Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the visibility and relevance of a website or a web page in the organic search results of a search engine. SEO is essential for any online business, but especially for B2B SAAS companies that offer software as a service to other businesses.
Why? Because B2B SAAS buyers are typically more informed, more demanding, and more selective than B2C consumers. They conduct extensive research before making a purchase decision, and they rely on search engines to find the best solutions for their problems.
According to a study by Demand Gen Report, 71% of B2B buyers start their research with a generic search, and 94% of them use online resources at some point in their buying journey. Moreover, 75% of B2B buyers say that the content they consume influences their vendor selection.
Therefore, if you want to attract, engage, and convert more B2B SAAS leads, you need to optimize your website for the keywords and topics that your target audience is searching for. You also need to provide valuable and relevant content that showcases your expertise, authority, and trustworthiness.
How to do keyword research for B2B SAAS
Keyword research is the foundation of any SEO strategy. It involves finding and analyzing the words and phrases that your potential customers use when they search for solutions related to your niche.
Keyword research helps you understand the intent, needs, and challenges of your target market, as well as the level of competition and opportunity for each keyword.
To do keyword research for B2B SAAS, you need to follow these steps:
- Identify your buyer personas and their buyer journey stages
- Brainstorm seed keywords based on your product features, benefits, and use cases
- Use keyword tools to expand your keyword list and find related terms
- Analyze the search volume, difficulty, and relevance of each keyword
- Group your keywords into topics and subtopics
- Map your keywords to your website pages and content
Identify your buyer personas and their buyer journey stages
A buyer persona is a semi-fictional representation of your ideal customer based on market research and data from your existing customers. It describes their demographics, goals, pain points, motivations, behaviors, and preferences.
A buyer journey is the process that a buyer goes through from becoming aware of their problem to evaluating different solutions to making a purchase decision. It typically consists of three stages: awareness, consideration, and decision.
To do effective keyword research for B2B SAAS, you need to know who you are targeting and what they are looking for at each stage of their journey. This will help you tailor your keywords and content to their specific needs and interests.
For example, let’s say you are a B2B SAAS company that offers an email marketing platform. Your buyer personas might include:
- Marketing managers who want to increase their email open rates, click-through rates, conversions, and ROI
- Small business owners who want to grow their email list, generate more leads, and automate their email campaigns
- Freelancers who want to promote their services, build relationships with their clients, and send personalized emails
Your buyer journey stages might include:
- Awareness: The buyer realizes that they have a problem or an opportunity related to email marketing. They search for generic terms like “email marketing tips”, “email marketing best practices”, “how to grow email list”, etc.
- Consideration: The buyer explores different solutions or approaches to solve their problem or achieve their goal. They search for more specific terms like “email marketing platforms”, “email marketing software comparison”, “best email marketing tools”, etc.
- Decision: The buyer evaluates different vendors or products based on their features, benefits, pricing, reviews, etc. They search for branded terms like “your company name”, “your product name”, “your product name vs competitor name”, etc.
Brainstorm seed keywords based on your product features, benefits, and use cases
Seed keywords are the core terms that describe your product or service. They are usually broad and competitive keywords that have high search volume but low conversion rate.
To brainstorm seed keywords for B2B SAAS, you need to think about the main features, and benefits.
Use keyword tools to expand your keyword list and find related terms
Once you have a list of seed keywords, you need to use keyword tools to find more keywords and related terms that your target audience might use. Keyword tools help you discover variations, synonyms, long-tail keywords, questions, and modifiers that can enrich your keyword list and increase your chances of ranking for different queries.
Some of the popular keyword tools for B2B SAAS SEO are:
- Google Keyword Planner: A free tool that shows you the search volume, competition, and bid range for any keyword. It also suggests related keywords based on your seed keywords or website URL.
- SEMrush: A paid tool that offers comprehensive keyword research features, such as keyword overview, keyword magic tool, keyword difficulty, keyword gap analysis, and more. It also provides insights into your competitors’ keywords and rankings.
- Ahrefs: A paid tool that offers similar features as SEMrush, such as keyword explorer, keyword difficulty, keyword generator, and more. It also has a unique feature called “also rank for”, which shows you the keywords that the top-ranking pages for your seed keyword also rank for.
