How To Nail Your SaaS Business’ On-Page SEO Strategy
When it comes to SaaS and content marketing, one of the fiercest competitions most SaaS businesses have is the race to the top of the Google search results.
It’s not surprising, given that more than 67% of all clicks on search engines go to the first search results pages.
That’s why search engine optimization (SEO), especially your on-page SEO strategy, is an essential tool that should be in your digital marketing arsenal. After all, it can be the difference between getting on the first page of the search results, or not being found at all.
The thing is that SEO itself can be a complex beast. There are a lot of things you can do on-page and off-page to help it rank higher in the search engine results pages (SERPs).
In this blog post, we are going to talk about on-page SEO and the different factors you can improve to nail your on-page SEO strategy.
But first, let’s define it and see what makes it so important for SaaS businesses.
What Is On-Page SEO?
On-page SEO refers to all the measures you can take on your website to improve its position in the SERPs for certain search queries.
This includes optimizing your website’s title tags, meta descriptions, header tags, and images. It also encompasses creating high-quality content that is relevant to what people are searching for.
Essentially, on-page SEO is all about making your website content as search engine friendly as possible.
Why Is On-Page SEO Important?
There are a few reasons why onpage SEO is essential for SaaS businesses.
It Helps Search Engines Index Your Content
Allow us to get a bit technical here for a second.
Search engines rank websites using software called web crawlers, also called spider bots. These web crawlers go through all the websites on the world wide web and “crawl” them to see what they’re about.
This process of crawling and indexing is what allows people to find your website when they type a query into the search engine.
The thing is, these web crawlers are not perfect. They can sometimes have trouble understanding certain types of content on your website, like videos or images.
On-page SEO is all about helping these web crawlers go through your content and index it.
That’s why it’s important to include tags and descriptions that help them understand what your content is about. This, in turn, helps improve your chances of ranking higher on the search results pages.
That brings us to our next point…
It Helps You Rank For Relevant Keywords
Including related keywords on your website is one of the most important on-page SEO factors.
This is because the words and phrases you use on your website tell search engines what your website is about.
And the more relevant keywords you include, the higher your chances of ranking for those keywords.
Of course, this only works if those keywords are actually relevant to what your website is about.
For example, let’s say you run a SaaS business that provides accounting software. If you want to rank for the keyword “accounting software,” including that keyword on your website would be a good idea
On the other hand, if you’re trying to rank for something completely unrelated, like “best vacuum cleaners,” then including that keyword wouldn’t make much sense. In fact, it could even hurt your ranking.
This is why keyword research is so important. You need to make sure you’re including related keywords on your website that people are actually searching for.
It Drives More Organic Traffic To Your Website
Organic traffic is the kind of traffic that comes to your website from search engines or other unpaid channels.
This is opposed to paid traffic, which is the traffic you get from paid ads.
The thing is, organic traffic is more valuable than paid traffic.
This is because people who find your website organically are generally more qualified leads. They were looking for something specific and they found your website on the search results pages.
On the other hand, some of the people who see your paid ads might not even be interested in what you’re selling. They might just be browsing the internet and happened to click on your ad.
Plus, ads are expensive.
So, if you can rank higher on the search engine results pages, you’ll drive more organic traffic to your website. And that means more qualified leads for your business.
It Helps You Build Credibility & Trust With Your Target Audience
If you want people to buy from you, you need to establish trust and credibility with your audience.
Think about it from your perspective. If you’re looking for a new product or service, are you more likely to buy from a website that’s on the first page of the search results or one that’s on the 10th page?
Most people would say the first page. And that’s because we tend to trust websites that the search result shows first.
We see them as more credible and authoritative than websites that are further down on the list.
So, if you can get your website to rank on the first page of the search results, you’ll be more likely to convert visitors into customers.
10 On-Page SEO Factors That You Need To Optimize
Now, knowing how important your on-page SEO strategy is, how can you nail it and make your pages rank higher in the SERPs?
Here are the factors that you need to optimize:
- Content
- Title Tag
- Meta Description
- Headings
- Links
- Page URL
- Visual Assets
- Structured Markup
- Mobile Friendliness
- Site Loading Speed
Let’s talk about them one by one.
1) Content
The most important element in your on-page SEO strategy is your content.
Your content is what tells search engines what your website is about. And the better your content, the higher your chances of ranking on the SERPs.
