Every B2B marketer needs to generate pipeline.
To do so, marketers turn to programs fall in two broad categories:
Demand creation — educating potential customers about their problems and creating top of mind awareness for your solution
Demand capture — showing up when buyers are already in-market, then helping them convert as efficiently as possible.
Demand capture is the lowest hanging fruit to fast and efficient pipeline creation. It’s where the buyer has budget, urgency, and intent…the short window when they’re actively evaluating solution.
But the mechanics of demand capture are changing fast.
AI search is re-writing how people research, Google Ads costs keep climbing, and buyers expect zero friction once they’re ready to engage.
To win in 2025, you need a tighter, smarter, and more conversion-ready system — built around three things:
Visibility in high-intent search (SEO + AI SEO/GEO)
Precision in paid search (Google Ads)
Frictionless conversion once they hit your site
Search Is Still the Heart of Demand Capture
Search is where in-market intent reveals itself. It’s also the channel that’s evolving fastest.
Over the past year, generative AI has changed how people use search. Tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s new AI Mode are turning queries into conversations. Instead of skimming ten links, people ask follow-ups, compare options, and get curated recommendations — often without leaving the interface.
That means traffic will decline, but intent density — the concentration of ready-to-buy users — is going up. Ahrefs found that when AI Overviews appear, clicks to websites drop by 34.5%, yet visitors who do click convert at 20x higher rates.
The takeaway: top-of-funnel traffic will fade, but bottom-funnel opportunities will become even more valuable.
Building SEO That Actually Captures Demand
The classic SEO playbook prioritized volume — traffic × relevance × difficulty. But with a pipeline-centric search approach the real question isn’t how many searches exist, it’s how close those searches are to buying.
Here’s how to shift your SEO toward bottom-funnel intent:
1. Map Offers to Audiences
Use a simple matrix. List your offers (e.g. proposal software, pricing tools, onboarding platform) and your audiences (sales teams, HR, agencies).
Each intersection becomes a page — “proposal software for agencies”, “pricing tools for SaaS companies”, and so on.
These are hyper-relevant, high-intent entry points that speak directly to your ICP.
2. Own the Comparison and Alternatives Pages
If buyers are comparing, be the one guiding that conversation.
Publish transparent “Top 5 Alternatives to [Competitor]” pages or side-by-side comparisons that highlight tradeoffs and use cases.
3. Build Jobs-to-Be-Done Content
Don’t just describe features. Show how your product helps users accomplish the job they’re hiring it for — with visuals, examples, and short clips.
When you build content around customer problems and use cases — not generic keywords — you rank for the queries that matter and increase your chances of showing up in AI-driven search results.
Optimizing for AI SEO / GEO
Generative engines (ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, etc.) rely on understanding context and credibility. They’re looking for content that clearly signals who you serve, what you solve, and how you solve it.
To perform well in AI search:
Use industry-specific language that matches how your buyers talk.
Publish content by use case, vertical, and job title.
Keep your brand story consistent across your website, social profiles, and third-party mentions.
Earn citations on trusted sites, communities, or forums that reference your expertise.
The goal is to help AI systems build a clear picture of your company’s relevance — so when someone asks for the “best [solution] for [industry],” your brand naturally appears among the few trusted recommendations.
Making Google Ads More Precise and Profitable
If SEO and AI SEO are your compounding engines, Google Ads is your throttle. But with CPCs for SaaS keywords averaging around $15 and rising 30% over the past three years, efficiency matters more than ever.
Here’s the formula that works in 2025:
Target phrase-match or exact-match, bottom-funnel terms first.
Focus on purchase-intent keywords like “proposal software for agencies” or “[competitor] alternative.”Align ads with landing pages.
Make sure headlines and value props mirror the search intent exactly.Control spend expansion.
Start narrow, prove profitability, then expand to phrase or broad match once ROAS holds.
Paid and organic search should now work as a single system — both capturing the same in-market demand, just at different speeds and costs.
Converting Without Friction
High-intent traffic doesn’t mean guaranteed pipeline. The real lever is how easy it is to take the next step.
A few tactics make the biggest difference:
Instant Scheduling: Tools like Chili Piper or Calendly can double demo conversion rates (30% → 60%) by letting qualified visitors book immediately after filling out a form.
Chat or Chatbot: Add chat across your site to answer questions or route visitors directly to booking.
Single CTA per page: Reduce cognitive load and guide buyers toward one clear action.
Proof up front: Logo bars, micro-testimonials, and 30-second videos build trust without slowing users down.
Once someone’s ready to talk, every extra click is friction. The goal is a direct line from curiosity → conversion.
Bringing It All Together
Demand capture and conversion isn’t about getting more leads — it’s about getting the right ones, faster.
In 2025, that means:
Capturing the few, high-intent moments that matter most.
Showing up in AI search, not just Google.
Tightening Google Ads around profitable keywords.
Building websites that make conversion effortless.
At Mark Sourced, this is exactly what we help B2B SaaS teams build — integrated search systems that turn intent into pipeline across SEO, AI SEO/GEO, and Google Ads.
Note that the content of this article is pulled from the below webinar (with data updated since the time of the recording). So, if you’d prefer to watch in video form, you can take a look at that!