As I have mentioned before, keyword research for search engine optimization is more than just traffic and competition metrics. It is important to look beyond traffic and competition to try to understand the intent of the user when they type their query into a search engine.
Profile the User to Get Qualified Traffic
It is not enough to only look at keyword traffic, or only look at keyword traffic and competitiveness. In order to conduct effective keyword research, it is important to develop user profiles in your keyword research. With every keyword that you add to your list of potential target keywords, think about what the user is looking for when they type in that keyword.
If they keyword is “widget reviews,” you know that the user is probably not yet in the buying stage. They are looking for more information about the quality and reliability of the widgets they are seeking. In this case, you would want the target this keyphrase to a landing page providing user reviews or testimonials. If the keyword is “buy widgets,” you can be pretty sure that they user is ready to purchase, and you would want them to landing on a page that allows them to satisfy this need.
When performing keyword research, segment your potential keywords into separate sheets, with each sheet geared toward a specific user profile. Using our example with the widgets, you would want one sheet that contained keywords for a user that is looking for widget reviews, another sheet with keywords for a user looking for widget specifications, and yet another sheet for a user looking to buy widgets.
User Profiles Should Mirror Your Conversion Funnel
If the idea of segmenting your keyword research based on user profiles seems a bit overwhelming, keep in mind that your user profiles will likely mirror your conversion funnel.
Your sales team is likely familiar with these different phases of user purchasing phases. In the beginning, the user may be looking for information on whether or not they even need a widget. Later, once they come to the conclusion that they do need a widget, they may look for information about different brands of widgets. After that, they make look for information on widget specifications, widget reviews, costs of widgets, etc. Then when they have collected all of the necessary information, they may decide to purchase a widget from a particular company.
In this scenario, your keyword research would be segmented based on the user as they exist in each stage of the buying process. Of course, your website will ideally be set up to direct the consumer from each stage of the buying processes to the next relevant stage. That way, the user can land on your site in any stage of the buying process and be taken logically through each step to the final conversion page.
Remember, though, that there will likely be users who do not fall anywhere in the conversion process. An example would be a reporter looking to get to your web site’s press page. Even though this kind of user is not one that would necessarily be making a purchase, it is still important to include this type of user profile in your keyword research.
