The marketing funnel is that magical roadmap that helps businesses guide customers from “Who the heck are you?” to “Take my money!”
This post is all about the first stage of the marketing funnel.
Top of the funnel search terms might not seem like a big deal, but they’re actually a powerful tool for attracting potential customers to your website and building brand awareness.
In this post, I’ll talk about what top-of-the-funnel keywords are in detail along with the benefits of targeting them. Plus, I’ll share a few ToFu keyword strategies you can use to get more sales.
What Are Top of The Funnel Keywords?
Top of the funnel aka TOFU keywords is the search terms that people use when they’re at the beginning of their buying journey. Users are trying to figure out what they need to know before making a purchase.
🔥 Also Read: Best sales funnel software and tools
ToFu keywords are usually pretty broad and general, so they might have a lot of search volume, but not necessarily a ton of intent to buy just yet.
Basically, people who type in these keywords are often just looking for information or answers to their questions. They may or may not even realize they have a problem that needs solving!
Here are a few examples of top-of-the-funnel keywords:
- How to fall asleep fast
- How to start a blog
- How to gain weight fast
- The mattress hurts my back
- Shoes cutting off circulation
Over time, as people move further down the funnel and become more aware of their specific problem or need, they will start using more specific keywords that show higher intent to buy.
Top of The Funnel Keywords List 🚀
Some great ToFu keyword modifiers include problems, not working, how to, solve, get, can you, reasons, risk, reduce, what, why, prevent, and avoid.
These modifiers can help you create keyword phrases that are for potential customers who are just starting their research.
Here are a few examples:
- Problems: “Common problems with [product/service]”
- Not working: “[Product/service] not working – troubleshooting tips”
- How to: “How to use [product/service]”
- Solve: “Solve [problem] with [product/service]”
- Get: “Get started with [product/service]”
- Can you: “Can you solve [problem] with [product/service]?”
- Reasons: “Reasons to use [product/service]”
- Risk: “Is [product/service] worth the risk?”
- Reduce: “Reduce [problem] with [product/service]”
- What: “What is [product/service] and how does it work?”
- Why: “Why [product/service] is a must-have for [target audience]”
- Prevent: “Prevent [problem] with [product/service]”
- Avoid: “Avoid [problem] with [product/service]”
Remember that the list of TOFU keywords is not comprehensive, and it’s important to tailor your keywords to your specific industry, target audience, and marketing goals.
- Best practices for
- Beginner’s guide to
- Introduction to
- Basics of
- Understanding
- Explainer
- Tips for
- Top ways to
- Benefits of
- Why use
- Overview of
- Facts about
- Definition of
- Examples of
- History of
- Advantages of
- Common mistakes when
- Getting started with
- What to know before
- Step by step guide to
- Everything you need to know about
- Simplified explanation of
- Key concepts of
- Essential guide to
- What you should consider when
- Quick start guide to
- How does
- Insights into
- Overview of the industry
- How it works
- Features of
Incorporating them into your content strategy can help you attract potential customers and move them further down the sales funnel.
Here are a few examples of how it can be used efficiently.
- Introduction to [Industry/Product/Service]
- Beginner’s guide to [Industry/Product/Service]
- What is [Industry/Product/Service]
- Why [Industry/Product/Service] matters
- Basics of [Industry/Product/Service]
- How to [Industry/Product/Service]
- [Industry/Product/Service] for beginners
- Understanding [Industry/Product/Service]
- [Industry/Product/Service] 101
- [Industry/Product/Service] explained
- [Industry/Product/Service] made simple
- [Industry/Product/Service] benefits
- [Industry/Product/Service] advantages
- [Industry/Product/Service] features
- [Industry/Product/Service] trends
- [Industry/Product/Service] statistics
- [Industry/Product/Service] History
- [Industry/Product/Service] facts
- [Industry/Product/Service] myths debunked
- What to know about [Industry/Product/Service]
- How [Industry/Product/Service] works
- Tips for [Industry/Product/Service]
- Best practices for [Industry/Product/Service]
- [Industry/Product/Service] examples
- [Industry/Product/Service] use cases
How To Find And Use TOFU Keywords
Let’s take a quick look at how you can find these keywords and a strategy for using them.