- Moz: A paid tool that offers basic keyword research features, such as keyword explorer, keyword difficulty, and keyword suggestions. It also has a feature called “keyword lists”, which allows you to organize and compare your keywords in different groups.
To use these tools effectively, you need to:
- Enter your seed keywords and filter the results by language, location, device, and other criteria
- Analyze the metrics such as search volume, difficulty, and relevance for each keyword
- Look for long-tail keywords that have low competition but high intent
- Look for question keywords that indicate the user’s problem or goal
- Look for modifier keywords that specify the user’s preferences or requirements
- Export your keywords to a spreadsheet or a document for further analysis
Analyze the search volume, difficulty, and relevance of each keyword
After you have a list of potential keywords, you need to analyze them based on three criteria: search volume, difficulty, and relevance.
Search volume is the average number of times a keyword is searched for in a given period. It indicates the popularity and demand of a keyword. Generally, higher search volume means higher traffic potential but also higher competition.
Difficulty is the level of competition or effort required to rank for a keyword. It depends on various factors such as the number and quality of competing pages, the domain authority and page authority of the ranking websites, the backlink profile of the ranking pages, etc.
Relevance is the degree of match between a keyword and your product or service. It depends on how well your product or service can solve the user’s problem or satisfy their goal. Generally, higher relevance means higher conversion rate but also lower search volume.
To analyze these criteria for each keyword, you need to:
- Use the metrics provided by the keyword tools or calculate them manually
- Compare your keywords with each other and with your competitors’ keywords
- Prioritize your keywords based on their potential value and return on investment
- Eliminate irrelevant or unrealistic keywords from your list
Group your keywords into topics and subtopics
After you have a list of prioritized keywords, you need to group them into topics and subtopics. Topics are broad categories that cover a range of related keywords. Subtopics are narrower aspects that focus on specific keywords within a topic.
Grouping your keywords into topics and subtopics helps you:
- Organize your content in a logical and coherent way
- Avoid keyword cannibalization (when multiple pages target the same keyword)
- Create comprehensive and in-depth content that covers all aspects of a topic
- Improve your topical authority and relevance for search engines
To group your keywords into topics and subtopics, you need to:
- Identify the main themes or categories that your keywords belong to
- Use clustering tools or methods to group similar or related keywords together
- Assign a primary keyword and a secondary keyword to each group
- Label each group with a descriptive name
Map your keywords to your website pages and content
The final step of keyword research for B2B SAAS SEO is to map your keywords to your website pages and content. This means assigning each keyword group to a specific page or section on your website that will target that keyword.
Mapping your keywords to your website pages and content helps you:
- Create a clear and consistent site structure and navigation
- Optimize each page for its target keyword and user intent
- Avoid duplicate or overlapping content
- Plan your content creation and distribution strategy
To map your keywords to your website pages and content, you need to:
- Review your existing website pages and content
- Identify any gaps or opportunities for new pages or content
- Create a sitemap or a content outline that shows how each page or section relates to each other
- Assign each page or section a title, a URL, and a meta description.
How to optimize your website structure and content for B2B SAAS
Once you have a list of keywords and a sitemap for your website, you need to optimize your website structure and content for B2B SAAS SEO. This involves making sure that your website is easy to navigate, fast to load, secure, mobile-friendly, and user-friendly. It also involves creating and updating your content to match your keywords and user intent.
