Want to Create a Winning SaaS SEO Strategy? Follow these 8 Steps
Natalia Toth
According to Statista, the global SaaS market will reach a volume of US$793.10bn by 2029. It’s no wonder that every SaaS marketer is scrambling to carve out their niche.
But standing out in such a crowded space requires more than just a great product. You need a robust overall marketing plan, and a killer SEO strategy specifically for your SaaS website.
In this post, we'll dive deep into why SEO for SaaS is different, and how you can devise your very own SaaS SEO strategy in 8 steps.
Why SEO in SaaS is a Challenge
Unlike B2C, where someone might impulse-buy a product after seeing an ad, SaaS buyers take their sweet time. They research, compare options, and consult with their teams before making a decision. That means your SEO strategy has to work across the entire buyer’s journey — awareness, consideration, and decision— rather than just trying to capture a quick sale.
And that’s just the beginning. Here are a few other challenges that make SaaS SEO tricky.
1. Multiple Decision-Makers to Convince
In B2B SaaS, you're not just talking to one person. You might need to win over the end user, the department head, and the CFO — all of whom have different priorities. Your content has to speak to each of them in a way that makes sense.
2. Balancing Technical and Non-Technical Content
Do you go all-in on product-led content, or do you focus on customer pain points? SaaS companies often struggle with this balance. Go too technical, and you risk confusing non-technical buyers. Go too broad, and you might not stand out from the sea of generic content.
What's the solution then? Create different types of content for different audiences, from in-depth guides for power users to high-level ROI insights for executives.
3. Turning Traffic into Conversions
The end goal of SEO isn’t just about getting more site visitors — it’s about getting the right people to take action.
If your content ranks well but doesn’t lead to sign-ups or demos, it’s not doing its job. Every page should have a clear next step, whether that’s signing up for a free trial, booking a demo, or downloading a resource. Invest in CRO, conversion rate optimization, just as much as you invest in getting more visible in search.
4. Heavy Dependence on Branded Traffic
Many SaaS websites get a solid chunk of their traffic from branded searches—people already looking for them by name.
But when it comes to non-branded search (aka the people who don’t know about you yet), visibility can be painfully low. If you’re only ranking for your company name and not for problem-solving keywords, you’re missing out on a huge audience of potential users.
5. Fierce Competition in the SaaS Space
The barrier to entry for SaaS is getting lower and lower. Thanks to AI and faster, cheaper product development, launching a new SaaS product is easier than ever. Just take a look at Product Hunt. Every single day, 30+ new SaaS tools launch there, and each one has the ambition to become a market leader.
That means more competitors fighting for attention, making SEO (and marketing in general) tougher. Standing out now requires not just good SEO but also strong positioning and unique content that resonates with your audience.
6. SEO Carries the Weight of Lead Generation
For SaaS companies, SEO isn’t just an option—it’s a necessity.
Other marketing channels struggle to deliver results. That’s especially true for B2B SaaS. The buyers are increasingly ad-blind, with display ads averaging a dismal 0.1% click-through rate.
Direct outreach isn’t much better — cold emails see response rates as low as 0.12%, and many leads go unanswered. B2B sales teams take an average of 42 hours to respond to new leads, with 38% of those leads never replying back.
On the other hand, users who find you thanks to SEO are more motivated by definition. They are actively searching for a new product or service, meaning they’re easier to convert.
Meanwhile, SEO delivers a 702% ROI for B2B SaaS brands. With long sales cycles and decision-makers who prefer self-research, SEO is the most effective way to attract, educate, and convert high-intent customers.
Alright, how do we craft a winning SEO strategy for your SaaS company?
Step 1: Tidy up Technical SEO and User Experience (UX)
Or, we can say, it’s step zero. The essential checkbox on your SEO checklist. The pillars without which your website will simply collapse. Technical SEO, paired with outstanding UX.
A seamless user experience combined with solid technical SEO is like having a well-oiled machine. Here's what to focus on:
- Site Speed: Ensure your site loads quickly. Why does it matter? Because 40% of mobile visitors leave a page that takes more than 3 seconds to load.
- Mobile-Friendliness: Optimize your site for mobile devices to cater to on-the-go users.
- Secure Connections (HTTPS): Implement HTTPS to build trust and security.
- Schema Markup: Use schema markup to enhance your search engine results page (SERP) visibility.
- Intuitive Navigation: Design your site so users can easily find what they're looking for.
- Minimize Intrusive Elements: Reduce pop-ups and intrusive ads that can distract or annoy users. Wunderkind’s poll found that 91% of shoppers are less likely to purchase from brands that serve intrusive ads. So ads can seriously damage your conversions.
