replicate with AI.

Mass-producing vanilla content isn’t going to cut it anymore

Use different formats to provide the best experience

Buyers have spoken: they want to be able to consume information in a variety of formats. Some prefer long-form, others short-form, and many audio or video.

Software vendors should invest in video content as a priority, particularly short explainer videos that show how their product works. There’s also been huge investment in podcasts in recent times, but the survey found that while they are not a significant part of the buying process, they still have a role to play in building brands.

3rd parties are
more important than ever

Buyers still refer to vendor-published content, but they don’t trust it. They rely more on 3rd party reviews, influencers, and referrals. As a result, influencing those entities (commonly referred to as “offsite SEO”) is no longer a nice to have, it’s essential.

Sales still matters

Despite all the focus on product-led growth, the importance of sales reps should not be underestimated. Although half of respondents avoid sales reps when searching for or considering software, they are the most common source of help and information when making final recommendations on purchases.

About the survey

The research was conducted on behalf of OGM and John Collins by Incite Fusion, a global market research firm, in the summer of 2023. A total of 558 responses were received from people involved in purchasing software on behalf of their employer.
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The research sought information on how B2B buyers consume and perceive SEO and Content, what they prefer, and how it informs their purchases. There was a mix of open-ended, multiple choice, and “agree/disagree” questions used in the survey.

The research was commissioned by independent SEO firm, Organic Growth Marketing (OGM), and content marketing consultant, John Collins.
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Throughout the findings below, you’ll see (colorful) commentary directly from:

Buyers value different sources of content throughout the funnel

Respondents were asked what sources they rely on for information and decision making at different stages of the purchasing process.

At the initial stage of information gathering and learning, content found through search engines (49%) and blog posts and other articles published by software vendors (44%), were the top two responses.

Short product videos of less than 1 minute, referrals from the buyers personal network and online forums were the next most used sources of information.

Information gathering
& learning stage:
top sources of information

Buyers were asked: When it comes to B2B product/software solutions, what sources do you typically rely on for learning, trialing and decision-making for these solutions? This graph highlights the information gathering & learning stage

Google Search is the #1 source of information when buyers begin their journey

During the trial or assessment phase of buying, a freemium or easy free trial sign-up, was considered the most important way to gather information (37%), followed by longer, more-detailed product videos (29%) and company sales reps (28%).

However, short videos were still used by a significant number of buyers at this stage (27%), with an equal number consulting forms and other independent communities. It’s clear that there is a much more diverse set of information sources referenced as buyers move down the funnel, which means software companies need to consider creating content for, or influencing, each of these channels.

Trialing B2B software solutions:  
top sources of information

Buyers were asked: When it comes to B2B product/software solutions, what sources do you typically rely on for learning, trialing and decision-making for these solutions? This graph highlights the Trialing stage.

Despite the prevalence of self service sales models, company sales reps were the most cited source of information when it came to making a final recommendation on what to buy, with 31% using them for demos and presentations.

The next most referenced sources were all third parties such as industry experts, review sites and communities, but interestingly blogs and other content from vendors were still used by 23% of respondents.

Making a final decision:  
top sources of information

“It shouldn’t surprise anyone that different types of content works better at different stages of the funnel. What was most surprising is the sheer breadth of content types that buyers refer to during their journey. That’s why effective content strategies are not just about your blog and podcast but supporting each step of the buyer journey.”

Irrespective of funnel stage, when it came to seeking information or answers about B2B software, a combined 80% of people said they were either satisfied or very satisfied with the quality of search results (40% each, respectively).

User satisfaction with
B2B-related Google search results

Buyers were asked: When seeking information or answers to B2B-related software solutions, overall, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the quality of content you get from search results like Google?

80% of B2B buyers are satisfied with B2B Google search results

“I was surprised by this. Going into the survey, we’d been hearing a lot of negative sentiment from people about Google search results (especially on LinkedIn and HackerNews). ‘Google sucks, it’s all SEO trash’. I was bracing for a very negative narrative here. 80% of people being satisfied with search results show that at the end of the day, people still rely on Google to do their jobs.”

Buyers don’t trust content from software companies

Most trusted source for B2B content

In general, what sources provide the most trustworthy content about B2B topics related to software solutions?

B2B companies are the least trusted source of information for buyers

Companies that produce B2B software were the least trusted source of information for buyers, with just 12% choosing this as their most trusted source. One jarring takeaway: overall, more people trust ChatGPT than B2B companies. Though of course, there’s nuance there: many people also listed ChatGPT and AI as one of their least trusted sources.

