In 2025, researchers captured the first-ever live footage of a baby colossal squid near Antarctica. For over a century, scientists had studied dead specimens washed ashore, massive creatures with hooks like medieval weapons. They'd documented everything about the squid except the one thing that mattered: how it actually hunted in its natural habitat.
That's the exact problem with most IT services SEO strategies. Companies obsess over traffic, documenting every click, every ranking, every impression. "We're getting 70,000 visitors from 'what is managed IT services!'" But they never capture what actually matters: how buyers behave when they're ready to purchase.
Here's the brutal math: 20 bottom-funnel content pieces generated 1,348 conversions. Meanwhile, 40 top-funnel pieces generated 397 conversions. Same company. Same time period. The bottom-funnel content produced 3X more conversions with half the effort.
The conversion rate difference? BOFU (Bottom of Funnel) content converts at 4.78%. TOFU (Top of Funnel) content converts at 0.19%. That's 25X higher conversion rates for BOFU.
Yet 50% of marketers focus on creating TOFU content while only 14% create BOFU content. They're optimizing for the wrong end of the funnel, chasing traffic instead of revenue.
This isn't about abandoning awareness content. It's about recognizing that the IT services buyer searching "managed IT services Chicago pricing" is 25X more valuable than the one searching "what is managed IT." And right now, your competitors are capturing those high-intent searches while you're writing another blog post about IT fundamentals.
Let's fix that.
Walk into any marketing meeting at an IT services company and you'll hear this:
Marketing Manager: "We drove 50,000 visitors last month! Traffic is up 40% year-over-year!"
Sales Leader: "Great. How many qualified leads did we close?"
Marketing Manager: "Well, we generated 200 form fills..."
Sales Leader: "We closed 6. That's a 3% close rate. What are we paying you for?"
Sound familiar?
Here's what's actually happening: You're ranking for informational keywords that attract researchers, not buyers. You own position 1 for "what is managed IT services", driving thousands of clicks from people who aren't ready to buy anything.
Meanwhile, your competitor ranks for "managed IT services Chicago pricing" and "alternatives to [incumbent provider]", capturing the 50 people per month who are actually comparing vendors and ready to sign contracts.
The math: Lower traffic, 25X higher conversion rate = more revenue.
One identity protection company focused exclusively on bottom-funnel keywords. Their "Lifelock alternatives" page achieved a 9% conversion rate from organic search. That's not a typo. Nine percent. When typical B2B conversion rates hover around 1-2%.
Another example: An IT services company tracked 8 clicks on the keyword "SDR team outsource." Result? 2 opportunities. That's a 25% conversion rate.
Compare that to "what is managed IT services", 5,000 clicks, maybe 10 conversions. 0.2% conversion rate.
The lesson: You don't need more traffic. You need better traffic.
"Would you rather rank #1 for 'what is a KPI' and get 70,000 clicks that are garbage, or get 50 clicks a month on 'Enterprise Data Warehouse' that actually convert?" , B2B SEO Expert
The typical content strategy:
The reality: Those aren't leads. They're readers. Researchers. People in month 1 of a 6-month evaluation who won't buy anything for half a year.
Meanwhile, someone searching "managed IT services pricing Chicago" or "alternatives to [your competitor]" is in month 6. They're comparing final vendors. They're ready to sign a contract this quarter.
And you're invisible to them because you spent all your content budget on "what is" articles.
Let's kill the confusion about TOFU, MOFU, and BOFU:
The conversion multiplier: BOFU converts at 25X the rate of TOFU.
Here's how IT services purchases actually happen:
CTO realizes current IT setup is failing. Searches "what is managed IT." Reads 10 blog posts. Not ready to talk to vendors yet.
IT manager researches options. Downloads comparison guides. Attends webinars. Building internal case for outsourcing.
CFO demands vendor options and pricing. Team searches "managed IT services Chicago," "[competitor] alternatives," "enterprise IT support pricing." They're comparing 3-4 specific vendors. Decision happens this month.
The problem: Most IT companies only show up in months 1-2. By month 6, when the buying committee is ready to decide, they're not even in consideration because they didn't optimize for BOFU keywords.
The 84-day sales cycle: IT services average 84-day sales cycles with 6-10 stakeholders. You can't afford to be invisible when they're ready to buy.
The pattern: "[Your service] vs [Competitor]" or "[Solution A] vs [Solution B]"
Why they work: Buyer is in active evaluation mode, comparing specific options. They've narrowed it down. They're making a decision now.
