SaaS SEO Tips and Best Practices

Growing organic traffic and ranking higher in search engines is an important factor in your business’ success, especially if you are running a SaaS company. Technology and software are among the most popular industries now, and the competition is enormous. Lucky for you, there is a three-letter solution that can help you: SEO. Stay with us and learn the best practices for your SaaS company today.

What is SaaS?

SaaS is a relatively new concept in the technological industry, however, this market changes so frequently we cannot call it a novelty. Software as a Service provides endless opportunities for Internet users by connecting them to various cloud-based applications. There’s no need to download the software because it can be accessed via your Internet browser.

SaaS providers host and manage databases, codes, and servers. This is a big advantage for businesses in terms of cost as they don’t need to invest in hardware. Software is web-based and can be accessed via the Internet. This also allows businesses to outsource some or all of their IT activities instead of hiring an IT team. Everything is taken care of by the software vendors.

The biggest difference between regular PC software and SaaS is that you pay for so-called ‘license’ or ‘subscription’ and use the Internet to access it. A traditional approach entails a one-time purchase when a buyer becomes the ‘owner’ of the software. With SaaS, you are more like a ‘tenant’.

This is why SEO for SaaS requires a slightly different approach. While there are many tactics and challenges businesses may face, some of them are very SaaS-specific. Many companies tend to focus on building their product, neglecting the marketing aspect. It’s true that without a great product even the best marketing will do no good. But it cannot be forgotten completely.

Investing in advertising your software is essential if you want to rank better. Two most common mistakes SaaS companies make when optimizing their websites are lack of links back to their page and poor keyword research resulting in content that is not able to drive traffic. Promoting a site is a step that cannot be skipped.

Things to avoid incorporating marketing for SaaS

Implementing the right strategy for your business is a process full of ups and downs. A list of mistakes is endless, but we have gathered some of the most common ones. Think of it as a not-to-do list.

• Neglecting your customers’ experience - there’s no place for errors on your website. You only have about 15 seconds to grab the visitor’s attention. Unclear information, hard to navigate through, lousy design - sounds like your page? Fix it!
• Forgetting about SEO completely - improving your ranking in search engines is crucial, and it can be done with the right SEO strategy implementation.
• Underestimating the importance of social media - “if you’re not on Facebook, you don’t exist” - we all know it is true. How else do you want to remind your customers about your existence, update them on the latest news, notify about special offers, etc.?
• Not using analytics tools - there’s plenty of free tools you can use at the beginning of your SaaS journey. Consider investing in more advanced tools once your budget allows it.
• Skipping the lead generation part - seriously? Not all leads are equal, but they are a real income booster when targeted properly.

Structuring your SaaS SEO properly

A proper SEO strategy is a long-term process and you should not expect outstanding results overnight. Building your website’s visibility can be time-consuming, but if done well, it will really boost your rank in search engines. So, how do you structure a proper SaaS SEO strategy?

You have to focus on several aspects: unique content, on-site optimization, link building, keyword research, find the right audience, check email validity. Remember that every company is different and will require an individual approach in order to meet your expectations and achieve your unique goals.

It is also a process that needs constant monitoring, so you cannot simply do it and be done. You have to control it, adjust it and make certain improvements to ensure it is working just the way you want it.

On-page SEO techniques

On-page SEO includes everything website-related, that can be done on and inside your page. It is mostly content, visuals, keywords, internal linking, etc. They focus on making a page optimized so that it’s search engine friendly. Here’s a list best practices for SaaS companies.

Finding the right audience

Knowing your target audience is essential in any type of business. You, as a SaaS company owner, have a much tougher task. Why? It is very likely that your target audience range is wide, from amateurs who know nothing or very little about the industry, to experts, who are looking for much detailed insights.

Before you start implementing any strategy, you need to learn about your audience. Are they beginners or more advanced users? You can answer this question once you analyze their patterns, behavior, activity, etc. Based on this you will be able to tailor the content in order to raise their interest and reach more potential customers.

Keyword research and target the core audience

Everyone knows how crucial keywords are. Conducting research is a step you cannot ignore. But how do you know which ones will work best for your SaaS company? Make a list of both technical and non-technical words and phrases somehow connected to your business and the industry itself. Think about your customer and things they would type to find your company.

It is better to go for long-tail specific keywords as the competition is usually lower than with the short general ones.

But how exactly do you do proper keyword research? You can start with brainstorming ideas with your team (if you have one) or use Google suggestions by simply typing the first few words to see what other users have been looking for. Then you need to analyze them and evaluate the ones that will work best. There’s a variety of online tools you can use to test them such as Google Keyword Planner or SEMRush. It’s best to create a list of keywords in Excel marking their competition, volume, and CPC for a specific country. The best ones are those of high search volume and low competition.

