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In less than ten years, software as a service (SaaS) has grown from a $30 billion industry to a $300 billion one. With the convenience of internet-based applications becoming increasingly important to consumers, economists expect this market to grow into the trillions by 2030.
Countless entrepreneurs have sought to create the latest and greatest SaaS products, making the market highly saturated. Standing out among competitors and driving consumers to your product can be quite difficult, which is why every SaaS company should be investing in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) efforts.
Given the competitive nature of the SaaS market, standing out in search results such can be the difference between the success and failure of a product. SEO strategies for SaaS businesses are slightly different from those of other industries, as SaaS companies often target a specific, niche industry, rely on recurring revenue models, & require continuous product education. Below are a few tips from SEO experts on how to reach your target market & maximize growth.
Understand Your Target Market
Before taking any marketing action, it is strongly encouraged that SaaS companies take the time to truly define their product and its target market(s), including but not limited to user feedback, customer feedback, goals, and behaviors. Your SEO agency should be using tools such as Google Analytics to gather insights on your website’s user demographic & personas.
By identifying common queries or challenges that potential users face, SaaS companies can craft an SEO plan that addresses these issues and is optimized for relevant keywords. Understanding your target market also helps drive keyword research strategy.
Conduct Keyword Research
Keyword research is at the core of all effective SEO strategies. When marketing SaaS companies, it’s essential to focus on a variety of short-tail and long-tail keywords. A short-tail keyword, such as “CRM software” will likely generate a lot of traffic, though this casts a wider net of potential leads and will be more competitive to rank for. On the other hand, a long-tail keyword such as “best CRM software for small businesses” will be less competitive to rank for and attract more niche customers, but will garner considerably less traffic than long-tail search keywords.
Your SEO agency should utilize resources such as Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, and AI-driven SEO tools to identify relevant keywords based on your target market’s search habits. It is also recommended that SaaS companies research keywords for comparisons, reviews, or demos for software products. Ensure that your keyword strategy is optimized for all stages of the customer journey by choosing informational, navigational, and transactional keywords.
Create SEO-Friendly Educational Content
Website content plays a critical role in SaaS marketing and SEO, as products are often complex and require elaboration. Your website should provide valuable, educational content that builds credibility, separates you from competitors, and is optimized for your SEO keywords. Creating high-quality educational content not only improves your SEO rankings but also nurtures leads by answering their questions and showcasing the functionalities of your product.
Your digital marketing agency should create blog posts, white papers, case studies, eBooks, and other literature that are geared toward the interests, obstacles, and desires of your target market. SaaS product copy should be both comprehensive & actionable, explaining how your product works, its benefits, and why users should consider it over competitor software. Furthermore, SaaS companies should focus on evergreen blog content, or articles that remain relevant over time.
Optimize On-Site SEO Components
On-page SEO is the culmination of strategies geared towards optimizing individual pages to rank higher in search results. Though your SEO agency should be considering hundreds of different components when conducting an on-site audit, below are a few of the most important ones…
Keyword Relevancy & Density
To rank in the search engine results for your targeted keywords, you’ll need to be highly intentional as to what language you’re placing on your web pages and how much content those pages contain. Your keywords should frequently appear on the pages which you’re trying to rank for and there should be sufficient educational content supporting these keywords.
Header Optimization
The header text on the pages of your website should be a major component of your SaaS company’s SEO strategy. Ensure that all of your H1, H2, & H3 tags contain the keywords that you want that page to rank for in the search results.
Meta Titles and Descriptions
These are the first marketing materials potential customers will see on the search results page. Check that your titles are concise and compelling, and include your targeted keywords. Similarly, your meta descriptions should include your keywords and include a call to action encouraging users to learn more about your website.
Emphasize Technical SEO
Technical SEO is what digital marketers refer to as the optimization of the technical components of a website to improve rankings. This is especially important for SaaS companies, as poor technical performance can provide users with a negative first impression of your product. See some of the below factors which your SEO provider should always keep in mind…
Mobile Responsiveness
In today’s day & age, your site must be responsive and functional on mobile devices. Without this, you’ll miss out on countless leads.
Site Speed
Slow-loading websites cause higher bounce rates and lower rankings. SaaS companies should prioritize reducing load times to ensure they’re keeping interested users on the site.
XML Sitemap
An XML sitemap shows search engines which pages to crawl and index on your website. Ensure that your sitemap is current and submit it to Google Search Console for optimal results.
Schema Code
Placing schema code on your website helps search engines understand the content on specific pages, which can improve your visibility in SERPs.
Create SaaS-Specific Landing Pages
Landing pages are a crucial component of SEO in any industry, but specifically for SaaS companies. Your SEO agency should use dedicated landing pages to highlight your product features, target various industries, and tap into desired markets.
Each landing page should be optimized for user experience and driving conversions, with a clear call-to-action (CTA). Common SaaS CTAs include sign-ups, free trials, downloads, demos, and consultations. Make sure the page has a fast load time, strong UX, addresses common questions, and contains your targeted keywords.
Strongly Consider Website UX
As a SaaS company, UX should be your bread and butter. However, this is often forgotten when it comes to designing a website for your product. Search engines take user experience into account when deciding where to rank a website, considering factors such as navigability & readability. A SaaS company’s website should not only look professional but also offer an easy, intuitive experience that mimics the product itself. Below are some items your SEO provider should consider when designing your website…
Simple Navigation
Make your website easy to navigate with clearly labeled menus, buttons, and links that help users find what they’re looking for quickly.
Strong UI Design
Create a simple, visually appealing design with readable fonts, ample space, and well-structured content. Avoid cluttered designs that overwhelm readers and search engines.
Emphasis on Lead Generation
Make sure that sign-up forms, free trials, or demo requests are easy to complete and accessible from many different places on the site. It is also recommended to minimize the number of required fields to maximize lead flow.
Build High-Quality Backlinks
Backlinks are perhaps the most important component of SEO. For SaaS products, building links from authoritative, relevant, and high-quality websites can significantly improve your domain authority and boost your rankings. Your SEO agency should be building a considerable number of backlinks on websites such as tech blogs, review platforms, and industry-specific publications/forums. While the number of links is important, the quality of these website links is also very much considered by search engine algorithms.
Work With An SEO Agency
The easiest way to achieve high search engine rankings and drive online revenue is by working with an SEO agency. Here at Simple SEO Group, we’ve helped countless SaaS companies grow their businesses online. Whether you’re an early-phase startup looking at where, to begin with your marketing or a well-established product with an existing consumer base, we have experience crafting custom SEO plans that have landed 100% of our SaaS clients on the first page of Google.
To learn more about how your SaaS company could benefit from growing its online presence using SEO and other digital marketing strategies, reach out to us online to schedule a free consultation with our search optimization experts. Take the next step and get your SaaS product in front of endless users.