SaaS SEO: What is it and How to Optimize for it?

By Ali, Having 13 years experience in the IT & Servicing Industry. A.I Lover, Startup Enthusiast, IoT Implementor, and Blockchain Follower.

Posted on: July 28, 2022 11:47 AM

DIGITAL MARKETING > SEO

Table of Contents

SaaS SEO: What is it and How to Optimize for it?

Software as a service, as we know, is a business model that has the potential to skyrocket your business to new heights. Well, it’s easier said than getting it done to start a SaaS company and keep it evolving. In this world of the digital frontier, software solutions are both personal & business demands.

The SaaS model involves charging customers to use a software product, tool, or suite of tools for a particular purpose. SaaS companies are quite different from regular companies as their products or services are not in physical form or have limited use. They can be modified, updated, improved, and redirected for various cases and industries.

SaaS companies can create new categories and markets with the addition of SEO features, giving them a unique opportunity to compete in organic search. Altogether, this is a robust marketing method for scalable, rapid growth.

For a more detailed approach, let’s dive into What is SaaS SEO?

SaaS SEO is a method of boosting the organic traffic of a SaaS website by using SEO techniques to rank higher in the SERPS for a list of relevant keywords.

There are various characteristics of SaaS SEO that are the same as the other SEO:

These techniques combined will help you get the most relevant ranking on Google for relevant searches, therefore helping to increase inbound marketing.

Difference between Traditional & SaaS SEO?

Well, the factor that sets traditional and SaaS marketing apart is the consumer base. SaaS tools are generally targeted at other businesses, and the market is greatly competitive. In today’s digital world, businesses regularly employ various software tools. Top of that, it causes a major hurdle in getting the right audience and grabbing their attention.

Many SaaS companies take a growth-hacking approach to handle the intensity of the SaaS marketing and sales lifecycle. This funnel is called the AARRR funnel or also known as the pirate funnel. B2B SaaS companies often use this model to help SaaS companies get the following results,

Acquisition – How do users find you?
Activation – Do customers have a great first experience?
Retention – How do you make your customers return to your service after their previous experience?
Revenue – Do you make money from the customer?
Referral – Do your customers recommend your services to others?

Besides that SaaS companies utilize both online, and offline paid advertising, including PPC and local ads, similar to most businesses with online channels. Paid ads can help you drive qualified traffic to your marketing funnel. “However SEO can help with long-term organic growth for SaaS companies” and then shift to strategy. A SaaS SEO strategy is vital for companies offering software as a service.

Fun Fact: According to research, as of 2020, Semrush was the leading SEO software, SaaS company, with $125 million in annual recurring revenue. ^[1]

What is a SaaS SEO strategy?

Going for a SaaS SEO strategy that suits your business is unlike a walk in the park. It’s not like choosing a set of keywords for your content. With more competition online, SEO has become more challenging.

A reliable SEO SaaS strategy is essential. An effective approach must cover all aspects of your website’s infrastructure. Your SEO strategy should outline your marketing goals and objectives. Your marketing materials should include detailed statistics about your target audience for a competitive advantage.

Following are the SaaS SEO strategies you should consider,

Keyword Research

First thing you need to do as a SaaS company is to pick the best keywords for your online content. In simple words, search for target keywords that are relevant to their service and have the potential to attract valuable traffic, which should, in the end, convert them into customers. Analyzing the search volume and searcher intent or buyer’s persona is important when selecting keywords.

Understand your user search intent, There are a few different reasons why people run a Google search.

Following are the types of search intent:

On- Page Optimization

On-page SEO is a technique to optimize the content of web pages to drive organic search engine traffic for a set of target keywords. It consists of content available on your website, like text, images, page titles, scripts, CTAs, links, etc.

Other than that, certain on-page SEO elements that can reinforce a web page and should be as optimized as likely are,

Title Tags
Meta Description
Headings
Entitles
Internal Links

For Example, Yoast SEO offers this section to your WordPress editor, where you can use it to optimize your content according to your target keywords.

Off-Page Link Building

At third comes creating an offsite strategy to determine the level of trust, value, and authorship and what types of links need to be built to your site. Without good quality, relevant backlinks, you might not be able to rank high on SERPs. Another plus factor of link building is when someone observes another high authority website linking to your website. It automatically puts you in the limelight & develops a sense of trust with them.

Following are some link building strategies you can use,

Replicate your competitors’ SEO backlinks
Email Outreach
Use the broken link-building strategy
Invest in Guest Posting and Infographics
Build links with images

Content Creation

Well, now you are all aware of the technical part of SEO. Let’s get into the phase where you target the user search intent and the search keywords. Building a good content strategy requires us to objectively look at our website and determine where the target keywords should go. If you’re to outrank your competitors, you need to outdo them.

Following are some strategies you can use to create content,

Longer content
Content that goes into a topic in more depth & unique compared to available on competitor’s site.
Images or videos to make a page more engaging
Easier to read and understand

Technical SEO

Lastly comes the last pillar of SEO, known as technical SEO. It directs website and server optimizations that help search engine spiders crawl and index your site more effectively. Also, to help improve organic rankings.

Following are some strategies you can use to take advantage of your technical SEO,

Use SSL (Secure Sockets Layer)
Make sure your site is mobile-friendly
Make sure your site loads up quickly
Fix duplicate content issues
Create an XML sitemap
Consider enabling AMP

FAQs

Is SEO important for SaaS?

SEO is more crucial when it comes to SaaS than any other. You may ask why because your business depends on it putting your product in front of the audience. That means generating and converting organic traffic.

How does B2B SaaS marketing work?

B2B SaaS companies usually spend money to gain users and build their brands. Google Adwords is a great way to reach consumers looking for products like yours. These consumers tend to have high intent & chances to convert to make a purchase.

Is SaaS a product or Service?

SaaS products are software hosted by a central provider and offered to customers online. Rather than installing or downloading a copy of the application, users can use the product from a web or mobile browser.

Conclusion

Ultimately, creating SEO strategies for your company is organized, complete, and functional. Good-to-go strategies don’t stick to just using keyword-based or concentrating on your website while ignoring the other aspects of content marketing.

SEO has many levels that all need to be handled and thoroughly explored. The contest is challenging in the ever-growing SaaS industry. The best way to get through is by having a solid SEO strategy as your game plan to help your ship sail smoothly.

References:

[1] Leading (B2B) (SEO) (SaaS) companies worldwide as of January 2020, by annual recurring revenue – Statista.

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