SEO for Oil and Gas Companies

Search engine optimization (SEO) has long been vital to online and small businesses but many in oil and gas with their large moats or “old school way of doing business” didn’t feel like they maybe needed it or ever really completely understood much less utilizing it to generate high quality leads online (MQLs) and increasing the lead pipeline as well as shorten the sales cycle.

Times are changing. It may surprise you to learn that companies in the oil and gas industry are increasingly prioritizing SEO in their digital marketing strategies, maybe they call it “PR” or “Thought leadership” or even online visibilty or credibity, but a it’s root it is all the same. It is understanding the search or social media algorthims and leveraging it to build, “Trust, Expertise, and Authority” online. 

The reason is simple: in a world where customers turn to the internet to research products and services, a solid online presence is crucial for all industries, including oil and gas.

According to Forrester, a staggering 74% of business buyers conduct more than half of their research online before making an offline purchase.

In this highly competitive industry with large dollars at stake for increasing market share only slightly, any edge over competitors is worth pursuing. Optimizing a website for search can improve the chances of ranking higher in the results, leading to increased visibility and traffic.

But how can oil and gas companies improve their SEO? In this article, I will discuss a few ways these companies can improve their SEO and get noticed in the search engine results pages (SERPs), while at the same in time building brand equity and thought leadership. 

Four steps to increase online visibility in the oil and gas industry

If you want to take your business digital, and not just use the buzz word of “digital transformation”, I mean really take your business from being reliant on just relationships or star sales people to close deals for you and grow you business but to use the internet to generate high quality leads that are your ideal customer, listen up. Better, setup a consultantion now and talk to one of our consultant or heck setup a call and ask to talk to me when you get on the phone with one of our consultants, I am happy to talk with you and I have been helping grow oil and gas brands and helping company that was to sell into this spacereach their ideal customer for well over 7 years.

I mean maybe you are in the digital space and even paying some agency to provide you “branding” in it helps that it will help in some way, but lets be honest you not sure if what your spending has value and you need additional help getting noticed, here are four steps you should follow as well as you can also call us and get a second opinion on your marketing.

Understand your Market & Competition: Conduct Keyword Research

The first step is conducting thorough keyword research to identify the search terms potential customers are using to find oil and gas-related products and services. Then, by incorporating these keywords into website copy, blog posts, and other content, oil and gas companies can improve their SERP rankings and attract more visitors.

Here is also what I really want to say. If someone tells you that there is “not enough keyword volume” for SEO to be the right approach, I would blatantly that person or even that agency might not really know that much about about how Search Engine Optimization really works. Do NOT let someone tell you, “you mean that no one that is my ideal client would use the internet to search for my product or service? You mean to tell me that you believe that, no one has a problem that they are trying to solve and your product or service might be the answer and they are going to the internet to look for a solution? Hogwash.”

Did you know that once you qualify for your target keywords and become a topic authority in the space in the search engines eyes you will start show up for hundreds if not thousands of low volume but very high intent keywords? Also, did you know that over 15% of all search today are still new.

Create Authority Backlinks Online

Another critical factor in SEO is backlinks or you might consider them “mentions”, unstructured citations, brand highlights or just General PR placments. It’s really all just offpage SEO. Backlinks are links from one reputable website to another that are used as a vote of confidence in a website’s content. Having multiple links from another quality website will improve rankings and attract more visitors to a company’s website. It’s about building the brand and creating trust, expertise, and authority online!

The buzz word today you might be familar with is PR but really “Thought Leadership“.

Thought Leadership

Brand Building through Social Media 

In addition to backlinks, social media management can also be a powerful tool for improving SEO. When oil and gas companies share content on social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook, by mainly LinkedIn they can attract more visitors to their site and improve their search engine rankings and building brand.

Now, let’s talk SEO & PR. When you post thought-provoking content on social media, you’re not only engaging with your audience; you’re also signaling to search engines that you’re a credible player in your field and a go to expert or authority that someone would want to do business with. It’s about building trust. As people like, share, and comment on your posts, your brand’s visibility increases, driving more traffic and potential customers or MQL’s to your website.

And that’s where content marketing comes in. Every post, video, or infographic you share is a piece of the puzzle. It’s about weaving a story that resonates with your audience and aligns with your brand values. This cohesive approach to content marketing not only strengthens your online presence but also boosts your SEO rankings. This also works with Account based selling and marketing. Data doesn’t always get people to buy, but story’s and emotional connection does.

The competitive landscape of oil and gas is changing, and brand building isn’t just about logos and slogans; it’s about building real relationships and storytelling. It’s getting harder and you can not just post content and hope to close sales. Social media is your platform to engage with stakeholders, showcase your capabilities, and demonstrate thought leadership. It’s where brand building meets SEO, and together, they will propel your company forward and is a must if you want to compete effectively today.

Okay so your sceptical, maybe you have not seen online marketing actually work for your business as you might thing it can work for other businesses but for some reason your business segment is special.

Do me a favor: Make a really good, interesting and engaging video, get feedback from existing customer on it and then when it’s market ready spend advertising dollars to target your ideal demographics and to show it to alot of people, not like a few 100 people, I mean like 100,000 people+ and then target those people with a remarketing campaign with a strong Call-to-Action (CTA) and you will be a believer for life!

Finally, local SEO marketing is crucial for oil and gas companies to target potential customers in specific geographical areas. International SEO for oil and gas companies can improve their visibility in local search results by optimizing their website and content for local keywords and phrases and building local citations and backlinks from other local businesses and directories.

Picture this: You’re running a top-notch oilfield services company, and you want to attract clients in your area. Local SEO is your secret weapon. When someone in your city searches for “oilfield services near me,” you want your company to be front and center in those search results. That’s where local SEO steps in, helping you connect with potential customers right in your backyard.

Now, let’s zoom out globally. The oil and gas industry operates on an international scale, with companies spanning continents. Whether you’re based in Houston, Texas, or Aberdeen, Scotland, local SEO matters. People in oil-rich regions are constantly looking for industry experts nearby. By optimizing your online presence locally, you’re positioning yourself as the go-to provider in each region you serve.

But why does this matter so much? Well, think about trust and credibility. When a potential client searches for oilfield equipment suppliers or drilling services in their area, they’re more likely to trust businesses that show up prominently in local search results. Local SEO isn’t just about getting clicks; it’s about building relationships with customers who are right around the corner.

And let’s not forget about visibility. The oil and gas industry is competitive, and standing out in search engines can make all the difference. Whether you’re targeting businesses in the Permian Basin or exploration companies in the North Sea, local SEO helps you get noticed by the right audience at the right time.

So, fellow oil and gas professionals, let’s embrace the power of local SEO, Social Media, PR and Thought leadership. Whether you’re aiming to dominate your local market or expand your reach globally, optimizing for local searches or building offpage authority and backlinks, SEO, is key to attracting new clients, boosting credibility, and driving business growth in our industry.

If this blog resonates with you, I encourge you to stop wasting time and contact us today to get your oil and gas marketing efforts back on track.