Show me a SaaS unicorn, and I’ll show you a massively successful SEO campaign.
SaaS and SEO have gone hand in hand since the industry’s inception, but after seeing traffic, leads, and revenue tank over the last few years, a lot of SaaS companies have been giving up on SEO.
This was both inevitable and entirely avoidable.
The inevitability stemmed from the emergence of AI and how Google has adjusted to the post-AI era. The SaaS SEO playbook that had worked for 10 years stopped working in 2023, and this last year, the bill came due, with the SEO mistakes of massive SaaS brands resulting in millions in lost revenue.
But it was also completely avoidable.
Look at the SEO progress of Hightouch over the last two years. This is the SECOND SaaS company we’ve taken from Series B to unicorn status (the first being Monday).
Not a single one of our SaaS SEO agency clients has seen their traffic drop over the last year.
Why?
Two reasons:
- One of the biggest changes to SEO has been the drop in value of mid-tier links, and uSERP has been building exclusively high quality and premium backlinks since Day #1.
- The entire SaaS SEO playbook began changing rapidly in 2023, and we’ve been proactively adjusting to those changes ever since.
In this post, I’m going to break down the new SaaS SEO playbook we’ve used to launch two unicorns and get consistently dominant results for hundreds of SaaS clients, including the 8 SaaS SEO strategies you need to be implementing (or at minimum, considering):
- Technical SEO audit & optimization
- Mobile-first UX audit & optimization
- KPI-focused keyword research & analysis
- Commercial intent content strategy
- Informational intent content strategy
- Authoritative, organic, high-quality link building
- Video-driven content for social & SEO
- Recurring, KPI-focused content improvement
But if you’re a stakeholder or marketer working at a SaaS company today, you should really get on a free call with our team and let us help you crush your KPIs this year. We’ve done this many times before, and we can do it for you as well.
The only 4 metrics that matter for SaaS SEO
In our experience, there are really only four metrics that matter to SaaS companies.
In the short term, SaaS companies mostly care about monthly recurring revenue (MRR) and customer churn rate. Basically, are we bringing in more new customers each month than we are losing?
But no matter how impressive these numbers are in the short term, they are essentially proxy metrics for the long-term metrics that EVERY business lives and dies by: Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) and Customer Lifetime Value (LTV). Do you make more money from each customer than it costs to acquire them?
SaaS SEO also has four key metrics, and while they’re connected to these initial four metrics, they have some channel-specific distinctions.
1. Monthly recurring revenue (MRR) from SEO
How much revenue growth is SEO bringing in? While costs are important, bringing in revenue is the initial consideration for most SaaS companies when looking at any marketing channel.
If you can bring in new customers consistently and scale that number over time, you have options to fix all the other metrics that can get in the way of success. If you don’t have new customers coming in, nothing else you do is going to matter.
2. Customer acquisition cost (CAC) from SEO
How much does each new SEO-driven customer cost? Is it within your SaaS company’s acceptable range? If not, is it trending downward over time?
Your SaaS SEO campaign has succeeded when, and only when, it is bringing in real customers at a cost that makes sense for your business (less than the customer’s LTV, at minimum).
3. Cost per lead (CPL) & sales conversion rate
While MRR + CAC are THE standard for evaluating SEO success, the reality is that a lot of factors beyond SEO are influencing those numbers.
SEO can get great leads into a free trial signup, but a poor onboarding or product experience can cause them to churn before buying. SEO can get great leads into the sales pipeline, but a weak nurturing process or sales team can get in the way of them closing.
If CAC from SEO isn’t where you want it and isn’t trending in the right direction, the next step is to evaluate the CPL and sales conversion rate across each marketing channel to see if SEO is underperforming.
If SEO has a higher CPL and/or lower sales conversion rate than other channels, that’s a bad sign, especially if these metrics aren’t trending in a positive direction. If SEO has a lower CPL and/or higher sales conversion rate than other channels, that indicates that SEO is performing well, but either your conversion funnel needs work or your product/market needs to be dialed in further.
4. Monthly organic traffic
If increasing SEO traffic is the only positive metric you can show from your SEO campaign, that’s a bad sign, but it is possible for SEO to bring in quality traffic that simply doesn’t respond to what your SaaS company is offering them.
- Maybe the free trial or lead magnet offer is weak
- Maybe there’s too much friction in the lead capture process
- Maybe the product/market fit just isn’t there
Monthly organic (not from advertising) traffic is a potential fallback metric to keep an eye on here. We pretty much always want to see monthly organic traffic trending upward, provided its traffic around relevant keywords and pages.
