Content Mapping: The Out-and-out Guide You Need For Designing Effective Content

August 9, 2023 | Content Marketing

You are extremely happy after designing a solid blog with a high search volume, covering all pain points of the topic, and are convinced that readers will definitely sign up for your tool, and ultimately there will be a rise in conversion rates.

But it doesn’t happen, and you are sitting in front of your desktop, wondering what went wrong.

Something went wrong gif

If you are in a similar position, then we are here to bring clarity to your life. The most obvious reason as to why this happened is that you forgot to design a website content map drawing the entire consumer journey before creating the blog.

Now, what is content mapping? How to create one? And is it really important?

We know you must be having such questions, but don’t worry, as we are here with a basket full of answers.

What is Content Mapping?

In simple terms, customer journey mapping is the process of designing relevant content for each customer journey stage that matches the reader’s intent at the said stage. 

A proper website content map helps you design content that will appear at the right time and the right place that will ultimately aid the buyer’s search intent.

However, we know that every person is different, due to which each customer buying journey will be different. That’s why you need to design customer journey mapping for each buying persona and create content as per that. We’ll discuss more on this in the upcoming sections.

Importance of Content Mapping

Now what’s the use of mapping customer journey stages? Websites can still rank even without customer journey mapping as well. Yes, it might, but there won’t be many conversions.

So, you only decide whether you want only top rankings or conversions as well? You can achieve both with the help of customer journey mapping.

the choice is yours gif

Besides, customer journey mapping also helps you discover content gaps that swayed the reader away from your website and lost you a potential client.

Understanding The Buyer Journey

Now, we know that every buyer is different, due to which each digital customer journey is different. However, there’s a basic customer journey that each user goes through before buying or signing up for anything. Here are the three common steps of every customer journey that you need to keep in mind while customer journey mapping.

Awareness

The first stage of every buyer journey is awareness. Here, the buyer knows they are facing a problem but cannot pinpoint the exact thing. In simple terms, they know the problem but can’t name it.

In this phase of the customer journey, you need to create content that mirrors the symptoms of the buyers’ problem so that they will get hooked. When you showcase the problem, the buyer finds it relatable and reads further to understand and get the solution.

RankWatch keyword research suggestions table

In case you are confused about what the user is searching for, our keyword researcher will assist you in discovering what users are typing to get their desired results.

RankWatch keyword research question terms dashboard

It would help you understand what keywords you should target to get good rankings and the type of customer journey mapping you must do to help users get their answers.

Consideration

In the consideration phase of a consumer journey, the user knows the problem and is now considering different options to solve it.

That’s why in this phase of the digital customer journey, the buyers compare different options, go through the specifications, see reviews, talk to people who have used the product, and so on.

This is where you need to create content that subtly praises your product. For example, showing customer testimonials, case studies, product comparisons on prices and specifications, etc.

RankWatch competitor ranking trends graph

Here, competitor analysis will be of great assistance in figuring out their tactics and services so that you can design better content showcasing the best features of your product.

RankWatch competitor analysis table

Proper competitor analysis will help you stay ahead of your rivals and get in-detail insights into their content strategies. 

Decision

Now that the buyer has gone through different options, they make a decision that will solve their problem. This is the phase of a consumer journey where you need to prove your potential in front of the consumer.

Showcase your product’s best features, how it solves the problem, and in what ways it can benefit the user. As each buyer journey stage is different, you need to initiate customer journey mapping as per the intent of the particular stage.

Content Mapping: The Process

Now that you know the different customer journey stages, it’s time to know how to create a solid website content map to help you design effective content and save time. 

Just follow these steps, and your customer journey mapping will be ready in minutes.

1. Figure out Your Target Audience

The first thing you need to do while designing customer journey mapping is figure out who your target audience is. Basically, you need to know for whom you are designing and marketing your services.

For example, if your company designs learning apps for kids, then your target audience would be parents and not teenagers or CEOs of organizations.

Once you figure out your target audience, you will get clarity on which section of your customers you need to target.

2. Create Buyer Personas

Done with figuring out the target audience? Now you need to understand their mindset and create content accordingly.

One of the best methods to understand the audience’s mindset is by creating different buying personas that mimic their personality and questions.

Simply speaking, you need to put yourself in their shoes and create a questionnaire accordingly. Once you get a hold of their concerns, it will help you answer them accordingly.

RankWatch Analytics

RankWatch Analytics will help you understand your target audience’s mindset and develop personas based on that. The statistics presented on the Analytics dashboard will also help you understand whether your content satisfies the users’ search intent or not.

3. Design The Storyline

Now that you have your buyer personas and questionnaires ready, it’s time to design the storyline of your website content.

As each website landing page holds different value and targets different stages of the buyer journey, you need to design your content accordingly.

For example, while creating a blog, you must start by stating the symptoms of the problems you are addressing. Moving forward, you need to provide different options or solutions to the problem and state their pros and cons.

In the end, you need to promote your services in a manner that praises your brand and shows it in a positive light.

This is how you need to conduct digital customer journey mapping that meets the requirements for every marketing campaign, website content development, and similar situations.

RankWatch SEO IQ dashboard

With the help of SEO IQ, you can easily design content that gains traffic and improves conversions as well. As the AI-based SEO score checker analyzes the web page content on various on-site SEO factors, you get an accurate score and recommendations that will help you improve your website ranking.

RankWatch SEO IQ content editor dashboard

Besides, the Content Editor feature is the best online Editor available in the market that can guide you throughout your content creation process and suggest you high volume keywords and question terms.

4. Fill Content Gaps

One of the best benefits that customer journey mapping provides you with is showcasing the content gaps in your website. For example, the primary keywords do not have much search volume, lack of advanced marketing tactics, and many more.

So, once you start designing a website content map, these gaps will come in front of you, and you should never ignore them. Rather, we would suggest you use a prime tool like RankWatch, to fill in the gaps.

RankWatch Ranking Overview dashboard

Let’s say the primary keywords you are targeting do not bring much value to the content. Here, Ranking Overview will help you determine whether your primary keywords have good search volume and SOV or not.

RankWatch Rankings dashboard

It would help you understand whether you need to introduce new primary keywords or improve your existing content to gain traction.

In case you need new primary keywords, our keyword researcher will be of great help. It showcases all phrase and broad match keywords as per your target country, along with question terms that searchers use.

Once you have designed your website content, it is advisable to check for the page’s overall SEO performance to avoid any mistakes in the future.

RankWatch website analyzer dashboard

Our SEO web page analyzer crawls through your selected web page, analyzes it on several factors, and provides a detailed report that can help improve your content ranking.

Conclusion

Now that you know all about customer journey mapping, buyer journey, and the importance of this entire process, what are you waiting for?

Go ahead and start customer journey mapping to get maximum output for your content. Take the help of RankWatch to ease the burden and understand your users better.

All the best!

See you soon

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