An old saying goes like this: “The customer is always right”, or another one that we like goes: “The customer is the most important visitor”. The customer is always the boss, and that’s why every marketing strategy must be focused on him. This philosophy doesn’t apply only in hospitality, but to SEO too. A SEO strategy doesn’t need to revolve around words and concepts, but around the customer. While you do have to please Google too, the customer is the one buying. This article will present the things you can do to navigate between Google and the customer, while pleasing both of them. But remember, the focus is on the customer!
Contents:
What Is a Customer-Centered Strategy?
A customer-centered SEO strategy is a strategy that aligns with what the customer is looking for. The user’s behavior and needs are at the center of the strategy. So, instead of focusing on metrics, the focus should be on the customer. The SEO trends that we already know should be used to appeal more to those looking to buy. Things like keywords are still being used, but the intent is different. The mantra of this new strategy should be: “What does the customer want?”. It’s the more human approach to a world in which technology and analytics seem to be ruling. Let’s see what things are that you should modify, and how to do that.
Audience Research
In order to please your customer, you need to know who your customer is. Audience research helps you understand who your target audience is and how to get to them. It’s about understanding demographics (location, age, gender, etc.), but also behaviors (what platforms they use, and how they usually interact with media). This will help you choose the correct platforms to post on and the accurate way to create content. Depending on your target audience, your strategy must switch. If you have a makeup brand, your target audience is mostly women and girls. But if you are selling construction gear, your target audience will be mostly men. Therefore, you have to address them accordingly. Create an audience persona, or ideal customer. You can even give them a fake name, like so:
- Name – Chris
- Gender – Male
- Age – 33 years old
- Occupation – IT
- Location – New York City
- Income – $52,000 per year
- Most used social media apps – Instagram and Facebook
Based on this ‘ideal customer’ portrait, you know the language you should use, and the platforms you should focus on the most. You can check the trends that are going around on these apps and use them to create content. Generally speaking, a 30-year-old person will have different references compared to a 20-year-old one; use those references to get to people! It’s easier to connect with a brand that seems to be having the same values as you.
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Search Intent
Search intent is tightly connected to audience research. You now know who your client is, but are they Googling things? Search intent is the intent the user has when searching for something on the web. By understanding this concept, you can optimize the content to answer a certain search intent. With optimized content, the user can find exactly what they are looking for, which increases satisfaction. Search intent can be of four main types: informational, navigational, transactional, and commercial. But what does this mean?
- Informational – This type of search intent is when the user is searching for something. This query is something like: “How to…”, “What does…mean?”, or “Best way to…”.
- Navigational – This is looking for a certain website; for example: “TikTok login”.
- Transactional – The user is ready to buy! These queries are the ones that include words like: buy, best price for, sign up for, etc.
- Commercial – The user wants to buy, but they are still researching. These can be comparisons, so queries like: “X versus Y”, or just something like: “Top ten…”.
Now, you can create content that answers the informational query. For example, you could write an article that replies to a “How to…” question. Depending on the industry you are in, find the most common “How to…” question and address it on your website! Make the title of the article the question, and try to answer it as clearly as possible. For example, if you have a make-up brand, write an article titled: “How to do a smokey eye?”, or “How to apply red lipstick perfectly?”. This answers the customer’s question while proving that your brand is to be trusted in the makeup industry.
Keyword Strategy
Keywords are still a part of a customer-centered SEO strategy. Instead of only using high-traffic keywords, you should use keywords that answer the customer’s searches. Many companies that offer SEO services don’t use long-tail keywords. But that is a big mistake, because long-tail keywords are very valuable, especially when creating a strategy that has the customer at the center. In a customer-centered SEO strategy, keywords serve the same purpose as in a traditional strategy. They are meant to bring more traffic, but in this situation, it’s not just general traffic; it’s about attracting the correct customers. In this situation, everything is intentional. Read more about the limitations of keywords in this article published by Search Engine Land.
Creating a Strategy
Now, when building a strategy, you must take into consideration all of the elements that we discussed. But let’s look at all of the things that you can do or optimize on your website. First of all, your website must look and work flawlessly. Ensure that there are no bugs and that all of the pages are loading in a timely manner. Your content should be checked for broken links; if there are any, replace them. Make sure that your menu is not cluttered; too many options confuse people. While at this, the options should have clear names, no metaphors. Also, pay attention to 404 error pages. You don’t want users to end up on those!