Whenever I’m auditing a new client’s SEO performance and see a steady upward trend in relevant organic traffic, that’s a green flag, and it means I’m going to take a hard look at their lead capture and conversion processes and expect to find holes there.
Now that we’ve established our targets, let’s look at the playbook we use to achieve our true SaaS SEO goal: increasing MRR at an acceptable CAC.
Strategy #1: Technical SEO audit & optimization
Technical SEO becomes increasingly important as a business scales, and a lot of SaaS companies that come our way don’t realize how much technical debt they’ve accrued on their website in the years since their launch.
SaaS SEO must start with a comprehensive technical SEO audit. Even the best content and link-building strategies will fail if your website has underlying technical issues that prevent Google from crawling, indexing, and ranking your pages effectively.
A proper technical SEO audit for SaaS companies focuses on three key areas:
1. Crawlability and indexability
Google needs to be able to discover and crawl your site efficiently. If key pages aren’t indexed, they won’t rank, no matter how much optimization you do.
Here are some of the key things we look at:
- Robots.txt & Noindex Tags – Ensure important pages aren’t being blocked from indexing.
- XML Sitemap – Your sitemap should be up to date and submitted to Google Search Console.
- Orphan Pages – Every key page should be linked internally to help search engines (and users) find them.
- Duplicate Content & Cannibalization – If multiple pages target the same keywords, they can compete against each other instead of ranking higher together.
2. Site performance & user experience
Google prioritizes fast, user-friendly websites. Slow-loading pages or poor mobile experiences can crush your rankings.
The following items are at the top of our priority list:
- Core Web Vitals – Address LCP (Largest Contentful Paint), FID (First Input Delay), and CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift) for a smoother UX.
- Page Speed – Compress images, minify CSS/JavaScript, and leverage caching to improve load times.
- Mobile-Friendliness – With Google’s mobile-first indexing, your site must be fully responsive and functional on all devices.
Ahrefs is one of the SaaS SEO tools we use to evaluate site health, and this Health Score example from our client Hightouch is exactly what you want to see.
And this directly contributes to the results we’ve been able to get for Hightouch over the last two years… results that led to their Series C raise of $80M at a $1.2B valuation in February 2025.
Without a strong technical foundation, we wouldn’t have been able to 10x Hightouch’s organic traffic in just two years.
3. Technical SEO for SaaS-specific challenges
SaaS websites often have unique technical roadblocks that require special attention:
- JavaScript Rendering Issues – Many SaaS platforms rely on JavaScript-heavy frameworks, which can cause indexing problems. Use tools like Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test or Search Console’s URL Inspection tool to check how Google renders your pages.
- Dynamic URLs & Pagination – If your SaaS website generates dynamic pages for pricing, features, or integrations, make sure they’re structured correctly and canonicalized to avoid duplicate content.
- Subdomains vs. Subfolders – Some SaaS companies host their blogs or help centers on subdomains, but this can dilute SEO value. A subfolder (e.g., /blog instead of blog.yoursite.com) typically consolidates SEO strength better.
Strategy #2: Mobile-first UX audit & optimization
We spend way more time on our phones than our desktops these days, and while charts like the one below will show an average mobile share of 60%, for many SaaS companies, the mobile share for their target market is closer to 90%.
Google’s mobile-first indexing approach adds another layer to this from an SEO perspective.
A seamless mobile user experience is no longer just a nice-to-have. It’s critical for SaaS SEO success. If your site isn’t optimized for mobile users, you’ll experience higher bounce rates, lower conversions, and weaker rankings.
A mobile-first UX audit focuses on evaluating your SaaS website across three key areas.
1. Responsive design & accessibility
Google prioritizes websites that function well across all screen sizes. When a site is not properly optimized, users may experience broken layouts, tiny text, or buttons that are difficult to tap, leading to real user frustration and increased bounce rates that can tank SEO rankings.
We start with the following items:
- Fluid Layouts – Your site should adapt to different screen sizes without content breaking or elements shifting unpredictably.
- Legible Fonts & Buttons – Text should be easy to read without zooming, and buttons should be large enough to tap comfortably.
- Touch-Friendly Navigation – Avoid hover-based interactions that don’t translate well to mobile. Stick to tap-friendly menus and clear CTA buttons.
- Contrast & Readability – Ensure text has enough contrast against the background for readability in all lighting conditions.
2. Page speed & mobile performance
Speed is a major ranking factor for mobile SEO. Mobile users expect instant access to content, and delays of even a few seconds will cause bounces and tank engagement metrics that impact rankings.
We primarily focus on minimizing resource-heavy elements, but look at each of the following:
- Large Images & Heavy Elements – Compress images and eliminate unnecessary animations or bulky scripts.
