TOFU, MOFU, BOFU, and Why It Matters in SEO

An advertising pioneer in the late 1800s created the idea of a sales funnel, which works even better in the digital age. Business owners can envision the sales process as a funnel with a large opening that provides easy entrance by potential leads. As the funnel narrows, customer interests and preferences change as they pass from the top of the funnel (TOFU) to the middle (MOFU) and eventually to the bottom (BOFU). Effective search engine optimization (SEO) allows businesses to adapt sales messages to suit customer interests by optimizing each funnel level.

Choosing the Right Moment and Approach

Receptiveness to almost any message depends on the frame of mind. Nearly everyone knows to choose the right psychological moment to present an idea in the hope of getting others to welcome it. The concept may seem even more important when the messages concern marketing. The progression of your leads from becoming aware of your product to deciding to buy it takes time and requires your patient understanding.

When a request or a suggestion does not hit the mark or resonate with a potential customer, the moment passes without the possibility of a second chance. You can take pride in a beautiful, informative and enjoyable website. However, a push for a sale too soon can make a lead climb up out of the sales funnel. You want every customer to remain in the funnel for the entire journey. The perfect occasion for presenting products or services to leads in the funnel occurs when SEO makes it appropriate.

Inviting Visitors to Enter the Top of the Sales Funnel (TOFU)

Visitors to your site surely have a general idea in mind, and they want to know if your site can help them narrow their search. As they find something that interests them, the awareness phase begins. It presents the opportunity to answer unasked questions that intrigue them and keep them on the site. Their interest in learning something or finding a solution invites you to entertain or educate them about your product.

While you have potential leads on your site, you may briefly describe the merits of your product. When you can offer them a possible solution to an issue that concerns them, it reflects your interest in their situation. When site visitors think of your product as helpful and one they want to use, trust in your brand begins. The top of the funnel contains visitors with a wide range of interests, and you cannot expect many of them to need your product or service. TOFU on your site accomplishes the primary goal of increasing brand awareness.

Choosing TOFU Keywords

An appeal that you can make to a broad audience with varied interests touts the potential of your product. For example, if it can rid your lawn of mole crickets or turn the grass greener than ever, you may get responses to “how to end lawn problems.”

If you produce software that makes doing taxes easy, “how to get a fast tax refund” as a keyword may generate interest. The motivation that inspired you to create your product or service can appeal to site visitors. Search engines can drive traffic to your site when your keyword choices lead them to you.

Delivering Content at the Top

Techniques for capturing visitors’ attention offer many formats that appeal to different learning styles. For example, content that appeals to people who prefer to read may not attract others who like to learn by listening. A mix of content presentation methods appeals to visitors and search engines like it too. Many enjoy interactive exchanges, and others seek sites that offer video content.

Blogs can provide access to tips, how-to guides, listicles, news, comparisons, research, press releases, checklists, and about 12 more subjects that attract visitors.

Videos, podcasts, and webinars please visitors who want information without reading, and infographics deliver content colorfully with plenty of space.

Many internet users want to find templates, guides, or shortcuts that save time and produce professional results.

Moving to the Middle of the Funnel (MOFU)

Consideration replaces awareness as site visitors move further down the sales funnel. Anyone who reaches the middle of the funnel shows an interest that you can develop into a potential purchase by customers who like your product. Their interests focus on specific aspects as they look for a solution to an acknowledged need. For example, they may wonder whether to buy new carpets or choose a cleaning service. Some may want a cure for an aching back with an adjustable bed or a traditional mattress and a topper.

You may choose to focus on the financial aspect of a solution someone may select. Potential buyers in the consideration phase need a reminder about the need to do something about a problem that drives them to your site. Your guidance may inform them that the cost of not doing anything can exceed that of fixing a problem. A gentle approach works best for the middle phase.

Choosing MOFU Keywords

A direct link between the solutions you propose in TOFU and the keywords in MOFU provides the answer customers seek. When potential customers consider buying your product, they need proof of its value to them. Therefore, they want you to assess and evaluate your product’s capabilities to provide the kind of evidence they need to make a buying decision.

