Maja Volarević
Project Manager and Content Strategist
Having a great SaaS product is not enough to stand out among competitors. You need to build an online presence to attract potential customers. One of the best ways to do it is to invest in SEO and content marketing.
Building an SEO strategy usually starts with keyword research for SaaS. Choosing the right keywords helps you attract relevant users who are likely to become customers.
In this blog post, we’ll explore 14 proven methods to help you with the keyword research for your SaaS. These tactics will ensure you reach the right audience – people looking to solve a problem where your SaaS tool can help.
The goals of SaaS keyword research
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The process of SaaS keyword research has multiple goals. You can use it to find the keywords your potential customers are searching for. By aligning website content with user search intent, you can increase your product’s visibility and foster growth.
Optimized keyword strategy also drives targeted website traffic, increasing the probability of conversions. With the right approach, you can get insights into competitor keywords and market trends, which can inform content creation strategies.
Three pillars of a robust SaaS SEO strategy
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An effective SEO strategy stands on three pillars that create a foundation for online success.
1. Content relevance and quality
SaaS companies should create informative, engaging, and valuable resources that address specific pain points, answer questions, and offer solutions that appeal to their target audience.
High-quality content establishes authority and trust, encouraging visitors to return and convert.
2. On-page SEO and site structure
On-page SEO includes optimizing specific web pages to rank higher in search engine results pages.
It includes using relevant keywords, optimizing meta tags, and creating a logical site structure that improves the user experience.
A clear and organized site structure streamlines content indexing and navigation.
3. Off-page SEO and link-building effort
Off-page SEO extends beyond your website, primarily focusing on building a solid backlink profile.
Quality SaaS link building efforts involve acquiring backlinks from reputable and relevant websites, which signal to search engines that your content is valuable and authoritative.
This external validation boosts your site’s credibility and position in search engine results, increasing organic traffic to your SaaS platform.
Three key principles of keyword research
Conducting keyword research can significantly improve your SaaS SEO strategy. Here are the guiding principles to lead you in the right direction.
1. Understand keyword intent and relevance
It’s important to understand the intention behind a search query. It involves matching your content with the needs and desires that prompt users to type in a specific query.
This relevance is the key element for attracting qualified leads.
Keyword research tools can be useful in discovering these insights, helping you create content that fulfills user intent at every stage of the buyer’s journey.
2. Balance keyword difficulty and search volume
The sweet spot in keyword optimization is finding terms with a high enough monthly search volume to get traffic yet moderate keyword difficulty that allows realistic ranking opportunities, leading to increased visibility.
3. Find long-tail keywords for SaaS
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Long-tail keywords, with their lower search volume but higher specificity, are gold mines for SaaS companies.
They allow you to target niche demographics and funnel keywords that cater to specific problems or features your SaaS solution addresses.
Although long-tail keywords may attract less traffic, they often bring more qualified visitors closer to conversion. Incorporating these keywords can increase the overall success of your SaaS SEO strategy.
The SaaS keyword research process simplified
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By following a structured process, you can prioritize keywords to drive your SEO efforts and content strategy. Here’s how to streamline your approach with practical examples.
Step 1: Identify your core topics
Begin by defining the core topics that represent your SaaS offering. Use this initial step at a project discovery phase in order to identify your ICP and proper targeting.
For example, core topics for project management software might include “team collaboration,” “project tracking,” or “workflow automation.”
These topics align with your customers’ “jobs to be done”—the tasks they are trying to accomplish or the problems they need to solve with your product.
Step 2: Use keyword research tools
With your core topics, it’s time to dive into a keyword research tool.
Tools like Semrush or Ahrefs can help you discover a variety of keywords related to your topics, such as “best software for team collaboration” or “project tracking tools,” including those with high search volume.
These tools also provide insights into long-tail keywords and search trends.
Step 3: Analyze competitor keywords
Competitor keyword research involves SEO tools like Moz or SpyFu to see which keywords your competitors rank for.
For instance, if a competitor ranks high for “agile project management software,” it might also be a profitable keyword for you to consider.
This step helps you identify opportunities to capture market share from competitors.
Step 4: Expand keyword lists with predictive analysis
Use predictive analysis to anticipate and act on future search trends. Tools like Google Trends can indicate rising interest in specific topics.
For example, if there’s a growing discussion around data privacy, you could target keywords like “data privacy compliance software” before they become highly competitive.
This approach can uncover secondary keywords that might not have a high search volume but are highly relevant to a specific audience.
Step 5: Prioritize keywords by business potential
Image source: Ahrefs
Finally, prioritize your keywords based on potential business impact.
