SaaS startups instinctively understand the value of SEO for their business models. The idea is to direct leads towards your website and get them to sign up for your subscriptions.

But how do you do that, exactly?

Sure, “SEO, SEO, SEO.” But what is going to make the difference specifically?

That’s what this post discusses. Content isn’t problematic for SaaS firms to write. And it’s not that they lack resources. The problems with B2B SEO are almost always cultural. Brands can have fabulous products but lack approaches that will generate revenue.

What Winning SaaS Companies Do Differently

What winning SaaS brands do differently boils down to two things:

Continuing to churn out content for the long-term
Knowing exactly what they want to create, how they will do it, and why it matters

If you understand these basic principles and how to implement them, your SaaS company will thrive.

Let’s take a look at each of these approaches in more detail.

Consistently Creating Content Long-Term

Getting buy-in from your team on the need to consistently create content long-term is challenging. Technically-minded executives and company leaders might misperceive the power of marketing or be reluctant to dedicate resources to it.

Therefore, it’s your job to change their minds. You need to be the agent of change in your organization.

To sell this idea, you’ll want to do two things:

Inform the leadership on how SEO and content creation will play into sales and revenue generation
Explain how you will avoid wasting precious marketing dollars

Most SaaS firms use SEO to drive organic search to their websites, attracting top-of-funnel clients in the early stages of the buying cycle. Customers type in relevant keywords on Google and click through to your landing pages. You can capture their email address, get them to make an inquiry, or drive an immediate purchase if your content is compelling.

Management at your firm should understand why this strategy is valuable and how it fits into your firm’s broader marketing approach. SEO is a technique that channels prospective clients towards gated assets and, ultimately, conversions without having to continually spend money on pay-per-click ads.

Once you drive prospective clients to your landing pages, they are significantly more likely to sign up for your email list. Then, you can nurture leads over the coming weeks and months until they are ready to buy.

Being Clear On Your Marketing Approach

The second essential strategy for SaaS firms is to be clear on what SEO is and why it matters. Firms that can understand how it helps are most likely to thrive.

With that said, you need to take the right approach. Otherwise, resources could go to waste. SaaS firms can wind up squandering resources by failing to define goals or measuring success with the wrong metrics.

The optimal approach is simple. Virtually all the strategies we recommend fall into the following three categories:

1. Blogs And Baby Pages

The first category is blogs and baby pages. These help your SaaS business build authority and trust. Having in-depth content besides your “evergreen” service pages provides users with more information and shows you understand your industry. As such, it’s a fabulous way to drive sales.

It’s also an excellent way to introduce users to your “secondary persona.” SaaS companies that solely focus on a service-related copy can feel dry. However, those constructing helpful and informative blogs display more of their personality.

Note that blogs and baby pages aren’t identical. Blogs tend to be topical and temporarily relevant to an issue that interests customers (such as a recent news event affecting your industry). On the other hand, baby pages are evergreen micro-content pieces, such as how to use your software’s tools.

Before you create either baby pages or blogs, consider the objectives of the content, the form it will take, and its traffic drivers.

Objectives could include:

Driving traffic for lead generation
Building industry expertise and authority
Pushing prospects toward paid subscriptions

To do this, you could use any of the following content types:

White papers and research findings
Topical articles
Educational content
Guides on how to use your solutions or similar software
Detailed information on what prospects will get if they sign up for your services
Press releases and public announcements

Finally, you can list the drivers to send users to these pages. These might include:

A video newsletter
An email newsletter
Long-tail organic searches relevant to your product

2. Gateways

Gateways are the second pillar of your SEO content approach. These are high-value evergreen pieces that focus on your core offering. SaaS firms typically use these as “pillar” pieces, linking to numerous blogs and other resources. Their goal is to rank well for more competitive “broad” keywords related to your industry.

For example, objectives might include:

Pushing organic traffic to sign up for temporary product demos
Driving organic traffic to landing and service pages

Gateways can take multiple forms. These include:

Hub service pages
Educational and informational pages
Pages that answer specific questions, often targeting Google rich snippets
Content overviews
How SaaS services can assist specific industries, verticals, or buyer personas

To drive traffic, SaaS brands may use:

Internal links on their websites
CTAs on websites and social media
Broad organic search

3. Gated Assets

Finally, gated assets should be the final pillar of your SEO strategy. While they don’t affect SEO directly, they point prospects in the right direction.

Experts consider gated assets a mid-funnel conversion tactic, so it will differ from simply trying to build traffic.

Your objectives for this content can include:

Collecting email addresses
Pushing prospects toward signing up for demos
Building a robust, cross-channel CRM

Content types might include:

To-do lists and checklists
Templates and guides
Research reports

Traffic drivers could be:

Internal CTAs
Third-party site remarketing
Performance campaigns

Wrapping Up

Ultimately, SaaS firms must be efficient in their marketing efforts to achieve success. The proper content strategy with effective SEO will generate more organic traffic and improve marketing ROI.

If your SaaS company needs help, get in touch with our team. We implement best practices and strategic decision-making to ensure your firm thrives in the digital environment.