So you have a business. You have a nice website. A comprehensive catalogue with pages optimized for the products you sell. But are your potential customers able to find you online?
A good keyword research strategy will help you identify which keywords you should be optimizing your pages and content for.
There are a number of tools around to help with keyword research, such as Google's Keyword Planner. In many instances what you'll find is that the keywords you want to optimize for already have high levels of competition. It'll be an uphill battle. Yes, there are many people searching for the products you sell, but the chances of you driving traffic through an already competitive space for your ideal search terms are extremely slim. Why not try a simpler approach? Go for solution and problem based keywords.
According to HubSpot 71-89% of consumers are not ready to buy your product or service anyway. Instead, many of them are looking for a solution to their current problem. Right now, they are at the beginning of the buying cycle and are simply researching. So how do you target those people who are at the research stage?
Target Researching Customers
Since most people are looking for a solution, they may not even know they need your product.
For example, if you sell orthotics in Toronto, your website may be optimized for "orthotics Toronto," "orthopedic shoes Toronto" or "podiatrist Toronto." That's great. You are still targeting terms with high search volume that are targeted to your product in your area. But don't forget about those who aren't ready to buy. Those people are searching for a solution, not a product. They are searching for how, why and what.
Right now, a potential consumer might not know that orthotics or orthopedic shoes could help them with their problem. So, they're looking for "Why do my feet hurt," "What causes heel pain," "How to relieve foot pain," "What causes foot pain," and "Why do my feet hurt when I run." All of these terms have search volume around them, but are you targeting them?
Fresh Content
Having fresh content and a blog on your website will allow you to answer the questions your potential customers may have. When you answer these questions you can become an authority on that subject and a credible online resource.
So even though you may be well optimized for your product or service, you might be missing out on those consumers who are at the Top of Funnel and simply trying to solve a problem. Once you become a solution to someone's problem, they may be more likely to come back to you once they realize that they actually want and need your product.
