How to Use User Intent for SEO Funnel Creation

If you're not leveraging user intent to create a seamless SEO funnel, you're missing a BIG opportunity to guide your audience toward conversion. Trust me, user intent isn’t just a buzzword—it’s the backbone of every successful SEO strategy.

So, let’s dive into how you can master this concept.

1. Understand the 3 Core Types of User Intent

Every search query falls into one of these buckets, and your SEO funnel should align with all three:

• Informational Intent: When users are looking for knowledge (e.g., “What is email marketing?”), they are in the awareness stage. To attract them, focus on blog posts, guides, and how-to videos.

• Navigational Intent: When users search for a specific brand or service (e.g., “Mailchimp pricing”), they are in the middle of their journey. Optimize content like feature pages, “about us” sections, and targeted landing pages to help them discover more about your business.

• Transactional Intent: When users are ready to take action (e.g., “buy email marketing software”), they are primed to convert. Focus on product pages, pricing details, testimonials, and CTAs that seal the deal.

Align your content with these intents at every stage of the buyer’s journey.

2. Map Content to Your Funnel

Think of your SEO strategy as a funnel, where user intent shifts as users go from awareness to conversion. Here’s how to map content based on intent:

• Top of Funnel (TOFU): Start with informational content to capture awareness. Blog posts, explainer videos, and downloadable resources are your best friends here. Prioritize topics that can generate organic traffic. You can use tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush to identify informational keyword opportunities.

• Middle of Funnel (MOFU): This is where navigational content shines. Users are considering their options—so get them to consider your brand! Case studies, comparison posts (e.g., X vs. Y, alternative to), or FAQ pages can hook an interested audience.

• Bottom of Funnel (BOFU): Here’s your chance to convert transactional intent. Your BOFU pages, such as pricing, product descriptions, product landing pages, demo signups, or an E-Commerce checkout process, need to be optimized for action-driven keywords like “best SaaS pricing plans” or “buy [product name] online.”

3. Optimize CTAs Based on Intent

Your Calls-To-Action (CTAs) should match where the user is in your funnel. For example:

• TOFU: “Download our free guide.”

• MOFU: “Compare us today.”

• BOFU: “Start your free trial now.”

Continuity is key, so make sure the next step in the user journey is crystal clear at every stage.

4. Measure and Adjust as Intent Changes

The beauty of user intent is that it is dynamic. What worked six months ago might not work today because user behavior shifts over time.

Use Google Analytics, Search Console or behavioral tools like Microsoft Clarity to monitor:

• What keywords are driving traffic to each funnel stage.

• How users engage with specific pages (bounce rate, time spent, scroll depth, etc.).

• Where they drop off the funnel—and why.

If certain TOFU or MOFU content isn’t funneling users to BOFU, you may need to update CTAs, improve internal linking, or rethink keyword alignment.

Pro Tip: Use SERP Analysis to Reveal Intent

If you are unsure what content to create for a specific topic or keyword, Google’s search results are goldmines for understanding user intent. Search for the keyword you’re targeting—if the results are primarily blog posts or guides, that’s informational intent. If the SERP shows product pages and pricing info, it’s transactional intent.

The better you understand what the searcher (and Google) expects, the better you can create content that will rank and that users will engage with.

So, what’s next? It’s time to work on your SEO funnel. Audit your current content through the lens of user intent and ask yourself:

• Does this content match the intent behind the keywords it's targeting?

• Does it guide users logically to the next stage of the funnel?

Focusing on user intent will drive more organic traffic and seamlessly guide users to a conversion action.

Do you need a little extra help? I created a killer template for auditing your SEO funnel by intent stage. Hit reply, and I’ll send it over!

Until next time,
Roberto

P.S. Are you a local business that needs help with SEO? Reply to this email. Let’s chat!

Not a local business? No problem. I have many SEO freelancer friends I can recommend. Hit me up if you need an intro 🤝

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