- Minimizing Redirects – Too many redirects slow down load times, especially on mobile networks.
- Lazy Loading – Load images and non-essential content only when users scroll to them.
- AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) – If your SaaS site relies on content marketing, consider AMP to deliver ultra-fast mobile pages.
3. Mobile-optimized conversion paths
A mobile-friendly site isn’t just about aesthetics and performance. Pages need to convert. Many SaaS companies struggle with poor mobile conversion rates because their signup forms, checkout processes, or call-to-action buttons are not optimized for smaller screens.
We focus heavily on the following elements:
- Simplified Forms – Reduce the number of fields and use autofill options to make signups faster.
- One-Click Logins – Offer sign-in options via Google, Apple, or social logins to eliminate password fatigue.
- Sticky CTAs – Keep critical call-to-action buttons visible as users scroll.
- Mobile Checkout Optimization – If you offer a free trial or paid signup, make sure the checkout process is smooth, secure, and requires minimal effort.
As pictured above, Glassbox does this really well, and that’s one of the reason’s we’ve been able to 5x their organic traffic over the last two years.
Glassbox’s target audience probably spends the least amount of time on mobile relative to other SaaS target markets, and yet even still, the mobile experience is important, both for the percentage of visits that do come from mobile AND for the impact on sitewide SEO performance.
Strategy #3: KPI-focused keyword research & analysis
Keyword research is the backbone of any successful SaaS SEO strategy. Without targeting the right keywords, even the best content and technical optimizations won’t drive meaningful traffic or conversions.
Most SaaS companies get this part wrong. They either focus on topics and thought leadership, and none of their content ranks… OR they focus entirely on high-traffic education keywords, and none of their content converts.
An effective SaaS keyword strategy involves identifying keywords that not only attract traffic but also lead to signups, demos, and/or purchases. This process includes understanding search intent, prioritizing keyword opportunities based on business goals, and continuously refining the strategy based on performance data.
Let’s get specific.
Identifying High-Intent Commercial Keywords
Not all traffic is valuable, especially for SaaS businesses. The most impactful keywords are those that indicate a user is actively considering a solution.
These are also referred to as bottom-of-funnel (BOFU) commercial keywords, such as:
- “[product category] software”
- “Best [product category] software”
- “[Competitor] alternative”
- “[Product category] pricing”
- “Buy [software name]”
Users searching these terms already have intent to evaluate or purchase a solution. If your SaaS can show up in the top-5 results for these types of keywords, your SEO campaign is probably ROI-positive
Here’s an example from our client Remote, a SaaS company offering internal payroll solutions.
When anyone searches for “international payroll software”, the FIRST organic result they see is Remote, which means users are going to perceive Remote as Google’s top choice for their search query.
Additionally, despite not falling within the top 20 payroll software companies by revenue count, Remote has secured a placement within Google’s search feature highlighting 9 payroll software companies ABOVE the organic search results.
Remote’s SEO presence is very clearly having a multi-layered impact here, and we can see the impact of SEO on Remote’s revenue numbers as well. As Remote’s traffic increased from 80k visitors per month to 600k visitors per month over the last two years, their yearly revenue increased from $500m to $815m.
That sort of direct revenue growth doesn’t happen from a keyword strategy targeting primarily educational keywords, especially when AI summaries are stealing a lot of that traffic today.
Targeting Mid and Top-of-Funnel Keywords
While bottom-of-funnel keywords drive direct conversions, mid and top-of-funnel keywords help build brand awareness and nurture potential buyers. These keywords often take the form of how-to guides, industry insights, and problem-based queries.
Examples include:
- “How to automate [task] in [industry]”
- “What is [concept related to SaaS product]?”
- “Why use [product category] for [business goal]?”
This type of content attracts users in the research phase, allowing your SaaS company to establish authority, educate potential customers, and guide them toward a purchase decision over time.
Balancing Search Volume and Competition
While high-volume keywords may seem attractive, they are often highly competitive and difficult to rank for, especially for newer SaaS brands. A smart keyword strategy balances search volume, competition, and conversion potential.
- Long-tail keywords – These lower-volume keywords often have clearer intent and less competition, making them easier to rank for.
- Niche industry terms – Keywords specific to your SaaS niche may have lower search volume but higher conversion rates.
- Branded vs. non-branded terms – Monitoring both branded (e.g., “[Your SaaS] pricing”) and non-branded (e.g., “best CRM software for startups”) keywords ensures a well-rounded strategy.
