Glossary
Marketing Funnel
A model describing the stages a potential customer moves through from awareness to conversion.
Definition
A marketing funnel is a model that represents the stages a potential customer moves through on their journey from first becoming aware of a brand to making a purchase. The classic funnel stages are: Awareness (top of funnel / TOFU), Consideration (middle of funnel / MOFU), and Decision (bottom of funnel / BOFU).
Why It Matters
Understanding the funnel helps content marketers create content that serves users at the right stage of their decision-making journey. Without funnel awareness, sites create content for only one stage — attracting visitors but failing to move them toward conversion.
Examples
TOFU content'What is keyword density?' — attracts anyone curious about SEO
MOFU content'Best keyword density tools compared' — reader is evaluating options
BOFU content'Try TextWizardTools free — no credit card required' — directly aimed at conversion
Common Mistakes
Creating only TOFU awareness content without MOFU or BOFU.
Skipping TOFU and only creating sales-focused content.
Not mapping keyword research to funnel stage.
Ignoring email nurturing between funnel stages.