How to Find Top Of The Funnel Keywords
The easiest way to find ToFu keywords is to use a keyword tool like Answer The Public
You can plug in your product type (like shoes, clothes or electronics) or the niche (like golf and swimming) and use a keyword modifier with it.
Step 1: Use Answer The Public
- Go to the Answer the Public website
- Enter a keyword or phrase related to the topic you want to explore. For example, if you are a fitness blogger, you might enter “fitness” or “workout” as your keyword. I choose here “running shoes”
- Select your country and language. This will help Answer the Public generate relevant results based on the region and language you choose.
- Click on the “Search” button. Answer the Public will now generate a list of questions that people are asking related to your keyword.
- Explore the questions and the associated visualizations.
- You will see a wheel with different sections that represent different question types, such as “how,” “what,” “why,” and “can.”
- Click on each section to explore the questions in more detail.
You can also use keyword surfer to find keywords.
Step 2: Clustering The Keywords
I always use is to find ToFU keywords related to MoFu (middle) and BoFu (bottom) and internally link to these topics.
This helps me build a content silo around these important keywords which boosts their rankings.
See this table;
| TOFU Keywords | MoFU Keywords | BoFU Keywords |
|---|---|---|
| Healthy Breakfast Ideas for Kids | Quick and Easy Breakfast Recipes | Breakfast Meal Plans |
| Healthy Breakfast Foods | Organic Breakfast Products | |
| Best Running Shoes | Top Running Shoes for Women | Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 38 |
| Best Running Shoes for Men | Brooks Ghost 14 |
In this example, the ToFU keywords are
- “Healthy Breakfast Ideas for Kids” and “Best Running Shoes.”
- These keywords are broad and general. These are designed to attract potential customers who are in the early stages of the buyer’s journey.
The MoFU keywords are more specific and are related to the ToFU keywords.
- For example, “Quick and Easy Breakfast Recipes” and “Healthy Breakfast Foods” are related to the “Healthy Breakfast Ideas” ToFU keyword.
- Similarly, “Top Running Shoes for Women” and “Best Running Shoes for Men” are related to the “Best Running Shoes” ToFU keyword.
Finally, the BoFU keywords are even more specific and convert potential customers into paying customers.
- For example, “Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 38” and “Brooks Ghost 14” are specifically running shoe models that customers might be interested in purchasing.
By linking these keywords together using descriptive anchor text and internal links, you can create a content silo that signals to search engines which pages on your website are the most important and relevant.
You can use a keyword clustering tool to classify these keywords and make a perfect topic list.
My favorite tool is keywordinsights.ai. Watch this video;
Step 3: Create a Content Plan
ToFu content is about building relationships, not selling. By providing valuable information, you can establish your brand as a trustworthy authority in your industry and build a relationship with your audience.
Examples of ToFu content include blog posts, social media posts, infographics, and videos.
- ToFu content should be optimized for search engines. Because ToFu content is designed to attract a broad audience, it’s important to ensure that it is easily discoverable.
- ToFu content should be shareable. ToFu content is often shared on social media, so it’s important to create content that is easy to share and visually appealing.
What Are The Benefits Of Targeting TOFU Keywords?
The main benefits of targeting these types of keywords are the brand awareness and trust you gain as you establish authority in the field.
Top of the funnel keywords will attract a wider audience, and when they see you publishing helpful content all the time, they’re more likely to trust and respect your brand as well.
Plus, you get more website traffic from search engines! More traffic equals more potential leads, more shares, and you could even land free backlinks which will benefit your entire site’s SEO efforts.
🔥 Also Read: Identifying customer needs for optimal funnel design.
Moreover, by offering helpful content and building a relationship with these potential customers early on, businesses can position themselves as a go-to resource when the customer is ready to make a purchase.
Bottom Line
I hope this post helped you understand the importance of targeting top of the funnel keywords and the benefits they bring.
Overall, TOFU keywords have the potential to drive ongoing traffic and leads over time, providing a high return on investment for your marketing efforts.
