Unlocking the Power of SEO Content Marketing: Drive Better Website Traffic with a High-buying Intent Content Strategy
High-buying Intent Content
Our HBI Content Strategy and our system to prioritize content ideas based on high-buying-intent keywords over high-volume keywords in order educate consumers as they move through the customer journey that drives more conversions. Our keyword strategy is based on pain points rather than Search volume. Assume you're performing content marketing for a Point-of-Sale (POS) startup whose customers are small retailers (‘audience').
Many marketers approach content marketing by focusing on keywords first. They investigate certain terms they believe the audience may be interested in and end up with a keyword list. Then they prioritize which keywords to target based on which have the most volume (traffic potential) and which are the easiest to rank for (low competition).
Many of the mainstream marketing gurus preach this method because their metric of success is generally a percentage increase in traffic rather than an increase in leads and/or signups. They then create blog articles targeting these high-volume keywords, and if all goes well, traffic may begin to climb but the conversions don't follow and the sales team is unhappy.
Measuring the Effectiveness of Your Content
When analyzing the Google Analytics data, it is noticeable that the majority of organic website traffic comes from a small number of articles (usually 1-3). It is interesting to note that the articles with the highest traffic may not always have the highest conversion rates. What could be the cause of this problem?
Large volume inquiries often focus on the top of the sales funnel, with more people searching but less purchase intent. This strategy works well for industries and customers with transactional intent. Terms targeting the middle or bottom of the marketing funnel have fewer searches but higher buying intent.
Sometimes you can find keywords that have both high volume and purchase intent. These are great, but they are not very abundant. Many businesses focus on ranking for high-volume keywords because of the potential traffic, but we target lower-volume, high-buying-intent keywords because they have a higher conversion potential. In addition to having higher conversion rates, lower-volume informational intent keywords are usually easier to rank for because most competitors are focused on high-volume, low-converting keywords.
What are Informational Intent Keywords
Information intent keywords are those that are aimed at providing the searcher with information rather than explicitly searching for a product or service. These keywords typically have lower search volume but higher buying intent, as they usually indicate a more engaged user who is further along in the customer journey and is looking for more detailed information about a more complex product or service before making a purchasing decision. Information intent keywords are often the types of terms that marketers should prioritize when creating content as they tend to generate more leads and signups than high-volume keywords.
Engaging with people who are further down the buyer journey can have immense benefits for marketers and sales teams. People who are further along in the customer journey tend to be more engaged and have a higher buying intent, meaning they are more likely to convert.
By focusing on high-buying-intent keywords rather than high-volume keywords, marketers can increase their lead generation and signups significantly. Additionally, targeting informational intent keywords is often easier than targeting high-volume terms as there is less competition. As such, engaging with people who are further down the buyer journey can lead to increased conversions and higher ROI from content marketing efforts.
Traditional Methods vs a HBI Content Strategy
In the early 2000s, you could setup a website and write a few sentences on a webpage and rank on Google in a matter of days. Early content marketers performed basic keyword research and developed copy based on the highest volume keywords. As more websites were developed, you've probably heard the stories of keyword stuffing to gain a SEO advantage. There were lots of tricks over the years and some of those worked but Google and the other search engines have adapted and their algorithms are smarter.
You won't get a meaningful amount of leads and signups from the top of the sales funnel content because 1) Everyone in your industry is going for these same keywords; and 2) this method is geared to increasing traffic but ignores the searcher's ultimate goal which is solving their problem.
The traditional volume-based keyword strategy for content marketing is, in our opinion, backwards and is what 90% of the so-called experts recommend. If you've ever talked to someone who says they tried content marketing and ‘it didn't really work' then you know right away that they followed the ‘volume-based keyword content' method.
Instead, the method we deploy is to create SEO-driven content that reverses the traditional process. We begin with the buyer's intent (think about the customer's pain point), then find keywords and topics that address remedies to the problem the searcher is attempting to solve as they move through the customer journey.
We have a better predictor of which SEO-rich content will produce leads and signups by using a pain-point first approach vs. a volume-based, keyword-first strategy. Rather than just evaluating which posts will create traffic, we connect the buyer's search intent to your content supporting the buyer's journey.
Our Process for Creating SEO Topics That Drive Leads and Signups
We can break down our approach into four (4) basic steps.
Create high-buying Intent content using the hub and spoke model of content development
Produce roughly two articles per week
Place the content on your page using a pre-determined system of contextual calls-to-action (CTA) with relevant images, graphics and video to support the narrative
Use paid media and advertising to drive traffic to the new pages of content
Now that you understand the distinctions between going after high-volume keywords and going for pain-point driven SEO, let's dive into our actual approach for coming up with lead-generating subjects.