When it comes to creating your content, there are a few things you need to keep in mind:
Create Relevant and High-Quality Content: This means writing content that is relevant to your target audience and that provides value.
Your content should be well-researched and well-written. It should answer your audience’s questions and solve their problems.
If you can do this, you’ll be on your way to creating high-quality content that both your readers and web crawlers will find valuable.
Include Keywords Naturally: As we mentioned earlier, keywords are important for on-page SEO. But you don’t want to stuff or force your content with these keywords.
Not only will this hurt your rankings. It will also turn off your readers.
Instead, try to include them naturally throughout your content. Mention them in the title, in the headings, and in the content body.
Make Sure Your Content Satisfies Search Intent: Search intent is what a person is looking for when they type a certain keyword into the search engine
For example, if someone types in “buy Air Jordans,” their intent is to purchase shoes. It is a transactional intent.
But if someone does a Google search on the keyword phrase “how to play the guitar”, it is more of an informational intent. They want to learn something.
Your content needs to satisfy the search intent of the keywords you’re targeting
If it doesn’t, your website will not only get a low ranking but also high bounce rates, which is when people leave your website after only viewing one page.
So, before you start writing your content, make sure you know what the search intent is for your target keywords. Once you know this, you can create content that satisfies that intent and that ranks on the SERPs.
2) Title Tag
Your title tag, also called the page title or meta title, is the clickable headline of your article. It’s what appears on the SERPs and on social media (if you share it on social media).
And it’s one of the first things people see when they land on your website.
This makes your title tag one of the most important elements on your page. So, you need to make sure it’s optimized for both search engines and humans.
Here are a few tips on how to do that:
Include Your Target Keyword: As web crawlers go through your site, your content page’s meta title sets the context of what it is about. So it’s best to have your target keyword on your page title.
What’s more, remember that it’s the very first thing that people will see when it appears on the SERPs.
Having your target keyword in it will help people immediately know whether or not your page is relevant to what they’re looking for.
Use Title Tag Modifiers: A title tag modifier is a word or phrase that you can add to your target keyword to make it more specific.
For example, if your target keyword is “marketing tips,” a title tag modifier could be “2022 marketing tips” or “B2B marketing tips.”
This helps you rank for long-tail keywords, which are keywords that are more specific and have less competition. And as a result, it’s easier to rank on the first page of the SERPs.
Use Numbers And Power Words: Numbers and power words are two more elements you can use to make your title tag more clickable.
People are naturally drawn to numbers because they give them a clear idea of what they can expect from your article. They also help add urgency, which encourages people to click on your title tag.
And power words are words that evoke an emotional response. They help grab attention and persuade people to click on your link
Some examples of power words include “amazing,” “best,” “boost,” “secret,” and “ultimate.” You can use these words to make your title tag more enticing to potential customers.
However, be careful in choosing the power words you use. Avoid using overused phrases like “You Won’t Believe…,” and “instant results.”
Readers today tend to be wary of clickbait articles and may dismiss your blog post if it has those over-sensationalized words and phrases.
Keep It Under 60 Characters: While there’s no set limit on how long your title tag should be, it’s generally best to keep it under 60 characters. This is because anything beyond that gets cut short when your meta title gets displayed on the SERPs.
And you don’t want that because it could hurt your SEO strategy and decrease your traffic. So, make sure your title tag is short, sweet, and to the point.
3) Meta Description
Your meta description is the short description that appears under your title tag on the SERPs. It’s designed to give people a snapshot of what your article is about and entice them to click on it.
Here are a few tips on how to optimize your meta description:
Make It Keyword-Rich: As with your title tag, you want to make sure your meta description is keyword-rich. This will help web crawlers understand what your article is about and index it accordingly.
It will also help people on the SERPs know if your article is relevant to what they’re looking for. So, include your target keyword in your meta description, as well as any relevant long-tail keywords if they fit in your desired word count.
Speaking of word count…
Keep It Under 155 Characters: Just like with your title tag, there’s no hard character limit on meta descriptions. However, it’s generally best to keep it under 155 characters so that it doesn’t get cut short on the SERPs.
Include A Call-To-Action (CTA): Your meta description is a great place to include a CTA. This is a short, persuasive phrase that encourages people to click on your article.
Some examples of CTAs include “Click here to learn more,” “Find out how to X,” and “Get the X guide.”
