Top 7 B2B SEO Case Studies

Sick of pouring time and budget into SEO with little more than a few new impressions and an existential crisis to show for it? You're not the only one.

B2B SEO gets a bad rap. That’s largely because SEO for B2B businesses is fundamentally different from the high-volume, trend-led approach seen in consumer marketing.

It’s often misunderstood, sidelined, or shrugged off as a slow burn with unclear returns, especially when you’re selling something niche, technical, or decidedly unsexy. And yet, when done right, it’s one of the most powerful tools in a B2B marketer’s arsenal.

The problem?

Most B2B businesses approach SEO like they’re selling trainers to TikTokers. They chase traffic instead of leads, plug random keywords into 800-word blogs, and expect magic. That’s not strategy,  it’s wishful thinking with a sitemap.

At Axon Garside, we’ve helped brands across manufacturing, engineering, tech, and beyond to flip the script. Using smart, persona-driven SEO, we've generated real-world results: more traffic, better leads, and visibility where it counts, with decision-makers ready to act.

This blog breaks down seven standout B2B SEO examples, each one showcasing a different challenge, a tailored strategy, and outcomes that go beyond vanity metrics. From doubling qualified leads to dominating regional SERPs, these stories prove that B2B SEO doesn’t just work, it works brilliantly when you know what you’re doing.

And because we’re not into gatekeeping, we’ll also show you how to apply the same principles in your own business. Whether you’re starting from scratch or refining an existing strategy, you’ll walk away with clear, actionable steps you can take today.

Ready to stop guessing and start gaining? Let’s get into it.

Need a Head Start?

Check out our B2B SEO Guide to help you get a better understanding of how to utilise SEO for your business.

1. Bridge Coffee Roasters

The challenge:

Bridge Coffee Roasters had a reputation for premium, ethically sourced coffee, but that quality wasn’t reflected in their online visibility. They needed to attract more of the right kind of leads, without diluting their high-end brand or overwhelming visitors with salesy noise.
In short: grow organic leads, stay premium, don’t shout.

The strategy:

We started by treating their SEO like their coffee. carefully selected, refined, and designed to suit specific tastes.

Here’s what we did:

• Deep persona research to understand commercial coffee buyers, from independent cafés to facilities managers in large organisations.
• Topic cluster strategy built around high-intent searches like “commercial coffee machines”, “office coffee solutions”, and “coffee machine maintenance”.
• Technical SEO upgrades, including improved site speed, optimised mobile UX, and a clear content architecture to help users (and Google) navigate with ease.

The results:

What started as a visibility problem turned into a pipeline boost:

• Organic leads doubled within 6 months
• High-intent keyword rankings surged, especially for bottom-of-the-funnel terms
• Lead quality improved, with more enquiries from premium clients across the UK and Ireland

Bridge didn’t just climb rankings. They owned their niche. SEO helped position them not just as a supplier, but as a knowledgeable partner in the world of commercial coffee.

See the full case study: Bridge Coffee Roasters + Axon Garside

2. Speedy Lloyds British

The challenge:

Lloyds British, a market leader in lifting and inspection services, had a longstanding reputation but lacked a digital presence that reflected its expertise. The company faced challenges such as limited visibility into website traffic and conversions, outdated content, and reliance on manual lead tracking methods.

The goal was to create a modern, user-friendly website that showcased Lloyds British's capabilities, improved customer experience, and enhanced lead generation

The strategy:

Axon Garside collaborated closely with Lloyds British to develop a new website using HubSpot CMS. The approach focused on:

• Website Redevelopment: Designing a human-centric website that effectively communicated Lloyd's expertise and services.
• Content Strategy: Creating and consolidating content to align with the buyer's journey, ensuring relevance and engagement.
• SEO Optimisation: Implementing SEO best practices to increase organic traffic and improve search engine rankings.

HubSpot Integration: Setting up HubSpot CRM to provide visibility into traffic, user behaviour, and lead conversions.

The results

The project led to significant improvements:

• 888% Increase in Organic Traffic: The new website attracted more visitors through improved SEO and content relevance.
• Enhanced user engagement: Users spent more time on the site, benefiting from clearer navigation and valuable content.
• Improved lead generation: The integration with HubSpot allowed for better tracking and nurturing of leads, resulting in increased conversions.

This strategic overhaul of Lloyds British's digital presence not only preserved its market authority but also positioned the company for sustained growth in the digital landscape.

For a detailed breakdown of the project and insights into how your business can achieve similar results, read the full Speedy + Lloyds British case study.