To optimize your website structure and content for B2B SAAS SEO, you need to follow these steps:
- Optimize your site architecture and navigation
- Optimize your site speed and performance
- Optimize your site security and trust
- Optimize your site responsiveness and usability
- Optimize your on-page SEO elements
- Optimize your off-page SEO factors
Optimize your site architecture and navigation
Your site architecture is the way your website pages are organized and linked together. Your navigation is the way your users can access and move around your website pages. Optimizing your site architecture and navigation helps you:
- Improve your site crawlability and indexability for search engines
- Improve your site usability and accessibility for users
- Improve your site relevance and authority for keywords
To optimize your site architecture and navigation, you need to:
- Use a flat and simple site structure that minimizes the number of clicks required to reach any page
- Use descriptive and consistent page names and URLs that reflect your keywords and topics
- Use breadcrumbs, menus, sitemaps, and internal links to guide your users and search engines through your website
- Use clear and compelling calls to action (CTAs) to direct your users to the next step in their journey
Optimize your site speed and performance
Your site speed is the time it takes for your website pages to load completely. Your site performance is the quality and efficiency of your website pages in terms of functionality, design, and user experience. Optimizing your site speed and performance helps you:
- Improve your site ranking and visibility for search engines
- Improve your site engagement and retention for users
- Improve your site conversion and revenue for business
To optimize your site speed and performance, you need to:
- Use tools such as Google PageSpeed Insights, GTmetrix, or Pingdom to measure and analyze your site speed and performance
- Use techniques such as caching, compression, minification, image optimization, lazy loading, etc. to reduce the size and number of requests of your website resources
- Use a reliable hosting provider, a content delivery network (CDN), or a cloud service to improve the delivery and availability of your website resources
- Use a responsive design, a progressive web app (PWA), or an accelerated mobile page (AMP) to enhance the functionality and appearance of your website on different devices
Optimize your site security and trust
Your site security is the level of protection of your website from malicious attacks or unauthorized access. Your site trust is the level of confidence and credibility that your website conveys to your users and search engines. Optimizing your site security and trust helps you:
- Improve your site ranking and reputation for search engines
- Improve your site loyalty and advocacy for users
- Improve your site compliance and liability for business
To optimize your site security and trust, you need to:
- Use HTTPS protocol instead of HTTP protocol to encrypt the data transfer between your website and its visitors
- Use SSL certificates from reputable providers to verify the identity and authenticity of your website
- Use security plugins or tools such as Wordfence, Sucuri, or Cloudflare to prevent or mitigate common threats such as malware, spam, phishing, etc.
- Use trust signals such as testimonials, and reviews.
Optimize your site responsiveness and usability
Your site responsiveness is the ability of your website to adapt to different screen sizes and orientations. Your site usability is the ease and satisfaction of your website for your users. Optimizing your site responsiveness and usability helps you:
- Improve your site ranking and traffic for search engines
- Improve your site satisfaction and retention for users
- Improve your site conversion and revenue for business
To optimize your site responsiveness and usability, you need to:
- Use a responsive design that adjusts the layout, content, and functionality of your website according to the device and browser of your users
- Use a mobile-first approach that prioritizes the performance, functionality, and appearance of your website on mobile devices
- Use tools such as Google Mobile-Friendly Test, Google Search Console, or Google Analytics to measure and improve your site responsiveness and usability
- Use best practices such as clear and legible fonts, contrast and color schemes, intuitive and consistent navigation, etc. to enhance the user experience of your website
Optimize your on-page SEO elements
Your on-page SEO elements are the components of your website pages that directly affect your site ranking and relevance for search engines. They include your page title, meta description, headings, content, images, links, etc. Optimizing your on-page SEO elements helps you:
- Improve your site ranking and visibility for search engines
- Improve your site relevance and engagement for users
- Improve your site conversion and revenue for business
To optimize your on-page SEO elements, you need to:
- Use your target keywords and related terms in your page title, meta description, headings, content, images, links, etc.
- Use modifiers such as numbers, dates, locations, etc. in your page title and meta description to increase the click-through rate (CTR) of your pages
- Use schema markup or structured data to provide additional information about your pages to search engines and users
- Use tools such as Yoast SEO, Rank Math, or All in One SEO to optimize and monitor your on-page SEO elements
Optimize your off-page SEO factors
Your off-page SEO factors are the components of your website that indirectly affect your site ranking and authority for search engines. They include your backlinks, social media presence, online reviews, etc. Optimizing your off-page SEO factors helps you:
- Improve your site ranking and reputation for search engines
- Improve your site awareness and referral for users
- Improve your site credibility and loyalty for business
To optimize your off-page SEO factors, you need to:
- Use link building strategies such as guest posting, outreach, content marketing, etc. to acquire high-quality and relevant backlinks from other websites
- Use social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. to promote your content and engage with your audience
- Use online review platforms such as Google My Business.
Conclusion
B2B SAAS SEO is a complex and challenging process that requires a lot of research, planning, execution, and monitoring. However, it is also a rewarding and profitable process that can help you attract, engage, and convert more B2B SAAS leads.
We hope that this guide has given you some useful insights and tips on how to improve your B2B SAAS SEO strategy. If you need any help or guidance with your B2B SAAS SEO project, feel free to contact us. We are a team of experienced and professional B2B SAAS SEO experts who can help you achieve your goals and grow your business.
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