When setting up your site to be found on the web, there are many aspects to consider. One such aspect is the mind of the searcher. Sounds fancy and complicated, right? Well, it is not actually as intense as it may sound. Read on to find out…
Obviously, your site needs to be easily crawlable. Even if you have the exact search words your searcher types, your site may be buried without proper indexing. To be crawlable, your site should have keywords, intentional information, and proper organization. Those are some of the major requirements, but how do you choose what words and information to include? That is where stepping into the shoes of your searcher comes in!
To step into the shoes of your searcher, you have to aim to understand them. To start, you should make a list of what your potential customer’s pains are. What problems are they trying to solve by making a search that could lead them to your page? How does your product or service solve that problem? What could they gain from your solution? These are all important questions to answer when choosing what to include in your site.
Once you answer those questions from your potential customer’s point of view, it will be much easier to answer the next questions, including, “what words may my customer search for quick results?,” “what specific questions might they ask?” and “what statements could they type in that would lead them to my site?”
It is easy to come up with a solution to a pain point you have found. It is easier to get caught in a rabbit hole of your solution without considering your customer at all. Stepping into the shoes of your customer will help your site perform better and reach the people you are aiming for.
3 Responses
I like the idea of looking at your site through the searcher’s perspective. That’s a great way to make your site valuable to your target audience. Keywords and phrases are also super important for reaching your customers.
This post was really good! I liked the way you approached the problem. You came at it in a very simple, understandable way, and it made it seem so easy. It is really important for a business and website to have thought through their customers pain and needs, and most of the time they don’t. This post shows just how crucial it is for a website’s success. You drew me in with a good hook at the beginning, and answered all your questions by the end. Great job!
I love the reminder of who we are making the site for. Since we are selfish beings we naturally think about how we want things, but we need to make the site for the people using it…the searchers.