What is the relationship between SEO and the purchasing funnel?
Posted: Wed Jan 22, 2025 6:17 am
SEO and the purchasing funnel are intrinsically related, as a well-designed SEO strategy can guide users through the different stages of the purchasing funnel, from initial awareness to conversion and loyalty.
Improve your SEO!
At this point it is important to align and relate all the points described above!
We will analyze the purchasing funnel stage by stage, what influence SEO can have and how to achieve, through the SEO data I obtain and the SEO strategy I develop, to deliver the appropriate content to each user according to their decision stage:
1. Awareness:
Objective: Attract the attention of a wide audience and create awareness about the brand, product or service.
SEO Strategies:
Keyword Research: Identifying high-volume, informative keywords that users search for when they are just starting to explore a topic. This way, we will understand what content to offer to that type of user.
Quality Content: These users, due to the stage they are in, will need educational and general interest content, such as blog articles, guides and videos, that answer frequently asked questions and common problems.
On-Page SEO: Optimizing titles, meta descriptions, and headings to include relevant keywords and capture the user's attention.
Voice Search: Optimizing for voice searches, which often include full questions and conversational queries. Studies confirm that users at this decision stage, when looking for general information, tend to perform voice searches. That's why it's important to have a site and SEO structure optimized for it.
Tactic Example:
Publish a blog article that provides quality content in response to the more general and open questions that users ask in the first stage of the funnel.
2. Interest
Objective: Maintain and increase user interest by providing more detailed and relevant information.
SEO Strategies:
Deep Content: Creating more detailed and specific content, such as ebooks, case studies, and webinars. We must provide this type of user with more curated content, with greater depth and detail. Their questions will become increasingly specific, and the success of our funnel will depend on the answers we provide.
Existing Content Optimization: Improving existing content to make it more relevant and engaging by incorporating data, examples, and success stories.
On-Page SEO and Techniques: Ensure that content is easy to navigate and that pages are well structured with internal links to guide the user to more relevant information.
Tactic Example:
Create a series of in-depth articles that explain different specific aspects that we have identified in the keyword analysis that users need to resolve.
3. Consideration
Objective: Help users evaluate available options and position your offer as the best solution.
SEO Strategies:
Comparative Content: Publishing product comparisons, pros and cons lists, and customer testimonials.
Long Tail Keywords: Use of long-tail keywords that indicate a more specific and detailed search intent. Search volumes for these words are usually lower but the lead quality is higher.
Landing Pages: Creating optimized landing pages that offer detailed information about specific products or services and facilitate lead capture.
Tactic Example:
Post a comparison article like “Best SEO Tools for Small Businesses” or “Differences Between Generic vs. Targeted Purchasing Management Software.” It’s important that this article includes an honest evaluation of different products, including yours.
4. Intent
Objective: Facilitate the purchasing decision by providing users with the information necessary to make a decision.
Improve your SEO!
SEO Strategies:
Conversion Content: Creating conversion-oriented content such as product demos, free trials, and special discounts. SEO is not just blog content, it is much more than that and at this stage it is essential to understand it.
Transactional Keywords: Optimizing pages with keywords that indicate a strong purchase intent, such as “buy,” “price,” “discount.”
User Experience: Ensure the purchasing process is easy and fluid, with well-optimized product pages and clear CTAs (calls to action).
Tactic Example:
Create a landing page optimized for the keyword “buy SEO tool” that offers a fishing and forestry email database list free trial of the product. These keywords are called “transactional” and with a good keyword analysis we will understand which ones are transactional and which ones are more informational.
5. Purchase
Objective: Convert interest into an effective sale.
SEO Strategies:
Optimizing the Purchase Process: Ensure that product and checkout pages are optimized to load quickly and are easy to use.
Trust Signals: Include customer reviews, warranties, return policies, and safety certifications to build trust. All of this is also SEO content.
SEO Retargeting: Using retargeting techniques to attract users who have shown interest but have not completed a purchase.
Tactic Example:
Optimize your checkout page to include customer testimonials and security certificates to increase user confidence.
6. Loyalty
Objective: Keep customers engaged and encourage repeat purchases.
SEO Strategies:
Post-Sale Content: Create useful content for existing customers, such as tutorials, product updates, and newsletters. Or even a section within your blog or website focused on real customers and their post-purchase questions.
Behavioral Analytics: Use analytics tools to understand post-purchase behavior and adjust content and offers accordingly.
Ongoing SEO: Maintaining and updating site content to ensure it remains relevant and valuable to customers.
Tactic Example:
Send a monthly newsletter with advanced product usage tips and exclusive offers for existing customers.
7. Advocacy
Objective: Convert satisfied customers into brand advocates.
SEO Strategies:
Referral Programs: Create referral programs that encourage customers to recommend the product to others.
User Generated Content: Encourage the creation and use of user generated content, such as reviews and testimonials.
SEO for Reviews: Optimize your review and testimonial pages so that they are easily found by other users looking for references. Local SEO strategies are very important at this stage of the funnel.
Tactic Example:
Implement a referral program where customers can earn discounts for each new customer they bring in.
4. Conclusion
SEO plays a crucial role at every stage of the buying funnel by attracting, nurturing, and converting leads through targeted tactics that align with their needs and behaviors at each phase of the buying process.
Every SEO strategy must take into account the purchasing funnel as a fundamental step in the analysis and design of the strategy, since if we do not understand who we are talking to and what their journey is, we will never be able to deliver quality content or an optimal experience with the brand.