The key here is that you need to be constantly evaluating keyword performance by real leads and acquired customers. We don’t really care about rankings and traffic. We care about MRR.
We’d rather have a keyword that brings us 10 customers per week with a trickle of traffic than a keyword bringing us 10,000 visitors per month who are never going to use our SaaS product.
Strategy #4: Commercial intent content strategy
Finding the right keywords is just the first step. Some might even say it’s the easy part. The difficult part is creating content that BOTH ranks for those keywords AND converts the target audience.
Content is the most popular place for SaaS companies to drop the ball and make million-dollar mistakes. Everybody wants to take shortcuts on content… and that’s why they fail.
This post is an example of what content SHOULD be.
You are here because it’s ranking in search for keywords we wanted to target.
If you made it this far in the article, you probably aren’t our target audience, because our target audience tends to stop reading and book a call after the 2nd or 3rd case study highlight… I mean, what other SaaS SEO agency do you know that has launched two unicorns and 5x’d the traffic of enterprise businesses already doing several hundred million per year in revenue?
There’s not many out there.
But you might be our target audience in a few years as you use the information we’ve put here to crush your own KPIs and grow to a point where you can work with us. Or maybe you are one of the rare people in our target audience who really gets their hands dirty with SEO and wants to verify we know what we’re talking about before dropping $10-50k per month on our link building services.
If so, hats off to you. I’d love to chat just peer to peer regardless of whether you have any interest in working with us. Please hit me up LinkedIn.
But getting back to commercial intent content, this is what most people refer to as BOFU or Bottom-of-the-Funnel content.
BOFU content is designed to target the commercial intent keyword searches by users who are actively considering a SaaS solution and are close to making a decision. These pages should directly address their intent and remove any final friction preventing them from converting.
Product & Feature Landing Pages
Your product and feature landing pages are the most critical bottom-of-funnel (BOFU) assets on your SaaS website. These pages directly showcase what your software does, who it’s for, and why it’s valuable.
An effective landing page should be structured for both clarity and conversion. Start with a compelling value proposition at the top, followed by key features and benefits that address user needs.
Visual elements like screenshots, demo videos, and animations can enhance engagement by showing—not just telling—what your SaaS can do. Additionally, a well-placed call-to-action (CTA) (e.g., “Start a Free Trial” or “Book a Demo”) should be visible throughout the page to encourage immediate action.
Target these pages at high-intent keywords like “[your software] features” or “[your product category] solution.”
Comparison Pages
Comparison pages help potential customers evaluate different SaaS solutions and make informed purchasing decisions. Many users searching for software are already considering multiple options, and they often turn to “[Competitor] vs. [Your SaaS]” searches before making a final choice.
If you don’t create this content, your competitors will, controlling the narrative and potentially winning over customers who could have chosen you.
A strong comparison page should focus on logical persuasion rather than emotional persuasion. Prospects understand that you are going to be biased toward your own product, but they will still consider the objective points you can make to show your solution is superior.
Use comparison tables to make your most objective selling points obvious, scannable, and easy to comprehend.
This is also your chance to address common objections and ideally, reposition them as selling points.
It’s also crucial to address common objections that users might have about switching to your SaaS product. If your software is more expensive than a competitor’s, justify the price by detailing the extra value it provides. If a competitor has a feature you lack, emphasize the benefits of your approach or highlight upcoming roadmap updates.
Target keywords like “[Competitor] alternative,” “[Your SaaS] vs. [Competitor],” and “Best [product category] software” to capture high-intent users actively evaluating solutions.
We’ve had a lot of success ranking Hightouch for these types of searches, getting them to show up in the top-3 results when prospects are considering competitors like Segment, Census, Rudderstack, or Liveramp.
Instead of needing to pay $6-12 per CLICK to attract these types of high-value prospects, Hightouch gets them for free by showing up as the #1 organic result.
Pricing Pages
Pricing pages are often one of the most visited pages on a SaaS website, and while it’s not always a direct inbound source, if your pricing page is unclear, lacks transparency, or creates unnecessary friction, you WILL tank your organic conversion rate as prospects transition from blog post to pricing page and then bounce
The best pricing pages clearly outline plans, costs, and features in a way that helps users quickly determine which option is right for them. A pricing table with a side-by-side comparison of features in different tiers can simplify decision-making.
If your product has usage-based or enterprise pricing, make it easy for potential buyers to contact sales or request a custom quote.
Psychological pricing strategies, such as emphasizing the most popular plan or offering a discount for annual billing, can encourage users to commit.
And for the love of god, include as much social proof — customer logos, testimonials, case studies, etc. — as you possibly can.