Once your list is ready you need to place the keywords somewhere - your website. Try to use them in a natural way as you can. Keywords are important for Google’s algorithms but you are writing for real people - your customers. Include them in headings, proper text, meta title, meta description, anchors, but remember not to overstuff the content.

One of the key strategies is having a separate page on your site dedicated to a specific keyword. Over the years Google algorithms have moved from focusing strictly on keywords themselves to the whole content where they are placed. This allows search engines to have a better understanding of what the topic is and evaluate the text in terms of relevancy.

Introduce the right content and promote the same

Content has to be unique - how many times have you heard this one? Well, you are about to hear it again - content has to be unique! But that’s not all it must be. Here’s what SaaS SEO best practices for content writing should look like:

• Relevant text - of course! Keep it informative but to the point. Whatever you post on your website has to be related to your company.
• Consistency - once you choose the right tone for your customers, do not change it. Consistency is the key, not to mention a text written in a similar tone to your previous posts simply looks more professional.
• Variation - people appreciate the variety. Do not write blog posts only, try to introduce other types of right content such as video tutorials, testimonials, demos, visuals, reviews, etc. Educate your customers on different levels.
• Quality over quantity - instead of creating too much poorly-written content, it is better to slow down and focus on its quality. However, a minimum of 850 words works best in most cases.
• Accessible and useful - we said that your content has to be unique and relevant, but if it is useful as well, that’s an added value. Do not forget to make it accessible and easy to find.

Before you start creating content, however, you should set certain goals. It’s not all about getting more traffic, it should translate to something more important, i.e. revenue. One of the best practices is getting a good number of email subscribers. Create attractive and relevant content that will attract more people. But then what? What do you do once they arrive? How do you convert them into revenue?

It would be perfect if you could offer them some coffee and make them wait until you figure it out. Unfortunately, Internet users tend to be very impatient, so you’d better have a tactic in mind before they end up on your website. Upgrade your content and direct visitors to various pages and subpages. After all, they’re ‘already ready’ to make a purchase, they just need the right incentive. This will allow your business to grow.

Off-page SaaS SEO techniques

Time has come to discuss several off-page SEO strategies. While on-page SEO focused on activities within your page, this one aims at bigger visibility. Here, the main focus is increasing the website’s position in SERP. Let’s see what we’ve got for you.

Link building mastered

It goes without saying that having both inbound and outbound links will help your website rank better and boost search traffic. Every page on the Internet has a score. Unfortunately, you can access this data. What we know, however, is that it is links that should be your main focus as they directly translate to a higher score and therefore rank.

But how do you build links and persuade people to use yours on their pages? You need to start with great content of course. If it’s strong in terms of attractiveness and reliability, other websites may want to link their content to yours. So what should you write about? Think of your content as if you were an expert (you are one, aren’t you?). The best ‘expert’ articles are surveys, research, guides, tools. Consider writing several guest posts as well.

You’ll also have to reach out to PR companies to ask for their help. Here, strategies differ depending on your needs. They can find the right channels for your content if they, of course, have good contacts. It’s better when they outreach on your behalf as press and other companies appreciate self-effort. Your goal should be to get coverage, which will very quickly increase the number of links.

Steal your competitors’ leads and build unique branding tone

Building a group of loyal customers is tough, especially when you have just started your SaaS business. Hmm, how about taking a shortcut? I mean stealing. Don’t worry, they won’t find out.

The easiest way to steal your competitors’ leads is to start an ad campaign. And here’s a trick. In the interests section simply input your biggest competitors’ names. Yes, specific brand names. This way your ad will target people who like your ‘enemies’ and therefore they will notice you and might become your customers eventually.

But even the best ad will not translate into a sale if you lack relevant and informative content. Have you decided on your brand’s voice too? The one that will encourage them to visit your page. Choose it wisely and they will pay you off by purchasing your product or even endorsing your brand further.

Get social and build relationships to further brand awareness

Social media is one of the best ways to build brand awareness. Unfortunately, a lot of SaaS companies still underestimate its importance. Create your page on social media remember to add as much information as you can. You want people to know everything about you, you want them to trust you, not to mention such profiles rank higher.

When it comes to your social media activity, try to post regularly. It is beneficial for both customer relationship and algorithms. There are tools available online to help you upload content on a pre-established basis.

Existing on social media will help you build a better relationship with your customers. A loyal client’s base will also boost your brand’s awareness as there is nothing more efficient than a simple word of mouth.

SEO for SaaS: Conclusion

Building your brand awareness and reaching more potential customers is a process. It is not rocket science to know that SEO for software and tech companies helps achieve those goals. Do not hesitate to strategize about your online presence. Who knows? Maybe the right path for your SaaS company is just around the corner.