While hundreds of popular SaaS brands have watched their SEO traffic, leads, and customers plummet over the last year, our SaaS SEO agency clients have continued to climb.
We don’t have permission to show you each of our best SaaS SEO case studies, but the seven we can show you today, including the two SaaS companies we’ve taken from Series B to unicorn, will do just fine in providing actionable examples you can replicate TODAY.
While much of the industry has continued to try and force the old playbook, we’ve been rapidly developing new SaaS SEO strategies that work in the post-ChatGPT era.
In this article, you will learn:
- How 7 SaaS companies used SEO to hit major KPIs
- How you can replicate their success without venture capital
- The new SaaS SEO playbook we’ve used to launch TWO unicorns
Let’s start with my favorite SaaS SEO case study of the last year.
Case study 1: Hightouch ranks for 13K+ new keywords and boosts DR by 8 in 18 months
Hightouch is a major player in the Composable CDP space. It teamed up with uSERP to tackle a huge SEO challenge.
The company had impressive awards, high-profile content, and solid content. However, the brand’s search visibility didn’t reflect its potential.
uSERP was able to turn things around for Hightouch. We targeted both top-of-the-funnel content and high-value keywords, using strategic backlinks and internal linking strategies.
These were the results:
- 13,215 keywords ranked
- 278 keywords hit the top 3 search engine results page (SERP) spots
- Domain rating (DR) increased by 8 points, from 66 to 74
Not to mention, Hightouch’s target pages saw massive keyword growth and high-ranking placements. Some climbed from zero rankings to the top 3 in under a year.
What made this possible? Hightouch was funded by heavyweights like Bain Capital, ICONIQ Capital, and HubSpot Ventures. This allowed the brand to invest in SEO at a level that can truly move the needle.
Takeaway: For startups like Hightouch, investing in expert SEO is key to accelerating growth.
Case study 2: Form Health gains 1.2K backlinks in 6 months
Have you ever experienced the sudden drop of a high-ranking page that once brought in steady traffic?
This is common in highly competitive industries. It’s why many clients, like Form Health, turn to us at uSERP.
Form Health had enjoyed good SEO rankings and consistent traffic. This was especially true for its homepage and its Wegovy product page. However, the health and wellness brand noticed its landing page was dropping in rank. It went from 6th to 10th without an apparent reason.
We performed a page audit to identify any roadblocks. This ensured we were targeting the right pages with relevant backlinks and optimized content.
Our SEO experts found a few areas for improvement on the Wegovy page that weren’t directly impacting the user experience (UX). But they were likely affecting SEO. We advised Form Health on keyword adjustments, content placement, and on-page optimization.
The team implemented these changes while we worked on securing backlinks. Our team reached out to authoritative sites to secure valuable backlinks.
These were the results:
- 1.2 new backlinks from 255 referring domains
- The homepage now ranks for 24.8k keywords
- Traffic increased by 55.6k visitors per month
- DR improved by 15 points
Takeaway: High-quality backlinks can boost website traffic and improve search rankings. According to a study by Ahrefs, the more backlinks you get from unique domains, the higher the rankings. Combining link-building with on-page SEO tactics can lead to even better results.
Case study 3: EarlyBird fintech app achieves 70K monthly organic visits
EarlyBird had a vision. Its mission was to help people gift money to children for their future.
Others saw that vision. That’s why the company was able to raise $3.1 million in seed funding. It saw significant growth as a result.
But EarlyBird wanted more. The brand partnered with uSERP to drive brand awareness, app signups, and product adoption.
uSERP provided a comprehensive strategy to help EarlyBird achieve those goals. We focused on content creation, link-building, and digital PR.
These were the results:
- 1,064 first-page ranking keywords
- Outranked major sites like NerdWallet and Forbes
- 1,500+ signups driven from referral traffic within 24 hours
- 20,000+ signups from organic traffic
- 800% overall increase in organic traffic
Takeaway: EarlyBird’s success highlights the power of a solid SEO strategy. And when you combine that with targeted media coverage and quality backlinks, the sky’s the limit. SaaS SEO case studies show that even a new fintech company can quickly build a strong organic presence and outpace established direct competitors.
Case study 4: Hotjar drives 201+ backlinks with a 30% conversion rate using link reclamation
Hotjar had a big problem. Its target audience was mentioning the brand all over the web. However, those mentions were doing absolutely nothing for its SEO.