3. College Online

The challenge:

College Online offers career-focused courses for learners aiming to upskill, retrain, or pursue qualifications later in life. Their sales cycle was complex, and their audience was mid-funnel: aware of the need to improve their prospects, but not always sure where to start.

The goal was clear: increase brand visibility and capture more qualified enquiries, not just casual browsers, but career-driven individuals actively exploring training options.

The strategy:

We approached this like a career adviser with a marketing degree: understand the learner’s intent, then meet them at every stage of the decision process.

The strategy included:

• Persona-led keyword research - We dug into search data around job roles, career change terms, and course benefits to understand how potential learners were expressing their goals online.
• A content hub built around outcomes - Instead of pushing course specs, we created a content ecosystem focused on career progression, earning potential, and real-world impact, the things prospective learners care about most.
• On-page SEO and schema implementation - Key course pages were optimised for relevant queries and marked up with structured data to improve how they appeared in search results, increasing both visibility and trust.

This was less about ticking SEO boxes and more about aligning the content with real motivations: ambition, growth, and confidence.

The results:

• 60% increase in organic traffic year-on-year
• Stronger funnel alignment, with improved lead quality from organic sessions
• Uptick in enquiries from users who matched the target learner profile

In a market where generic course content dominates, College Online carved out a position by speaking directly to its audience’s aspirations — and backing that message with a smarter SEO structure.

Dig deeper and discover how College Online turned a content-first SEO strategy into a steady stream of high-intent leads. Read the full case study here.

4. Huthwaite

The challenge:

Huthwaite is a global sales and negotiation training provider, best known for its research-led methodology and premium positioning. But with strong competition in the B2B training space and a complex, often international buyer journey, they needed more than a polished brand.

They needed visibility where it counted: high-intent search terms that would generate demo requests and support long-term lead nurturing.

This B2B SEO case study shows how a global training provider turned technical SEO and high-authority content into a lead generation engine…

The strategy: 

We knew Huthwaite already had authority in the sales world — what they lacked was SEO structure to match. The challenge was turning decades of expertise into content that search engines and decision-makers could easily find, trust, and act on.

Here’s how we approached it:

• A content calendar built around sales enablement keywords - We identified topics with strong commercial intent, like “sales training for tech companies” and “negotiation skills workshops”, and prioritised them in a scalable, search-led content plan.
• Backlink acquisition through media outreach - We leveraged Huthwaite’s credibility to secure quality backlinks from relevant publications, boosting domain authority without spammy tactics.
• Technical SEO clean-up - We audited and resolved crawl barriers, duplicate content issues, and metadata gaps to ensure search engines could properly index and rank the site.

The result:

• Significant increases in domain visibility and organic traffic
• Page 1 rankings for high-value B2B keywords in sales training and negotiation
• More demo requests, including from global enterprise clients

As B2B SEO examples go, this one shows how marrying technical SEO with thought leadership content can open global doors.

Want to see how it was done? Explore how we turned Huthwaite’s industry authority into a lead-gen engine through strategic SEO. Read the full case study

5. British Engineering Services (BES)

The challenge:

British Engineering Services (BES) is a leading provider of testing, inspection, and certification services across the UK. With a strong heritage and technical credibility, they were well-established offline, but their digital presence wasn’t pulling its weight.

They needed an SEO strategy that would support regional growth, attract new customers in heavily regulated industries, and reflect their expertise without overwhelming users with jargon.

The strategy:

Our approach focused on two fronts: helping BES show up in the right places regionally, and creating content that spoke directly to compliance-conscious buyers in sectors like manufacturing, utilities, and construction.

Key actions included:

• Local SEO enhancements -We optimised location-based landing pages, ensured accurate business listings across local directories, and improved BES’s presence in Google Maps, a critical step for high-intent regional searches.
• Industry-specific content creation - Rather than broad, catch-all blogs, we produced focused content addressing sector-specific regulations, inspection schedules, and risk prevention — topics that aligned with real-world concerns and keyword demand.
• UX improvements - To keep users engaged, we streamlined site architecture, clarified service pathways, and reduced friction on key conversion points, improving both usability and trust.

This blend of local and technical SEO ensured that BES could compete regionally without compromising on authority.

The results:

• 3x increase in regional search impressions across key service areas
• Higher volume of enquiries from industrial sectors
• Improved performance in Google Maps and local directories, leading to more high-quality, location-based leads

By targeting both geography and industry, BES built a digital presence that mirrored the precision and reliability of their field services.

Learn how BES grew their regional presence and connected with new industrial clients through SEO that actually speaks their language. Read the full British Engineering Services case study.

