Have you ever tried to solve a specific problem, but there was a lack of useful online resources to help you? You ended up clicking on all of the first page and even second page search results, but none of the articles and videos addressed your specific question?

You probably know this feeling.

When you finally found a resource that answered your question, there’s a high chance that the recommended solution won your business.

Now consider the situation from a business’s perspective. Getting in front of customers who are experiencing pain and are ready to buy is a great way to generate leads.

It’s possible to do just that – with pain point SEO.

What is pain point SEO?

Pain point SEO targets keywords that are directly related to the pain points your potential customers are experiencing. These keywords are often long-tail, very specific, high buyer-intent, and have a relatively low monthly search volume.

As such, pain point SEO focuses on generating leads and sales, not traffic. It is meant to capture an audience that is ready to buy.

High search volume does not always equal high conversions

SEO campaigns often focus on generating SEO traffic. Keywords with a high monthly search volume get prioritized, regardless of how conversion-focused or competitive they are.

This can make sense, as traffic is a tangible metric that can be used to measure SEO success and justify SEO expenses. It is also an easy metric to track, as the traffic numbers are reported in Google Search Console and Google Analytics.

Depending on your business model and objectives, targeting keywords with a high search volume may even be necessary or preferred. They are often about foundational, top of funnel topics related to your business which you need to cover to build topical authority and better rankings across the board.

But what’s most important is how SEO affects the bottom line.

It’s better to have 1,000 website visitors of which 50 buy your product than to have 10,000 website visitors of which 10 buy your product. There should be a bigger focus on SEO conversions than traffic.

And with pain point SEO, you target topics fewer people typically search for, but that are more likely to convert.

How to identify pain points worth covering

There are several ways to identify pain point topics worth covering, and none of them start with conventional keyword research.

You want to start by identifying topics and angles your competitors haven’t thought of and that don’t show up in the popular keyword research tools.

Related keywords can be identified after.

Talk to your existing clients

Perhaps the best way to identify pain points is to ask your existing clients.

Ask them questions like:

What problem they were trying to solve when they purchased your product or service.
How they would describe your business to someone who has never heard of it.
Which of your competitors they considered and why they ultimately chose you.
What they use your product or service for the most.

Most of their answers won’t be too surprising, but there might be clients who mention unique reasons or describe your business in a way you hadn’t considered. These are excellent topics and keywords to cover on your website.

Analyze sales calls

Document concerns mentioned by your prospects during sales calls. Even if you don’t close the sale, these insights can lead to great pain point content ideas.

Make the identification of new content ideas part of your sales and marketing alignment, and ensure that valuable insights from sales calls aren’t lost.

Identify patterns in website enquiries

You are likely receiving website enquiries via email, contact forms, live chat, or a combination of several contact methods.

If you are seeing recurring questions, there may be a lack of information on your website. Cover these pain points with new content.

Look at what people are asking online

Community based websites such as online forums, social media, and platforms like Reddit and Quora are excellent sources of pain point SEO ideas.

When people ask questions on online platforms, they have likely already searched for answers and came back empty handed.

You can also use the platforms to engage directly and make people aware of your solution.

Pain point SEO examples

Let’s look at some examples of content and landing pages that address customer pain points.

“How to” articles

Turn the pain points you have identified into articles that explain how to solve a specific problem, using your products or services.

FreshBooks has published dozens of articles like this:

The gist of each of the articles is the same, but they target slightly different keyword variations that are used by different audiences searching for ways to solve their problems.

Comparison pages

People who search for comparisons and lists of alternatives are either in the final stages of making a buying decision, or they are looking to switch to a different solution.

In both cases, they want to solve a very specific problem.

HubSpot has published comparison pages for each of their competitors:

As an added bonus, comparison pages help you rank for valuable branded keywords – which your competitors are also chasing.

Industry pages

Highlight features of your solution that are particularly useful for clients who are active in a specific industry.

Industry pages are especially useful for B2B businesses in competitive fields, where ranking high for the highest search volume generic keywords can be incredibly difficult due to fierce competition.

A company like ChargeOver is able to rank on the first page for several industry-specific keywords related to recurring billing:

This is a great example of a website that is unlikely to rank for the generic keyword “recurring billing software” due to the competition, but manages to get in front of potential clients by addressing pain points for different industries.

Read our article on B2B fintech SEO tips for more actionable SEO tips for B2B fintechs.

“The best X for Y” content

This pain point content type is best suited for B2C and e-commerce content.

Long-tail keywords like this have a high buyer-intent and people are looking to solve a specific problem.

Each of the “best running shoes for” keywords warrants its own article, as they all have a different search intent behind them.

These are great opportunities to solve specific customer pain points.

Implement a pain point SEO strategy with SERP Builders

When you address the pain points of your potential customers, you increase your chances of being discovered at the right time – when they are ready to buy.

At SERP Builders, we prioritize your customer pain points in our SEO and content marketing campaigns.

We work with your sales and marketing teams to identify the right content topics to cover, and help produce content that addresses customer pain points and converts visitors into leads and sales.

Learn more about our SEO and content services, or reach out for a tailored strategy that fits your site’s needs.

Pain Point SEO: Generate Leads and Sales Instead of Traffic