Case Studies & Testimonials
Speaking of social proof, SaaS companies should invest heavily in featuring their most successful customers, their most brand-recognizable customers, AND successful customers who most closely resemble their primary target audience.
A great case study follows a problem-solution-results framework.
Start by describing the customer’s challenge before implementing your software. Then, explain how your product addressed their pain points and highlight measurable outcomes, whether that’s increased efficiency, cost savings, or improved customer satisfaction. Including direct quotes, metrics, and before-and-after comparisons makes case studies even more compelling.
Video testimonials are one of the best formats, provided you can get the right information included.
Realistically, you often aren’t going to get the best content from your customers, and written case studies will give you the most flexibility in highlighting what you have to work with and building it into that problem-solutions-results framework.
Like your pricing page, you probably won’t get a ton of inbound traffic directly to individual case study pages, but you can create aggregate content around industry-specific searches like “CRM case studies” or problem-based queries like “How [industry] companies automate [process]”.
Step 5: Informational intent content strategy
Commercial intent content SHOULD be the star of the SaaS SEO show.
But it can’t exist in isolation.
Informational intent content is content that provides useful information on topics connected to your SaaS solution and target audience. There is a much larger field of potential content in this category, and ranking for it plays a crucial role in building the website and topical authority you need to rank for that smaller group of high value, highly competitive commercial intent keywords.
For most SaaS companies, informational intent content can also directly attract customers in the early stages of their buyer journey. Many SaaS buyers start their journey with questions, research, and education, long before they’re actively searching for a solution.
Providing high-quality informational content allows your brand to build trust, increase visibility, and become a go-to resource in your industry.
A well-rounded informational content strategy consists of both mid-funnel (MOFU) educational content and top-of-funnel (TOFU) thought leadership content. Each serves a different purpose in the buyer journey.
Mid-Funnel (MOFU) Content: Educational & Problem-Solving Content
MOFU content is designed for potential customers who recognize they have a problem but are still exploring different solutions. At this stage, they’re looking for in-depth educational resources, comparisons, and expert insights to help them make an informed decision.
Unlike BOFU content, which directly promotes your SaaS product, MOFU content should focus on providing value first while subtly positioning your solution as the best option. The goal is to establish your expertise and nurture potential customers over time until they are ready to convert.
Good types of MOFU content include:
- Use-case articles – Explain how your software solves specific industry pain points (e.g., “How [Your SaaS] helps marketing teams automate workflows”).
- Best practices & strategy guides – Provide valuable insights that position your brand as an authority (e.g., “The Ultimate Guide to Automating Customer Support”).
- Industry reports & research studies – Original data-backed reports can attract backlinks and establish thought leadership.
Here’s a great example of MOFU content from Monday.
Through each phase of educating the reader on project management, Monday shows that step being executed using their platform. They are essentially teaching people project management that revolves around their software.
The goal of MOFU content is to educate while subtly positioning your product as the best solution, leading prospects naturally toward conversion.
Top-of-Funnel (TOFU) Content: Thought Leadership & Awareness
TOFU content serves as the first touchpoint between your SaaS brand and potential customers. These users may not be actively searching for a solution yet, but they’re exploring industry trends, learning new concepts, and seeking general information.
The purpose of TOFU content isn’t to sell. The goal is to build brand recognition, increase website traffic, and establish credibility. Over time, these visitors can be nurtured into leads and eventually into paying customers.
Good types of TOFU content include:
- How-to guides & tutorials – Answer common industry questions and provide actionable insights.
- Opinion pieces & trend analysis – Share expert perspectives on emerging trends in your niche.
- Glossary & definition pages – Create SEO-friendly pages that define key industry terms and drive organic traffic.
While TOFU content typically doesn’t push users to convert directly, it can be used for lead generation and nurturing, plus including internal links to MOFU and BOFU pages can guide users further down the funnel.
Both MOFU and TOFU content were pivotal in our work for Monday. You can see from the chart below that they have thousands of informational blog posts, many of which are individually attracting thousands of visitors to the brand each month.
This type of content has continued to deliver value to the brand long past its unicorn IPO. The SaaS company brings in nearly a million visitors per month through SEO alone.
Step 6: Authoritative, organic, high-quality link building
SEO is a zero-sum game marketing channel.
For every keyword, the vast majority of clicks will go to the top 3-5 search results. This means that your content is in direct competition with every SaaS company that wants to show up for that keyword.
The first way you compete for those top spots is by creating really good content. The more search visitors engage with your content — as measured by clicks, read-time, scroll percentage, etc. — the higher that content tends to rank.
But what happens when more than 5 SaaS companies are creating really strong content around the same keyword?
