Definition
The buyer journey is the sequence a customer moves through from noticing a problem to researching, comparing, deciding, buying and using a product. Each stage produces different questions and needs different content.
Most questions in the early stages do not name any brand. That is where discovery happens: a customer who has not chosen yet can be introduced to a new option, which is impossible once they are asking about a specific model.
Why it matters
Teams tend to over-invest in the shortlist stage and ignore awareness and after-purchase questions. Mapping the journey shows where visibility is missing, not just whether it is.
How it is applied
Tag every tracked question with its stage, then read visibility, citations and competitor presence per stage. A brand named in research answers but absent from decision answers has a specific, fixable gap.
