SaaS SEO (software as a service search engine optimization) is a unique type of marketing that focuses on attracting inbound leads through the organic search channel. SEO is a useful digital marketing strategy for nearly every kind of business, but SaaS companies, in particular, can use SEO to drive scalable growth.
SEO is a very important part of many marketing strategies, and its value should not be underestimated. Developing and executing an SEO strategy is not easy in any industry, but it can be especially challenging in the SaaS industry. There are many special considerations that are required for a successful SaaS SEO campaign. For example, SaaS keyword research for SEO content must be approached with extra care. However, when done correctly, SEO is one of the most effective ways for B2B SaaS companies to improve their visibility and attract more leads through organic search.
The problem is that a streamlined and highly effective SEO strategy is not easy to achieve. There are many obstacles that make it challenging to achieve SEO success without the use of some of the best SEO tools. However, with the right software solutions, a SaaS company can have a much easier time building an SEO strategy, creating and publishing SEO content, auditing content, analyzing SEO outcomes, and more.
Creating an SEO strategy and producing SEO content is a time-consuming and sometimes tedious process. Much of the work involves repetitive tasks like sorting lists of keywords or putting together content outlines one by one. These mundane, manual tasks can eat up a lot of time for SaaS marketers, whose time would probably be better spent on more strategically valuable tasks. SEO software like Demandwell can address this problem by automating some parts of the SEO process like keyword research or outline generation. These tasks can be completed just as effectively by software in much less time than it would take a human — plus, human marketers remain free for the more demanding tasks.
Next, let’s try to answer the question: “what is SaaS?” and explore why SEO is so important for SaaS companies in a bit more detail.
SaaS, or “software as a service,” companies are companies that sell access to online software. B2B SaaS companies, specifically, sell other businesses access to software solutions. The main differentiating factor between a SaaS company and a typical software company is that SaaS companies host the software on their servers and sell subscriptions that enable clients to log in and use the software from their own devices — whereas traditional software must be installed locally on the client’s own servers. SaaS is a very popular business model, but B2B SaaS SEO can be trickier than other types of SEO for a few different reasons.
When SaaS decision-makers are searching for and evaluating new software solutions, there are only a few channels to which they typically turn. Referrals from people in their networks, recommendations from review sites, and word-of-mouth advice are three of the most common ways SaaS clients hear about new solutions. However, SaaS businesses have relatively little control over these three channels and they aren’t particularly scalable. Utilizing SEO data can lead to a much more successful inbound marketing strategy.
The final place SaaS customers typically look for software solutions is organic search. Organic search is one of the best SaaS content marketing channels for SaaS marketers to prioritize because it’s generally the most scalable channel and because marketers can exercise a great deal of control over the specific keywords they target with their content. Using the best SEO tools can make it easier for SaaS marketers to accomplish effective SEO strategies and get the most from organic search. Digital marketers at SaaS companies can use SEO SaaS software like Demandwell to narrow in on the best keywords and develop a B2B SaaS content marketing strategy that compounds over time. There are a lot of SEO factors to keep in mind, but the right software solutions can act like an SEO checklist to keep you on track.
Keyword research is one of the most important aspects of most kinds of SEO, but it’s an especially important element of SEO for B2B SaaS. Each piece of SEO content is built around specific keywords. These keywords are chosen according to their ability to attract customers in the SaaS industry, like the ones the company is marketing. Effective keyword selection is essential for nearly every kind of SEO, but keywords are an especially important item on the SaaS SEO checklist.
SaaS keywords often tend to be more specific than keywords for other industries because SaaS customers are searching for highly technical solutions to very specific problems. Their search terms often include jargon or other technical terms that need to be carefully identified and targeted. This can be a very difficult and lengthy process without the right SEO SaaS tools.
Software like Demandwell can make SaaS keyword research more efficient. Demandwell’s Keyword Coach automatically prioritizes keywords, making it possible for marketers to maximize demand efficiently. It’s usually best to target keywords with a moderate amount of traffic instead of the highest-traffic keywords — even though those keywords get more traffic, there will be much more competition for them. The importance of SEO for SaaS is too high not to pay attention to best practices like this one and take advantage of effective SEO software.