Software companies can no longer rely on the old school playbook of publishing surface-layer blog posts which talk narrowly about their own solutions in a biased and unconvincing way. 60% of respondents agree or strongly agree that they “trust B2B software content more from independent reviewers than from company websites / publishers.”

STATEMENT:

“I trust content from 3rd parties  more than from companies”

Buyers were asked how much they agree or disagree with the following statement regarding B2B software solutions: I trust B2B software content more from independent reviewers than from company websites / publishers

60% of users trust B2B content more from independent reviewers than from company websites

“One tangible example of how companies can overcome the trust barrier: stop publishing short listicles for comparison topics like “Best CRM Solutions”, where you rank yourself #1 ahead of your competitors and don’t provide a useful assessment of the space. You have a valuable opportunity to position yourselves relative to competitors in a credible way; but many companies miss the opportunity and skimp on the content to just focus on where they rank in search results.”

Source of Information: Top vs Bottom

AI is not surprisingly emerging as an important tool for research. 36% of respondents agreed with the statement that “ChatGPT has mostly replaced google search for me regarding answers to B2B software solutions”. AI tools like ChatGPT are most commonly used early in the process with 36% using them during the learning and research stage, 22% using them when they are trialing products and just 17% using during the final recommendation stage.

“Interesting contrast: 80% of people are satisfied with Google, and 36% state that ‘ChatGPT has mostly replaced Google’. We believe these points will intersect as Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) is built into search results, resulting in drops in click through rates from search. That’s why we are minimizing our reliance on content types that will likely be ‘eaten’ by AI search results.”

Sophisticated buyers expect more sophisticated content

While respondents were overwhelmingly happy with the results they get from Google, subsequent questions revealed there are still issues with the content they consume. A significant 30% agreed they are often disappointed in the quality of B2B content they get from Google search results. There were also concerns about the “saminess” of content found through search, with 55% agreeing that B2B content tends to look and feel the same.

STATEMENT:

“B2B content tends  to look + feel the same”

STATEMENT:

“I tend to zone out  of company content”

Buyers were asked how much they agree or disagree with the following statement: I trust B2B software content more from independent reviewers than from company websites / publishers

Perhaps of most concern for companies investing in SEO and content marketing is that 39% agreed that they “tend to zone out or glaze over most company website content and/or content that companies publish”.

“I’ve been telling clients for a while that we’ve reached peak content and they should focus their efforts on high quality, differentiated content, rather than trying to scale production of content that ticks a box. The research confirms that buyers are able to see through this kind of “samey” content and have an appetite for information that actually adds value to the buying process”

“This data validates an operating assumption we’ve had for the past 1-2 years: people are getting banner blindness to content, and you need to truly earn a user’s attention by helping them solve a problem, or showing them a unique approach to a topic. Otherwise, you’ll be lost in a sea of content.”

Buyers' concerns extend not just to the content they see from SaaS companies, but the actual search results themselves. Although the overall sentiment was still overwhelmingly positive, an open text question revealed that a significant number of buyers have issues with relying on search.

Issues raised by respondents included the influence of advertisers and position of advertising in relation to organic results (5%), search results not providing enough depth of information (7%) and the overall quality of search results (5%).

“The data point about ‘80% satisfaction with B2B SaaS search results’ indicates that the cohort of people who insist Google Search is dying are a loud, vocal minority. But it behooves marketers to listen to these voices, because the sentiment is justified and can grow over time. Overall, the survey tells us that software companies need to provide better experiences.”

Open-ended feedback on B2B Google search results [categorized]

The research found further evidence SEO doesn’t exist in a vacuum and will be most effective when part of a broader organic marketing strategy. Forums and community (29%), 3rd party reviews (26%), and Influencers (15%) accounted for 70% of the top choices when survey takers were asked to rank their most trusted sources of information on B2B software topics. Brand advocates, brand perception, and how people perceive your product all contribute to your overall search imprint.

Vendors need to rip up the old school playbooks

Despite the issues surfaced, the good news for vendors is that buyers still expect to reference their content (blog, landing pages, articles, price plan comparisons, etc.) particularly during the early stages of their purchase. 44% of respondents say they rely on it when looking for information and learning about solutions.

The research found that the bar for content quality has got considerably higher and suggests that vendors need to do something to stand out from the ordinary. 55% of buyers agreed that the content they find through search engines “tends to look and feel the same”.

