Middle of funnel is the consideration stage of the buying journey. Buyers understand their problem and are evaluating ways to solve it, including which type of solution to use and which vendors to look at. Middle-of-funnel content helps them make those choices: solution guides, best-of lists, case studies, webinars and detailed how-to content that shows a product in use.
Typical middle-of-funnel content
In search, middle-of-funnel queries often include words like “best”, “software for”, “tools” or “how to choose”. They carry more commercial intent than informational queries but less than branded or comparison searches.
- Guides comparing approaches, such as building in-house versus buying.
- Category overviews and buyer's guides.
- Case studies showing how similar companies solved the problem.
- Use-case and solution pages.
- Webinars, workshops and in-depth tutorials.
Why it matters for AI search
Shortlisting questions are a common use of AI assistants: buyers ask which tools exist for a job and how they differ. Assistants draw on sources that describe categories and options clearly. Well-structured buyer's guides, honest category pages and consistent product descriptions across the web make it more likely an assistant can describe your product accurately, though inclusion in any answer is not guaranteed.
Moving readers forward
Middle-of-funnel content works best when it gives readers a natural next step: a comparison page, a relevant integration page, a trial or a demo for buyers who are ready. Measure it by how often it leads to those steps, not by traffic alone.
Example
A buyer's guide for a category
Hypothetical company Heronsgate sells field service software. It publishes a buyer's guide to field service tools that explains the main types of product, the questions to ask vendors and when each type fits. The guide links to its comparison pages and to case studies from similar trades businesses, and the team tracks how many readers continue to those pages.
Common mistakes
Turning every guide into a pitch
Buyers in the consideration stage want help deciding. A guide that only promotes your product loses their trust.
Questions
Look at the wording and at what currently ranks. If results are mostly guides and lists of tools, the query is likely middle of funnel. If they are vendor pricing and comparison pages, it is closer to the bottom.
