People think blogging is the pinnacle of content marketing, but engaging prospects requires a lot more than this. During the buyer journey, audiences engage with different content types, on multiple channels, and various messages. Therefore, a great website content strategy should nurture multiple stages of prospect relationships. 

This means having the right content, for the right people, in the right place. If your website visitors can easily find what they’re looking for, you’ll keep people more engaged, build better relationships, and ultimately funnel more people towards a sale.  

In this blog, we give you tips on how to optimise your web content strategy for different user journeys, and provide four frameworks for you to use in your own site strategy. 

User journey frameworks to use on your site

No brand has just one journey, or type of user, to cater to. At the most basic level, people will arrive to your site via different landing pages and follow different paths from there. Looking deeper into your audience, each visitor will have a unique mindset. They’ll have different job roles and work in different industries, and therefore will all have different motivations, challenges, and concerns driving them. 

That’s why your site should facilitate multiple user journeys, each with their own objective. Although there will be many nuances to any visitor’s actions, we can generally categorise each journey into one of four stages: 

• Awareness

• Consideration

• Decision 

• Retention 

Your aim is to ensure any user, on any journey, has a relevant next step to take. One that is clearly presented to them, and progresses them towards becoming a valuable customer. 

You may also like: 5 reasons a scaling tech brand needs content marketing 

1. The awareness journey 

Goal: educating the audience 

New visitors likely need to be educated. They have probably arrived on your site from somewhere other than your homepage. For example, they’re more likely to have searched questions about a challenge they’re facing, and clicked on a blog of yours, than to have searched for you directly. 

Therefore, your goal should be to direct new users to educational content that will build their trust in your expertise, before you try and sell to them. 

Types of web content

• Educational blogs for a generic audience 

• Strategic brand messaging, like your value proposition 

• An informational, value-led newsletter  

• Top-level content for specific industries  

Sample user journey

Content type	Audience action	Web content strategy
Google search	The user searches a question they have	Optimise your blogs by:  Finding relevant keywords with an informational intent  Including an SEO-optimised title  Using your keywords throughout
Awareness blog	The user chooses your blog to read	Provide a clear next step to similar blog posts, but that dive a little deeper. This could be through:  In-text links  Clearly featured blogs  Designed buttons
Engagement blog	The user wants to learn more about a specific topic	Direct engaged users to branded content suitable for the awareness stage. This could be:  The Homepage  A service-related blog  A newsletter sign up  Social media icon links
Branded content	The user wants to understand who the brand is	The next steps listed to the left should provide surface-level brand information. Users at this stage aren’t ready for the technical details. Instead, identifying with their challenges and introducing your USPs will help build brand awareness.

Here’s an example from our own site

At the end of this engagement blog, we’ve included a stand-out CTA to a case study which can provide validation of our services.

2. The consideration journey 

Goal: increasing engagement and lead generation 

This audience has already engaged with your brand and has probably been through several rounds of education. Therefore, your aim is now to maximise the time they spend on your site or with your brand. You want to keep them engaged, so you can continue building a positive reputation, memorability and trust.  

This means providing them with valuable and personalised content. You can do this using Google Analytics tracking to optimise page journeys. Or, by using gated downloads to gain email addresses, allowing you to start direct conversations. 

Types of web content 

• Engagement blogs 
• Downloadable guides and resources 
• Forms  
• Case studies 

Sample page journey

Content type	Audience action	Web content strategy
Social media post	The user follows a link on your social channel	Create social content that provides value upfront and encourages action, such as a summary of a blog or top tips
Engagement blog	The user wants answers to a specific pain point or to learn more about a topic of interest	Direct engaged users to branded content suitable for the consideration stage. This could be: Technology, product, or services page Company and team pages Branded how-to blog
Technology / Brand page	The user is ready to explore your product or your company in more detail	Provide more specific, in-depth or detailed downloadable content related to this service. This could be: Industry report form Service brochure download button Comparison guidepop-up form
Downloadable guide	The user wants additional content to help them consider different solutions	Include evidence points that will solidify trust, such as statistics, customer logos, or case study summaries. Include contact details and soft opportunities for readers to reach out if they’re ready.
Email marketing	The user may have more questions	Begin their decision journey with an automated email workflow that provides additional resources and soft sales material such as: Case studies Free templates

Here’s an example from our own site

On our main services page, we’ve given people the option to download different resources based on their decision-readiness – a service brochure or a helpful template.

