5 Ways Influencer Marketing Boosts SEO Rankings and Organic Traffic

Enter the mind of a B2B buyer. Where are you starting your purchasing journey?

Regardless of whether you’re reading a whitepaper, watching a video, taking in a social media post, or reading an article, you’ll likely start your quest via a web search. You’ve typed in your query and you’re ready to do your research. Do you like what you see on the first page of results? If you’re in the majority of users, you probably will, as research from HubSpot found that 75% of users never scroll past the first page of search results.

Take off your buyer cap for a moment and get back to being a marketer. By now, you should realize just how important it is to get on the first page of results. But ranking high among SERPs and getting the majority of clicks is easier said than done and requires more than just keyword research, optimized images, and user-friendly design. 

And even if your SEO is top-notch and buyers see your content, are they going to trust it? After all, today’s B2B buyers do their research, even more so than consumers. There’s a lot of noise out there and these decision-makers are seeking credible information to guide their key decisions. 

That’s where B2B influencers come in. Let’s take a look at how they can boost your SEO rankings and organic traffic.

Backlinks

If you’re unfamiliar, a backlink is simply a link on another website that points back to your website. Think of it as a vote of confidence from one website to another. So, if a popular influencer in your industry links to your content on their website, you can expect a nice extra dose of web traffic and improved domain authority. But how do you get them to do it? The most effective backlinks are those earned rather than bought or solicited. Here are some ways to naturally acquire helpful backlinks.

• Create high-quality content: It should be shareable, valuable, and stand out.
• Share original research: Whitepapers, eBooks, infographics, and more. Share it!
• Turn influencers into friends: Nurture relationships with them by featuring their insights, engaging with them on social media, and sharing their work. They’ll think of you when they’re creating their next piece of content.
• Co-create content: This could be a blog post, a YouTube video, a webinar, or something as simple as an interview. Ask yourself, will they want to share this at a later date?
• Monitor your mentions: If another site mentions your brand but hasn’t linked to your site, you can always request a backlink if your relationship is developed.

In the end, it all boils down to doing two things well: forming relationships and creating high-quality content. The more you do this, the more you’ll be rewarded, as research indicates the top-ranking pages boast 3.8x more backlinks than those ranked lower.

“Even though Google continues to add diversity to its algorithm, it appears that backlinks remain a critical ranking signal.” – Brian Dean, Founder, Backlinko

E-E-A-T and brand credibility

We’ve been beating the E-E-A-T (Expertise, Experience, Authority, Trustworthiness) drum and will continue to do so. These guidelines, created by Google, are perhaps the foundational pillar of successful SEO today. But what do those qualifiers make you think of? Or rather…who? 

When we think of expertise, experience, authority, and trustworthiness, we think about B2B influencers — they serve as the perfect third-party source to bring these qualities forward. At a time when the need for trust is at an all-time high for Google and today’s buyers, recognizable B2B influencers can provide it.

Any person or brand can make a claim, throw out statistics, and say whatever they have to say to sell their product, but if it doesn’t meet the E-E-A-T guidelines, it likely won’t gain traction. It’s like if an unknown person jumped up on stage and started shouting to a stadium full of people without a microphone about their product. Their message isn’t going anywhere. In this analogy, the influencer, the one with the microphone — who has been there before, is knowledgeable, provides sources, and is a familiar face — has a message that will be heard loud and clear to stay top of mind, much like a piece of content that stays atop a SERP.

“Partnering with credible experts that have influence, trust, and audience attention for the very same topics that marketers are creating and optimizing content for brings together very powerful elements for a successful digital customer experience.” – Lee Odden, CEO, TopRank Marketing

Inbox Insights says 75% of decision-makers trust a brand more if it is affiliated with industry experts or influencers, which further emphasizes the importance of integrating influencer insights into your content so, ultimately, your audience E-E-A-Ts it up. 

Continued Reading: What Are E-E-A-T Guidelines, and How Can You Optimize Your Site Around Them?

SEO-optimized content amplified by influencers

We know getting influencers to create backlinks is pivotal for getting your content to climb the rankings. But where does social fit in? 

We talked about how important it is to create excellent content for your website so influencers share it. This is equally, if not more, important when it comes to social. You don’t want to make the mistake of creating a great piece of content for your site only to share a link with a generic URL-generated preview. 

That’s not interesting, nor is it shareable. Doing this would be akin to the Avatar franchise handing out flyers about the last movie instead of making an incredible, shareable trailer. You’ve put in the time and resources to create something valuable, so put in the same effort into promotion as you did with production. Influence is key:

• Engagement Amplifies Reach: The power of the share in action. The loyal, engaged following of influencers bands together to share and amplify your content, creating more exposure and more interactions via likes, comments, and clicks — all above traditional brand posts. The activity tells search engines that the content is valuable and relevant.
• Social Signals: No amount of likes and shares will signal to Google that your content should be ranked higher, but increased social engagement can indirectly benefit SEO. That’s because the more people interact with an influencer’s post, the more likely it is to attract backlinks, mentions, and shared content — all of which improve SEO.

Continued Reading: Which Factors Matter Most for Winning SEO Rankings?

Influencers help uncover high-impact keywords

It’s our duty as marketers to find out what excites audiences and inspires action, whether that be in the form of a social media engagement, a video play, a download, or something else. But we can’t be in the weeds on every topic. How much can you say you know about precision agriculture, predictive analytics for inventory management, or blockchain-powered freight solutions? Not much? Yeah, me too. That’s where our influencers come in.

B2B influencers, embedded in their niche or industry, act as powerful research tools and have a deep understanding of their audience’s preferences, needs, and pain points, which can be passed on to you. Plus, they can provide details and explanations on the unique language used in their niche, whether it relates to product, solution, or service. This language can help identify long-tail keywords that resonate with your audience, which will in the long run improve your search results.

With insights gained straight from a reputable source, you can then turn to your traditional SEO tools to validate topics, uncover related queries and opportunities, and refine your integrated content marketing strategy for maximum impact.

Influencers can help you craft the high-quality, answer-driven content that both your audience and search engines are looking for.

What do search engines prioritize for rankings? Well, it’s certainly not a keyword-stuffed article on a topic that goes absolutely nowhere. Above all, search engines prioritize answers. There’s a reason you enter a search query and not a search statement. And, of course, search engines aren’t just looking for any answers — they, like users, crave answers that directly match search intent, are well-researched, and expert-backed.

This is especially important in the age of AI Overviews, where you may get an answer, but there’s no guarantee that it will be the right one.

“In 2025, SEOs must prioritize trustworthy, intent-driven content to stand out from AI noise. Google will reward authentic insights and experiences while penalizing regurgitated, over-optimized content.” – Jamie Indigo, Director of Technical SEO, Cox Automotive

SEO and influencer marketing are a powerful pair

SEO and influencer marketing may operate separately, but they thrive when working together. The buyer’s journey is a continuous cycle — one where influence sparks curiosity, leading to a search, which surfaces content shaped by influencer insights, driving engagement, backlinks, and further discovery. Each piece reinforces the other, ensuring that buyers find not just answers, but credible, trusted sources along the way.