The content structures we deploy are the most effective for SEO-focused content. We've been using Pain Points to create content and we've discovered that it's helpful to think of Higher Intent SEO in a couple stages:
Category Keywords:
Search terms that are specifically related to the product or service category you are in are known as category keywords. For instance, "best POS software" or "Point of sale for retailers". These are the easiest to understand and most obvious keywords for the brand example; they are simply different ways of saying what you sell.
There is no need to guide people, who are looking for these terms, through a "buyer's journey." They are already interested in what you have to offer. You'll want to appear in these searches and persuade users that your solution is the right solution for them.
Even if it's your homepage, it's almost unjustifiable not to have pages on your site that are very specifically intended to rank for these keywords. In light of this, you should consider all possible names for your good or service.
Comparison and Alternatives:
Comparison and alternatives are keywords that indicates someone is comparing your product with your competitor. Such phrases as "Square vs Clover," (which are two point of sale systems) "Quickbooks alternatives," are just two examples.
People who search for these are, like category keywords, indicating they are far along in the purchasing process and prepared to test drive or purchase a product in your category. Many of them might be considering switching from a competing product or weighing their options before making a purchase. They consequently have very high conversion rates.
These comparison keywords are less competitive and easier to rank for when we first started pursuing them years ago. They are still, in our opinion, an under-utilized content type that the majority of brands would benefit greatly from targeting, despite the fact that some of these keywords have more competition now that they have gained popularity in the SEO community.
Jobs-To-Be-Done (JTBD) Keywords:
JTBD keywords make up the majority of our High-buying Intent Content strategy. This is a term that references the well-known JTBD framework that includes all the keywords that might suggest the user has a problem that your product or service solves without them specifically searching for the solution.
These include how-to queries for things like "how to manage my register and inventory," "how to connect products on my shelves to my online store," and more. You should offer solid advice for these keyword phrases, but you should also position your product or service as a potential (and frequently the best) solution. This reveals the key characteristic of JTBD keywords: even though they are not as bottom of the funnel as the first two frameworks, they still have buying intent.
Types of Content That Support Keyword Intent:
To maximize our High Buying Intent Content Marketing Strategy, we create video to support the category keywords, comparison and alternatives and JTBD keywords. Explainer videos and testimonials can be used to demonstrate how to use your product or service, how your solution helped solve a problem for a client and provide practical advice that illustrates why you are the best solution.
The video transcripts are converted to .srt files and loaded into YouTube. The .srt files tell Google and YouTube exactly what your video is about delivering another dimension and avenue for your content to show up in Search results.
Images and graphics can be used to showcase the features of the product or compare it against competing solutions.
Content should be created in a variety of formats to cater to different types of learners. Some individuals prefer reading, while others prefer skimming. Visual learners may enjoy watching videos. It is important to recognize that everyone learns at their own pace and in different ways.Both formats are engaging, informative and can be customized for each keyword group. Additionally, videos and graphics can be shared through social media channels for increased exposure and reach.
Finally, top-of-funnel keywords often have very little purchase intent. Although we do create top-of-funnel content, we don't start there. Those top-of-funnel articles are effective at driving traffic, but according to the data, they scarcely convert.
Please keep in mind that this strategy is a framework for how to think about these terms. For example, while our system depicts sharp contrasts separating different groups, in reality, these lines might be softened, and there are always keywords that are unclear whether they belong in one bucket or the other.
You'll experience tremendous results from SEO-focused content if you stick to finding keywords in these three buckets and prioritize by buying intent.
High-buying Intent Keyword Themes That Convert
Now that you're aware of our system and the frameworks to consider, I'd like to describe how you generate ideas that fit within the frameworks.
Essentially, all of the ideas should originate from your prospects and the people consuming your products and services. If you've been working with us for a while, you'll know that our strategy begins with having a thorough understanding of your customers, the problems they're trying to solve and the top 10 questions they ask you in every sales engagement or service call.
You'll be able to generate content ideas that your competitors won't because they'll be focused on traffic while you'll be focused on helping your customers and future customers solve problems.
You should be able to come up with plenty of these high-converting content ideas if you know who your prospects/customers consider your competitors, what problems your prospects/customers believe your product or service solves, what features or parts of your service your customers get the most value from, and how your customers describe your product or service and the value they get from it.
