It is important for marketers to know where prospective customers are along the purchase process continuum. It enables them more effectively deploy messages and information that will move them ever closer towards a sale.

I believe that the keywords used in search queries are reliable proxies for establishing where potential customers are along the purchase process.

The following is a framework for categorising user intent which I find particularly helpful. It's based off a combination of different studies and publications, of which I've listed a few at the end of the blog.

Pre-Awareness

Web users in the Pre-Awareness stage are best described as curious. They are looking for information and may or may not be vaguely aware about a void in their life that could be filled by a product or service. Brands don't even come into it at this time.

Keywords related to the Pre-Awareness stage are centered around the user's search for information through non-industry related terms. An example of this would be someone searching for “Get Higher in Google” instead of “SEO tips”, as they are not yet aware that the SEO industry exists. Common phrases you might see include: What is, How To, Difference between, Best way to... as well as searches directed towards guides or social forums.

A lot of your long-tail search traffic is likely sourced in this stage, especially if you blog. Do not attempt to sell to these people or they will be likely to bounce. The safest option is to use the opportunity to present yourself as a thought leader in your industry and generate brand awareness.

Awareness

Users in the Awareness phase of the purchase process have just come to understand their problem and now describe it using industry-relevant terms and/or product attributes. They are aware of an issue or opportunity in their lives and are researching different ways in which to resolve it. They consider that they may have to pay for a product or service.

Searchers will now be more likely to use industry-relevant jargon and acronyms. They will also use goal-orientated phrases; Improve, upgrade, prevent, optimise, heat-retardant, noise-reducing, 12 megapixels, 500Gb Hard Drive...

Again, selling is not what you want to do to these searchers. Your goal should be to provide them with information and help them proceed to the next stage of the purchase process with your brand in mind. This can happen immediately (i.e on your site) or they may have to leave, search and come back, depending on the length of the purchase cycle for the industry.

Consideration

This stage is defined by less talk about the issue and more talk about the solution. The user now has a preferred solution in mind and is researching where to source it. In the case of products, users have a specific type of product in mind, but the brand and model is still up in the air.

Keywords will be orientated towards finding a specific type of service provider or product that meets their newly realised requirements. Another big giveaway are queries which suggest that comparison and review work is going on.

Examples may include searches for: Agencies, Consultants, in-house service providers, software engineers, 100 Watt dual-input tube guitar amp, Marshall Stack vs Roland Cube, Nike Air Review

Location-based searches can also be attributed to this phase of the purchase cycle.

The Pizza Purchase funnel is a notoriously short one, and concludes quickly once the consideration stage has been passed.

In most cases, your ability to sell your product or service will hinge on your presence during the consideration phase. If, for whatever reason, you are unable to compete for consideration-phase keywords, consider the possibility of getting into your prospects' heads during their preliminary research (Awareness & Pre-Awareness).

Preference

The end of the consideration phase heralds the emergence of a preference for a particular brand's product or service.

An important distinction to make here is that products, very often, can be purchased through multiple outlets. However, business-to-business services are usually tied to the seller as the service you are getting is dependent on who the service provider is. If a user has a preference for a B2B service then they probably have the service provider in mind too. This can lead to a blurring of the lower-funnel stages in B2B online search scenarios.

Searches to look out for include: brand names, mentions of branded services and price-related queries. (Price-queries may also arise near the end of the consideration step)

As with every other stage of the process, just because a prospect has reached a preference doesn't mean they're going to go through with a purchase. Yes, they have a product or service in mind that they would like to buy, but they still need to be convinced to part with their money.

Action

At this point, since many web users will just be navigating straight to brand or ecommerce websites, this phase won't always be visible in terms of search queries.

When searches do happen, they will include strong indications of intent to purchase, in the form of words such as Buy, Book, Order, Trial, Demo etc..

These are usually highly competitive search terms for product-related searches because most of the persuasive work has already been done. All that is left to do is to make it easy for the consumer to make their purchase and to feel comfortable while doing so.

Loyalty

Identifying customers who are potential brand advocates is probably more suited to the realm of social media analytics and CRM than search. I just thought I'd include it anyway to highlight the fact that the process doesn't end with a purchase. There are always more sales to make and more clients to be referred on to!

So what's the application of all this?

Content Management

When prospects come to our web pages from a search engine we get one crucial piece of information about them: the keywords that brought them there. If we can approximate the stage of the decision-making process the visitors are at then we will be better equipped to provide suitable content. With a bit of practice you won't just be answering their question, you'll be helping them down the funnel at the same time.

Keyword Research

There are many factors to consider when choosing keyword targets for a search marketing campaign and, in my opinion, Intent to purchase is one of the big ones. In fact, many of us are probably already factoring it in unconsciously.

For example; When we build landing pages for queries like “SEO Company” or “PPC Specialists” instead of “What is SEO?”.' What is SEO' may have a lot of traffic, but we instinctively know that those searchers are not as valuable to us as someone who is already considering hiring an agency.

Ideally we should like to be present at every stage along the purchase process. This isn't always possible, however, and it will be up to you to devise your marketing strategy based on the information and resources available to you.

Industry-specific knowledge will always come into play when determining user intent. So if you've just taken on a new client from an industry you are unfamiliar with, make sure you take the time to get to know their field and the industry-relevant lingo!

The better you understand your audience the more effective your marketing strategies will be, and defining user intent based on the keywords they use is the closest thing search marketers can get to practicing psycholanalysis.

My questions for the SEOmozzers:

Do you have your own system or methods for qualifying user intent? Is this something you consider when choosing your keyword targets, or is traffic and competition far more important?

Are there any search queries or keywords you think should/could be positioned elsewhere within the funnel framework?

Looking forward to reading any comments!

Some references for anyone interested:

1. Some fantastic research by GroupM Search & Comscore. Conducting semantic analysis of keyword usage, they were able to track users as they moved through the purchase process. They then correlated their movement through the funnel with exposure to branded social media.
2. An interesting study by Google and TechTarget analysing searcher behaviour at different points in the online purchase process.
3. Marketing in the Age of Google by Vanessa Fox. Chapter 3 and 4 in particular contain some really useful insights into searcher personas and how people search.