Examples for IT services:
The opportunity: Most IT companies ignore these because they're afraid to acknowledge competitors. That's a mistake. Buyers are doing these comparisons with or without you. If you're not in the conversation, you lose by default.
The pattern: "[Competitor] alternatives" or "Best alternatives to [Incumbent]"
Why they work: Captures switchers, buyers actively dissatisfied with current provider and looking for replacement. High intent, high urgency.
Examples for IT services:
The case study: Identity protection company's "Lifelock alternatives" page achieved 9% conversion rate from organic search. They listed 5-7 alternatives (including competitors) and positioned themselves as best for a specific use case.
The psychology: By objectively listing alternatives, you build trust. Buyers think: "They're not trying to hard-sell me. They're helping me make the right choice."
The pattern: "[Service] + [Modifier]" where modifier indicates commercial intent
Commercial intent modifiers:
Examples for IT services:
The search volume tradeoff: These keywords have lower volume (50-500 searches/month) but convert 10-25X higher than high-volume informational keywords.
Example comparison:
Why this works: Your sales team hears the exact questions prospects ask before buying. Those questions = BOFU keywords.
How to do it:
Example questions that become BOFU keywords:
The gold mine: Sales objections. "Is it worth the cost?" → "managed IT ROI calculator." "How long does implementation take?" → "managed IT implementation timeline."
The strategy: Analyze what high-intent keywords competitors rank for, then create better content.
How to do it:
The opportunity: Most competitors half-ass their BOFU content. You can outrank them with better, more comprehensive pages.
Why this works: Keywords that convert in paid ads = BOFU opportunities for SEO.
How to do it:
The shortcut: PPC gives you validated conversion data. You don't have to guess which keywords convert, paid ads already proved it.
Example: "Managed IT services Chicago" converts at 8% in PPC. You're not ranking organically. Create a Chicago-specific landing page optimized for that keyword.
The tools: SEMrush, Ahrefs, Google Keyword Planner
The right way to use them:
BOFU modifier list to filter for:
The mistake everyone makes: Sorting by search volume and targeting high-volume, low-intent keywords. BOFU is about conversion potential, not traffic potential.
The tools: Google autocomplete, People Also Ask, Related Searches
How to use them:
Example autocomplete results:
The format: "[Your solution] vs [Competitor]" or "[Solution A] vs [Solution B]"
Why it converts: Addresses buyer at exact moment they're comparing final options.
How to structure it:
Example: "Managed IT Services: In-House Team vs MSP vs Hybrid Model"
The psychology: Buyers respect objectivity. If you only bash competitors, you lose credibility. If you honestly assess options, you become a trusted advisor.
The format: "Best [Competitor] Alternatives for [Audience]"
Why it converts: Captures dissatisfied customers actively looking to switch providers.
The proof: "Lifelock alternatives" page = 9% conversion rate from organic search (vs. typical 1-2% B2B rate).
How to structure it:
The risk worth taking: Yes, you'll send some prospects to competitors on your list. But you capture the search visibility and establish yourself as the objective resource.
Example: "Top 7 Alternatives to [Large National MSP] for Mid-Market Companies"
The format: Transparent pricing with clear packages/tiers
Why it converts: Removes #1 objection; shows you have nothing to hide.
How to structure it:
The common mistake: Hiding pricing behind "Contact sales" form. This kills trust and conversions.
The exception: Complex enterprise deals where pricing truly varies. Show starting prices or price ranges.
Example: "Managed IT Services Pricing: Small Business ($3K-5K/month) vs Mid-Market ($10K-25K/month) vs Enterprise (Custom)"
The format: Problem-Agitation-Solution framework with quantified results
Why it converts: Social proof + measurable outcomes = credibility for high-stakes IT decisions.
How to structure it:
Vertical-specific is better: "Manufacturing IT Case Study" beats generic "IT Case Study".
The proof: Companies with case studies see 8%+ conversion rates vs 4.4% average.
The format: Video demos, interactive product tours, limited free trials
Why it converts: Removes risk; lets prospects experience value firsthand.
How to structure it:
The CTA variants:
The format: "[Service] for [Industry]" pages
Why it converts: Hyper-relevant to specific buyer needs; shows you understand their world.
Examples for IT services:
How to structure it:
The less competitive advantage: "Best IT services" is brutal. "Best IT services for manufacturing" is much easier to rank for.
The mistake that kills conversions: Someone searches "managed IT pricing." You rank #1. They click. They land on a blog post about "5 benefits of managed IT." They bounce.