4) Headings & Subheadings
Headings and subheadings are some of the most important on-page SEO elements for structure. They help break up your content and make it easier to read.
What’s more, a well-structured blog post is easier to read. And when your content is easy to read, people are more likely to stick around and read it.
Here are some SEO tips on how to use headings and subheadings effectively:
Use Keywords In Your Headings: You want to make sure you’re using keywords in your headings and subheadings. This further helps web crawlers understand what your article is about and index it accordingly.
Use H1 For Your Headline: The H1 tag is the most important heading tag. It should be reserved for your headline, which is the title of your article.
Plus, web crawlers see the H1 tag as the statement wrapping the whole content piece. So it would be best to have only one H1 on each of your blog posts.
Use H2 For Your Subheadings: The H2 tag is for your subheadings. You can use it as many times as you want in your article. Just make sure your subheadings are relevant to the main topic and break up your content effectively.
5) Links
Links are one of the most important on-page SEO elements. They help improve your website’s authority and credibility, which can boost your ranking on the SERPs.
There are two types of links you should focus on:
Internal Links: Internal links are links that go from one page on your website to another page within your website or domain. They help improve your website’s navigation and crawling.
To optimize your internal linking, make sure you’re using keywords as the anchor text (the text that’s linked). This will help web crawlers understand what the linked pages are about and index them accordingly.
External Links: External links are outbound links that go from your website out to another website. They help improve your website’s authority and credibility.
To optimize your external linking, make sure you’re linking to high-quality websites that are relevant to your niche. If you’re using broken links or linking out to spammy websites, it will hurt your rankings.
What’s more, you should also use keywords as the anchor text when possible.
6) Page URL
Your page URL is the address of your web page on the internet. It’s what people will use to visit your website.
Here are a few tips on how to optimize your page URL:
Keep It Short & Sweet: A short and sweet URL is easier for people to remember and type out. It’s also easier for web crawlers to index.
Include Keywords: You want to include keywords in your URL if possible. This helps web crawlers understand what your page is about and may also help in indexing it properly.
Use Dashes To Separate Words: When you’re including keywords in your URL, you want to use dashes (-) to separate the words. This makes it easier for web crawlers to go through your URLs.
Use Categories: You can also use categories in your URL to help organize your website.
For example, imagine you have a blog about marketing. You can break it down into categories, such as content marketing, email marketing, social media marketing, and others.
The pathway for a blog post about Facebook Ads could go something like this:
Homepage > Marketing > Social Media Marketing > Article about Facebook Ads
URLs that are based on this structure will generally make it easier for web crawlers to index your content. What’s more, readers will also find it easier to navigate your website.
7) Visual Assets
Visual assets are on-page elements that help improve the look of your website. They include images, videos, GIFs, and more.
Here are a few SEO tips on how to optimize your visual assets:
Use Original Images: You want to use original images on your website whenever possible. This helps improve your website’s credibility and professionalism.
Include Alt Text: Whenever you’re using images or videos on your website, make sure you include alt text. This is a short description of the image or video that helps web crawlers understand what it is.
The alt text also helps people with vision impairments as they use screen readers to browse the internet.
If you can, include your keyword in your alt text. But only if it sounds natural.
Use Relevant & Descriptive Filenames: You also want to make sure you’re using relevant and descriptive filenames for your visual assets. This helps web crawlers understand what the asset is and index it accordingly.
Optimize Your Image File Sizes: Another important thing to do is to optimize your images. This means compressing them so they’re smaller in size but still maintain their quality.
Smaller image sizes help improve your website’s loading speed, which is another ranking factor on the SERPs. We’ll talk more about it below.
8) Structured Markup
Fair warning – discussing this factor can get very technical real quick. If you’re not familiar with it, you may want to get in touch with your webmaster regarding this on-page SEO element.
Structured markup is code that you can add to your website to help search engines understand your content better.
It includes things like schema, which is a type of structured markup that helps Google display information from your website in rich snippets on the SERPs.
Here are a few tips on how to use structured markup on your website:
Include Schema Markup: As we mentioned earlier, schema is a type of structured markup that can help Google display information from your website in rich snippets on the SERPs.
You can use schema markup to indicate various entities in your websites, such as products, events, reviews, and more.
As a result, Google can display a featured snippet of your content in the right format.