For a SaaS company, commercial keywords like “project management software” or “project management tool” indicate a high intent to purchase.
Evaluate the balance between search volume and difficulty, and consider the relevance to your product. The goal is to focus your SEO efforts on the profitable keywords most likely to drive qualified leads and customers.
Following these steps will help you create a keyword strategy that improves your SEO performance and aligns closely with your business objectives.
Three additional SaaS keyword research techniques
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Here’s how to tap into the wealth of keyword sources to find additional terms and phrases and improve your overall content strategy.
1. Brainstorm content sessions
Gather your team for brainstorming sessions focused on creating content that addresses every stage of the buyer’s journey.
Use these sessions to identify top-of-the-funnel keywords that attract early-stage prospects and branded search keywords for those further down the funnel.
For example, “time management tips” could be a top-of-the-funnel keyword, while “BrandX time tracking features” targets brand-aware users.
2. Leverage user feedback and support queries
User feedback and customer support queries are goldmines for keyword ideas. Analyze common questions and concerns to uncover the same keywords your customers use.
It might lead to discovering highly relevant terms, such as “integrating XYZ with time tracking software,” that your support team frequently encounters.
3. Explore industry forums and communities for keyword ideas
Dive into industry forums and online communities where your target audience gathers. Look for recurring themes and language that can reveal valuable keyword data.
For instance, a thread in a tech forum discussing “best software for remote project management” can guide you to all the keywords your potential users are actually searching for, ensuring your content aligns with real user interests and queries.
Three advanced keyword research strategies for SaaS
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Advanced keyword research strategies can help refine your approach for better search visibility and alignment with user intent. Let’s share three key tactics.
1. Topic clusters and pillar content
Image source: HubSpot
The topic clusters and pillar content strategy involve creating a comprehensive content framework that boosts your site’s authority on specific subjects.
Start by establishing pillar pages that provide a broad overview of a core topic, then create cluster content—blog posts, whitepapers, FAQs—that addresses related subtopics and keywords.
For example, a pillar page might focus on “SaaS cybersecurity,” with cluster content covering “encryption methods,” “compliance standards,” and “risk assessment tools.”
2. Semantic search optimization
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Semantic search optimization focuses on context rather than isolated keywords. For example, if your SaaS tool helps in project management, you might optimize for phrases like “streamlining project workflows” or “collaboration in project planning,” anticipating the broader context of user queries related to project management software.
3. Integrating keyword research with product development insights
Leverage product development insights to find technical keywords that reflect your product’s unique features. For example, if your software has a unique dashboard feature, you might target niche, feature-specific keywords like “customizable project dashboard software,” directly connecting searchers with the specific solutions your product provides.
Creating high-converting SaaS content from keyword selection
Effective keyword research captures high-traffic terms and those that signal strong user intent, particularly at the bottom of the marketing funnel where the potential for conversion is most significant.
Once you identify these keywords, you should integrate them seamlessly into content that addresses potential users’ specific needs and pain points.
This content should be informative, engaging, and persuasive, guiding the reader towards taking action, such as signing up for a trial or requesting a demo.
At Quoleady, we are experts in this process. As an SEO content marketing agency tailored for B2B SaaS companies, our expertise lies in creating content that ranks well in search engines and converts readers into customers. Our team’s approach is grounded in a deep understanding of the SaaS industry and the unique challenges and opportunities it presents.
How our SaaS content marketing strategy works
We begin with an on-site SEO audit to ensure your website’s foundation is solid. Our strategic content marketing team then takes over, employing thorough keyword research to attract your target audience. We develop content that resonates with this audience, positioning your brand as a solution to their challenges and an authority in your field.
Our link-building and digital PR teams support your online presence, while our commitment to content updating and optimization ensures your message remains relevant and your search rankings stay strong. We offer premium content placement for SaaS companies seeking wider recognition in top-tier publications such as Forbes and Entrepreneur.
Quoleady’s client success stories, such as helping Expandi reach $8M ARR and generating hundreds of leads for RingBlaze and FullSession, underscore our ability to deliver on our promises.
For SaaS companies looking to refine their content strategy or improve their SEO efforts, speaking with the Quoleady team can be the first step towards achieving your goals.
We invite you to book a free call with our founder for personalized advice tailored to your company’s unique needs.
Integrating keyword research for SaaS with paid advertising
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Integrating keyword research for SaaS with paid advertising, particularly through Google Ads, is an excellent strategy for driving targeted traffic and increasing conversions.
The process begins with identifying high-intent keywords that potential customers use when searching for SaaS products. These keywords then inform the creation of effective ad copy and the selection of relevant landing pages that resonate with the searcher’s intent.
