Search engine optimization (SEO) has evolved far beyond rankings and traffic. The true power of SEO lies in how well it supports business development and revenue growth. It’s not just about being found but rather aligning your content with what your customers are searching for and what your sales team needs to convert leads.
One of the most effective ways to achieve this alignment is through keyword analysis for SEO. This is a data-backed process that ensures your SEO strategy supports the buyer journey, improves conversion rates, and contributes directly to sales goals.
One company that exemplifies what’s possible with this approach is Pacejet, a cloud-based shipping software provider. By shifting from a traffic-first mindset to a strategy rooted in keyword intent and sales alignment, they transformed their SEO from a visibility tool to a lead engine. This meant doubling their organic lead volume, an impressive 100% growth, thanks to the help of our team. [Read the full Pacejet case study here.] What Is Keyword Analysis in SEO?
At its core, keyword analysis is the process of identifying, evaluating, and prioritizing search terms your audience is using across various stages of the buying journey. But in practice, it’s much more strategic. If you’re just getting started, check out some of our favorite free keyword research tools and tips to uncover audience insights quickly.
Keyword analysis uncovers insights that drive content creation, shape site architecture, and clarify user intent. When done correctly, it helps companies build a content ecosystem that aligns with a SEO strategy funnel—attracting users, guiding them through consideration, and prompting action at the bottom of the funnel.
Take Pacejet, for example. Their existing content was attracting traffic but not converting. By conducting a deep keyword analysis and focusing on high-intent terms, we helped them better align with buyer needs and ultimately, drove more qualified traffic that led to conversions.
Effective keyword targeting ensures you’re showing up for the right terms at the right time, and for the right audience. This bridges the gap between marketing and sales, transforming search performance into sales performance.
SEO Goals and Objectives: Rethinking Priorities for Business Impact
Many organizations set broad SEO goals like “increase traffic” or “improve rankings.” But traffic alone doesn’t guarantee conversions.
To move the needle on revenue, SEO efforts need to be driven by SEO goals and objectives that mirror business and sales KPIs, like marketing-qualified leads (MQLs), sales pipeline growth, and customer acquisition costs (CAC).
In Pacejet’s case, we shifted their SEO focus toward sales-qualified outcomes. This involved prioritizing keywords with clear commercial intent- search terms with potential to generate leads, close deals, and solve customer problems.
Set Smarter SEO Goals that Support Sales
Think beyond traffic: smart SEO goals are measurable, conversion-focused, and tied to business outcomes. Use goals like:
- Increase MQLs by X% from organic search
- Rank in the top 3 positions for [high-intent keyword group]
- Increase entries to high-converting pages by X%
These metrics align SEO with real pipeline impact, not just visibility.
The Power of a Customer-Focused SEO Strategy
SEO only works when it resonates with your audience, and that means focusing on what your customers care about.
A customer-focused SEO strategy uses keyword insights to understand not just what people are searching for, but why. Are they looking for a solution? Doing research? Comparing providers?
For Pacejet, that meant identifying the key buying triggers for logistics decision-makers and building content that addressed their specific pain points and decision-making criteria. By doing so, we could support each stage of their funnel with impactful messaging.
By mapping keywords to the sales funnel, we ensure that content meets users where they are:
- Top of Funnel (TOFU): Informational keywords that answer “what is” or “how to” statements
- Middle of Funnel (MOFU): Comparative, problem-solving queries such as “best B2B shipping platforms”
- Bottom of Funnel (BOFU): Product/service pages, testimonials, and demos that incorporate branded, conversion-ready terms like “Pacejet free trial” or “shipping software demo”
Pacejet’s optimized funnel content included conversion-focused product pages that ranked for BOFU keywords and solution comparisons that spoke to MOFU queries. The result is an SEO strategy that mirrored their sales process and nurtured prospects more effectively from search to sales.
Long-Term Success Through Strategic SEO Planning
Great SEO evolves with your business. That’s why we build every campaign with long-term growth in mind.
For Pacejet, the initial keyword optimization laid the groundwork, but consistent monitoring and refinement is key.
An effective SEO strategy is one that is continuously optimized based on keyword performance, SERP shifts, and feedback from your sales team. We regularly encourage revisiting keyword priorities to identify new opportunities, refine content, and adjust the strategy based on what’s actually converting.
With tools like keyword tracking, heatmaps, and CRM integration, SEO goals and objectives stay aligned with real-world outcomes.
Keyword Best Practices for Marketing Strategy That Converts
Ready to boost the ROI of your SEO strategy? Here are some key takeaways that drove success for Pacejet:
- Focus on high-intent, conversion-ready keywords over high-volume vanity terms. (This was critical in shifting Pacejet’s traffic toward qualified leads.)
- Align keyword targets with your buyer personas and customer journey like we did by mapping logistics terms to B2B decision-makers’ search behaviors.
- Use keyword data to inform not just blog content, but landing pages, product pages, and sales enablement assets.
- Regularly re-evaluate your SEO strategic plan to reflect business changes and market shifts.
- Collaborate with sales teams to validate keyword targeting and lead quality.
Take your strategy to the next level with competitive keyword analysis. Learn more about this in our blog.
Why Your SEO Partner Matters
The right SEO agency doesn’t just get you to page one; they help you turn visibility into value. The SEO team at emfluence thrives in crafting SEO strategies that are data-driven, results-oriented, and aligned with sales success. The Pacejet case study is just one example of how we help clients transform SEO from a marketing tactic into a revenue engine.
SEO is no longer just about clicks; it’s about customers. By investing in keyword analysis for SEO, your brand can unlock more meaningful traffic, better leads, and stronger alignment between marketing and sales.
Ready to align your SEO with sales success? Let’s build your SEO strategic plan together. Contact the team at expert@emfluence.com to schedule to learn how we can help you grow your SEO foundation for lasting growth.
This post was researched by humans, drafted by AI, and reviewed & rewritten by our marketing experts.