For example, Google displays product snippets with the various products’ corresponding prices and (sometimes) review ratings. As for events, their snippets usually come with dates.
Use The Right Vocabulary: You also want to use the right vocabulary when it comes to schema markup.
For example, if you’re marking up a blog post, you want to use the tag for “article.” If you’re marking up an event, you want to use the tag for “event.”
You can find a full list of tags on Schema.org.
Check For Errors: After you’ve added schema markup to your website, you want to check for any errors. This is important because even a small error can cause your rich snippets not to show up on the SERPs.
The easiest way to do this is to use the Schema Markup Validator. Just enter your URL and the platform will check for any errors in your markup.
9) Mobile Friendliness
More and more people are using their mobile devices to browse the internet. In fact, Google has even said that mobile search has now surpassed desktop search.
Because of this, it’s important to make sure that you have a mobile-friendly website. If it isn’t, you’re likely to lose out on a lot of traffic and potential customers.
Here are a few things you can do to make sure your website is mobile-friendly:
Use A Responsive Design: The best way to make sure your website looks good on all devices is to use a responsive design. This means that your website will automatically adjust its layout to fit the device it’s being viewed on.
But how do you actually create a mobile-responsive website?
There are a few ways, but the easiest is to use a responsive WordPress theme. That way, you don’t have to worry about coding your website to be mobile-friendly – it will already be so.
What’s more, you can use other web design tools like Wix, Squarespace, and Weebly to build mobile-responsive web pages.
Keep Your Sentences & Paragraphs Short: Another thing to keep in mind is that people will more likely read your content on a mobile device. This means they’re less likely to have the patience to read long, drawn-out sentences and paragraphs.
To make your content more mobile-friendly, break your content up into short sentences and paragraphs. A good rule of thumb is to keep your sentences under 20 words and your paragraphs under 4-5 lines.
That way, people can easily skim through your blog post and find the information they’re looking for.
Keep Testing Your Pages’ Mobile-Friendliness: Even if you think your website is mobile-friendly, it’s always a good idea to test it on different devices. After all, what looks good on one device might not look so great on another.
There are a few ways you can test your website’s mobile friendliness.
One is to use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test. With it, you can simply paste your web page’s URL into the tool and Google will tell you whether or not it is mobile-friendly. It will also give you pointers on what you can improve on it.
10) Site Speed
Again, we may encounter some technical stuff in this area. So feel free to consult your webmaster about optimizing your website’s loading speed.
Site speed is the amount of time it takes for your website to load on a browser. It’s an important ranking factor on the SERPs.
There are a lot of ways to improve your site speed. But here are a few quick tips:
Optimize Your Images: As we mentioned earlier, you want to optimize your images by compressing them. This can help reduce their file size without compromising on quality.
You can use an image compression tool like TinyPNG to compress your images. Just upload your image and the platform will compress it for you. Once it’s done, you can download the compressed version and replace it on your website.
Enable Caching: Caching is a process that stores certain elements of your website on the visitor’s computer. This helps reduce the loading time on subsequent visits as the browser doesn’t have to load everything from scratch.
You can use a caching plugin like WP Rocket to enable caching on your WordPress website. Just install and activate the plugin, and it will start caching your website automatically.
Switch To A Faster Web Host: Your website’s hosting plays a big role in its loading speed. If you’re on a slow host, your website is likely to be slow as well.
That’s why it’s important to choose a fast and reliable web host. Some of the best hosting providers out there include SiteGround, HostGator, and WPEngine.
Final Thoughts About Improving Your On-Page SEO Strategy
On-page SEO is a crucial part of any SEO strategy.
By optimizing your website’s pages for the search engines, you can improve your website’s ranking on the SERPs and get more traffic to your site.
As you may have seen, there are a lot of on-page SEO factors to consider. And it can get quite overwhelming if you try to take it in all at once.
So the best thing to do is to take it one step at a time. Optimize your website for one onpage SEO factor at a time.
Start with your content, then on to your title tags and meta description, then on to the more technical aspects.
That way, you can slowly but surely improve your on-page SEO strategy and see better results in the long run.
What’s more, make sure to work with the specialists in your marketing team. If you’re working with an SEO writer, SEO expert, or webmaster, they can definitely add more insights that are specific to your own SEO strategy.
Want more guides and tips to help you grow your SaaS business? Explore our blog here.
