# Keyword Funnel Strategy

> Systematically cover the user search path from high to low intent

---

## Keyword Funnel Model

The buyer's decision journey is a funnel. Each stage has corresponding search behavior:

```
TOFU (Problem Awareness)
  "how to improve team collaboration"
  "what is product-led growth"
    ↓
MOFU (Solution Research)
  "best collaboration software 2026"
  "Notion vs Obsidian"
    ↓
BOFU (Purchase Decision)
  "[product] pricing"
  "[product] reviews"
  "[product] vs [competitor]"
```

### Keyword Matrix

| Funnel Stage | Keyword Type | Example | Content Type | Priority |
|-------------|-------------|---------|-------------|----------|
| **BOFU** | Brand | [product] pricing / demo / trial | Pricing page, trial page | P0 |
| **BOFU** | Review | [product] reviews / alternatives | Review aggregation page | P0 |
| **MOFU** | Comparison | [productA] vs [productB] | Comparison page | P1 |
| **MOFU** | Category | best [category] software for [use case] | Listicle | P1 |
| **TOFU** | Problem | how to [solve problem] | Blog, guide | P2 |
| **TOFU** | Educational | what is [concept] | Glossary | P2 |

---

## Priority Principle: BOFU First

**Start from the bottom of the funnel and work upward.**

Most people instinctively start with TOFU — writing tons of educational blog posts. This is wrong:

1. **BOFU keywords convert highest** — Someone searching "[product] pricing" is already deciding
2. **BOFU pages are limited in number** — Pricing + comparison pages total under 20, focus firepower
3. **MOFU comparison pages are SEO gold** — Capture users actively comparing competitors
4. **TOFU is for scaling** — Expand after core pages rank stable

### Execution Sequence

```
Phase 1 (Week 1-4): BOFU Core Pages
  → Pricing page + FAQ Schema
  → Top 5 competitor comparison pages
  → Individual product feature pages

Phase 2 (Week 5-8): MOFU Content
  → "best [category] for [use case]" listicles
  → More comparison pages (≥10 total)
  → Customer case study pages

Phase 3 (Week 9+): TOFU Scale
  → Topic Cluster blog content
  → Glossary term pages
  → 4 articles/week sustained cadence
```

---

## Keyword Research Methods

### Tool Selection

| Tool | Use | Free/Paid |
|------|-----|-----------|
| Ahrefs | Keyword Difficulty (KD) + search volume | Paid |
| Google Search Console | Discover existing ranking terms | Free |
| AnswerThePublic | Question-type keyword discovery | Free tier |
| AlsoAsked | "People Also Ask" mining | Free tier |
| Google Autocomplete | Real-time search suggestions | Free |

### Selection Criteria

```
Ideal keyword profile:
- KD (Keyword Difficulty): 30-50 (moderate competition, new sites can rank)
- Monthly search volume: 100-1,000 (long-tail but meaningful)
- Commercial intent: Medium-High (contains "best" "vs" "pricing" signals)
- Content gap: Existing ranking pages are low quality, can be outranked
```

### Competitor Keyword Stealing

1. Enter competitor domain in Ahrefs
2. Export "Organic Keywords" ranking list
3. Filter for KD 30-50, Volume 100+
4. Find keywords competitors rank for but you don't = your opportunity

---

## Keyword-to-Content Mapping

### Title Formulas

| Content Type | Title Template |
|-------------|---------------|
| Tutorial | How to [Task] in 2026: [Number] [Adjective] Methods |
| Listicle | [Number] Best [Category] Tools for [Use Case] in 2026 |
| Comparison | [ProductA] vs [ProductB]: Which is Better in 2026? |
| Guide | The Complete Guide to [Topic] for [Target Users] |
| Case Study | How [Company] [Result] with [Product] |

### Meta Description Formula

```
[Product/Method] helps [target users] [core value]. 
[Key feature/data point]. [CTA].
```

---

## Topic Cluster Internal Linking

```
Pillar Page: The Complete Guide to [Category]
  ├── Cluster: How to [Task1] with [Category]
  ├── Cluster: [Category] Best Practices for [Industry]
  ├── Cluster: [Category] vs [Alternatives]
  ├── Cluster: [Category] ROI Calculator
  └── Cluster: [Category] Glossary
```

**Linking rules:**
- Every cluster article links back to the pillar page
- Pillar page links to all cluster articles
- Cluster articles cross-link to related clusters
- Anchor text uses target keywords (never "click here")

---

## Monitoring & Iteration

### Weekly Check

- [ ] Google Search Console: new ranking terms, CTR changes
- [ ] Ahrefs: core keyword ranking movement
- [ ] Content calendar: is this week's publishing on track?

### Monthly Optimization

- [ ] Articles ranking 11-20 → optimize title and content to break into page 1
- [ ] High impressions, low clicks → optimize Title and Meta Description
- [ ] Declining traffic articles → update data and examples

---

*Keyword Funnel Strategy v1.0 — Gingiris SEO/GEO Playbook*