SaaS SEO: What it is and how to optimize your site

SaaS SEO
“SaaS SEO” This is definitely not a new word if you are in a SaaS business. As you probably know, the global SaaS market is growing rapidly, and it’s growing by about 18% each year. This is a great opportunity for anyone looking to start and grow a SaaS business.
Global SaaS Market
  One thing to remember, the majority of businesses today use more than one SaaS product. The more businesses adopt digital technologies, the demand for SaaS products continues to grow. SEO has been one of the most effective marketing strategies for many businesses, including SaaS businesses. On the one hand, the adoption of SaaS products is growing. On the other hand, there is also competition growing in the market among SaaS businesses to attract and retain users or customers. That’s why if you are in a SaaS business, it’s important to invest in digital marketing, including SEO. Although core SEO strategies for all businesses are the same, however, we need a slightly different approach when optimising websites for SaaS businesses. Actually, there are a few specific things that set SaaS SEO apart from other types of SEO. What actually are they? In this post, I am going to explain what SaaS SEO is and how SaaS businesses can improve their rankings in search results.

What is SaaS SEO?

In plain language, SaaS SEO is the process of optimizing a SaaS website for search engines. SaaS businesses are unique as the majority of them have a subscription-based business model, which means that they need to focus on attracting new customers constantly while retaining existing customers. In order to drive a constant flow of new traffic, SaaS businesses need to ensure that their website is optimised for short-tail, long-tail, questions, comparison-related and intent-targeting keywords. You also need to prioritise your SEO efforts based on the ideal customer’s intention. There are 4 intentions when someone searches for a SaaS product:
  1. Informational Intent: They are just looking for an answer to a question (sometimes, a specific question and sometimes, a general question). Additionally, they might be looking for general information only.
  2. Navigational Intent: They are looking for a specific page or a website. They mostly use branded keywords. 
  3. Commercial Intent: They are looking to investigate available options or, we can say, solutions as well. They are looking to compare with other existing products and check reviews. They use long-tail keywords as well.
  4. Transactional Intent: They are looking to take a certain action or buy a product.
As a SaaS business owner, you need to understand the search intent when optimising your website for SEO. You also need to publish content for different users based on their buyer’s journey. SaaS SEO contains a multitude of disciplines, including on-page optimization, technical SEO, and content marketing.

On-page optimization

On-page optimization is the process of optimizing individual web pages for specific keywords. This includes things like title tags, meta descriptions, header tags, and keyword density.

Technical SEO

Technical SEO is the process of optimizing the back end of a website for search engines. This includes things like site speed, indexation, and crawlability.

Content marketing

Content marketing is the process of creating valuable, relevant, and engaging content that attracts and retains customers. This can be in the form of blog posts, eBooks, infographics, etc. SaaS businesses need to focus on all three of these areas in order to improve their ranking in search results.

SaaS SEO vs. traditional SEO – What’s the difference?

SaaS businesses need to pay special attention to their website architecture and design, as well as their content strategy. SaaS SEO is also about improving the usability of your site and making sure that your site is mobile-friendly. There are a few key differences between SaaS SEO and traditional SEO:
  1. Focus on generating recurring traffic, so they need to optimize for both search engines and conversion.
  2. Ensure that their site is accessible to both users and search engine bots. User experience is still essential to your business’ success.
  3. Focus on creating content that is both informative and keyword-rich.
  4. Make sure your website is mobile-friendly, as more and more people use mobile devices to access the internet.
  5. SaaS businesses need a greater focus on building backlinks from high-quality websites. Since you’re focusing more on user experience than search-engine-driven content, you’ll need more social proof to dominate the SERPs.

How can a proper SEO strategy benefit your SaaS business? 

1. SaaS businesses can improve their ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs).

The most obvious benefit of SaaS SEO is that it can help your business improve its ranking in SERPs. By optimizing your site for search engines, you can increase your visibility and get more traffic to your site.

2. SaaS businesses can increase leads and sales from their website.

If you rank higher in SERPs, you’re not only getting more traffic to your site, but you’re also more likely to get leads and sales from your website. This is because people are more likely to trust a SaaS business that ranks high in SERPs.

3. SaaS businesses can improve the ROI of their online marketing efforts.

By focusing on SaaS SEO, you can improve the ROI of your online marketing efforts. This is because SaaS SEO is a more targeted approach that allows you to focus your efforts on getting more traffic from qualified leads.

4. SaaS businesses can build trust and credibility with their target audience.

SaaS businesses that rank high in SERPs are more likely to be trusted by their target audience. This is because people see SaaS businesses that rank high in SERPs as being more credible and trustworthy. SaaS businesses can also build trust and credibility with their target audience by creating high-quality content that is informative and keyword-rich. By creating content that is helpful and informative, SaaS businesses can show their target audience that they are experts in their field. This will help build trust and credibility with your target audience.

5. You can decrease your paid traffic budget and use the money elsewhere.

SaaS businesses that rank high in SERPs can decrease their paid traffic budget. This is because they are getting more free, organic traffic from their SaaS SEO efforts. This money can then be reinvested into other areas of your business, such as product development or customer service.

SaaS SEO best practices to accelerate your results

1. Do your research:

Keyword research is essential for SaaS businesses, as it will help you identify the keywords that your target audience is searching for. Use keyword research tools like Google AdWords Keyword Planner and Moz Keyword Explorer to find relevant keywords for your business.

2. Optimize your website content:

Once you’ve identified the right keywords, it’s important to optimize your website content for those keywords. This means including the keywords in your page titles, meta descriptions, headings, and throughout the body of your content.

