1. SEJ
  2.  ⋅ 
  3. SEO

How To Use SEO To Target Your Audience Throughout The Funnel

Understanding the marketing funnel or customer journey is critical to effective SEO efforts. It means being able to map user intent, keywords, and content properly.

How To Use SEO To Target Your Audience Throughout The Funnel

The marketing funnel, otherwise known as the sales funnel or customer journey, is a path or way that potential customers take that contains stages from initial awareness of a product or service to making a purchase decision.

A lot of SEO tactics, investment, and efforts can be wasted without fully defining and understanding the customer journey or marketing funnel for businesses.

I’ve seen it way too many times, and talk a lot about the importance of having a defined and objective plan for SEO.

Regardless of how new or established your brand or organization is – or where you are in your efforts – it is always a worthy exercise to go through on a regular basis.

Customer behaviors change, competitors change, and even your own organization can have changes in goals and objectives that may impact your marketing funnel that you’ll want to map your efforts to.

Stages Of The Marketing Funnel

Before I get into the SEO audience targeting to the funnel, let me take a moment and recap how I define the stages of the funnel:

Top Of The Funnel

At the top of the funnel, the main goal is to create awareness for your target audience.

Potential customers become aware of your brand, product, or service through various channels, such as advertising, social media, content marketing, and word-of-mouth referrals.

Keep in mind that this stage should be informational and educational, aimed at addressing the needs of your audience rather than directly promoting products.

Middle Of The Funnel

In the middle of the funnel, individuals have now shown interest in your product or service and are actively seeking more information.

They might do this in the form of engaging with your content in a more valuable way, signing up for newsletters, following your social media accounts, or exploring product pages on your website.

In this stage of the funnel, your content should focus on detailed information about your products or services, including benefits, features, and how they address specific customer needs.

Bottom Of The Funnel

In the final stage of the funnel, users are evaluating their options to make informed decisions on whether or not to make a purchase.

They may compare what you offer with those of competitors by reading reviews and seeking reassurance to ensure that your offer is the right choice for them.

It’s important that you provide these individuals with content that builds trust and loyalty to your brand, driving them toward converting and leaving a positive, lasting impression.

Aligning Your SEO Efforts To The Funnel

By aligning your SEO strategy with the user’s search intent at each stage of the marketing funnel, you are able to deliver the right content to the right audience at the right time.

Understanding Search Intent

The most commonly accepted search intents are informational, navigational, commercial, and transactional.

SEO is intrinsically tied to understanding user intent and delivering content that speaks to your audience’s needs.

When we have the right content for the wrong moment, or vice versa, we spend a lot of time and effort on lower-than-ideal conversion opportunities.

Below, I’ll detail how search intent can vary by stage of the marketing funnel:

Awareness Stage

At the top of the funnel, search intent is typically informational.

Users are searching for information or answers to questions in the form of educational or insightful content. Searches often include who, what, when, where, why, and how.

To target top-of-the-funnel users, I recommend that you:

  • Identify relevant keywords and phrases that your target audience might use when searching for information related to your industry, products, or services. The keywords you use should focus on broader, informational keywords.
  • Develop high-quality, informative, and engaging content that addresses the key components, questions, and interests of your target audience. This can include blog posts, infographics, videos, and social media content.
  • Target keywords that often trigger featured snippets in search results. These can help you gain more visibility and establish authority.

Consideration Stage

As your audience enters the consideration phase, their intent shifts towards commercial and transactional. They intend to make a decision on a product or service at some point and are evaluating options.

In order to reach mid-funnel searchers, you should:

  • Start targeting more specific and long-tail keywords that indicate user intent to learn more or make a decision. These keywords often include terms like “best,” “reviews,” “comparison,” or “how to choose.”
  • Develop comprehensive guides, product reviews, and comparison articles that provide valuable insights and help users make informed decisions.
  • Create location-specific content using keywords based on location to drive people to your physical location, if applicable. Local SEO can help drive people to your location over a nearby competitor’s.

Conversion Stage

Finally, we reach the conversion stage, where users have navigational and transactional intent.

They know what they want and may even be searching for your specific brand or product.

Pay attention to navigational and transactional keywords that often include brand names, product names, or specific action-related phrases like “buy,” “order,” “sign up,” or “contact.”

In order to reach bottom-funnel users, you need to:

  • Optimize product pages and service descriptions to target keywords that signal user intent to purchase, such as “buy,” “order,” “discount,” or “pricing.”
  • Use schema markup to provide rich product information in search results, making it easier for users to compare and decide.

Bonus: Tools for Tracking

Google Analytics 4

GA4 is a tracking tool that provides comprehensive insights into website traffic, user behavior, and conversions.

Utilize it to track where users are landing on your site, how they are engaging with your content, and the paths they are taking prior to converting.

We recommend setting up goals and funnels in order to measure specific events, such as form starts and form completions.

Google Search Console

Search Console provides valuable data insights to track search queries and page performance.

You can use it to monitor what keywords are driving traffic to what pages using core KPIs like clicks, impressions, and click-through rate.

Search Console’s reports are also an invaluable resource for learning how Google is crawling and indexing your site, as well as discovering any Core Web Vitals issues.

Keyword Research Tools

You can use SEO tools like Semrush, Ahrefs, and Moz to help you discover and track keywords for SEO specifically.

All of these tools allow you to identify the intent of a specific keyword, as well as the estimated search volume and ranking difficulty of the keyword.

Conclusion

Knowing your marketing funnel and mapping your SEO focus to the user intents at each phase is critical. SEO requires a lot of time and effort.

Plus, it can take a matter of time before we see a measurable return on investment (ROI).

The more you know about how you engage prospects, move them through the funnel, and with an ongoing optimization process, you can minimize wasted tactics that don’t produce results.

More resources: 


Featured Image: Vitalii Vodolazskyi/Shutterstock

Category SEO
ADVERTISEMENT
VIP CONTRIBUTOR Corey Morris President / CEO at Voltage

Corey is the owner and President/CEO of Voltage. He has spent nearly 20 years working in strategic and leadership roles ...

universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
soxtry.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
maw-pr.com
zaaksen.com
ypxsptbfd7.com
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
onlinenewsofindia.com
worldgraphic-team.com
bnsrz.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
webmanicura.com
osostore.com
softsmob.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
odskc.com
inzziln.info
leaiiln.info
cq-oa.com
dqtianshun.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
bartoysdirect.com
taquerialoscompadresdc.com
aaoodln.info
amcckln.info
drvrnln.info
dwabmln.info
fcsjoln.info
hlonxln.info
kcmeiln.info
kplrrln.info
fatcatoons.com
91guoys.com
signupforfreehosting.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
topsedu.xyz
xmxm7.com
x332.xyz
sportstrainingblog.com
autopartspares.com
readguy.net
soniasegreto.com
bobbygdavis.com
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
qazwsxedcokmijn.com
parabis.net
terriesandelin.com
luxuryhomme.com
studyexpanse.com
ronoom.com
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
snn01.com
hope-kelley.com
bancodeprofissionais.com
zjccp99.com
liturgycreator.com
weedsmj.com
majorelenco.com
colcollect.com
androidnews-jp.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
nova-click.com
abeautifulcrazylife.com
diggmobile.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
sizam-design.com
kakakpintar.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
bamthemes.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com
avgo.top