For example, you can compare your product’s features with your primary competitor’s as a convenient summation that saves buyers time and effort. Furthermore, it affirms your status as an expert who shares knowledge and competent advice. Keywords that show your product as the best on the market in your evaluation of its value compared to others include “beneficial,” “useful,” and “profitable.” In addition, “ultimate” and “perfect” help potential buyers choose your product over other alternatives.

Delivering Content in the Middle

Leads in the middle of the funnel need content that provides the research and product evaluation that can help them reach a buying decision. You may choose to deliver content through favorite techniques such as blog posts, chatbots, offers of free trials, and email campaigns.

In addition, you can use fact sheets to provide a convenient summary of your product that reflects your understanding of a problem they want to resolve. Case studies do the same thing but in more detail. You can describe your successful experience in addressing a similar problem that someone else has.

As an easy-to-read format, eBooks give you a chance to provide your product description in a friendly and supportive manner. When potential customers see you as a helpful source of information, it helps establish your brand as a preferred choice. A more complex explanation in a white paper can present a compilation of facts and statistics. The emphasis on technical details may appeal to some of the leads in the middle of the sales funnel, but it may offer no interest to others. A mix of formats for delivering content can help you reach the widest audience.

Videos may demonstrate how to use your product and appeal to those who prefer the technique to reading. With color and sound, videos can emphasize many of your website’s points and make them memorable. In addition, webinars provide a method that explains your product in a unique format and engages participation.

Reaching Clients at the Bottom of the Funnel (BOFU)

Leads who stayed with you from the top and through the middle of the sales funnel deserve special treatment as welcome guests to your site. Their interest in your product or service shows that they need only a little more effort on your part to make a purchasing decision. A gentle nudge with a discount or a special deal piques their interest. Your goal at the last stage of the customer journey needs to increase buyer confidence by reaffirming your product’s appropriateness for a problem that needs resolving.

A mistake that inexperience can produce in internet marketing occurs in trying too hard to make a sale. A buying decision occurs at the bottom of the funnel when leads become convinced that your product or service offers what they want. When you can offer friendly advice that assists in deciding to buy a product, you can leave the decision up to the buyer. No one wants to feel pushed. Therefore, it helps when you can assume that the decision favors your product. For example, you may offer a reminder about the warranties that come with a purchase. In addition, most buyers like the assurance of a friendly customer service policy.

Choosing BOFU Keywords

Reassurances can make buyers feel confident in their purchasing decision. At the bottom of the sales funnel, leads who reach that level want to know specifics about your product. To capture their interest and attention, you can expand the length of your keywords to provide the detail they need.

Use “buy” to start a string of three or four words that describe your product.

“Compare” can let you present your best features, price, and terms against another provider.

“Find” lets buyers search for nearby locations.

“Order online for” invites buyers to shop your site for convenient deliveries.

Delivering Content for a Purchase

Some techniques that work well with converting prospects into customers include free trials. Almost nothing appeals to buyers more than a chance to check out a product for free. Then, when they enjoy it and find that it fills a need, you convert a lead into a customer.

An infographic may provide a concise description of your product’s features compared to a competitor’s. Many potential buyers balk at doing the research to compare products. As a result, you can make comparisons easier for them by showing why your product offers more of what they want. It helps to show it has a better value than others on the market. A simple summation may provide the nudge some shoppers need to decide to buy.

Tutorials can provide information buyers already know, giving them peace of mind about making the right decision. In addition, a video tutorial explains features that they may not fully understand. For example, a video for products that require a buyer to assemble something or follow a series of steps can provide helpful information that shows how to do it.

An invitation to sign up for a newsletter or a download reveals customer interest in your brand even if a sale does not occur. A communication channel offers a path that may convert browsers into customers. Through it, buyers may request a demo or a consultation. You can issue invitations to events or demonstrations. You can count response to your outreach as a success in digital marketing.

Choosing a Top Canadian SEO Firm

Search engine optimization captures more traffic, produces more qualified leads, and generates more revenue for sites that use the power of digital marketing. At SEO North, we offer expertise in internet marketing to help advertise your products and services efficiently. Our focus on developing high-quality content gives your site a competitive edge.

We use proprietary techniques to achieve the best search engine page results that drive traffic to your site. Experience in digital marketing, content, SEO, backlink development, and analysis of results makes us a leader in the field. We encourage you to use our live chat feature to learn how we can help you get the SEO attention you deserve.