3. Publish high-quality content:

In order to rank well in search results, it’s important to publish high-quality content on your website. This means writing informative, well-researched articles that are relevant to your business.

4. Promote your content:

Once you’ve published great content, it’s important to promote it through social media, email marketing, and other channels. This will help to increase the reach of your content and attract more visitors to your website.

5. Build backlinks:

Backlinks are links from other websites to your website. They’re an important ranking factor for SaaS businesses, as they help to improve your website’s authority in the eyes of search engines.

6. Monitor your progress:

Monitor your SaaS SEO progress with tools like Google Analytics and Search Console. This will help you to track your website’s traffic and see how your rankings are improving over time.

7. Stay up to date with the latest trends:

The world of SEO is constantly changing, so it’s important to stay up to date with the latest trends. This will help you to keep your SaaS SEO strategy up-to-date and ensure that you’re using the best practices for ranking in search results.

Things you should avoid when doing SaaS SEO

1. Don’t keyword stuff:

Keyword stuffing is the practice of filling your website content with so many keywords that it becomes difficult to read. This is a bad idea for SaaS businesses, as it will make your content look spammy and could hurt your rankings in search results.

2. Don’t buy backlinks:

There are a lot of companies out there that sell backlinks. However, buying backlinks is a bad idea, as it can get your website penalized by Google. If you want to build backlinks, focus on creating great content that other people will want to link to.

3. Don’t engage in black hat SEO:

There are a lot of shortcuts that you can take when doing SaaS SEO. However, these shortcuts, known as black hat SEO techniques, can get your website penalized by Google. Stick to white hat SEO techniques, such as creating great content and building backlinks the right way.

4. Don’t forget about mobile:

Mobile traffic is growing every year, so it’s important to make sure that your website is optimized for mobile devices. This means having a responsive design and making sure that your content is easy to read on a small screen.

5. Don’t forget about voice search:

Voice search is a growing trend, so it’s important to optimize your website for voice search. This means using natural language and long-tail keywords to make your content more easily found by voice search engines.

6. Don’t forget about local SEO:

If you have a SaaS business that serves a specific geographic area, don’t forget about local SEO. This means optimizing your website for local keywords and making sure your business is listed in relevant online directories.

FAQs

1. What is SaaS SEO?

SaaS SEO is the process of optimizing a website for SaaS businesses. This includes creating high-quality content, building backlinks, and optimizing for mobile devices.

2. What’s the difference between SaaS SEO and traditional SEO?

The main difference between SaaS SEO and traditional SEO is that SaaS businesses need to focus on optimizing their website for software-as-a-service. This means creating content that is relevant to SaaS businesses and focusing on keywords that are related to SaaS products and services.

3. What are the benefits of SaaS SEO?

SaaS SEO can help to improve your website’s visibility in search results, which can lead to more traffic and more customers. Additionally, SaaS businesses that invest in SEO can see a higher ROI than those that don’t, as SaaS SEO is a long-term strategy that can provide ongoing benefits.

4. What are some SaaS SEO best practices?

Some SaaS SEO best practices include creating high-quality content, optimizing for mobile devices, and building backlinks the right way. Additionally, it’s important to stay up-to-date with the latest SaaS SEO trends to ensure that your website is using the best practices for ranking in search results.

5. What tools can I use to monitor my SaaS SEO progress?

There are a number of SaaS SEO tools that you can use to monitor your website’s progress. Some of these tools include Google Analytics, Moz, and SEMRush.

6. What are some common SaaS SEO mistakes?

Some common SaaS SEO mistakes include buying backlinks, using black hat SEO techniques, and forgetting about mobile optimization. Additionally, many SaaS businesses make the mistake of not investing in SEO, which can lead to missed opportunities for ranking in search results.

7. What are some SaaS SEO tips?

Some SaaS SEO tips include creating great content, building backlinks the right way, and optimizing for mobile devices. Additionally, it’s important to stay up-to-date with the latest SaaS SEO trends to ensure that your website is using the best practices for ranking in search results.

8. How can I stay up-to-date with the latest SaaS SEO trends?

There are a number of ways to stay up-to-date with the latest SaaS SEO trends. Some ways include reading SaaS SEO blogs, following SaaS SEO experts on social media, and attending SaaS SEO conferences.

Last-minute SaaS SEO tips

  1. SaaS businesses need to focus on optimizing their website for software-as-a-service.
  2. Creating high-quality content, optimizing for mobile devices, and building backlinks the right way are some SaaS SEO best practices.
  3. SaaS businesses that invest in SEO can see a higher ROI than those that don’t, as SaaS SEO is a long-term strategy that can provide ongoing benefits.
  4. Some SaaS SEO tools you can use to monitor your website’s progress include Google Analytics, Moz, and SEMRush.
  5. Make sure you follow traditional SEO best practices, like creating great content, building backlinks the right way, and optimizing for mobile devices.
  6. Stay up-to-date with the latest SaaS SEO trends. Read SaaS SEO blogs, follow SaaS SEO experts on social media, and attend SaaS SEO conferences.

Final thoughts

SaaS SEO is a great way to improve your website’s visibility in search results and increase traffic and customers. However, it’s important to stay up-to-date with the latest SaaS SEO trends to ensure that you’re using the best practices for ranking in search results. Additionally, SaaS businesses should focus on creating high-quality content, optimizing for mobile devices, and building backlinks the right way. By following these tips, you can see a higher ROI from your SaaS SEO investment. And, if you use SaaS SEO tools like Google Analytics, Moz, and SEMRush, you can monitor your website’s progress and ensure that you’re on the right track. What questions do you have about SaaS SEO? Let us know in the comments below!