From there, it comes down to page and domain authority, or in other words, which sites does Google perceive to be the strongest authorities on the topics surrounding that keyword?
And authority is driven almost entirely by backlinks.
- Which types of sites are linking to you?
- How many sites are linking to you?
- What types of content are linking to you?
- How frequently are they linking to you?
In the early days of SEO, you could get away with low quality backlinks — links from websites created solely for the purpose of providing backlinks — but a series of updates from 2011-2013 made spammy content and links essentially worthless for SEO purposes.
Over the next decade, the vast majority of SEO agencies and in-house teams relied on mid-tier links — links from websites that were originally made for a human audience but turned into link farms through paid link placement, low quality guest posts, and high volumes of link swaps — to get results on a minimal budget.
That all changed in 2023, when developments in AI led to Google getting much better at spotting these thinly disguised mid-tier backlinks, and the value of those links (and the sites built on them) have plummeted in the years since.
Today, the only links worth building are high quality backlinks — links from websites that were originally designed for AND remain actively focused on real human users.
The highest tier of these links are referred to as “premium backlinks”, which denotes that they are placed on some of the highest authority sites on the internet.
I go more in-depth on the value and pricing of link building here.
| Link Type | Percentage of Industry Backlinks | Average Value In 2020 | Average Value In 2025 | Average Price in 2020 | Average Price In 2025 |
| Low quality backlinks | 45% | 1/10 | 0/10 | $50 | $100 |
| Mid-tier backlinks | 35% | 4/10 | 2/10 | $200 | $300 |
| High quality backlinks | 14% | 7/10 | 8/10 | $600 | $800 |
| Premium backlinks | 1% | 9/10 | 10/10 | $1,000 | $1,500 |
Having a large enough profile of high quality backlinks is the most common bottleneck for established SaaS companies.
We consistently find that larger SaaS clients who have invested in SEO and have a reasonably solid content base gain massive SEO traction the moment we begin building links for them.
And let me show you what I mean by “larger” sites.
When we first started working with Monday.com, they were bringing in nearly 700k organic visitors per month. That’s strong by any standard, but they were leaving a ton of performance on the table due to a weak backlink profile made up mostly of mid-tier links.
We landed organic backlinks for them from high-authority sites like G2, BigCommerce, Crunchbase, etc., and within just 3 months, their traffic had jumped by 150k visitors per month.
Within 2 years, we increased their organic traffic by over 500,000 visitors per month, helping them IPO at a $6.8B valuation and increase their market share and stock price from there.
We go in-depth on our proven link building strategies here, but I’ll include a summary for you here in this guide:
- Niche-specific resource page partnerships
- Combining Original Research with Compelling Narratives
- Strategic guest blogging through recurring columnist spots
- Leveraging social media for link building
- Creating link-worthy content top sites want to link to
- Implementing broken link building strategies
- Participating in podcasts, webinars, and conferences
I know this is self-serving to say, but very few people, agencies, or teams can build premium backlinks cost effectively. It’s a hyper-niche skill that requires building a huge, specific network.
We can have valuable links built for you in the time it takes you to get an SEO job posting live, and we can build links at a bigger scale and more affordable cost than any other you will find, be it in-house team, agency, or consultant.
This is what we do, and when it comes to SaaS specifically, we are the best. Click here to book an intro call with us.
Step 7: Video-first SEO for YouTube & TikTok
Google is the leading search engine many marketers think of regarding SEO, and it’s what we specialize in here at uSERP. But Google is no longer the entire picture when it comes to organic search.
Video-based platforms like YouTube and TikTok have become powerful search engines in their own right, especially for younger audiences.
Instead of turning to Google, many users now search for product recommendations, tutorials, and industry insights directly within these video platforms. This shift means that SaaS companies need to think beyond Google rankings and embrace video-driven content as part of their SEO and social strategy.
By leveraging video content across YouTube, TikTok, LinkedIn, and other social platforms, SaaS brands can increase visibility, drive engagement, and capture new audiences—all while improving their overall search rankings.
YouTube: The Video Search Engine for Long-Form Content
YouTube is the second-largest search engine in the world and one of the most effective platforms for SaaS brands looking to rank for how-to queries, product-related searches, and educational content. Since Google often displays YouTube videos in search results, optimizing YouTube videos can also improve your visibility in Google SERPs.
While this isn’t our speciality here at uSERP, leveraging Youtube for SaaS SEO could look like:
- Creating long-form tutorials and product walkthroughs that answer common customer questions (e.g., “How to Set Up [Your SaaS] in 5 Minutes”).
