For years, digital marketing experts have set their laser focus on the numbers game. SEO has always been about ranking as high as possible on search engine pages to generate the most traffic. On the other hand, social media content creators are all about engagement numbers.
It’s true that digital marketing is primarily a numbers game. After all, attracting a large number of visitors to your site is akin to casting a wide net. You are much more likely to reel in delicious fish with a larger reach. However, as consumer behavior and preferences rapidly evolve, marketers need increasingly complex techniques to draw them in and convert them into paying customers.
Why the Buyer’s Journey is Important
A buyer’s journey is the path a person takes before they purchase a product or service. The journey differs depending on the platform and the user. For example, the path of buying a birthday present on Amazon is relatively short. A simple search and a few minutes of reading reviews will lead to a purchase. In contrast, choosing the best hotel for a family trip out of the country can span several weeks assessing multiple booking sites to compare prices and locations.
Every action a person takes on each step of the buyer’s journey is crucial. Now that a vast majority of consumers go through the buyer’s journey online, it’s up to brands and businesses to match up to the content they need. The buyer’s journey should be your central foundation when you build digital marketing and content planning strategies.
Your Website and the Buyer’s Journey
Your business website or online store is your main point of contact with your buyer. Every visitor is a potential client. You must meet their needs and spur them into action at every step of the buyer’s journey.
For consumers in the research or consideration stage, your product information pages, blog posts, and website resources should answer all potential questions and inquiries regarding your product or service. Be as transparent as possible regarding pricing and specific product details. Make it clear that their lives will benefit if they purchase from you.
For consumers in the final decision stage, the crucial elements will be your shipping and delivery process, return policies, and free trial offers. Remember that it’s all about practicality. Make sure you can meet their needs by turning all your terms and conditions easy to access from your landing pages.
Search Engine Optimization and the Buyer’s Journey
SEO is not just about choosing the best keywords to rank on search engines and drawing a broad audience to your landing pages. After all, your visitor metrics don’t matter if you aren’t converting a significant percentage of them into paying customers.
Aligning your SEO strategy with your buyer’s journey means leading your customers through your sales funnel as smoothly as possible. For this, you need a fantastic user experience—your web pages should load quickly, and navigation should be intuitive and straightforward.
Every step of the buyer’s journey should include a clear and concise call to action. Make it obvious to visitors what you want them to do next, whether it’s to book an appointment, sign up for a free trial, or download a free resource in exchange for their email address.
Conclusion
Search engine optimization enables potential customers to find your content. Once you grab their attention, all your website elements should work together to meet their needs at every stage of the buyer’s journey. This is the best way to seamlessly draw them through your sales funnel and turn them into valuable paying customers.
