The importance of Referral for a Company Website in B2B

In the digital world we call “Referral” other online sources that place somewhere in their web-pages a link to our website. The reasons of this linking are various, from citing one of the article/Blog Post to show a particular application/product, every companies should work to have as many referral as possible, possibly strategically placed in websites that talk to your target groups.

If you ask Google what a referall is, this is the answer “What is Referral Traffic in Google Analytics? Google Analytics recognizes referral traffic as visitors that land on your site after clicking on a link from another source (other than search engines)”.

When integrated into the third website, that links is so-called “backlinks”. Integrating carefully backlinks within your website serves as a strategic move to expand your audience and enhance your online visibility.

What is a Backlink

These backlinks act as digital pathways, guiding visitors from one relevant piece of content to another, creating a “funnel” direct to the other site. By thoughtfully embedding these links in high-traffic areas or within engaging, informative content, we can not only improve the user experience but also increase the chances of attracting a wider audience.

Backlinks can be strategically placed within blog posts, product pages, or even on landing pages, directing users to explore more of what a website has to offer. This not only keeps visitors engaged but also contributes to search engine optimization, as search algorithms often favor well-integrated, relevant backlinks.

Ultimately, the careful placement of backlinks becomes a dynamic tool for audience expansion, driving traffic and facilitating a more comprehensive exploration of your website’s offerings.

Referral = Authority

One great example of a strategic referral would be to be placed on a blog post in a popular answering questions about a “complex” topic, that requires the expertiese of professional and regards highly the credentials of the know experts.
I can share one example from my experience: with people more and more aware about what they are eating, it is common to find online more and more content about pharmaceutical or Supplements and what they are made of.

Imagine a gelatin producer being mentioned in a popular blog post about supplement capsules. This post explains the differences between soft and hard capsules and how they affect the body. Such a mention would bring more people to the producer’s website. It also establishes them as experts in capsule manufacturing, making people trust them more. This boosts their reputation and makes them stand out in the industry. Not to mention if would position this producer as “the source of information” meaning the experts and the only to be trusted company in the field of capsules manufacturing, for example.

This simple operation not only enhance the traffic to the selected pages and ultimately to the company website but also confirms the image of the company in being the trusted and serious partners for its customers. Furthermore, adding a strategic call-to-action to continue the journey, there is higher chances to generate new leads though it.

Creating a good referral network is the Fundament to be recognized as “Authority” in the selected field of expertise. The more a website is linked the more influence you can bring to the topics of your interest. Once a company is mentioned and brought as “example” in other platforms, it is a natural follow-up to enlarge the journey of those target-groups users within the same platforms.

How do I increase Referrals?

According to LinkedIn Marketing, B2B buyers will consume 10 pieces of content before their make their purchase decision. And in my opinion this is valid for short decision making products. We can image if you have to invest in a new machine for your plant or if you needs to invest in a 50K€ Social Listening Tool you will get more than 10 pieces! Probably one of the convincing argument would be to search what other people think about this machine / tool / product from other peers in the industry and / or other industry with a similar / related job function. And how you will find them? If they’re not already in your Knowledge circle, you will find them looking online and try to find out if they’re customers of that company. That is when the referral throughout other websites come to play. I listed here below 4 strategies to enhance Referral traffic to a company website:

Through Customers: a key goal for a B2B company is obtain and publish as many case studies, customer experiences and testimonials as possible, obviously prior customer approval. Ultimately this is the most important of the 4 strategies. Have customers talk about our company and how satisfied they are to work with us is the most powerful marketing goal there is.

I understand that in certain industries, obtaining endorsements and testimonials can be more challenging. Some products are highly visible and garnering official statements or quotes to include on a website is relatively straightforward. However, for products that are less visible, being vocal about their success can be more of a struggle.

In such cases, I’d suggest starting small. Even a simple quote that can be included on the website can make a big difference. Additionally, participating together in award competitions might be a viable option for some industries. By showcasing any recognition or accolades received, we can begin to build credibility and generate interest in our less visible products. It’s all about taking those initial steps to establish trust and demonstrate the value we bring to the table.

And don’t forget! It’s not just about putting them on our website. We should also encourage happy customers to talk about us on social media and include links to their stories. This way, we can reach more people and build trust in our brand. It’s all about showing potential customers that others have had great experiences with us, too.

From PR: often PR efforts result in an online publication mentioning your brand and linking back to your site. Traffic from these links will show up in the Referral Reports, allowing companies to measure the impact of PR efforts in driving value to online presence. While PR may involve offline efforts, Google Analytics can help to connect the dots to online activity. T

I acknowledge that in certain industries, there’s a close connection between public relations (PR) and advertising. Customers are often aware that the legitimacy of an article or publication can be influenced by the company’s investment with that platform. Consequently, they may approach such content with a certain level of skepticism.

However, it’s crucial to recognize that despite this skepticism, these publications still manage to reach our target audience. The fact that they found the content intriguing enough to click on the link indicates a high level of interest. Therefore, while we should be transparent about our PR and advertising efforts, we can leverage these platforms to reach and engage with our highly interested audience effectively. It’s about striking a balance between transparency and utilizing the available channels to connect with potential customers.

From Events: Another perfect example if the use of referral during business events, especially after Covid where even are nowadays online as well as physical, the “posting” of backlinks throughout the media platforms has been definitely a boost in the traffic increase.

From Business Partners: This is tricky. Often this is the easiest referral you can obtain. Partners companies that deliver/manufacture/produce anything that partcipate to the realization of the final products along with yours are more than happy to participate in the final success of the collaboration. One example is if you copy machines to companies you might get the referral from the paper company that will surely help you to sell more. The problem is, it might be that within companies you might not reach your target group. (for example in this case, the IT department might take care of the printing machines in a company while the purchusing might buy papers). Another problem, similar to the PR case, since it is a “beneficial” referral, the customers might perceived not “real” .

I finish with the Referral Report of one of the website that I am in charge of. Besides a careful use of PR and Events linking, which surely helped a lot, we used some very strategic pages to be “cited” as the source of truth for some very specific topics and it was very succesfull.