By focusing on these aspects, you create a user-friendly environment that search engines love.
Step 2: Select the Right Target Keywords
SEO starts with knowing what your ideal customers are actually searching for. The right keywords help you attract the right audience at every stage of their journey — from awareness to purchase.
Brainstorm all the possible topics that your potential customers can look for. Then, narrow this list down to the keywords that meet your product’s offering. Use tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Google Keyword Planner to find relevant search terms. If you’re looking for AI-driven keyword research tools, check out our honest review of 11 AI SEO platforms.
And here’s a pro tip: long-tail keywords (those longer, more specific phrases) might have lower search volume, but they’re easier to rank for and often bring in highly motivated visitors.
So, what makes a keyword worth targeting? Ideally, it should be:
- Relevant to your business
If you rank high for this term, does it help you attract potential customers?
- Not insanely competitive
If a keyword is dominated by massive brands, ranking for it might be a long shot. If you’re a new SaaS website, start with mid-to-low competition opportunities.
To evaluate how hard a keyword will be to rank for, you can use Ahrefs, Semrush, or other keyword research tools. Ahrefs shows the estimated keyword difficulty and how many referring domains (RDs) you’d need to rank on Page 1 for this keyword.
You can also check the Domain Authority of the sites in the Top 10 SERP results. This will give you an idea of how authoritative your site might be to rank on the first page.
- Searched often enough
No point ranking for something no one searches for! Make sure the keyword has a decent monthly search volume in your target market (e.g., at least 100).
- Commercial or transactional
Some keywords drive research (“best CRM software”), while others indicate purchase intent (“buy CRM software” or “CRM free trial”). You’ll want a mix of both to capture leads at different stages.
Step 3: Create Converting Content: Blogs, Comparisons, and Case Studies
SaaS companies often struggle with their content strategy—should it be technical and product-led, or more customer-focused? It’s easy to fall into the trap of pumping out content that just adds to the noise without actually helping anyone. The result can be poor user experience, irrelevant traffic, and low engagement.
Here are some tips to get it right.
Balance technical and non-technical content
In SaaS, oftentimes, your audience isn’t just one type of person.
That’s especially true for B2B products. Within one customer company, the technical users - like developers and engineers - want deep dives like product demos and feature explainers. On the other hand, decision-makers care more about case studies, ROI breakdowns, and high-level insights, because they’re interested in the overall impact of your product on their business. So if you’re in B2B SaaS, you need to speak to both groups.
But B2C products may also cater to more than one persona.
Take Duolingo as an example. Apart from language courses for individuals, they offer programs for schools and businesses. The company also tries to establish itself as a leader in language learning by publishing scientific research papers. Duolingo even issued a handbook for founders, which shares the secrets of building a successful $16B+ company.
So, ideally, you’ll have content that caters to different user and buyer personas.
What else do you keep in mind when devising a SaaS content marketing strategy?
Keep it simple
Your users have time to decipher the jargon. Break down complex features in plain English and use a mix of text, visuals, and even video to make content easy to digest.
The simpler, the better. Grammarly’s free version can tell you if your text is easy to understand.
Avoid ‘set-it-and-forget-it’ content
The SaaS world moves fast. Regularly update old content to keep it fresh and relevant. If a guide from last year (or even last quarter) is outdated, give it a refresh.
Here are five clear signs that it’s time for a content refresh:
- Your info is outdated
Ever landed on a site where the “latest” blog post is from 2018? Or where the homepage is still hyping up an event that happened months ago? Yeah, not a great look. If your content is old, inaccurate, or irrelevant, it’s time for an update.
- People bounce fast
If visitors are leaving after just a few seconds (aka, high bounce rates), your content might not be grabbing their attention. Maybe it’s boring, confusing, or just not what they expected. Either way, that’s a sign it needs work.
- Your branding feels off
If your site’s tone, visuals, or messaging don’t match your brand anymore, it’s like wearing an old outfit that no longer fits. Whether you’ve evolved as a business or just need more consistency, refreshing your content can help you show up the right way.
- There’s nothing new for a long time
A website that never gets updated looks abandoned—even if your business is thriving. Regularly adding fresh content (like blog posts, case studies, or product updates) keeps visitors engaged and tells search engines your site is alive and kicking.
- Your business has changed
Launched a new product? Updated your pricing? Started serving a new market? If anything big has shifted in your business, your website should reflect that. Otherwise, you might be sending the wrong message to potential customers.
If any of these sound familiar, it’s probably time for a content revamp.