STATEMENT:

“B2B content tends  to look + feel the same”

Buyers were asked how much they agree or disagree with the following statement: When I google search for answers to B2B-related software solutions, the content results tend to look and feel the same

55% of users agree that B2B content tends to look and feel the same

51% of respondents either agreed or strongly agree with that statement that “Long-form written B2B content (ie case studies, white papers) is often too long and difficult to navigate”.

STATEMENT:

“Long-form written
B2B content is too long”

Buyers were asked how much they agree or disagree with the following statement: “Long-form written B2B content (ie case studies, white papers) is often too long and difficult to navigate”

51% of users agree that long-form written B2B content is often too long and difficult to navigate

STATEMENT:

“For B2B software solutions,  I have the patience to deep into the details  to get a thorough understanding”

Buyers were asked how much they agree or disagree with the following statement: “For B2B software solutions, I have the patience to dive deep into the details to get a thorough understanding”

69% of users have the patience to dive deep into the details

It would be wrong to conclude that long-form content has no place. For a start, respondents also agreed overwhelmingly - to the tune of 69% - that “for B2B software solutions, I have the patience to dive deep into the details to get a thorough understanding.”

But taken in conjunction with other answers, it’s clear that buyers want to consume information in multiple formats. Long form content still has a role to play, but it would risk ignoring a whole swath of buyers if it was the cornerstone of a strategy.

The importance of video as part of a successful content strategy can’t be overstated. 66% of respondents agreed that when learning about new B2B software products, they “find short video clips to be more engaging than text articles”.

STATEMENT:

“I find short video clips to be 
more engaging than text articles”

Buyers were asked how much they agree or disagree with the following statement: When learning about new B2B software products, I find short video clips to be more engaging than text articles

66% of users find short video clips to be more engaging than text articles

The survey showed that not all video is created equally, and vendors will need to consider different lengths and styles of video to do different jobs. In the early stage of information gathering and learning, short video (i.e. < 1 minute) is seen as more useful with 43% saying they rely on it. However when it comes to trialing software, long video (i.e. > 1 minute) was the second most useful source of information, with 29% saying they rely on it.

How users rely on Short vs. Long Video throughout their purchasing journey

There’s also a demand for detailed “down funnel” content from buyers that allows them to objectively judge how software will work with their existing stack and compares to the other products they are considering. Although there will always be a temptation to produce content that overly favors their own solution, the research shows the opportunity is around being objective.

71% of respondents agreed that they wanted “more quality content on how software solutions integrate with my existing applications”, while 77% agreed that “having detailed comparisons of B2B software solutions across brands is very important in my decision-making”.

STATEMENT:

“I wish there was more quality  content on how software solutions integrate  with my existing applications”

Buyers were asked how much they agree or disagree with the following statement: “I wish there was more quality content on how software solutions integrate with my existing applications”

STATEMENT:

“Having detailed comparisons  of solutions across brands is very important in my decision-making”

Buyers were asked how much they agree or disagree with the following statement: “Having detailed comparisons of B2B software solutions across brands is very important in my decision-making”

Although there has been a massive investment by brands in podcasts in recent years, the survey found they are not a significant part of the purchase process. During the research phase 34% said they were one of the sources of information they referred to, but this falls to 17% during the trial and final recommendation stage. With podcast listenership continuing to grow, this suggests that podcasts should be used as part of a strategy to build a brand, rather than directly influencing purchases.

How users rely on Podcasts
throughout their purchasing journey

Content and SEO are just part of a broader purchasing process

SEO and content are just part of the larger go to market funnel so the survey also looked at other factors that contribute to choosing specific software. It seems sales reps are considered a necessary evil by buyers: when it comes to making final decisions around software, they are the most relied upon channel, with 31% of respondents saying they use them to get product demos, presentations etc. However, 48% of respondents agreed that they tend to avoid company sales reps earlier in the process i.e when searching for or considering software product solutions.

STATEMENT:

“I tend to avoid company sales reps when I’m searching for or considering software product solutions”

Buyers were asked how much they agree or disagree with the following statement: “If I can, I tend to avoid company sales reps when I’m searching for or considering software product solutions”

Open-ended responses:  
Deciding factor in software purchase

Buyers were asked the following open-ended question: “What specifically was the deciding factor that resulted in the software purchase? What content, if any, was considered in that software purchase? Please be specific as to what role it played in the purchase process.” The groupings above are based on manually reviewing and categorizing the open-ended responses.

Respondents were also asked an open ended question about the deciding factor in the most recent software purchase they were involved in. Answers relating to technology and product features were the most common (94/492), followed by price and value for money (53/492), and research on social media (39/492). Reviews, quality of support, advertising, demos, information found through search and reviews were cited by a small but significant number of respondents.

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