10 Proven SaaS SEO Tips (Plus, Mistakes to Ditch)

SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is a way to get more customers who are looking for solutions like yours. SEO helps you get more organic traffic to your site, turn clicks into leads, and get more customers. But SaaS is different. Your products change, your value is long-term, and trust is important. That’s why we have 10 practical SEO tips for you, made for the SaaS world, to help you grow faster.

1. Pick the Right Keywords: Think about your ideal customer, what are they looking for? Tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush can show you many relevant long-tail keywords (like “best project management software for remote teams”). Choose keywords with high search volume but low competition – it’s like picking easy fruit for more impact.
2. Make SEO-Friendly Pages: Make page titles, meta descriptions, and headers that use your keywords. Also think about user-friendliness – clear navigation and fast loading speed are important to keep visitors happy.
3. Content is Important: Make blog posts, case studies, and guides that are full of value. Solve user problems, show your expertise, and add smart calls to action – like free trials or ebooks. Remember, valuable content is the key to winning hearts and conversions.
4. Backlinks: Get links from relevant websites and industry publications. Guest blogging, forum participation, and making shareable content are your friends. Avoid bad link schemes – focus on organic relationships for long-term SEO success.
5. Use Social Media: Share your content, talk to your audience, and run targeted ads on platforms like LinkedIn or Twitter. Encourage social sharing – let your fans be your supporters.
6. Local SEO for Local Success: Claim your Google My Business listing and use local keywords. Get involved in your community, work with local businesses – be the local SaaS hero.
7. Use Data to Make Decisions: Tools like Google Search Console and Google Analytics are your helpers. Check traffic sources, keyword rankings, and user behavior to see what works and what doesn’t. Change your strategy, follow the latest SEO trends, and watch your rankings go up.
8. User Experience is Important: Make sure your site is easy to use. Mobile-friendly design, fast loading times, and simple navigation are essential for keeping visitors on your site, not leaving.
9. Data-Driven Content Marketing: Look at user searches and competitor content to find gaps and chances. Test your content and focus on data-backed topics that your audience likes. Remember, facts beat guesses.
10. Build a Lively Online Community: Make active communities on social media or other platforms. Encourage user-generated content, discussions, and Q&A sessions. Let your community be your feedback, your idea maker, and your loyal fan base.

Common SaaS SEO mistakes for your business

Making Too Many Pages: SaaS companies often make many pages that fight with each other and slow down their site, sometimes even making the same content. Google likes content that is complete rather than content that is thin and on many pages. Putting similar pages into one good piece of content and deleting old pages that don’t work is better

For example, if you have multiple pages about the same feature of your software, you can combine them into one comprehensive guide that covers everything your users need to know.

Writing for Search Engines Not Users: Content should be written for the user, not just for search engines. SEO should make the user experience better, not worse

For example, don’t stuff your content with keywords that sound unnatural or irrelevant. Use keywords that match the user’s intent and language, and write in a clear and engaging tone.

Not Knowing the User’s Search Intent: It’s important to make your content so that new and old users can find answers fast and easy. This makes the time-to-value faster and helps make new customers into loyal fans

For example, if your users are searching for “how to use X software”, they probably want a step-by-step tutorial, not a sales pitch or a comparison with other software.

Bad Content Formatting: Badly formatted content can be hard for users to read and use, which can make user experience and SEO worse

For example, use headings, subheadings, bullet points, images, and videos to break up your content into digestible and skimmable sections. Use white space, font size, and color to highlight the most important information.

Not Making Images and Videos Better on Your Website: Images and videos should be made better with good file names, alt text, and smaller sizes to make page load times faster and give context to search engines

For example, instead of naming your image file “IMG_1234.jpg”, name it something descriptive like “X-software-dashboard.jpg”. Add alt text that describes what the image shows, like “A screenshot of X software’s dashboard”. Compress your image size to reduce loading time, but don’t compromise the quality.

Not Doing Customer Research: Starting your keyword research from SEO tools like Ahrefs or Semrush without talking to customers can make you miss good insights. Your content strategy should be focused on making money, and knowing your customers is key to doing this

For example, you can interview your customers, send surveys, or analyze feedback to understand their pain points, goals, and preferences. Use this information to create content that solves their problems, educates them, and persuades them to buy your software.

Picking Keywords Without Research: Picking keywords without good research can make you target words that are too hard, not relevant, or not searched by your target audience

For example, don’t just guess what keywords your users are searching for. Use SEO tools to find out the search volume, difficulty, and competition of your keywords. Choose keywords that have high demand, low competition, and high relevance to your software.

Making The Wrong Links: Making low-quality or not relevant backlinks can hurt your site’s authority and rankings. It’s important to focus on making good, relevant links naturally.

For example, don’t buy links from spammy sites or exchange links with unrelated sites. Instead, create valuable and shareable content that attracts links from reputable and relevant sites. You can also reach out to influencers, bloggers, or journalists in your niche and offer them your content as a resource.

Only Focusing on Top of the Funnel (TOFU): While getting new visitors is important, it’s also important to make content for the middle and bottom of the funnel to help leads and make them into customers

For example, don’t just create content that raises awareness and interest in your software. Create content that builds trust and desire, such as testimonials, case studies, or demos. Create content that encourages action, such as free trials, discounts, or webinars.

Not Getting Good Backlinks: Backlinks are a big factor in how Google ranks web pages. Not getting good backlinks from good sites can make your SEO worse

For example, don’t ignore the link-building aspect of SEO. Monitor your backlink profile and analyze your competitors’ backlinks. Find link opportunities and outreach strategies that work for your niche. Track your link-building results and optimize your efforts.