Think beyond traffic — optimize for conversions
More visitors don’t mean much if they don’t take action. Include strong CTAs, free tools, and interactive elements to turn readers into users.
Audit user behavior with tools like Hotjar or Microsoft Clarity. See what sections they spend most time on, which links they click most, and what may cause them to leave a page.
Invest in various content types
In SaaS, some content pieces will help you grab market's attention, others will make users see you in a positive light, and third ones will convince the users to purchase.
You'll need content that accompanies your ideal customers along their entire customer journey.
Some types of content that you'll need are:
- Blogs: Regularly publish informative blog posts that address industry trends, pain points, and solutions your software offers. Use storytelling techniques to engage your audience and make complex topics relatable.
- Case Studies: Showcase real-life examples of how your software has helped customers achieve their goals. Case studies build credibility and trust, making them powerful conversion tools.
- Webinars and Tutorials: Offering free webinars or tutorials not only positions you as an industry expert but also provides valuable content that can lead to conversions.
Keep your audience’s pain points in mind
Think of these questions:
- What goals do they pursue in their job?
- What challenges are they facing?
- How can your software solve these issues?
- What might deter them from buying your product?
The simplest way to find answers to these questions is to talk to your customers. You may also recruit people from your ICP on platforms like Respondent for a Jobs-to-be-Done interview.
In addition, you can ‘stalk’ your audience on Reddit, Quora, niche forums, Facebook groups, and even on LinkedIn. Dedicate an hour each week to analyzing what worries and excites your potential users, what they want to discuss, and what they complain about or love in products like yours.
Step 4. Diversify it with Video and Visual Content
If you’re just starting out with your SEO, text content might be enough.
However, video content has become a new must-have for SaaS companies.
Video has the power to attract site visitors. 71% of marketers have experienced a boost in website traffic after implementing a content marketing program that includes video.
Second, videos increase the time users spend on a page for 87% of SaaS companies, which sends Google a signal that your site is useful and worth a boost in rankings.
Finally, as Dash reports, 93% of marketers say that video content has provided a good return on investment, with 52% of B2B marketers citing video as the content type with the highest ROI of all.
Here’s how to leverage video in SaaS:
- Tutorials: Create video tutorials that demonstrate how to use your software effectively. This not only helps users but also positions you as an industry expert.
- Webinars: Host webinars to discuss industry trends, showcase your software, and answer customer questions in real-time. You can then cut the recording in shorter pieces and promote them on social media or repurpose the conversation into a blog post.
- Product Demos: A well-crafted product demo can be a powerful tool for converting leads into customers.
Video creation can sound like either a daunting task or a costly task. However, some tools debunk this myth, helping you create videos in no time. No need for a Hollywood budget or months of training!
- Loom – Perfect for quick screen recordings and product demos. Great for explaining features without heavy editing. Plus, it's free for basic use!
- Canva – Not just for graphics! Canva’s video editor makes it easy to create engaging promo videos, customer testimonials, and social clips—no design skills are needed.
- InVideo – A budget-friendly tool with tons of templates for explainer videos, ads, and social content. AI-powered features make editing a breeze.
- VEED.io – Ideal for adding subtitles, animations, and branding. Super user-friendly, especially for repurposing content into bite-sized clips.
- Kapwing – A simple, collaborative tool for SaaS teams to edit videos together. Great for resizing, trimming, and adding captions for multi-platform use.
- CapCut – A free, TikTok-friendly video editor that makes cutting, adding effects, and enhancing videos super easy—even for beginners.
- Synthesia – Want AI-generated videos with human-like avatars? Synthesia lets you create professional explainer and training videos without hiring actors or a production team.
In addition to video, consider incorporating infographics, charts, and images into your content strategy. Visual content is more shareable and can enhance user engagement, leading to lower bounce rates and higher rankings.
Step 5: Make your Content Shine with On-Page SEO
On-page SEO is your way of telling Google, "Hey, this page is exactly what the user is looking for!" But more than that, it’s your chance to hook potential customers, keep them engaged, and guide them toward signing up for your product.
When done right, on-page SEO makes your site more user-friendly, keeps visitors around longer, and boosts your rankings. Google sees people interacting with your page (instead of bouncing immediately) as a sign that your content is valuable. And the longer they stay, the higher your chances of converting them into leads or users.
Here’s how to optimize your pages for both Google and real humans:
- Write compelling meta titles and descriptions that include your target keyword and encourage clicks.
- Use a clear content structure with H1, H2, and H3 headings to make content easy to scan.
- Keep your URLs clean and SEO-friendly. Avoid long, messy URLs—stick to something like: yourdomain.com/saas-seo-strategy.