- Optimizing video titles, descriptions, and tags with relevant keywords to improve discoverability.
- Including timestamps and chapters to make it easy for users to navigate content (this also increases the likelihood of appearing in Google’s featured snippets).
- Encouraging engagement (likes, comments, and shares) to signal relevance and boost rankings within YouTube’s algorithm.
- Embedding YouTube videos on your website and blog to increase on-page time and reduce bounce rates—both of which improve overall SEO.
An effective YouTube SEO strategy for a CRM SaaS company could start with a video titled:
“How to Organize Your Sales Pipeline | Best CRM Practices for 2024.”
This title is optimized for search by incorporating a high-intent keyword (“Best CRM Practices”) while also using an engaging hook to attract viewers. The video description would include links to related blog posts, timestamps for key sections, and a clear call to action (CTA), likely encouraging viewers to sign up for a free trial.
The video itself should focus on delivering real value, providing actionable best practices for organizing a sales pipeline while subtly demonstrating how the CRM software can streamline the process.
TikTok & Short-Form Video: The New Era of Search
TikTok has transformed from a social media app into a search engine for younger generations, with many users searching for business tools, tutorials, and product reviews directly within the platform. TikTok’s algorithm prioritizes engaging, short-form videos, making it an excellent place for SaaS brands to gain exposure and drive traffic.
Leveraging Youtube for SaaS SEO could look like:
- Creating bite-sized educational content (e.g., “3 Productivity Hacks Every Startup Founder Needs”).
- Using trending sounds and hashtags to increase reach.
- Replying to comments with video responses, encouraging further engagement and visibility.
- Keeping videos fast-paced and visually engaging—on TikTok, attention spans are short.
- Including clear CTAs, directing viewers to your website, LinkedIn, or a longer YouTube video.
A marketing automation SaaS could leverage TikTok’s search and discovery potential by posting a video titled: “3 Email Marketing Mistakes You’re Probably Making 🚨 (Fix These Now!)”.
This type of content would be short, fast-paced, and highly valuable, making it ideal for capturing attention and driving engagement.
To optimize for discoverability, the caption would include relevant hashtags such as #EmailMarketing, #SaaS, and #GrowthHacking, helping the video reach users searching for marketing automation tips.
The call to action (CTA) at the end of the video would direct viewers to a free webinar or downloadable guide, effectively moving them further down the funnel.
While I wouldn’t say that video-led content and content channels are necessary for most SaaS companies at this point, they are becoming an increasingly effective tool that smart marketers and ambitious SaaS companies are using to give them an edge when they are unable to compete effectively in other areas.
Step 8: Recurring, KPI-focused content improvement
In the past, taking a publish-and-forget approach to SEO worked for many SaaS companies. You create content, post it, build links, and maybe think about updating it in 3 years.
With the volatility in search over the last few years, however, we’ve found that taking a different approach to content is yielding much better results.
For commercial intent content, we spend time adjusting and improving the content every single month until that content reaches the top 3-5 results for its primary target keyword.
Here’s an incredibly competitive commercial intent keyword we were trying to rank a client for. It took us about three months of monthly changes to get onto the front page, plus another three months of further improvements to get stable within the top-3 results.
This client has now spent a full year and half owning a top-3 result for this keyword, with no end in sight.
While it’s not typically resource-efficient to do this for informational content, we occasionally will employ this strategy when there’s a notably high-value informational keyword, and the process is generally the same.
Here are some of the changes we look to make each month to continue climbing in the SERPs:
- Trying new meta titles and descriptions, especially those with a more direct response CTA versus a purely informational approach
- Adding additional content to increase content length
- Targeting additional LSI keyword0
- Answering additional, related search questions
- Building additional backlinks from contextually relevant content
Most importantly, we don’t stop until we hit the ranking we want. Period.
Let Us Drive Your SaaS SEO Campaign
At uSERP, we don’t just talk about SaaS SEO. We run our own SaaS companies and have spent our entire careers scaling SaaS brands as in-house leads, executive consultants, and of course, as a SaaS SEO agency that has scaled two SaaS companies from Series B to unicorn status, while helping hundreds more hit massive milestones on timelines most SEO agencies would call impossible.
While many SaaS companies are struggling with steep SEO declines, not a single one of our clients has experienced a traffic drop over the last year.
That’s because we’ve built our clients’ growth on sustainable, organic link building practices AND stayed aggressively ahead of the SEO curve, proactively adapting to the algorithm shifts and evolving search landscape.
Our SaaS SEO playbook is built on real-world data, premium link-building, and revenue-driven strategy, not vanity metrics and methods that stopped working years ago.