You have to pay attention to all of the details that might make a potential customer not trust you. As a business owner, you want to acquire as many loyal customers as possible. A loyal customer not only buys again, but also talks to others about your business. That’s why at the core of a customer-centered strategy, there is the user’s experience. As a tip, always revisit old content. If you have some good articles on your blog, ensure that the information is still accurate. And, even if the information is accurate, you can still give the article a refresh. Using new keywords and improving the titles can go a long way. You should also check this article published by the Search Engine Journal that talks about building such an SEO strategy.
Visual Harmony
Humans like things that look nice! If they somehow get on your website, and it doesn’t look good, users will leave immediately. Use neutral colors and a font that’s easy to read. Big and clear titles, concise and bold subtitles. Use bullet points for everything, from articles and blog posts to product or service descriptions. As for images and video, only high-quality ones, and only when necessary. You want to reduce visual pollution as much as possible. Your website should be easy to use and nice to look at. Put every button exactly where the user would expect to see it. It’s called “intuitive browsing,” and you can find more about it in this article published on Medium. You don’t necessarily want beauty, but cohesiveness.
Sales Funnel
Understanding the sales funnel is essential when building an SEO strategy. It’s a map of the stage through which a potential client goes. It’s called a ‘funnel’ because it’s wide at the top (where there are the most people), and it gets smaller with every stage (because you lose clients). Ideally, you should lose as few users as possible on the way. And if you do lose many of them, you should identify at which stage. But, if we want to understand more about this, we must know what the stages are:
- The first stage is that of Awareness. You must make sure that potential customers are made aware of your product. This stage is a combination of search intent and keywords research. You put all of those together and create content that makes users aware of your business.
- Next, we have the stage of Consideration, or interest. Potential clients are evaluating your product. It’s a critical stage! That’s why your content should be filled with internal linking, to keep the client more on your website (because it gives you more time to convince them).
- The Conversation stage is the third one. As the name suggests, it’s the stage where the potential client is ready to make a purchase. If you don’t want to lose clients in this stage, ensure that your website is loading fast and that the checkout page is easy to navigate.
- The last stage is the Loyalty stage. At this stage, you want to make that user a repeat customer. You can do this by sending personalized emails and maybe even offering discounts.
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Co-Founder, SEO Scientist (PhD in Computer Science)(Eng. & MBA) Mihai Tudorache
Co-Founder, SEO Strategist (Eng., MBA)
Be Human and Empathic
This might sound silly, almost like a made-up step, but it’s an essential one. If you want a customer-centered SEO strategy, you cannot only think of the latest Google update, keywords, and blog posts. You must think of your potential client. Think of how you’d like to be addressed as a client. What would convince you to buy the product or service that you are selling? Try to think outside of the box. Brainstorm with those around you. With this kind of project, you constantly need a new set of eyes on the plan you are creating. It’s true that you still need to take the technical parts into consideration, but they should come second.
What Can GAMITSEO Do?
We are GAMITSEO, a company that offers SEO services. We serve many industries and have had amazing results with all of the projects we have taken on. We offer SEO content writing services, link-building, managed SEO services, and many others. GAMIT can create a customer-centered SEO strategy that will bring eyes to your business. We have years of experience in this industry and are up to date with everything that’s happening in the technological world. But we are a team of humans. We don’t use AI to do our jobs, which is why the work we do is so valuable.
If you trust us to create your strategy, we will make sure to do a thorough audience and keyword research. We will identify the target audience and then their needs and wants. With the help of optimization and creation, we will provide the potential client’s dream website. Every title, subtitle, and description on the website will answer a type of search intent. All of the articles and blog posts on your website will be written in a simple but informative tone, which will immediately captivate the reader. The text will come in a structure that’s easy to follow for the reader, with bullet points, lists, and concise subtitles. And, most importantly, we will have ‘the customer’ as the focus of the whole strategy.
About Author
Ion G. Tudorache
As a co-founder and managing director of GAMIT I am the first contact of our clients. My job includes setting project objectives and offering SEO consulting advice to customers. My professional background and experience working in the SEO industry are essential in developing efficient SEO strategies and designing innovative techniques.
