To a beginner the world of SEO is full of familiar words and phrases that are suddenly intimidating because they no longer seem to mean what they always did and “Do, Know, Go” is an example of this. Surely you know what each of those words means on its own, but push them together and throw things like key phrase strategy and search analytics into the mix and suddenly things get confusing.
This is unfortunate because understanding “Do, Know, Go” is a big part of assisting your website and your brand to succeed.
Let’s start with the basics.
What Does These Words Mean?
“Do, Know, Go” refers to the end result of an online search terms are used. This is useful because it tells you what your potential customers are hoping to discover when using terms related to your brand or industry.
Do: They want to do something, such as make a specific type of purchase.
Know: They want to know something, these people are looking to learn rather than buy.
Go: They want to go somewhere, usually to a specific website.
What Does This Mean for Me?
“Do, Know, Go” is how you use the key words and phrases people use to search for your brand or industry to let you know what people want to find on your website.
For example: If you own a landscaping business you may discover that most of the key phrases people are using to find things relating to landscaping fall into the Know category. Now, you are assured that your potential customers are looking to learn something and that they would probably respond well to an informative blog.
If your customers are looking to learn more about which ornamental trees are best for shade, or when is the best time to fertilize different plants, tell them about it. They may not be ready to become a customer, but will remember you when they are.
What’s the Difference Between Do and Go?
Know means people are looking for informational content, but what about Do and Go? What do you need to change about your website to meet the demands of those types of searches?
Do searches mean that people are ready to buy something; they are looking for transactional content. This tells you that you that if you have a custom made handbag business and you see that “best price on custom handbags” is a phrase a lot of people are using to search and that you should optimize your website to include that key phrase.
Do mean that searchers want to buy your product or service, you just need to let them know you have it. Go is similar, but more specific.
Go searches are navigational. In this case, people are searching for a specific company or brand. This is important for you because when people search for your company or brand your website should rank highest in the search results. If you discover that you rank too low in Go searches you will need to adjust your site optimization.
Are people searching for you, but misspelling your brand name? Include the misspelling in your keywords. Those people who were just looking to learn something from you earlier may be ready to buy and want to buy from you. Make it easy to find your business.
Now that you know more about the “Do, Know, Go” concept, use these best practices to make your website and business succeed.