By integrating an effective SEO strategy with the purchasing funnel, companies can maximize their visibility, attract qualified traffic, and increase conversion rates and customer loyalty.
Improve your SEO!
At this point it is important to align and relate all the points described above!
We will analyze the purchasing funnel stage by stage, what influence SEO can have and how to achieve, through the SEO data I obtain and the SEO strategy I develop, to deliver the appropriate content to each user according to their decision stage:
1. Awareness:
Objective: Attract the attention of a wide audience and create awareness about the brand, product or service.
SEO Strategies:
Keyword Research: Identifying high-volume, informative keywords that users search for when they are just starting to explore a topic. This way, we will understand what content to offer to that type of user.
Quality Content: These users, due to the stage they are in, will need educational and general interest content, such as blog articles, guides and videos, that answer frequently asked questions and common problems.
On-Page SEO: Optimizing titles, meta descriptions, and headings to include relevant keywords and capture the user's attention.
Voice Search: Optimizing for voice searches, which often include full questions and conversational queries. Studies confirm that users at this decision stage, when looking for general information, tend to perform voice searches. That's why it's important to have a site and SEO structure optimized for it.
Tactic Example:
Publish a blog article that provides quality content in response to the more general and open questions that users ask in the first stage of the funnel.
2. Interest
Objective: Maintain and increase user interest by providing more detailed and relevant information.
SEO Strategies:
Deep Content: Creating more detailed and specific content, such as ebooks, case studies, and webinars. We must provide this type of user with more curated content, with greater depth and detail. Their questions will become increasingly specific, and the success of our funnel will depend on the answers we provide.
Existing Content Optimization: Improving existing content to make it more relevant and engaging by incorporating data, examples, and success stories.
On-Page SEO and Techniques: Ensure that content is easy to navigate and that pages are well structured with internal links to guide the user to more relevant information.
Tactic Example:
Create a series of in-depth articles that explain different specific aspects that we have identified in the keyword analysis that users need to resolve.
3. Consideration
Objective: Help users evaluate available options and position your offer as the best solution.
SEO Strategies:
Comparative Content: Publishing product comparisons, pros and cons lists, and customer testimonials.
Long Tail Keywords: Use of long-tail keywords that indicate a more specific and detailed search intent. Search volumes for these words are usually lower but the lead quality is higher.
Landing Pages: Creating optimized landing pages that offer detailed information about specific products or services and facilitate lead capture.
Tactic Example:
Post a comparison article like “Best SEO Tools for Small Businesses” or “Differences Between Generic vs. Targeted Purchasing Management Software.” It’s important that this article includes an honest evaluation of different products, including yours.
4. Intent
Objective: Facilitate the purchasing decision by providing users with the information necessary to make a decision.
Improve your SEO!
SEO Strategies:
Conversion Content: Creating conversion-oriented content such as product demos, free trials, and special discounts. SEO is not just blog content, it is much more than that and at this stage it is essential to understand it.
Transactional Keywords: Optimizing pages with keywords that indicate a strong purchase intent, such as “buy,” “price,” “discount.”
User Experience: Ensure the purchasing process is easy and fluid, with well-optimized product pages and clear CTAs (calls to action).
Tactic Example:
Create a landing page optimized for the keyword “buy SEO tool” that offers a fishing and forestry email database list free trial of the product. These keywords are called “transactional” and with a good keyword analysis we will understand which ones are transactional and which ones are more informational.
5. Purchase
Objective: Convert interest into an effective sale.
SEO Strategies:
Optimizing the Purchase Process: Ensure that product and checkout pages are optimized to load quickly and are easy to use.
Trust Signals: Include customer reviews, warranties, return policies, and safety certifications to build trust. All of this is also SEO content.
SEO Retargeting: Using retargeting techniques to attract users who have shown interest but have not completed a purchase.
Tactic Example:
Optimize your checkout page to include customer testimonials and security certificates to increase user confidence.
6. Loyalty
Objective: Keep customers engaged and encourage repeat purchases.
SEO Strategies:
Post-Sale Content: Create useful content for existing customers, such as tutorials, product updates, and newsletters. Or even a section within your blog or website focused on real customers and their post-purchase questions.
Behavioral Analytics: Use analytics tools to understand post-purchase behavior and adjust content and offers accordingly.
Ongoing SEO: Maintaining and updating site content to ensure it remains relevant and valuable to customers.
Tactic Example:
Send a monthly newsletter with advanced product usage tips and exclusive offers for existing customers.
7. Advocacy
Objective: Convert satisfied customers into brand advocates.
SEO Strategies:
Referral Programs: Create referral programs that encourage customers to recommend the product to others.
User Generated Content: Encourage the creation and use of user generated content, such as reviews and testimonials.
SEO for Reviews: Optimize your review and testimonial pages so that they are easily found by other users looking for references. Local SEO strategies are very important at this stage of the funnel.
Tactic Example:
Implement a referral program where customers can earn discounts for each new customer they bring in.
4. Conclusion
SEO plays a crucial role at every stage of the buying funnel by attracting, nurturing, and converting leads through targeted tactics that align with their needs and behaviors at each phase of the buying process.
Every SEO strategy must take into account the purchasing funnel as a fundamental step in the analysis and design of the strategy, since if we do not understand who we are talking to and what their journey is, we will never be able to deliver quality content or an optimal experience with the brand.
By integrating an effective SEO strategy with the purchasing funnel, companies can maximize their visibility, attract qualified traffic, and increase conversion rates and customer loyalty.