The keyword that one searches on (whether on an external search engine or within the search function of your website) is a direct window into the intent of that consumer’s online behavior at that time.
In fact, even the way different consumers search for the same content or page can reveal a lot about their current intent and state of mind. The keyword data trigger is at the heart of why paid search marketing has worked so well and dominated digital marketing budgets for more than a decade.
EVERY online marketing program must include keyword research—period. That is, figure out the most popular and relevant search terms your target audience (prospects) are using. There are many paid and free tools, but you should always start with (or at least include) The Google AdWords Keyword Planner
Case in point, a recent customer example
Just yesterday one of our customers reeled in a brand new lead because someone had searched for a term related to email / exchange email encryption and they found exactly what they were looking for:
http://www.utgsolutions.com/how-to-protect-yourself-with-office-365-encrypted-email
The prospect then completed a contact form using our marketing automation system, Rainmaker and voila!
We speak to VARs everyday and consistently, they tell us that one of their top marketing challenges is web content creation—particularly, keeping up with blog posts.