- Place keywords naturally in the first 100 words to signal relevance to search engines and readers.
- Optimize images by compressing them to improve page speed and adding descriptive alt text for accessibility and SEO.
- Use internal links strategically to guide users to related content and improve navigation.
- Make your content more readable by using bullet points, numbered lists, and short sentences and paragraphs.
- Add clear calls to action, whether it’s a signup button, a demo request, or a free trial, so visitors know what to do next.
On-page SEO isn’t just about pleasing algorithms—it’s about creating a better experience for your audience. And when visitors love your content, Google will, too.
Step 6: Build Backlinks to Your Site (No, You Can't Skip This)
Okay, there are hundreds of Reddit and Quora discussions that all revolve around the question: ‘Do I really need backlinks for my SEO to work well?’
Even the most amazing content won’t rank without backlinks. Backlinks act as a vote of confidence from other sites, signaling to Google that your content is trustworthy and valuable.
That’s especially true with AI development. AI tools have made it easier than ever to churn out high-quality copies at scale. So backlinks remain the only differentiating factor for search engines.
For SaaS companies, link-building is more than just a numbers game—it’s about earning high-quality backlinks that actually drive traffic and authority.
Here are five best link-building tactics for SaaS brands:
Publish Free Tools & Resources
Interactive tools like calculators, templates, or checklists are are assets that help you get backlinks super easily. People love sharing useful resources, and industry blogs will naturally link to them when writing about related topics.
For example, if you offer an SEO tool, a free keyword generator could earn backlinks from marketing blogs.
Join Podcasts
Appearing as a guest on industry podcasts is an underrated way to earn backlinks. Most podcast hosts link to their guests' websites in the show notes, plus it’s a great opportunity to share expertise with a niche audience. A founder sharing their growth journey or a marketer breaking down an SEO strategy can position your brand as an authority while also securing valuable backlinks.
Submit Your Product to Launch Websites
Getting listed on platforms like Product Hunt, AppSumo, and BetaList can generate early traction and high-authority backlinks. These sites often have high domain authority, and if your product gains attention, bloggers and tech journalists may cover it, leading to even more backlinks.
Embed a Backlink in Your Product
If you sell embeddable widgets, reports, or images, add a small, non-intrusive backlink to your site. Canva, for example, includes a "Made with Canva" footer on shared designs. As more users interact with your product, this can generate a steady stream of organic backlinks.
Read more: 5 SaaS Sites That Got Link-Building Right
Submit Expert Quotes to Blogs
Journalists, bloggers, and content creators are constantly looking for expert insights. Platforms like Featured, Terkel, or even LinkedIn posts asking for contributions are great opportunities to earn backlinks. By providing a valuable quote, your brand can be featured in high-authority industry blogs, giving you both credibility and SEO value.
If you want to land quality backlinks without a headache, Ranking Raccoon is the place to be. It’s a spam-free link-building networking platform where trusted SEOs build links from vetted sites via direct messages - without the exhausting cold emailing and shady offers.
All you need to do is submit your site URL - and after a quick approval, our AI recommends the best matches. You can find site pages based on your keywords and send a message directly to the site admin.
The best thing is that all Ranking Raccoon users are here to build backlinks, so you'll get a far higher response rate than with cold emails. (Namely, 71% of link requests get a reply within 7 days).
No more guesswork, no tedious prospecting, no spammy emails, no time loss. Build backlinks the better way!
Step 7. Foster a Community Around Your SaaS
Building a community around your SaaS product can significantly enhance your SEO efforts. Encourage users to share their experiences, tips, and feedback. This not only fosters loyalty but also generates valuable user-generated content (UGC) that can boost your SEO.
User-generated content can take many forms, including reviews, testimonials, and social media posts.
Here’s why UGC is a must for your SaaS SEO:
- Gets your brand in front of thousands of potential buyers. These people are more likely to trust the opinions of their peers than traditional marketing messages, so it will be easier for you to convert them.
- User-generated content can enhance your website’s relevance and authority, leading to better search rankings.
- Makes your job as a content creator easier. Constantly producing high-quality content is a mental grind. UGC helps fill the gaps by bringing in fresh perspectives and real-world use cases without adding to your to-do list.
Step 8. Track Your SEO Efforts and Outcomes
To ensure your SaaS SEO strategy is effective, it’s vital to track key metrics that provide insight into your performance.
Here are five essential metrics to monitor:
- Organic Traffic: Track the number of visitors coming to your site through organic search. Use tools like Google Analytics to assess traffic trends and identify which pages are performing well.
