Why do people look for recipes? Traditionally, the target audience for recipes is predominantly female. Despite some new studies on the topic, the majority of meal preparation and grocery shopping in households is still executed by women (65% according to a study done by Frisco). There are however other ways to segment the recipe users. They may come particularly in handy when you are trying to target your blog audience. We identified 5 main reasons people look for recipes. Each profile has their own challenges and specific needs:
In need for inspiration
This applies to a person who cooks for their family and themselves everyday, so their main concern is being repetitive. They frequently look for inspiration in order to eat diversified meals. The reason is they don’t want to serve the same meals again and again. In order to introduce some variety in their everyday meals, they search for general inspiration.
How to attract inspiration seekers to your website?
Focus on good SEO content that will make it easier for them to find your recipes with their general search terms. The content structure is important as well. Relevant tags that allow them to explore your recipes will help them navigate the website content. On the other hand, showing similar recipes based on tags and recipe properties can direct them to other inspirations you might offer.
SEO keywords to include in your content:
dinner ideas, pasta recipe, recipes with chicken
Diet and fitness enthusiasts
No matter their fitness level and dietary proficiency, the main goal for this group is to control the amount of consumed calories in order to keep their weight in check. They either follow some dietary guidelines, for example given by a dietician, or count the calories and make healthy substitutions. They are motivated and have a clear purpose in preparing their meals.
How to attract diet and fitness enthusiasts to your website?
Adding a simple recipe will not be enough for this type of audience. Listing nutritional values and calorie amounts is a must. If you plan to focus more on this user segment, direct them to the right content through good tag and category page structure. For better customer loyalty, try implementing a meal planner function on your website.
SEO keywords to include in your content:
dinner under 500 kcal, fit pizza, low calorie pasta, quick and easy salad
Meal strategist
They need to have everything under control: the right ingredients, balanced diet as well as the costs and time management. That’s why meal strategists plan everything. They prepare detailed shopping lists for a couple of days or a week ahead. They also plan their trips to the supermarket to be as efficient as they could be.
How to attract meal strategists to your website?
A no brainer solution for which the meal strategists will love you is a meal planner function. Allow them to choose a variety of your recipes and create a meal plan out of it! The meal planner we develop allows the users to add recipes and whole plans to the shopping list. They will be forever grateful if they can just get all the groceries delivered to their doorstep without having to go to the supermarket at all.
SEO keywords to include in your content:
quick and easy dinner, one pot pasta, family cookies recipe
Promo hunters
This audience segment cooks not so much based on their inspirations, but on the array of products they can buy with a discount. This is the most pragmatic group. They start with the product they find at a better price and will plan the meals around it.
How to attract promo hunters to your website?
It’s a tricky group, but we have some suggestions. Try to consider cost per portion in your recipes and keep a reasonable ingredient count on your ingredient list. Too many fancy products required in a recipe and you might effectively scare away a person who likes to cook on a budget. For blogs and platforms that allow adding recipes to shoplists we can cater to this segment a bit better. We are able to promote recipes that use the ingredients with a discount in an e-commerce platform we work with.
SEO keywords to include in your content:
5 ingredient risotto, dinner on a budget, easy pasta recipe
Looking for a specific recipe
This group has a specific idea in their mind, they are just not sure how to cook it. They might have found inspiration through a dish they ate at a restaurant, they found online or remember their mother used to cook. A quick search online will give them all the information they need to execute it properly.
How to attract users looking for a specific recipe to your website?
Your SEO game has to be on point. A content audit of your website might help to identify opportunities among your recipes that will drive more traffic. Sometimes a minor change in a recipe title or tags will help to position your recipes at the top of a food trend. Once you attract users to your recipe, make it user friendly so that all the information is at hand. A content audit will help to suggest some good UX practices for a smooth navigation. Last, but not least, recipe likes and shares build your credibility. Make sure you enable that option on your website.
SEO keywords to include in your content:
tik-tok feta pasta, spaghetti cacio e pepe, sourdough bread recipe
If you want to know more about the ways we can help you grow your recipe platform, contact us.
