How to Create a Full-Funnel SEO Strategy
Creating a full-funnel SEO strategy on your website is a lot like teaching someone how to surf.
First, you need to set them up for success to catch their first wave by providing them with the information they need each step of the way. Second, you need to give them the next step to take to strengthen their skill once they’re stoked to move on. Read on to learn about how you should approach content to reach your target customers at every stage of their decision process.
Creating Content for Each Stage of the Funnel
There are three main stages of surfing that you’re going to want to prepare someone for when they are going for the first time.
1. Where to Sit in the Lineup (Awareness)
At this stage of the funnel, your user knows that there is a need that they want to fulfill (they are in the ocean, waiting for the perfect wave to come) but they aren’t sure which type of wave to go for and when.
This is the perfect time to capture your user. For example, let’s say you have a skateboard company. In order to capture users at the awareness (top of the funnel) stage, you will want to look into what high-level questions users are asking about skating when they are first becoming familiar with the sport. These terms are longer-tail and lower volume, as users are needing more words to explain the content they are looking for.
Examples of terms that come up are:
- how to learn skate tricks faster (70 MSV)
- how to learn skating at home for beginners (40 MSV)
- best way to learn how to skate (20 MSV)
In order to satisfy the intent of this user, you are going to want to create blog content that provides information for the user to learn the steps they should take to learn how to skate and conquer new tricks. This user may not immediately convert (hence top of funnel content), but they now have your brand top of mind and may recall it down the line when they are ready to make a purchase.
So, you’ve guided your friend to the right spot to sit in the lineup. Next, you need to let them know what type of wave they need to look for. In SEO terms, you need to provide a clear action for them to take next, whether that be through strong internal linking or a clear call to action to a deeper page on your site.
If this person is interested in the next step to take for this purchase (identifying the best skateboard for them) let’s lead them towards doing so on your website through a clear Call To Action for them to visit a page created for the Interest stage of the funnel.
2. What Type of Wave to Look For (Interest)
So your friend is in the right spot to catch a wave, but they’re not sure which one to go for and when.
This is the perfect time to get the user familiar with your products, as they’re interested in purchasing a product like yours, but not yet set on where or when to do so. You’ll want to search for terms that users will likely be searching when they are familiar with your type of product or service but are seeking more information about how to differentiate their options.
Examples of terms that would fit into this stage of the funnel for a user buying a skateboard would be:
- types of skateboards (5,400 MSV)
- different types of skateboards (1,300 MSV)
- what type of skateboard should i get (110 MSV)
- best skateboard size for beginners (110 MSV)
The content you should create in this type of the funnel should be a happy medium between providing more specific informational content about the type of product or service you offer, while interweaving some information about your brand and how it differs from others on the market.
Next, you will want to provide a clear path to the pages of your product or service for the users that are ready to buy a product after reading the information that you’ve provided them with. This can be done through well thought out internal links or including a section that links to your product or service pages in a visually appealing way that entices users to click.
3. How to Paddle for that Perfect Wave (Decision)
Your friend is perfectly positioned in the lineup and is now familiar with what types of waves to go after. Now, all you need to do is inform them how to pull the trigger. You’re going to want to let them the perfect time to start paddling for the wave, and which direction to face (is it a right or left?) and cheer them on in order to motivate them to fully commit to catching that wave.
At this stage of the funnel, the user is ready to make a purchase, however, they just need that final push. This is why it is good to include information to further nurture your lead on this page like reviews (social proof that shows other customers satisfaction of choosing your product or service) and any relevant deals or promotion that are going on (if the user feels like they’re going to get a bang for their buck by purchasing now rather than later, they are going to be more likely to make that decision now).
The type of keywords that you’re going to target on these pages will be relatively short-tail and high volume (check in on the search results for each of them to truly understand the intent).
Examples of these keywords include:
- electric skateboard (90,500 MSV)
- girl skateboards (22,200 MSV)
- skateboard wheels (18,100 MSV)
- longboard skateboard (12,100 MSV)
Glide Into Your Own Full-Funnel Strategy
Now you’re ready to create a full-funnel SEO strategy for your product or service! Remember the three main considerations you should take for creating a good user experience and optimizing your website for search engines on top of that:
- Define the different phases of the funnel that your target audience moves through in order to make their final purchase decision
- Create optimized content in order to meet your target market at each stage of that funnel
- Guide the user down the path that you want them to take on your website through internal links and calls to action
Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date with what we’re working on.