For example, most of those brand mentions didn’t include a backlink to Hotjar’s website. As a result, it was missing out on referral traffic and higher rankings.
Recognizing this problem, Hotjar leveraged uSERP’s link-building expertise. We started a strategic outreach campaign to turn those brand mentions into high-quality backlinks. We researched each mention and tailored outreach messages.
Then, we pitched editors on top-tier sites.
These were the results:
- 30% conversion rate on acquiring backlinks from unlinked brand mentions
- 20% conversion rate on improving existing mentions
- Secured 210+ backlinks
- Boost Sales Qualified Leads (SQLs) by 150%
Takeaway: You can turn mentions into valuable backlinks that drive traffic and build your site’s authority. In many SaaS SEO case studies, you’ll often find that custom outreach can significantly improve your chances of success.
Case study 5: Copy.ai sees 6x organic traffic growth and $98,500 monthly traffic value
Copy.ai is one of those SaaS SEO case studies with a company with big goals behind it.
The AI-powered platform wanted to supercharge its SEO strategy and drive more organic traffic.
So, it came uSERP. Together, we drove the results Copy.ai wanted and more. We did this by crafting a full-scale SEO strategy. The focus was on driving highly-targeted organic traffic to its product pages.
We started by identifying high-value, bottom-of-the-funnel keywords. These phrases had the potential to drive users directly to Copy.ai’s product pages.
We also improved the content structure of key pages on Copy.ai’s website. This ensures the content aligns with search engine and user expectations. And of course, we needed to focus on link building. As a result, Copy.ai earned high-authority links from top marketing, tech, and business sites. This helped boost the brand’s domain authority (DA) and improve its search engine rankings.
These were the results:
- 6x traffic increase (1M clicks in 5 months)
- 1.2x CTR improvement
- 3x more impressions (totaling 9M+)
- $98,500 worth of organic traffic per month
- 263 keywords ranked #1 in less than a year
Takeaway: Smart SEO strategies can turn your traffic into high-quality leads. For Copy.ai, what started as a modest budget now brings in nearly $100k/month in organic traffic value. An upfront investment in SEO can really pay off in the long run.
Case study 6: How TradeZella achieved 6,586% traffic growth with strategic backlinking
In June 2022, TradeZella was the new kid in town. It also wanted to build a strong online presence in the competitive finance and stock trading space.
In this SaaS SEO case study, the company was seemingly doing everything right. For example, it was creating high-quality content. Despite this, TradeZella struggled to gain traction on search engine results pages (SERPs).
So, it looked to uSERP.
The first thing we did was conduct a complete site analysis. This was to identify the quickest path to increasing TradeZella’s rankings. We found that the company’s backlink profile was almost nonexistent.
So, we began building good-quality links from trusted partner publications. That way, the new backlinks would be relevant and align with TradeZella’s brand image.
These were the results:
- 1407 new keywords ranking
- A 25 DR increase within 6 months
- 6,586% traffic growth
- TradeZella now ranks for multiple high-value keywords (i.e., “trading journal”)
Takeaway: If you’re looking to break into a competitive industry, link building is a highly effective strategy. As a young brand, TradeZella was able to leverage backlinks to scale rapidly.
Case study 7: Frevvo skyrockets organic traffic by 346% through digital PR and link-building
Frevvo needed help growing its organic traffic and building brand awareness. Its weak backlink profile made it hard to rank for target keywords.
uSERP jumped into action. We focused on building a solid backlink strategy through digital PR campaigns. As a result, we were able to secure high-quality mentions from reputable publications.
This helped the workflow automation platform drive relevant traffic and improve SEO performance.
These were the results:
- 346% increase in organic traffic
- 138 #1 ranking positions
- DR jumped to 63+
- Significant growth in customer base from targeted referral traffic
Takeaway: A strong digital PR and backlink strategy can improve rankings. Focusing on relevant, high-authority backlinks boosts SEO and attracts quality traffic.
The new SaaS SEO playbook that launched TWO unicorns
Why has uSERP had so much success where other huge players in our space have failed?
First, we’ve been exclusively building high-quality and premium backlinks since uSERP was first launched as a link building services arm for our SEO agency clients. Most SaaS SEO campaigns were built on mid-tier links, which have plummeted in value over the last few years.
Meanwhile, our clients investment has only increased in value, with higher tier links delivering even more authority with each passing year.
