SaaS Keyword Strategy: How To Find The
Right Keywords That Convert

You’ve got the SaaS product of your dreams. You’re ready to set up shop and start selling it to tons of customers. But how do you get those potential customers to find you?

This blog post is going to dive into SaaS Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and how a keyword strategy can help your SaaS product stand out in a crowded space. That way, the only thing you’ll have to worry about is what kind of world-class support team you’ll need!

Why SEO matters in SaaS Marketing

The importance of SEO in every SaaS content marketing effort cannot be overstated. After all, what’s the point of having a great SaaS product if nobody can find it?

To get started, let’s first understand how people use the internet to search for SaaS products.

When someone needs a new piece of software, they usually don’t go to Google and type in “software.” Instead, they’ll use more specific terms, like “project management software” or “email marketing software.”

These are called keywords, and they’re essential to your SaaS product’s success. In order to get found online, you need to make sure your SaaS SEO content piece is ranking for the right keywords.

Not all keywords are created equal, though. There are certain keywords that are more likely to convert than others. These are called “long-tail keywords,” and they’re the key to your SaaS SEO success.

How to find the right keyword to target

You may have an idea of what your customers are entering in the search query when looking for something similar to your SaaS product, but you want to find the right ones that are most relevant to your business. If this is the case, then here are some great tools that will make it easy for you to implement your SaaS SEO strategy:

Google Keyword Planner

As a software-as-a-service (SaaS) business, one of your main goals is to ensure that potential customers can find your SaaS product online. And while there are a number of ways to improve your website’s search engine optimization (SEO), one tool that can be particularly useful is Google Keyword Planner. This free tool allows you to research keywords that are relevant to your product and then track how often those keywords are being searched for. In addition, the Keyword Planner can also help you to see how much competition there is for certain keywords. Armed with this information, you can then make changes to your website and marketing materials in order to better target potential customers. As a result, the Google Keyword Planner can be a valuable asset in helping you to improve the SEO of your SaaS business.

Ubersuggest

If you’re looking for ways to improve your SaaS SEO keyword research, consider using Ubersuggest. This tool provides you with instant insights into what keywords are most popular among your target audience. It also allows you to spy on your competitors to see what keywords they’re targeting. With this information, you can fine-tune your own keyword strategies to be more effective and get ahead of the competition. In addition, Ubersuggest provides detailed analytics so you can track your progress and see which keywords are driving the most traffic to your site. So if you’re serious about improving your SaaS SEO, give Ubersuggest a try.

SEMRush 

SemRush is a powerful platform that provides keyword research and competitor analysis tools to help you optimize your website for the search engines. With SEMRush, you can easily find low-hanging fruit keywords that you can rank for, as well as identify your biggest competitors and what they’re doing to succeed. In addition, SEMRush also provides valuable insights into how your website is performing and where there are opportunities for improvement. If you’re serious about improving your SaaS company’s SEO, then SEMRush is a tool that you need in your arsenal.

Moz

Moz is a software as a service platform that provides users with access to a suite of SEO tools. One of the most useful aspects of Moz is its keyword research tool, which allows users to track their progress in organic search rankings. In addition to keyword research, Moz also offers tools for site audit, link building, and social media management. While Moz’s tools are not free, they are very affordable when compared to other similar platforms. For businesses that are serious about improving their SEO, Moz is an excellent tool to consider.

Here are some other great tools too:

SERPWatcher 

SERPWatch is a powerful tool that can help you improve your website’s SEO keyword rank. The tool provides detailed insights into how your website is ranking for various keywords, and it also allows you to track your progress over time. In addition, SERPWatch can help you identify opportunities to improve your website’s ranking. For example, if you notice that your website is not ranking well for a particular keyword, you can use SERPWatch to research that keyword and make changes to your website that will improve your ranking. SERPWatch is an essential tool for any business that wants to improve its SEO keyword rank. Tracking your progress and making changes based on SERPWatch’s insights will help you achieve better results.

Other ways to find SaaS keywords

Look at your competitor’s website

As a SaaS marketer, it’s important to keep an eye on your competition. Not only can you learn from their successes and failures, but you can also use their website to inform your own marketing strategy. One way to do this is by looking at the keywords they are targeting. 

By understanding the keywords your competitors are targeting, you can develop a better understanding of the market and ensure that your own marketing efforts are more effective.

Additionally, by targeting the same keywords as your competitors, you can improve your search engine ranking and make it more likely that potential customers will find your site. As a result, taking some time to monitor your competitor’s website can be a valuable part of your SaaS marketing efforts.

Understand your customer’s needs

When you’re marketing a SaaS product, it’s important to use the right keywords so that your target customer can find you. But how do you know which keywords to use? The answer is by understanding your customer’s needs. 

First, take some time to research your target customer. What are their pain points? What are they looking for in a SaaS product? 

Once you have a good understanding of your customer’s needs, you can start brainstorming keywords that they might use when searching for a product like yours. For example, if you offer a project management SaaS product, some relevant keywords could be “project management software”, “task management”, or “team collaboration”. 

By understanding your customer’s needs, you can ensure that you’re using the right keywords in your marketing efforts.