Related: 4 tips for building a sales funnel with email marketing 

 

3. The decision journey 

Goal: increasing conversion rates 

The average B2B buyer engages with 3-7 pieces of content before talking to a sales rep.  

It may be tempting to jump straight into a sales pitch after you receive a prospect’s email, but they likely still need some nurturing. Decision web content should be the last jigsaw pieces in the puzzle, answering any outstanding questions, breaking down hesitations and convincing prospects to take the final step. 

Types of web content 

• Case studies  
• Comparison sheets 
• Product brochures 
• Technical datasheets  
• Product demos 
• Face-to-face meetings 

Sample page journey

Content Type	Audience action	Web content strategy
Direct search	The user searches for your brand specifically	Analyse what branded searches have the highest volume and optimise the relevant pages with conversion opportunities and intuitive links to next-step decision content, for example:  Case studies  Portfolios
Case studies	The user looks for validation of your quality and performance	Include links to the work you reference, for example:  Detailed services downloads  Live examples of the work  A portfolio of industry-specific case studies
Detailed product/service sheet	The user consults detailed information against their requirements or competitor solutions	Provide compelling CTAs to late-stage sales materials or direct contact opportunities, for example:  Product demos  Free trials  Free consultation
Product demo	The user wants to see the solution in action	Provide a single, clear CTA to convert the sale, for example:  Book a meeting  Sales call   Purchase the product  Also, continue email workflows that provide consideration and decision content. Track user engagement and reduce regularity if this drops.
Meeting form	The user is ready to talk to a sales rep	Create a personalised email follow-up message to check in with SQLs. If prospects don’t convert, return them to the consideration and decision email workflow.

Here’s an example from our own site

4. The retention journey 

Goal: encouraging return visits and loyalty 

Once a user has been converted into a customer, you want to keep them engaged with your web content strategy. They won’t be as active on your site as a new user, but it’s still worth optimising your site for retained customers.  

Whether it’s company and product updates, or timely blog content, there’s plenty your customers may want to read. The final aim is to turn customers into advocates. An advocate’s engagement can not only add credibility to your brand, but it can also expand your reach to new audiences. 

Types of web content 

• Personalised email marketing 

• Engagement/decision blogs 

• Downloadable guides 

• Feedback surveys 

Sample page journey

Content type	Audience action	Web content strategy
Newsletter	The user signs up to the newsletter for more content	Continue conversations and build relationships with email marketing that provides practical insights to improve their product/service experience or valuable content.
Engagement/decision blog	The user wants answers to a specific pain point or to learn more about a topic of interest	Direct retained users to other content types suitable for existing customers, for example:   Branded thought leadership  Company updates  Platform/service support
Platform support	The user wants to improve their experience on the platform	Give users clear routes to more support content or an alternative if they can’t find what they’re looking for, like:  FAQs  Technical support phone or email  Query form  Community forum
Direct email	The user may want to reengage with your team	This is an opportunity to follow up with retained users and nurture customer loyalty, for example:  Provide specialised support  Invite feedback and development input
Brand advocacy	The user is loyal and consistently engaged	Engage your loyal customers in exclusive or partnered content, for example:  Early updates  Roundtables and webinars  Guest blogs  Case studies and testimonials

Here’s an example from our own site

This is a nurture email we created that goes out to already-engaged database contacts, giving them something valuable for free.

Are investors one of your target audiences? Check out this guide for attracting investors while scaling 

  

Build more successful websites with user-first content strategies 

The key to nurturing your website visitors is to make sure there’s web content ready for them to engage with. No journey is linear, and so it’s important to have nurturing opportunities that cater to all kinds of users on your website. Whether that’s calls-to-action to read the latest blog, or a Calendly link to book a meeting.  

These frameworks will help you curate your website with this in mind. You can better move people through your sales funnel, while building your reputation as an industry leader. 

Explore our website design and development services to learn more about how we create websites with the buyer journey in mind.