6. Winnow

The challenge:

Winnow is a purpose-driven B2B tech company helping the hospitality industry tackle food waste with AI-powered solutions. Their story was compelling, their mission clear, but their search visibility? Not so much.

They needed an SEO strategy that would boost visibility for both branded and non-branded terms, position them as sustainability thought leaders, and convert traffic into qualified leads.
The catch? Their audience isn’t your average SEO browser. They’re C-suite decision-makers in hotels, restaurants, and facilities management, with limited time and very specific pain points.

The strategy:

Our plan was to build a focused B2B SEO strategy that bridged the gap between Winnow’s big-picture messaging and the practical language of search, all without compromising the brand’s ethical voice.

Here’s what we implemented:

• Optimised content for branded and category-level terms - We worked on strengthening Winnow’s footprint for keywords like “AI food waste solution” and “sustainable kitchen technology”, while reinforcing brand-specific search traffic.
• Industry-specific landing pages - We created targeted SEO pages addressing the pain points of specific sectors within hospitality, speaking directly to the operational challenges faced by kitchen managers, procurement leads, and sustainability directors.
• CRO audits and lead capture refinement - Organic visibility is only part of the equation, so we also focused on conversion rate optimisation, refining CTAs, form structures, and user journeys to maximise lead generation from existing traffic.

This wasn’t just about traffic — it was about qualified engagement.

The results:

• Significant uplift in both branded and non-branded traffic
• Stronger performance in sustainability-related search terms
• Improved conversion rates from organic sessions, especially on landing pages tied to sector-specific challenges

Winnow proved that even in highly specialised B2B niches, a focused SEO strategy can drive meaningful visibility and action, especially when it’s built around purpose, not just product.

See how Winnow turned sustainability into SEO success, and why clarity of message matters more than ever in B2B tech. Read the full Winnow case study.

7. Axon Garside

The challenge:

We talk a lot about SEO, but we also put those same strategies to work for ourselves. As a B2B SEO case study, this one shows how we applied the same high-intent strategies we offer our clients to our own site.

Like many of our clients, we wanted to increase organic traffic, rank for more high-intent commercial keywords, and generate more leads that align with our ideal customers.

So we did exactly what we’d recommend to any B2B brand serious about growth: built a long-term, search-led content strategy tailored to the needs of our core persona.

The strategy:

We focused on:

• Strategically optimising key service pages - Rather than chasing vague traffic, we honed in on commercial keywords that our in-market audience was already searching for, like “B2B inbound marketing agency”, “HubSpot CMS migration”, and “SEO for manufacturers”.
• Ongoing keyword tracking and iteration - We continually reviewed search performance, updated older content for freshness and relevance, and built internal links to strengthen authority across priority pages.
• Tight alignment with ICP pain points - Every piece of content, from blog to landing page, was created with real business goals in mind: better visibility, more qualified leads, and a shorter sales cycle.

The results

• 21% increase in traffic
• 167% growth in keyword rankings (positions 1–20) over 18 months
• Higher lead quality across inbound enquiries

Most importantly, SEO has become a central part of how we attract the right kind of work, and prove that everything we recommend to clients, we’re doing ourselves.

Want to understand how we apply this thinking to real campaigns and real clients? You’re reading one of them. But there’s more where that came from. Explore our Inbound Marketing Services

How to Replicate This for Your Business

Each B2B SEO case study above follows a set of repeatable tactics that drive results. Here’s how to apply them to your business.

These five strategic pillars are at the core of every B2B SEO case study you’ve just read.

They’re simple, repeatable, and tailored for B2B marketers ready to turn SEO from an overhead into a revenue driver. These pillars form the backbone of effective SEO for B2B organisations, not just to rank, but to convert.

Let’s break them down.

Prioritise Commercial Intent Keywords

Not all keywords are created equal, and not all traffic is worth your time. One of the biggest mistakes B2B brands make is chasing volume instead of intent.

For example, ranking for “what is a CRM” might bring you traffic, but it won’t move your pipeline. Ranking for “B2B CRM software for manufacturers”? Now you’re speaking the language of decision-makers.

Here’s how to assess intent:

• Use tools like Ahrefs or Semrush to spot keywords where the top results are product pages, pricing tables, or service comparisons.
• Look at SERP features; if the page is full of commercial results, it’s likely a bottom-of-funnel term.
• Map keywords to real questions from your ICP, not just generic industry terms.

Bottom line: go after terms your buyers are typing in when they’re already looking to take action.

Target Cluster Topics with Search Volume & SERP Relevance

Let’s get something straight: writing a blog a week and hoping for traffic is not a strategy, it’s SEO roulette. What works? Building content clusters around structured, search-informed topics.

