The Importance of SEO for B2B Sellers: Why You Should Ungate Your Catalog

In the world of B2B commerce, there’s an essential element that is often overlooked by sellers: search engine optimization (SEO).

For years, many manufacturers, wholesalers, and distributors have dismissed SEO as unimportant, even if they operate a self-service eCommerce platform. The key issue? Many of these platforms are hidden behind gated logins.

In most cases, B2B sellers require users to authenticate—by entering a username and password—before gaining access to their eCommerce experience and making a purchase. The rationale for this is that B2B sellers typically offer unique price lists, catalogs, and minimum order quantities (MOQs) tailored to each customer or customer group. By requiring authentication, they ensure that only their specific customers see their individualized pricing and catalogs.

The Problem with Gating eCommerce Platforms

While gating makes sense for managing unique pricing and inventory, there’s a major downside: if a website requires login to view the catalog, Google can’t see it either.

That means many B2B brands remain hidden from search engines, making it impossible for potential customers to find their products through organic search.

As a result, there are massive B2B companies out there that many of us have never heard of because their products are invisible to Google. Without SEO visibility, their products won’t show up in search results, which limits their exposure to new buyers and potential business opportunities.

The Benefits of Ungating Your Catalog

There is a solution: ungating your product catalog while still requiring authentication to view specific details like pricing, stock, and MOQs.

By doing so, visitors—and more importantly, Google—can browse your products. The entire catalog becomes indexable, making all of your products visible in search engines.

Why is this important?

• B2B product catalogs are often much larger than those of B2C or D2C companies.
• More products = more pages and long-tail keywords that can rank in search results.
• More indexed products = more opportunities for buyers to discover your business.

This expands your presence in search engines and increases your chances of being included in the consideration set for new customers.

SEO is No Longer Optional in B2B

For a long time, the B2B world has ignored SEO, but the best brands are now taking it seriously.

Leading B2B companies are investing in enterprise-level SEO platforms that automate the creation of SEO-optimized pages at scale. These tools allow them to optimize their websites and product catalogs effectively, helping them capture more traffic and grow their businesses.

What You Can Do Next

If you’re a manufacturer, wholesaler, or distributor and you don’t have a self-service eCommerce platform yet, that’s the first step: get an online catalog that is both shoppable and searchable.

If you already have an eCommerce platform but it’s gated, it’s time to consider ungating the catalog. While you may still require authentication for users to view pricing, inventory, or their trade account history, at least make the product catalog itself publicly available.

This way, Google can index it, and your potential customers can find you.

Remember: over 60% of B2B buyers today are Millennials, and they start their supplier searches online. If your business isn’t visible in Google search results, you’re missing out.

Ungating your catalog could be the key to reaching a broader audience and increasing your business opportunities.

About the Author

Jason Greenwood is a B2B eCommerce expert with 24+ years of experience helping mid to large wholesale brands optimize operations, tech, and data for growth. He hosts THE ECOMMERCE EDGE Podcast and, when not working, enjoys traveling the world and exploring motorsports. You can learn more at greenwoodconsulting.net.