How to convert your business' website traffic into paying customers through SEO?

Doing SEO for your business is about more than bringing traffic.

That traffic MUST serve a purpose: To convert your audience into customers.

But before they hand you their hard-earned money, there's a journey they must make.

When designing your SEO content strategy, you must consider what your readers already know about the problem they are facing and how to solve it.

You can infer this by analyzing the search intent from the queries you want to target.

Enter: The Fives Stages of Awareness.

The Five Stages of Awareness is a marketing framework popularized in the 60s by legendary copywriter Eugene Schwartz.

It stands on your readers' current knowledge to avoid your message falling on deaf ears.

Here's how to craft content based on this framework and search intent.

Stage 1. Unaware

People don't know yet the desire or the need to solve a problem.

Your content must show them they have a problem and teach them why it needs to be fixed.

Use statistics, studies, infographics, and news to let them know they could be better than now.

Stage 2. Problem aware

Your potential customer knows there's a problem, but doesn't know there's a solution.

Example queries:

• Symptoms of [X]
• How to solve [X]

Your content must provide value and answer their questions. Then, lead them to potential solutions.

Stage 3. Solution aware

They know there's a solution to their problem, but don't know your offer is one of those.

Example queries:

- Best [product] for [problem]

- Treatment for [problem]

Your content should help your reader to make an informed decision and trust your brand.

During this stage, your audience is still gathering information and learning about the different alternatives for them.

Avoid hard selling on your content, but focus on your advantages and how your product has helped others solve the same problem they are facing.

Stage 4. Product aware

Here, your audience knows what you have to offer, but it's not sure it's right for them.

Example queries:

- [Brand] reviews

- [Brand1] vs [Brand2]

- [Brand] pricing

Focus on building trust and proving your brand better than the competition.

In this stage, your content should aim at highlighting your offer's features, benefits, and USP.

You should use case studies, testimonials, product demos, and reviews portraying what is like using your product or service.

Stage 5. Most aware

These are your fans. They know you and know what your offer could do for them, but maybe are still on the fence.

Example queries:

- Buy [product]

- [Brand] coupons

- Hire [brand]

All your audience needs is a little push.

Your content for Stage 5 must be direct.

Focus on incentivizing your audience to take action.

Coupons, free trials, upsells, and FOMO work great here.

Also, make sure your content answers last-minute objections.

Takeaway

- Traffic without conversion is not effective

- Design your business site's content strategy around your customers' knowledge

- Match search intent with the Five Stages of Awareness

- Use the best content for each awareness stage

- Close the Problem -> Product gap