By aligning keyword research with Google Ads campaigns, you can ensure that your paid ads are displayed to the most appropriate audience, leading to higher click-through rates and better ROI.
The organic and paid keyword performance data provides valuable insights, enabling continuous optimization of ad spend and content strategy.
Combining keyword research with Google Ads can increase brand visibility and speed up customer acquisition for SaaS businesses.
Measuring the success of your SaaS keyword strategy
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To effectively measure the success of your SaaS keyword strategy, you should track and analyze several key metrics that reflect the performance and impact of your chosen keywords:
- Search engine rankings: Monitor where your pages rank on search engine results pages (SERPs) for targeted keywords. Higher rankings typically correlate with increased visibility and traffic. If rankings are low, consider optimizing your content and improving on-page SEO elements.
- Organic traffic: Measure the number of people visiting your site through non-paid search results. A rise in organic traffic indicates keyword relevance and success in capturing search interest. If your website’s traffic is not growing, you need to choose better keywords or improve the quality of your content.
- Click-through rate (CTR): Evaluate the percentage of users who click on your website after seeing it in the search results. A low CTR might mean that your title tags and meta descriptions are not persuasive enough, or your keywords may not align well with user intent.
- Conversion rate: It refers to the proportion of website visitors who take a desired action, such as signing up for a trial or purchasing. A low conversion rate could imply that while your keywords drive traffic, they may not attract the right audience or your landing pages are not effectively converting visitors.
- Keyword gap analysis: Compare your keyword performance against competitors to identify opportunities where they might be outranking you. It can help you discover untapped keywords or areas where you can improve your content to compete more effectively.
- Customer acquisition cost (CAC): Assess your SaaS marketing metrics to understand how much it costs to acquire a new customer through your keyword-driven efforts. High CAC may indicate that your keywords are too broad, attracting low-quality traffic, or that your SEO and content strategies need refinement for better ROI.
- Customer lifetime value (LTV) to CAC Ratio: This metric compares the value a customer brings over their lifetime with the cost of acquiring them. A healthy LTV to CAC ratio indicates that your keyword strategy is attracting users and contributing to profitable customer relationships.
Adjusting your approach based on these insights will help refine your SaaS keyword strategy to better align with business goals and market dynamics.
Scaling your SaaS keyword research with automation
Automation streamlines the keyword research process, enabling you to analyze vast datasets with efficiency and precision. Tools equipped with AI and machine learning, such as SEO AI and Keyword Monkey, can quickly uncover long-tail keywords, predict search trends, and provide actionable insights.
Automation helps you analyze how specific keywords perform, monitor your competitor’s activities, and identify new opportunities.
Reducing manual effort allows you to focus on strategic decision-making and content creation. Ultimately, automation ensures that SaaS keyword research is scalable, data-driven, and responsive to the dynamic nature of search behaviors and market conditions.
If you’re on a budget, we suggest you use these automation solutions to boost your SaaS keyword research and drive better results.
Conclusion on keyword research for SaaS
Effective keyword research is a critical component for SaaS businesses looking to increase their visibility and attract the right audience. It’s a strategic process that requires identifying the precise terms that resonate with your potential customers’ search queries and aligning them with their intent.
To ensure your strategy is on target, it’s essential to regularly track key metrics such as SERP rankings, organic traffic, and conversion rates, making adjustments as needed for continuous improvement.
To handle the complexities of keyword research at scale, consider leveraging automation through sophisticated tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs. Automation can save time, uncover new opportunities, and keep you informed about your competitive standing.
For those looking to further refine their SaaS keyword strategy, Quoleady offers specialized services. We invite you to book a call with our founder to discuss how we can help grow your SaaS blog and enhance your overall content strategy.
FAQs on keyword research for SaaS
Let’s answer the most common questions about keyword research for SaaS.
How do you do keyword research for SaaS products?
Keyword research for SaaS products involves identifying terms and phrases that potential customers use when searching for solutions your product offers.
Start with seed keywords that describe your product’s core features and use keyword research tools to expand the list. Look for keywords with high search volume and buyer intent.
Analyze competitor keywords and consider the customer journey to find opportunities for targeting.
How do you do SEO for a SaaS business?
SEO for a SaaS business starts with a solid keyword strategy, followed by creating high-quality, relevant content that addresses the needs of your target audience.
Optimize on-page elements like titles, meta descriptions, and headers with targeted keywords. Build a strong backlink profile to improve domain authority.
Ensure your website is technically sound, focusing on mobile-friendliness, fast load times, and secure navigation.