Survey Questions To Uncover High-Buying Intent Topics
The following are some questions to ask your clients during in-person interviews, phone calls, and surveys to assist you in identifying high intent keywords to target. Obviously the questions will need to be adapted to your industry.
Note: Asking your sales staff or other employees in customer-facing jobs versions of the questions below is a shortcut to engaging directly with your customers. This is exactly what we do for all of our customers.
1.What was the issue you were trying to tackle before discovering our product or service?
This question assists you in determining which keywords to target when someone is looking for a solution to the problem that your product or service solves.
2.What product or service would you use as a replacement if ours was no longer available?
This question assists you in determining who your clients consider to be your competitors.
3. How would you explain our product or service to a friend who was unfamiliar with us?
This question helps you determine how your customers would describe your product to a friend—perhaps they define what you do differently than you do. It's crucial to find this out so you can capture search volume for terms you may not have considered.
4. What are the top three advantages of our product or service?
This question assists you in identifying the most common use cases and benefits that customers receive from your product or service.
5. What would you look for if you were researching our product or service?
This question assists you in determining the terms that your customers might use to find your product or service. Once you've answered these questions, you'll be able to determine which ideas to apply to each framework.
Insight #1: If the majority of respondents say the most important benefits of your product or service are increased foot traffic, increased online sales, and selling more products, you may want to write articles on those topics that walk people through various ways they can accomplish those things (your product or service may be one solution to their problem).
Insight #2: If a majority of respondents state that if your product went away, they'd use Product A or Solution B instead, you could want to write blog posts comparing your product to Product A and Solution B, and weighing the pros and cons of using your product vs. theirs.
Phrase the questions in such a way that they are open-ended. You want people to share their ideas with you; you don't want to lead them to an answer. You should receive a variety of responses, and you should then give priority to those that you receive more than one.
It's also worth noting that to help enhance conversions for each of our blog entries, we use contextual links. We employ Call-to-Actions (CTA) within articles.
For example, if we were to publish a piece about the top POS products, the post would include a CTA that reads, "Looking for a POS tool for your small business? Try out X tool for free for 30 days."
Another thing to keep in mind is that, as stated at the top of the articles, the most converting blog post actually has the lowest traffic, but that post employs some of the highest intent frameworks: comparing competitor products. When we first conducted keyword research for this comparative term, numerous SEO tools revealed that there was no search volume for this specific long-tail keyword.
Let me emphasize something important: sometimes the article that converts the best, from an Ahrefs and Moz perspective, have indicated they have no search volume or it is so low that it doesn't register. Most marketers would simply move on without writing a piece on this topic. While the traffic volume does not compare well to the other items on those reports, these articles typically outperform most others in terms of conversion and can be proven by setting conversions in your Google Analytics 4.
How Does AI Generative Search Align with Our High-buying Intent Content Strategy?
AI Generative Search does the heaving lifting by using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to generate more relevant content based on the user's query. This technology is already integrated into most search engines and we'll see the new format in the coming months.
Goodbye are the days where Search Engine Results Page (SERP) returns 50 pages of blue links for you to hunt and peck for the answer to your question.
It also uses Natural Language Processing (NLP) technology to better understand the context behind search queries in order to produce more precise results. Through this technology, Search will increase its relevance and those websites who have invested in creating content for high-buying-intent searches and provide more relevant answers for users.
This means that businesses will be able to create content that is tailored to their target audience's buying intent, as well as providing them with the accurate answers they are searching for. As a result, our services can help increase conversions and overall revenues for businesses of all sizes.
Watch this video on Google's AI Generative Search
This new Search format will pull content snippets directly from your website. The SERP will display the best answers, pulling in content from your site (or from your competitor's site) with all the supporting copy, videos, images and graphics linking right to the content; allowing users to quickly and easily find the most accurate information on topics related to their query, without having to sift through irrelevant links. Those with the best content will win and this will change Search forever!
It will no longer be enough that your site ranks. You will have to focus on having the individual pages rank for content that aligns with the query.
The AI Generative Search tool will take into consideration multiple factors such as previous user searches and the current trend in topics of interest, and generate content that is tailored to the individual search query.
Foundations
Leveraging analytics allows us to better understand website visitor behaviors and Google Tag Manager plays a key role in that. If you're a DIY-person, you may want to take this course. Check out this video for the in-depth tutorial.
For everyone else, Google Tag Manager (GTM) is a powerful tool that can greatly enhance your ability to understand customer behaviors. With GTM, you can easily add and manage various tracking codes on your website without the need for manual coding.
