Imagine your typical customer. You probably already know what he or she looks like and his or her habits - but do you know how he or she thinks as he or she follows the path to purchase?
Technology doesn't yet allow us to read customers' minds, but we can analyze the available data and, based on it, break down the steps customers go through when making purchasing decisions.
This is where the concepts of ToFu, MoFu and BoFu come into play. These are not just catchy abbreviations to mention during a marketing meeting.
With these three terms, you can make sure your communications are reaching the right people, at the right time and with the right content.
This is where your marketing and SEO efforts meet - both your content and the keywords you're targeting should be tailored to each stage of the funnel... But how do you do it?
In this article, we will focus on the ToFu, MoFu and BoFu stages of the sales funnel and how they are related to SEO. We will also provide some practical tips you can use to increase your conversion rate.
What is a conversion funnel?
Simply put, a conversion funnel (also known as a sales funnel, purchase funnel or purchase path) describes a customer's decision-making process.
It depicts the customer's journey from the first contact with your brand to the ultimate goal: buying or subscribing to your product or service.
The shape of the funnel results from the number of potential customers passing through the funnel - typically, the number of potential customers decreases as the process progresses.
The sales funnel has many versions and interpretations, but they all boil down to three main stages:
- ToFu (Top of the Funnel): where potential customers first learn about your company and its offerings.
- MoFu (Middle of the Funnel): where potential customers become familiar with your offer but are not yet willing to make a purchase.
- BoFu (Bottom of the Funnel): at this point, customers make decisions and purchase.
Not everyone who knows your brand needs your product or service, and not everyone who is considering your offer will ultimately make a purchase.
Each stage has unique tasks and goals - and with that, the way you optimize your site's SEO changes.
The beginning of the funnel: the ToFu (Top of the Funnel) stage.
In the ToFu stage, the potential buyer has a general awareness of their problem or need, but has not yet identified specific solutions.
His search intent is often informational, seeking general knowledge and comparing different options. He is not yet ready to buy. He is often convinced that he doesn't need to.
This is where he discovers your brand. It's not necessarily about the products you offer - rather, it's about the content on your site. There are good chances that you already have at least a few articles or guides related to your industry on your website.
The better this content, the more likely it is to increase brand awareness.
Your primary task at the first stage of the sales funnel is to attract the attention of potential customers.
As ToFu represents the broadest stage of the purchase path, it is important to effectively engage the customer, introducing them to your brand's world.
How your SEO strategy can help at the ToFu stage
SEO plays an important role in attracting new visitors to your website at this stage. Using the right keywords gives you visibility in search results, where potential customers often begin their journey.
They're looking for answers, and you're providing them through your content. Blog articles, guides, e-books, infographics, video content, glossaries... The list goes on, giving you plenty of room to best showcase your expertise and build trust early in the sales funnel.
Sticking to the E-E-A-T guidelines is good practice.
Your content in the ToFu stage should demonstrate Expertise, credibility and trust. This will not only make your brand a credible source of information, but also increase your chances of ranking higher in search results.
Content marketing plays an important role here, but don't forget about other SEO tactics as well.
Your SEO efforts shouldn't just close with what's on your site - link building is one of the SEO tasks that can also bring significant growth. Links leading to your site, in addition to generating direct traffic, will allow you to rank higher than your competitors for certain keywords.
What keywords to use?
Always match the keywords in your content to the intent of the reader!
Let's look at this with an example: imagine that you sell kitchen appliances.
Instead of targeting the key phrase "buy baking equipment online" - which would be more appropriate for the BoFu stage, if at all - more appropriate phrases for the ToFu stage are "best baking tips for beginners," "how to choose the right baking pan" or "baking tricks that save time and money."
Skipping the top stage of the funnel shows that you are focusing more on selling your product - and you also want to help readers solve their problems!
AnswerThePublic is a great example of a tool you can use to find relevant content ideas for potential customers in the ToFu stage.
These types of key phrases fit perfectly with the type of content that is typically used at the ToFu stage. They reflect informational intent - readers are looking for guides, instructional articles and tips. They are in the "research" phase.
Moving on: the MoFu (Middle of the Funnel) stage.
In the MoFu stage, the customer's thinking changes. He has already identified his problems and is actively seeking potential solutions.
This is probably the most important stage of the sales funnel. This is where you convert general interest into a need for your product or service.
In other words, you are no longer just providing your readers with information that will help them solve a general problem, but information that leads them to consider your offering as a potential solution.
Think of MoFu content as a pathway that leads your potential customers through a journey down the funnel, i.e., to the BoFu stage.
But before talking about finalizing the deal, you need to create and nurture a relationship with the customer at the MoFu stage. You can do this with more specific and targeted types of content:
- Case study: Use real-world examples to show how others have used your product or service.
- Product reviews and comparisons: Provide objective information to help readers understand why your product may be the right choice for their needs.
- Reports and knowledge compendia: Use data to point out industry trends, research findings or solutions to common problems. This type of content can help establish your brand as an industry pioneer.
- Webinars: Engage in real-time interaction with your audience by delivering valuable teaching or leading discussions related to your business area.
- Newsletters: Keep people up to date on industry news and your brand. Effective email marketing can maintain interest and subtly prompt a potential customer to make a purchase decision.
- FAQ pages: Solve user problems. A comprehensive FAQ can not only reduce the burden on your customer support team, but also improve brand trust.
Of course, your blog posts, guides and other forms we mentioned in the ToFu stage can also act as MoFu content - the difference is how they are structured.
