Top, Middle, and Lower Funnel Keyword Strategies

Optimizing the customer journey involves providing content for prospects throughout the marketing funnel. You’ll show them different information based on their intent and readiness to purchase.

But how do you map something as intangible as a customer journey? To get organized, consider these 3 elements of the marketing funnel:

Keywords
Landing pages
Calls to action

This article will show you how to understand the funnel from beginning to end, complete with examples of keywords, pages, and CTA touchpoints.

After reading, you should have the knowledge to plan a full seo content strategy based on keywords and buying intent.

Top-of-funnel keyword strategies

At the top of the funnel, prospects are in the “Awareness phase.” They are aware they have a problem, but they have yet to learn of your solution.

What do top-of-funnel keywords look like?

These keywords can be broad or specific. They might correlate to research for a problem, or they might provide good information for your target persona:

Teach kid to hold breath
Teach kid to blow bubbles
Fun activities for kids
Recipes for 3 year olds
Crafts for children

See how “crafts for children” and “recipes for 3 year olds” target your persona without tying into your product? That’s okay at this stage in the game.

What do top-of-funnel landing pages look like?

Top-of-funnel pages are almost always blog posts; your primary website doesn’t have real estate for this content. The main navigation and service pages are there to support buyers.

However, you might offer some sort of free tool or quiz for early funnel browsers. For instance - create a tool where moms can type in their kid’s food allergies and favorite treats to generate dessert ideas they’ll enjoy.

That fun tool isn’t directly related to swim lessons, but it’s something the target market would love to use.

What do top-of-funnel conversions look like?

You might not have conversions this early on - it’s a lot to ask for someone’s information right off the bat. A simple email form for a newsletter signup is probably your best bet.

Other than that, you should be focused on driving impressions and clicks in this phase. Now you have qualified traffic that you can use retargeting methods to nurture.

Mid-funnel keyword strategies

At the middle of the funnel, prospects are in a more product-focused research phase. This is called the “Consideration phase” or the “Research phase”.

In this example, the parent is considering solutions - teaching their kid how to swim on their own, buying swim lessons, or waiting until they are older. However, they haven’t decided on your category of solution (swim lessons).

What do mid-funnel keywords look like?

A mid-funnel keyword is one step closer to purchasing, more focused on pricing and available options:

How much do swim lessons cost
Can I teach my child to swim by myself
Do I need to buy swim lessons
What age should my kid learn to swim

What do mid-funnel landing pages look like?

At this stage, a landing page could come in many forms. You could start advertising case studies, lower funnel blogs posts, or landing pages containing a free resource or free trial.

Following the swim lesson example, this would be a good time to push a blog post: “What you can do at home to prepare for swim lessons” or “Learning to swim: here are your options”. Or, turn these into downloadable guides where you collect some basic information in a form.

What do mid-funnel conversions look like?

A mid-funnel conversion is typically a free resource, whether that’s a whitepaper, guide, or free trial.

Lower-funnel keyword strategies

At the end of the funnel, prospects know which category of solution they want. In this case: swim lessons.

Since they’re in the “Conversion phase,” they’re researching competitors and the details of your product. Imagine they have a tab open for everyone’s website as they compare options.

What do lower-funnel keywords look like?

Now it’s time to zero in on your ready-to-buy keywords:

Swim instructors near me
Group swim lessons vs. private
Top reviewed swim instructors
Best instructors for children with autism

Some of these keywords will be broad. But your most valuable keywords are tied to specific use cases where you excel.

In fact, the most valuable keywords you will find are ready-to-buy terms that are so specific that no one else has bothered to target them.

What do lower-funnel landing pages look like?

A low-funnel landing page is usually a service page. However, depending on how much people research your product before buying, it could also be a case study or blog post.

Whatever the landing page may be, it needs to provide a direct form of contact or way to purchase.

What do lower-funnel conversions look like?

The end of the funnel is when someone reaches out to buy. That could be filling out a contact form, calling for more information, scheduling a consultation through your system, or placing an order.

Why not skip to the end of the funnel?

Focusing 100% of efforts on the bottom of the funnel may seem like faster revenue, but it doesn’t always work. When everyone gets the same idea to target the bottom of the funnel, the tactic becomes competitive. At some point, you’ll start to saturate your market share or max out your budget.

Consider the benefits of these scenarios:

Try a full-funnel keyword strategy

Targeting audiences at all stages of the marketing funnel has its own benefits.

Tap into more specific pain points that qualify people as buyers
Gain brand recognition for cheap
Gain market share as brand recognition grows
Earn trust as you provide useful resources throughout the buying process

Get more creative with your low-funnel keywords

To combat saturation (but still skip to the end of the funnel), you can target buyers by highly specific use cases, “vs” terms, and in-depth product comparisons. Basically, outsmart the competition by finding the low-funnel keywords they wouldn’t consider.

Ready to implement your full-funnel keyword strategy?

You're more than a keyword pro - you’re laying the groundwork for business success. When you choose persona-focused keywords and tie them into a funnel, your keywords can be the foundation of your digital marketing.

Choose the appropriate keywords, landing pages, and conversions for each funnel stage, and you will be armed with a full-fledged market strategy.

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