This enables you to track customer interactions, such as clicks, form submissions, and even scroll depth, providing valuable insights into user behavior. By analyzing this data, you can gain a deeper understanding of how customers navigate your site, which pages they spend the most time on, and identify any potential areas for improvement.
With this knowledge, you can make data-driven decisions to optimize your website, enhance the user experience, and ultimately boost conversions.
How We Are Different
Oh Ya is faster, more affordable and more comprehensive than working with multiple agencies or relying solely on an internal team.
Pricing for our High-buying Intent Content System
| Tier 1 | Tier 2 | Tier 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Website Analysis and 6-Month Campaign Strategy Creation: The first month of the engagement is focused on strategy creation. Once CMS login credentials and analytics access is provided, an in-depth analysis of the site's current digital footprint will occur. This includes technical audit, content evaluation, backlink assessment, extensive keyword research, Google Analytics setup and goal tracking review. Once the evaluation is complete, the 6-month strategy is created and reviewed with the client towards the end of the first month. | Included | Included | Included |
| Content Creation: A content strategist will create high-buying-intent content. We will provide guidance to your web designer as to how to place the content including images, graphics, videos and contextual calls to action. | 2 articles per month | 4 articles per month | 8 articles per month |
| Keyword Phrases: The high-buying intent package focuses on a set number of keyword phrases that have been thoroughly researched and chosen based on their relevance to your target customer. We use AI Generative Search technology to uncover micro-volume keywords, enabling us to identify content frameworks that are tailored towards the needs and interests of potential customers. Our package also includes contextual links and CTAs within our articles, so users can quickly find a solution for their problem. | Up to 12 keyword phrases | Up to 24 keyword phrases | Up to 36 keyword phrases |
| Conversion Tracking: Our campaigns include setup/management of your new call tracking system for the campaign that will be implemented to measure call conversions. Basic conversion tracking includes form fill completions and calls driven. Advanced conversion tracking includes form fill completions, call tracking, eCommerce purchases, portal account signups, application downloads, and any unique actions your website requires. Note: We recommend CallRail and Call Tracking Metrics which has a separate subscription. Visit their website for pricing. | Tracking up to 10 conversions | Tracking up to 20 conversions | Tracking up to 30 conversions |
| Backlink Acquisition: Backlinks point are located on other websites and point back to your website. This practice signals Google and other major search engines that your website is a reputable and reliable source for content an increases your authority score. | Included | Included | Included |
| Package Levels: Tier 1: Single location brick & mortar, small geo (Shreveport vs. New Orleans), or low competition industries (Salons, Auto Repair, Landscaping); Tier 2: Multi-location (<10), Service Area businesses (HVAC, Plumbers), mid geo (Ft Collins, CO vs Denver, CO), mid-level competition industries (Dispensaries, Medical - Dentists), Sites with Custom CMS or HTML, or larger content needs on a local level; Tier 3: eCommerce, multi-location (10+), large geography, high competition/viral industries (Automotive, Education, Legal, CBD, Franchise), or larger content needs on a regional level | Included | Included | Included |
| On-Site Optimizations (Technical SEO): Each month we will conduct a range of onsite optimizations depending on your campaign focus and strategy established early on. Onsite optimizations will either be a site-wide optimization (e.g. sitemaps, schema markup, robots.txt, etc) or page-level optimization (e.g. Optimization of contact page, homepage, or service/product page). | Up to 10 Optimizations per month | Up to 20 Optimizations per month | Up to 30 Optimizations per month |
| Paid Promotion: We will execute a content promotion strategy using a combination of tactics to drive traffic to the new content pages in the effort to build authority through user sessions, events and session duration KPIs. The costs associated with paid promotion are included in the monthly fees listed below. | Included | Included | Included |
| 12 month agreement required | $2,500/mo | $5,000/mo | $10,000/mo |
Major Takeaways
We're not saying you should only create SEO content that falls within those three frameworks, but we've noticed trends across multiple clients that when you create pain-point driven content that uses these three frameworks to target long-tail keywords, we've seen conversion numbers that are much higher than other content that ranks.
As a result, we believe you should prioritize creating those pieces of content before pursuing terms with high volume and low competition in your category or that your target audience could be interested in reading about.
Once you've exhausted all of the potential long-tail keywords utilizing the frameworks, it's time to broaden your search to uncover higher volume phrases in your category that your target audience would read.
Furthermore, employing this method effectively is dependent on generating extremely good articles that satisfy the searcher's search purpose.