The content of MoFu must be properly focused so that it fully hits the specific needs and expectations of the buyer.
How your SEO strategy can help at the MoFu stage
At the MoFu stage, your SEO efforts take on a more direct nature. As potential buyers move from broad, informational searches to more focused, consideration-related searches, it's time to tailor your content to these keywords.
The buyer's intent at the MoFu stage changes from informational to research and transactional. Therefore, you should create content that matches this intent.
You can attract potential buyers with phrases such as "mixer reviews of [your brand] vs. [competitor brand]," "best stand mixer for home cooks," or "affordable baking equipment for beginners."
Here, the key is to understand how the content you create can lead them to make purchasing decisions.
This is the point at which the optimization of your site plays a major fiddle. While it was important at the first stage (because you don't want to scare away potential customers with a terribly slow website!), at the MoF stage, elements such as internal linking, proper keyword placement and technical SEO.
For example, optimizing product and service pages can provide a seamless user experience that influences the buyer's journey down the funnel.
Make sure that these pages are not only rich in well-crafted content, but also user-friendly, well-organized and answer potential questions that buyers may have in the MoFu stage.
Finally, depending on the business model you operate under, local SEO can be a beneficial addition to your SEO strategy for MoFu. By optimizing your site for local search queries, you enable customers in your area to find your business and potentially increase conversions.
The final step: the BoFu (Bottom of the Funnel) stage.
As we approach the BoF stage (or the bottom of the sales funnel), the number of potential customers decreases.
Don't worry! This does not mean failure - it is simply due to the nature of the sales process.
As buyers become more discerning about the options they have, it is natural that at this stage the number of people interested in your offer is lower compared to the ToFu stage.
They have gone through the stages of awareness and consideration, and are now ready to make a decision. They are in the decisive part of the customer journey.
Unfortunately, you can't just throw marketing slogans at them and expect them to make a purchase. The BoF stage is not just about closing the sale; it includes the crucial moment when you finally convince them that your offer is the best one. Of course, all this while answering any concerns or questions to help the buyer make an informed decision.
In terms of the types of content needed at this stage, we're talking about things like:
- Price Calculators: A great tool for presenting personalized prices depending on the customer's needs or according to their answers to key questions.
- Comparison tables: By comparing your products or services with those of your competitors, you can effectively make sales. Highlight the features in which your product trumps the others. Remember to do it according to the rules of healthy competition!
- Samples and demos: By showing exactly how your product/service works, you highlight its good points and demonstrate the functionality that your potential customer wants.
- User feedback and reviews: Social proof, especially from satisfied customers, can be extremely effective. Genuine reviews and ratings from users inspire trust in potential customers and can tip the scales in your favor.
It's important to remember: content at the top, middle and bottom of the funnel can be intertwined. Sometimes the content you create for ToFu can serve as the final incentive at the bottom of the funnel!
Building BoF's SEO strategy
Your SEO helps buyers find the content they need at key moments during the stages of the sales funnel. However, at the BoF stage, SEO functions more as a support for your sales pitch and BoF content than as an active online marketing strategy.
However, SEO is still important here - you don't want a competing store to rank higher than you for phrases like "buy [your brand] mixer on sale," which can be doubly important if you're competing with giants in the market.
BoFu keywords are often directly related to purchase intent. These include those related to brand, branding, specific products and their features, and of course, pricing information.
In addition, using the right Schema so that your products appear directly on Google can be the final push needed to turn potential customers into buyers.
Why does SEO matter in all stages of the sales funnel?
Undoubtedly, strategic use of SEO can increase your results at all stages of the sales funnel. However, this funnel is not limited to just your site and the pages linking to it.
On the contrary, a well-optimized website is only part of it. Think about other channels that help directly lead potential buyers down the path to purchase: email marketing, paid advertising, social media and offline promotions are all perfectly valid (and often effective) ways to gain more customers.
The overall success of your sales funnel strategy depends on successfully guiding potential customers from the awareness stage (ToFu) to the purchase stage (BoFu).
Therefore, the better you match each type of content marketing activity with its corresponding stage in the sales and marketing cycle, the better the chances of conversions.
Consider where your potential buyers are most likely to see your brand. For most industries, Google is the most obvious answer, but sometimes you can find them on Instagram, instructional videos on YouTube or even podcasts on Spotify.
But no matter where they are, a solid SEO strategy is the foundation of your online presence. That being said, the breadth of activities in the sales funnel does not preclude SEO - in fact, it enhances its essence!
User intent in the next stages of the sales funnel ToFu, MoFu, BoFu
Here's a little bonus: a download on user intent! Use these tips to plan your content strategy for the next stages of the ToFu, MoFu, BoFu sales funnel.
Summary
ToFu, MoFu and BoFu are abbreviations that represent the three stages of the content marketing funnel: the beginning of the funnel (Top of the Funnel), the middle of the funnel (Middle of the Funnel) and the bottom of the funnel (Bottom of the Funnel).
The idea is simple. Your customers need to notice your brand (ToFu), think about how your offer can help them (MoFu) and take action and make a purchase (BoFu).
SEO can guide you through each of these stages, acting as a driving force for your content marketing and online visibility strategy.
Remember that each stage of the marketing funnel requires a separate but often related approach. User intent changes as the sales process continues, and your content should reflect these changes.
Remember, SEO is an ongoing process, and constant adjustment and improvement are key to maintaining a successful sales funnel.
Harness the power of SEO, experiment with different strategies and watch your conversions increase!