Here’s what that looks like:

• Identify keyword clusters that have both search volume and consistent SERP patterns. If Page 1 is filled with similar themes or subtopics, that’s a signal.
• For example, if searches for “compliance testing services”, “lifting inspections”, and “equipment certification” all surface-related content, that’s your cluster.
• Build a pillar page targeting the broad, high-intent term, then create supporting blogs or landing pages for long-tail queries linked to it.

Why it works:

• You create content that mirrors how people search, rather than how marketers think.
• You build internal authority - when Google sees multiple pages covering a topic comprehensively, it’s more likely to trust (and rank) your content.
• You improve UX, and your readers can find what they need, fast.

This is how you move from scattered blog posts to a search-optimised ecosystem, one that ranks, converts, and scales.

Target Cluster Topics with Search Volume & SERP Relevance

Let’s get something straight: writing a blog a week and hoping for traffic is not a strategy,  it’s SEO roulette. What works? Building content clusters around structured, search-informed topics.

Here’s what that looks like:

• Identify keyword clusters that have both search volume and consistent SERP patterns. If Page 1 is filled with similar themes or subtopics, that’s a signal.
• For example, if searches for “compliance testing services”, “lifting inspections”, and “equipment certification” all surface-related content, that’s your cluster.
• Build a pillar page targeting the broad, high-intent term, then create supporting blogs or landing pages for long-tail queries linked to it.

Why it works:

• You create content that mirrors how people search, rather than how marketers think.
• You build internal authority, when Google sees multiple pages covering a topic comprehensively, it’s more likely to trust (and rank) your content.
• You improve UX, and your readers can find what they need, fast.

This is how you move from scattered blog posts to a search-optimised ecosystem, one that ranks, converts, and scales.

Design Content Around the Full User Journey

Too many B2B websites treat every visitor like they’re ready to “Book a Demo”, but if someone’s just discovered your brand, that CTA might as well be a fire alarm. What you need is content that guides, not pushes.

That means creating assets for every stage of the journey:

• Awareness: blogs, checklists, and educational content that help your ICP understand their problem and explore possible solutions.
• Consideration: comparison guides, case studies, or webinars that showcase your credibility and approach.
• Decision: conversion-optimised landing pages and product/service content that make it easy to take the next step.

Match your CTAs accordingly. Don’t pitch a 30-minute call to someone who just Googled “what is equipment calibration?”. Offer a guide. A blog. Something useful.

We break this process down in more detail in our blog on The B2B Buyer’s Journey; it’s essential reading if you want to connect content to outcomes.

Creating a content funnel aligned to the real-world decisions your buyers make doesn’t just improve engagement, it moves prospects through the pipeline with less friction and more trust.

Design Content Around the Full User Journey

Content should guide prospects gently through each stage, from awareness to decision, rather than pushing hard at the top of the funnel.

Structure it like this:

• Awareness: educational blog posts, checklists, and how-tos that help people understand their challenge.
• Consideration: case studies, comparison guides, and webinars that establish your credibility and approach.
• Decision: product or service landing pages with clear CTAs and intuitive forms.

Match your calls to action to the stage. Don’t push for a demo when someone’s only just discovering the problem; offer something helpful first.

For real-world examples, see our blog on why you need to match your content to the buyer’s journey, which maps content types to specific funnel stages

Aligning content this way doesn’t just drive engagement, it moves prospects closer to conversion naturally and efficiently.

Track What Matters

If your main SEO success metric is “traffic went up,” you’re only seeing the tip of the iceberg. B2B SEO should be judged on business outcomes, not browser sessions.

Here’s what to actually measure:

• Keyword rankings tied to ICP and intent - Are you ranking for terms your decision-makers are genuinely searching? If not, high xrankings won’t equal high value.
• Conversion rate from organic traffic - Are visitors from Google taking the next step, downloading a guide, filling out a form, starting a conversation?
• Lead quality and sales attribution - Are your best-fit leads coming through organic? And more importantly, are they converting into revenue.

Use tools like HubSpot to connect your B2B SEO strategy to pipeline performance.. When SEO is aligned with CRM and sales data, you can make smarter decisions, faster, and finally prove ROI to even the most sceptical stakeholders.

Because at the end of the day, SEO isn’t just about visibility. It’s about creating demand, capturing it, and turning it into revenue. And every B2B SEO case study in this post proves that when strategy, structure, and buyer alignment come together, SEO becomes one of the most powerful growth levers in your business toolkit.

Ready to See These Results for Yourself? Get our step-by-step framework for driving pipeline growth with smarter SEO.