Where Is My Customer Searching?
Where customers search usually turns into a platform argument: “nobody uses Google any more” or “social media is dead”. Both are wrong, because it isn’t a platform question. 🔎
Short answer: in search if the need is conscious, in the feed if it’s unconscious. A customer who knows what they want types it; one who doesn’t has to be met.
Below: the two behaviour types, reading your own data, the local and niche cases, and the map. 🗺️
What are the two behaviour types?
Where customers search is answered by how conscious the need is.
Conscious need: search
The customer knows the problem and looks for the solution by typing: “air conditioner repair”, “accounting software prices”. Intent is clear, competition is high. Being in search means capturing existing demand — it doesn’t create new demand. ⌨️
Unconscious need: the feed
The customer has the problem but isn’t searching; they notice it when they see something. The job here is appearing in front of them and making the need visible. Expect recognition from the feed, not sales — the rule sits in the which-channel article. 📱
Can both apply?
They can, and in most businesses they do. The difference: looking at both with the same expectation is the mistake — one captures today’s demand, the other builds tomorrow’s.
How do I read my own data?
No guessing needed; the data is yours.
Where is local work searched?
The picture differs for geographic services.
Map and proximity searches
For local services a large share of demand comes through the map: nearby businesses, directions, opening hours, reviews. Here the business listing matters as much as the site, and fixing it is usually free. 📍
Where is niche work searched?
When search volume is low.
Low volume but clear intent
In a narrow field search counts are low, but whoever arrives is exactly who you’re looking for. Rather than chasing volume, the aim is to be first for those few queries. Little but qualified traffic beats a lot of irrelevant traffic. 🎯
How is the map drawn?
It fits on one page.
The three columns of a demand map
Query or trigger (what they search or what makes them notice), stage (awareness, evaluation, decision), the asset that meets it (which page, which content). Rows left empty in the third column show the work to produce — the sequence sits in the starting article, all questions on the consulting page. 🗺️
📝 Field Notes
At a client who added the “how did you find us” line to the enquiry form, the table surprised everyone three months later: most enquiries came not from ads but from referrals. The ad budget was trimmed; the references page and customer reminders were strengthened. The cheapest research is a one-line question. 📝
📖 Quick Glossary
Intent: the purpose behind a search. Brand search: a query containing your business name. Business listing: the official record shown on maps. Demand map: the table of query, stage and the asset that meets it.
⚡ Quick Summary
Conscious need in search, unconscious need in the feed. 🔎 Read your own data from search console and the enquiry form. For local work, maps and reviews decide. For niche work, first place matters more than volume.
🎯 Next Step
Let’s draw your demand map together; the gaps in the third column become the job list: the quote page. Scope on the consulting page. 🗺️
Frequently Asked Questions
Sık Sorulan Sorular
Which queries bring you traffic in your search console? If queries contain your brand name, they already know you; if generic need queries arrive, you’re capturing new demand. The ratio between the two shows which stage you’re at. 📊
Adding “how did you find us” to incoming enquiries is the cheapest research there is. A few months later you have records instead of guesses — and in most businesses the result is a surprise. 📝
Because in a local decision, a review stands in for proof. Between two businesses offering the same service, the one with clearer reviews gets chosen — an advantage that works independently of ad budget. ⭐
Add the “how did you find us” line to the enquiry form and ask the same question in sales conversations. A pattern emerges in a few months. Every month without setup is data loss that can’t be recovered later.
They usually do, but differently: maps, reviews, a friend’s recommendation and then a site visit to verify you. In the “they don’t search” case, what’s usually missing isn’t search but your visibility. The verification stage is demand too.
They can, but expectations must be separated: sales from search, recognition from the feed. Judged by the same measure, the feed always looks like a failure and gets shut down unfairly. The two channels do different jobs.
Source: Google Search — documentation