How to use buyer journey keyword research to unlock SEO-generated revenue I know the impact of ignoring buyer’s journey keywords all too well. Early in my SEO career, I generated two million clicks for an ecommerce store. The client and I were thrilled. The graph on Google Search Console was trending strongly up. The problem? I couldn’t quantify a single sale from two million visitors. I had no idea how to generate a keyword strategy for buyers. I learned my lesson the hard way. Now, everything I do in SEO is centered around the buyer and the end goal: a sale. Using buyer journey keywords, I can better quantify the value of my work. I know which landing page converts and which keywords influence sales, and I can quantify the monetary contribution articles had on sales. Keep reading to learn how. Table of Contents The Role of the Buyer's Journey in Keyword Research Keyword Intents for Each Buyer's Journey Stage How to Do Keyword Research for Each Stage of the Buyer's Journey Tips for Doing Keyword Research Aligned With the Buyer's Journey The Role of the Buyer's Journey in Keyword Research Source The buyer’s journey includes the steps a potential buyer will take before they purchase. SEOs who want to serve buyers and sell products or services need to understand the buyer journey to effectively strategize content. Generally, the buyer journey will have three stages: Identification = pain...

How Customer Journey SEO Turns Clicks Into Conversions Before you decide what to buy, you probably decide where to shop — which means turning to your favorite search engine. With online searches dominating as the starting point of most purchases, customer journey SEO is now mission-critical for every business. I honestly can’t remember the last time I made a purchase without some online research first. Earlier today, I fell down a Google rabbit hole looking for bulk-dried tortellini. Last fall, it was a new MacBook. By the time I was searching for the best deal on a MacBook, I had already done the bulk of my research — comparing specs, vendors, and reviews. And that tortellini search? It introduced me to brands I never would’ve found if they hadn’t optimized for the SEO-driven customer journey. Here’s the real question: If your brand isn’t showing up when customers are searching, how much business are you losing to competitors? Table of Contents What is customer journey SEO? Mapping Your Customer Journey Creating Your Customer Journey Map A Step-by-Step Guide to Align SEO With Your Customer Journey What is customer journey SEO? Customer journey SEO is simply where SEO and customer journey mapping intersect. While most businesses focus on SEO as a way to rank higher, that’s only part of the equation. The best SEO strategies do drive traffic. But they take it a step further, supporting customer inquiries through every step of the...

How to Leverage the 5 Stages of the Customer Buying Cycle for More Sales Let’s face it – there are many marketing tactics that boost conversions. However, to make your marketing effective, leveraging the customer’s buying cycle is the key to a successful online business. Understanding a customer’s buying cycle is how you can have the right marketing for a successful commerce site. Online Buying Cycle The online buying cycle is very similar to the original buying cycle; however the key difference is the online buying cycle occurs online. Because it is online; many ecommerce sites and brands will utilize social media platforms and email marketing as marketing tools to help market and sell to consumers and generate leads back to their ecommerce site. The buying cycle and online buying cycle will go through the five stages of closing a sale. 5 Stages of the Customer Buying Cycle You can look at a customer buying cycle as a customer’s purchasing cycle. ;Many customers go through stages during their purchasing process to educate themselves before they either make a purchase. There are five stages that you have to consider: 1. Awareness Awareness is the first stage in a customer’s buying cycle when customers realize that they have a problem that needs a solution. ; A company will be able to reach the target customers given the right marketing strategies and campaigns. For example, a customer is trying to lower plastic waste from water bottle usage. A customer then sees...

How to Create Content for Every Stage of the Buyer's Journey No one wakes up in the morning and decides, “I’m going to buy something today.” Instead, they go through a path to purchase that includes research and evaluation before committing to a sales call. That journey is called the buyer’s journey. Because consumers are more informed and more empowered than ever before, it’s important to deeply understand your buyer persona and the journey they make so you can create content that helps them along that path while positioning you as an authority in your space.  In this post, we'll cover:  Understanding the Buyer's Journey in Marketing What a Marketing Funnel Is Marketing Channels for Each Stage of the Funnel Attract Channels Engage Channels Delight Channels Creating Content for Each Stage of the Buyer's Journey Content Formats for the Awareness Stage Content Formats for the Consideration Stage Content Formats for the Decision Stage and Beyond Understanding the Buyer’s Journey in Marketing In most cases, with the exception of impulse buys, an individual begins their journey in an “unaware stage.” This individual likely fits the demographics of your ideal client (also known as your buyer persona), but they are not aware of your product or in need of it.  However, they may experience a triggering event that changes their situation or a pain that...