What Can We Infer from Our Visitors’ Search Language?

I’m hung up right now on the issue of online conversion and why conversion rates are, in my estimation, generally so far beneath where they could be.

One reason we fail to convert visitors into buyers online is that we fail to speak to them in a way that coincides with their needs at the time.  Sometimes this is understandable.  We can’t read the minds of our visitors, can we?  In fact… sometimes, maybe we can.

For many of us, the bulk of our site traffic comes from search engines. People turn a question of some kind into a search term/phase; enter it into a search engine; and follow what they perceive to be the most relevant resulting link.

Let’s consider that first action that people take when searching.  They translate a question of some kind into a search phrase or term. Let’s think about two people – each with an interest in buying a digital camera.

The first person searches: “digital camera”

The second person searches: “Nikon D80 10.2 Megapixel”

What can we infer about what these two people need to see in order for them to achieve sufficient resolution to take action on their interest?

We could assume that the first person is earlier in the buying cycle than the second.  She is searching in general terms and therefore may not be firmly resolved on what exactly she needs.  The appropriate landing page for her might help her to narrow her choices. We could invite her to shop by price, resolution, or brand. We could show her the best sellers. We could offer her advice on how to choose a digital camera.

To push for an immediate sale when a person uses highly generalized search terms is rarely an effective approach.

Now let’s look at our second person.  He has entered a highly specific search – suggesting that he is deeper into the buying process.  What might he need to see when he gets to your site?

First, he had better see that particular camera prominently featured on the page. He will probably be interested in pricing, the availability of that particular camera, technical specifications, reviews of that camera, return policies, accessories for that camera, and an escape route to other options in case he concludes that this is not the camera for him.

You see the difference.  Through their search language, each prospect gave us a clue about where they were in the buying process.  From there, we can make educated guesses about what they need to see when they arrive at our site.  It is our job to give it to them through our landing page design and SEO planning. Is this a perfect science?  No.  But if we do this well, we will sell more online.