Second, we instantly recognized that massive changes were coming to search with the arrival of ChatGPT and AI-driven search summaries, and we’ve been focused heavily on keeping up with algorithm changes ever since.
We break down everything that’s working in-depth here: The New SaaS SEO Playbook: Strategies That Launched Two Unicorns.
But if you want to work with an agency that can get you better results for a notably lower cost (and on a notably faster timeline) than you could achieve by hiring a new in-house team, book a call with our Saas SEO experts. We consistently hit KPIs that other agencies would laugh at even suggesting.
Frequently Asked Questions about SaaS SEO examples
1. What SEO strategies work best for SaaS companies?
SaaS companies should focus on long-tail keywords and specific search intents to capture ideal customers at different stages of their journey. You can achieve this with helpful, detailed content that answers common questions. Building a strong backlink profile from authoritative sources is also crucial.
For example, with TradeZella, we boosted its backlink profile to improve its organic rankings for the competitive keyword “trading journal.” Learn more about Tradezella’s results in Case Study 6.
2. What are some real examples of SaaS businesses increasing organic traffic?
Frevvo saw a 346% increase in organic traffic by using targeted link building and content marketing strategies. Learn how Frevvo was able to achieve this growth in Case Study 7.
A crucial aspect of its SEO efforts was building high-quality backlinks. Frevvo earned mentions and backlinks from relevant industry publications. This not only boosted its domain authority but also helped drive targeted referral traffic.
3. What are some common SEO mistakes SaaS companies make?
Many SaaS companies overlook the power of backlinks. In the case of Hotjar, its early-stage SEO struggled due to a lack of link building. This made it harder to rank in a competitive market. You can learn more about Hotjar’s challenge and how we helped solve it in Case Study 4.
Another mistake is not prioritizing content targeting top-of-funnel (TOFU) awareness and bottom-of-funnel (BOFU) conversions. This was one of EarlyBird’s mistakes. See Case Study 3 for more on how we helped the brand refine its strategy over time to ensure it was addressing both TOFU and BOFU content.
4. What are some SaaS companies that grew using organic SEO alone?
Form Health is a great example of a SaaS company that grew using organic SEO alone.
It focused on creating valuable, informative content around health and wellness topics, combined with a strong backlink-building strategy. This allowed its site to rank for competitive health-related keywords and reach more potential customers. See Case Study 2.
5. What are the best link-building strategies for SaaS companies?
Link-building strategies for SaaS companies should include creating high-quality content that naturally attracts backlinks, creating a guest post strategy, and leveraging relationships with industry influencers or publications.
For example, EarlyBird successfully used strategic outreach to build authoritative backlinks. See Case Study 3.
6. How do SaaS companies use SEO to drive free trial sign-ups?
SaaS companies can attract free trial sign-ups by using targeted keywords with high intent to buy. Creating landing pages that explain the benefits of a free trial, including customer reviews and success stories, can help turn visitors into trial users.
7. How do successful SaaS SEO case studies apply content clusters and topic authority?
Successful companies build content around a main topic, like “email marketing,” and create related articles linking back to that main piece or topic cluster. This builds topical authority and shows Google the site is an expert in that area, helping the pages rank higher.
8. What are some SaaS SEO case studies that show rapid organic growth?
Copy.ai’s case shows how rapid growth can occur through SEO. The brand quickly boosted its SEO rankings by focusing on engaging content that attracted backlinks from top-tier publications. See Case Study 5.
9. How have SaaS startups used SEO to compete with larger competitors?
EarlyBird’s approach was focused on targeting valuable keywords in the financial space, which helped it compete against larger companies in a crowded market.
Similarly, Copy.ai’s content strategy allowed it to carve out a niche in the AI space, even when competing with more established players. See Case Studies 3 and 5.
10. What are the best SaaS SEO examples that show success with link-building strategies?
Hightouch and Copy.ai both show how effective link-building is in SEI. For Hightouch, acquiring backlinks from authoritative industry sources helped improve its ranking for relevant keywords. Copy.ai also used link-building to climb the SEO ranks quickly. The company was able to attract both traffic and new customers.
These case studies show that SaaS companies, whether startups or growing businesses, can succeed by focusing on strong content strategies and a dedicated effort to earn high-quality backlinks. To learn more about Hightouch’s and Copy.ai’s success, see Case Studies 1 and 5.Want to see results similar to these in your own strategy? Book a consulting call with our SaaS experts today.