- Keyword Rankings: Regularly check where your target keywords are ranking in search engines. Tools like SEMrush and Ahrefs can help you monitor changes in rankings over time.
- CTR in Search Results: See how many people are clicking on your pages in search results. According to Databox, the average CTR in organic search for the SaaS industry is 1.32%. If your CTR is much lower than this, you might want to update the titles and descriptions - or move up in the search results.
- On-Page Conversion Rates: Measure how many visitors are converting into leads or customers. Understanding your conversion rates will help you identify which SEO tactics are working and which need improvement.
- Bounce Rates: A high bounce rate may indicate that users aren’t finding what they’re looking for on your site. Investigate which pages have high bounce rates and consider optimizing them for better engagement.
Read more: 5 Link-Building Metrics You Got to Track in 2025
Bonus: The Best SEO Tools for SaaS
SEO without the right tools is like trying to drive with your eyes closed. Here are a few SEO tools that will make your life easier:
- Google Analytics – Your go-to for tracking website traffic, user behavior, and conversions. It tells you where visitors are coming from, what they’re doing on your site, and which pages drive sign-ups.
- Google Search Console – Want to know how Google sees your site? This tool gives you insights into search performance, keyword rankings, click-through rates, and any indexing issues that might be holding you back.
- Ahrefs / SEMrush – These two are SEO powerhouses. Ahrefs shines when it comes to backlink research and content ideas, while SEMrush is great for tracking keyword rankings and running in-depth site audits.
- Surfer SEO – Think of this as your on-page SEO coach. It analyzes top-ranking content and gives you data-driven suggestions on keyword placement, structure, and readability to improve your rankings.
- Screaming Frog – A must-have for technical SEO. It crawls your site like a search engine would, helping you spot broken links, duplicate content, and indexing issues that could be hurting your rankings.
- RankMath – If you’re using WordPress, RankMath is one of the best SEO plugins out there. It helps optimize your content, adds schema markup, and gives you real-time SEO recommendations.
- AnswerThePublic – Ever wondered what questions your audience is asking? This tool scrapes search data and visualizes the most common queries around your target keywords (think ‘How’, ‘When’, ‘Why’, etc.), making content planning much easier. Perfect for crafting FAQ sections.
- Google Trends – Shows trending topics in your target area and seasonal search patterns. If you want to jump on a rising search trend before your competitors, this is the tool to use.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What makes SaaS SEO different from regular SEO?
SaaS SEO targets multiple user and buyer personas, including decision-makers like CEOs and CFOs, end-users like marketers or developers, and even procurement teams. Unlike eCommerce, where buyers act fast, SaaS has long sales cycles, meaning your content must educate, nurture, and convert over time.
Do backlinks still matter for SaaS SEO in 2025?
Yes. High-authority backlinks boost credibility, improve rankings, and drive referral traffic. More importantly, backlinks act as a key differentiator for search engines when deciding where your site ranks. When multiple sites compete for the same keywords, strong backlinks can be the deciding factor that pushes you ahead.
What are the best link-building tactics for SaaS?
Many SaaS sites get links from launching their products on platforms like Product Hunt or AppSumo, from software review sites (think G2 or Capterra), from participating in podcasts, from hosting online and offline events with partners and contributing expert quotes to others' blogs. Hundreds of SaaS site admins also build links with ease on the Ranking Raccoon platform.
Should I target branded or non-branded keywords?
Branded keywords capture existing demand, while non-branded keywords bring in new potential users. However, SaaS sites tend to have much higher search volumes for branded terms. That means if you don’t invest in brand awareness, you’re missing out on a huge slice of organic traffic that could be yours.
Is SEO better than paid ads for SaaS?
SEO has better long-term ROI, often being cited as the marketing channel with the highest ROI. Paid ads can drive quick traffic, but once you stop spending, the traffic stops. Plus, many B2B buyers are skeptical of ads and prefer organic search results. SEO builds sustainable growth, bringing in leads month after month without relying on constant ad spend.
How long does it take to see results from a SaaS SEO strategy?
Most SaaS companies start seeing meaningful results in 3–6 months, but it can take up to a year for highly competitive keywords.
SEO SaaS is Tough - But Solvable
They say the only thing that never changes in SEO is... change itself.
Algorithms keep evolving, user behavior shifts, and what worked last year (or even last month) might not cut it today. That’s why staying flexible is key. Keep your SEO strategy fresh by keeping up with trends, testing new tactics, and learning from industry pros. SEO is a marathon, not a sprint—but you’ve got this, and we’re cheering you on!
Natalia Toth
Head of Marketing