Why this happens: Content mismatch. Search intent = transactional (want to see pricing). Content type = informational (educational blog).
The fix: Match content format to search intent:
How to know what to create: Look at top 3 SERP results. What format are they? Product pages? Comparison articles? List posts? Match that format.
The technical checklist:
Structured data/schema markup:
Why schema matters: Enhances SERP visibility with rich results (star ratings, price ranges, FAQs).
Clear, action-oriented CTAs:
Trust signals (essential for IT services):
Risk reversal:
Remove friction:
The concept: Guide visitors from awareness → consideration → decision.
How to implement it:
The bottom-up approach: Build BOFU pages first, then create TOFU/MOFU that funnels to them.
Why this matters: Without internal linking strategy, BOFU pages sit orphaned with no traffic.
The problem: Going after "best IT services", massively competitive, no differentiation.
Why it fails: Even if you rank, you blend in with 1,000 other generic providers.
The fix: Niche down with modifiers:
Less competitive + more relevant = higher conversion.
The problem: Buyer searches "managed IT pricing." Lands on your page. Sees "Contact sales for pricing." Leaves.
Why it fails: Kills trust. Signals you're hiding something or prices are unreasonable.
The fix: Show starting prices, price ranges, or pricing models:
The exception: True enterprise deals with massive variance. Even then, show ballpark ranges.
The problem: CTA says "Learn More" or "Submit".
Why it fails: No clear value. No urgency. No action specificity.
The fix: Action-specific, benefit-driven CTAs:
The problem: Keyword = "managed IT pricing Chicago" (transactional intent). Content = blog post titled "A Guide to Managed IT Pricing in Chicago" (informational).
Why it fails: Intent mismatch. Buyer wants to see actual pricing. You gave them an article.
The fix: Match content type to SERP results:
The problem: BOFU page loads slowly or looks broken on mobile.
Why it matters: Most B2B research happens on mobile; broken mobile = instant bounce.
The fix:
The problem: You have 3 pages targeting "managed IT pricing", pricing page, blog post, FAQ page.
Why it fails: Google doesn't know which to rank; they compete with each other instead of with competitors.
The fix:
What to track: Which BOFU keywords drive demos, trials, quotes?
Formula: (Conversions from keyword ÷ Clicks from keyword) × 100
Benchmark: BOFU content should convert 4-5%+ (vs 0.5% for TOFU)
How to track it:
The goal: Identify your 20% of BOFU keywords driving 80% of conversions, double down on those.
What to track: How much closed revenue came from BOFU pages?
Why it matters: Proves content ROI in dollars, not vanity metrics.
How to track it:
The benchmark: SurveyMonkey generates $200 million annual revenue from BOFU pages alone.
What to track: Position 1-3 rankings for target BOFU keywords
Why it matters: Position 1 gets 27.6% CTR; position 10 gets 2.5%. BOFU keywords with low volume require top-3 rankings.
Tools: SEMrush, Ahrefs, Google Search Console
The goal: Own position 1-3 for your 20-30 priority BOFU keywords.
What to track: BOFU SEO CPL vs paid ads CPL
The benchmark:
Why it matters: Proves SEO efficiency vs. paid; justifies continued investment.
What to track: Time from first touch to closed deal for BOFU leads vs TOFU leads
Why it matters: BOFU content should shorten sales cycles by answering objections upfront.
The hypothesis: BOFU leads close faster because they're already in decision mode.
Week 1-2: Discovery
Deliverable: Prioritized list of 20-30 BOFU keywords
Week 3-4: Strategy
Deliverable: 90-day content production calendar
Week 5-6: Core BOFU Pages
Week 7-8: Optimization & Launch
Deliverable: 5-7 live, optimized BOFU pages
Week 9-10: Analyze & Optimize
Week 11-12: Scale What Works
Deliverable: 15-20 total BOFU pages, conversion data report, scaling plan
Here's the counterintuitive truth: Don't start with TOFU and work your way down the funnel. Start with BOFU and work your way up.
Why this works:
The math doesn't lie:
Your 90-day action plan:
The shift in thinking: Stop asking "How do I get more traffic?" Start asking "How do I capture buyers at the decision moment?"
Because the IT services company winning in 2025 isn't the one with 100K monthly visitors from "what is managed IT." It's the one capturing the 500 people searching "managed IT services Chicago pricing" and "alternatives to [incumbent provider]", the buyers ready to sign contracts this quarter.
Stop chasing traffic. Start capturing revenue.