We know that SEO isn’t just about rankings: it’s about revenue. Our clients trust us because we don’t just drive traffic, we help increase MRR, lower CAC, and scale customer acquisition efficiently. Whether you’re a VC-backed startup looking to build a scalable growth engine or an established SaaS brand needing lift out of a plateau, we can help you grow through SEO.
If you’re ready to build a high-impact, scalable SEO strategy that actually drives leads, conversions, and revenue, let’s talk. Book a free strategy call with our team, and we’ll show you exactly how we can help you crush your KPIs this year.
Frequently asked questions about SaaS SEO
Looking for some quick answers to your questions about SEO for SaaS brands? Here are a few frequently asked questions.
1. What is SaaS SEO, and how does it work?
SaaS SEO refers to the practice of optimizing a Software as a Service (SaaS) website to improve its visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs). It focuses on strategies that address both the unique features of SaaS businesses and the needs of their target audience.
Key aspects of SaaS SEO include optimizing for long-tail keywords, building a strong content strategy, improving site speed, and driving organic traffic through both on-page and off-page SEO techniques.
2. How is SaaS SEO different from traditional SEO?
SaaS SEO differs from traditional SEO. This is because SaaS websites usually have subscription-based models with multiple product offerings. This requires a tailored approach to content, keyword strategy, and conversion optimization.
SaaS SEO focuses on providing value over time, which could be through customer retention. Traditional SEO efforts may focus on immediate traffic or one-time purchases. SaaS SEO also includes optimizing for different customer segments. These could include free trials, sign-ups, or upsells.
3. What are the best SEO strategies for SaaS websites
Some of the best SEO strategies for SaaS websites include targeting long-tail, highly specific keywords that align with the customer’s journey. We can also mention creating in-depth blog posts and knowledge bases, and optimizing landing pages for conversions.
You can also boost rankings with other strategies. You could engage in link building with authoritative sites and improving site speed. Optimizing your site for mobile users and leveraging technical SEO like schema markup are also crucial.
4. How can I optimize my SaaS landing pages for SEO?
Our 8-step playbook is a great place to start.
What you can do is combine keyword optimization, compelling calls to action (CTAs), and user intent. Optimize each page for the specific product or feature it promotes. Integrate relevant keywords into titles, meta descriptions, and content.
Incorporating customer testimonials, case studies, and clear, concise benefits can also help improve conversion rates, indirectly impacting SEO.
5. What are the key ranking factors for SaaS SEO?
SaaS SEO ranking factors include high-quality content and backlinks from authoritative sites. Also, don’t forget about site speed, mobile optimization, and a clear information architecture.
SaaS sites also benefit from a structured internal linking strategy, strong user engagement (e.g., low bounce rate, high time on site), and technical SEO practices like clean code and fast page loading times.
6. How long does it take to see results from SaaS SEO efforts?
For significant improvements in organic traffic, you have to wait around three to six months. Full results often take up to a year.
However, the time it takes to see results from SaaS SEO can vary depending on various factors. Take domain authority, competition, and the effectiveness of the SEO strategy into consideration. Consistency in implementing SEO best practices is crucial for long-term success.
7. How do I conduct keyword research for a SaaS business?
Keyword research should begin with identifying your target customer’s pain points and needs. Use Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, or SEMrush to identify relevant long-tail keywords. Thes tools also highlight product-related queries, and questions your audience is searching for.
Focus on longtail keywords with high search intent. Look for opportunities in low-competition niches.
8. How do I improve my SaaS website’s domain authority?
This involves earning high-quality backlinks and optimizing on-page content. It also ensures your website is technically sound.
Create valuable content that others will love and want to link to. Write guest posts and build relationships with industry influencers and thought leaders. Update old content on a regular basis and remove low-quality links. This will help boost your site’s authority.
9. What is the role of content marketing in SaaS SEO?
Content marketing is pivotal in SaaS SEO because it drives traffic and builds trust with potential customers.
Create valuable blog posts, case studies, whitepapers, and other types of content. These help address search intent and nurture leads at different stages of the buyer’s journey.
Engaging content can also attract backlinks, increase dwell time, and reduce bounce rates, which are essential for improving SEO.
10. How can I measure the success of my SaaS SEO campaigns?
Tracking key metrics help you measure the success of your SaaS SEO campaigns. Metrics include keyword rankings, organic traffic, bounce rates, and conversion rates. Tools like Google Analytics, SEMrush, or Ahrefs can help you monitor organic performance.
Additionally, assessing customer retention, revenue growth from organic channels, and generated leads can give you a holistic view of your SEO efforts’ effectiveness.