Check what’s trending in your industry

If you’re in the SaaS industry, it’s important to stay up-to-date on the latest trends in your field. One way to do this is to regularly check what’s trending on social media and other online platforms. This will give you a good idea of the keywords that are being used by your potential customers. 

You can then use these keywords in your marketing efforts, such as in your website content, blog posts, and social media posts. By using the latest keywords, you’ll be more likely to reach your target audience and convert them into customers.

Check your SaaS product’s features

As any SaaSmarketer knows, choosing the right keywords is essential for driving traffic to your website. However, with the vast array of options available, it can be difficult to know where to start. 

One helpful way to choose keywords for your SaaS marketing is to look at the features of your product. 

What are the unique selling points of your software? What advantages does it offer over other options on the market? 

By thinking about the features of your product, you can develop a list of potential keywords that will be relevant to your target audience. 

In addition, you can use keyword research tools to help you identify which keywords are most popular and most likely to result in clicks. By taking the time to consider the features of your product, you can ensure that you choose keywords that will be effective in driving traffic and generating leads.

What does a great long-tail keyword look like?

Long-tail keywords are more specific and, as a result, more niche than short-tail keywords. In other words, they’re more likely to be searched for by people looking for something very specific.

Let’s say your SaaS product is a project management tool. A short-tail keyword for this product might be “project management.” But a long-tail keyword might be “best project management software for small businesses.”

This long-tail keyword is more specific and, as a result, more likely to be searched for by people looking for a project management tool specifically tailored for small businesses.

As you can see, long-tail keywords are usually more specific and, as a result, more niche than short-tail keywords. However, they can also be more difficult to rank for.

Avoid these keywords:

• Broad keywords: e.g. “project management software” (This target keyword is too broad. It’s not specific enough to be a good long-tail keyword).
• Overly specific keywords: e.g. “best project management software for small businesses with under 5 employees” (This keyword is too specific. It’s not likely to be searched for very often, if at all).
• Overly competitive keyword: e.g. “best project management software” (This keyword is too difficult to rank for. There are likely already many established websites that rank for this keyword, making it difficult for a new website to break into the top results).
• Irrelevant keywords: e.g. “best project management software for businesses that don’t use project management software”
• Too obscure keywords: e.g. “software”

How to choose the right keywords for your SaaS business

When it comes to choosing the right keywords for your SaaS business, there are several things you should keep in mind.

• High search volume keywords: Choosing relevant keywords that also happen to be popular is key because it means you’re more likely to get traffic from people who are actually looking for what they need. Use Google Keyword Planner or another keyword research tool that gives insight into how many times people search for a particular term (and which sites rank well).
• Keywords with low difficulty: You don’t want to go after huge keywords with lots of competition because they’ll be difficult (or even impossible) for you to rank for. Instead, look at the search volume and see if any lower-competition alternatives might work better for your site’s goals.
• Long-tail keywords: Long-tail keywords often have higher conversion rates than shorter ones so consider adding some longer ones if possible.

Step 1: Think about your own search queries.

The first step in identifying keyword opportunities is to think about how you search for your own products and services. Do you use a variety of phrases? Or do you tend to stick with one or two keywords throughout your research process?

Think about how others might search for those products and services, too. You may find that the same keywords resonate with different audiences-perhaps one set of users looks for “easy to use” while another set looks for “user-friendly”-so it’s important not to pigeonhole yourself into one particular set of terms for each item on your list.

Next, consider what industry-related terms could be relevant as well. Are there any other types of businesses competing against yours in the same space? Is there anything else related-like similar companies or industries, that might work well as a potential target audience?

Also ask: if someone were looking up information about this market niche or category, would they ever type in “marketing automation” instead of just “automation”?

Step 2: Find out what keywords your competitors rank for.

Now that you have a good idea of how to find the right keywords, let’s move on to finding out what keywords your competitors rank for. The most popular for this purpose is SEMrush. It has a Keyword Gap tool that lets you compare the keyword lists of multiple domains and find out which keywords they share.

SEMrush’s Keyword Gap tool

Just enter your domain and up to nine of your competitors’ domains, and you’ll get a report back showing which keywords are common to all of the sites, and which are unique to each.

Common keywords: These are the keywords that your competitors are all ranking for. If you’re not ranking for them, you should be!

Unique keywords: These are the keywords that only one competitor is ranking for. If you can find a way to rank for them, too, you’ll have a leg up on the competition.

To get an even better idea of how you stack up against the competition, take a look at the Keyword Difficulty (KD) score. This is a number from 1 to 100 that indicates how difficult it would be for you to rank for a certain keyword. The higher the number, the more difficult it would be.

SEMrush’s Keyword Difficulty score

You can use this number to help you prioritize your keyword list. If there are a few keywords with high search volume and low KD, those are the ones you should focus on first.

Step 3: Create a list of “customer” keywords.

Now that you have a list of competitor keywords, it’s time to start building your own. To do this, you’ll need to create a list of “customer” keywords. These are the terms that potential customers would use to find your SaaS product.

To get started:

• Use Google Keyword Planner: This is a free tool that allows you to see how often certain keywords are being searched for.
• Use Google Autocomplete: Start typing in a keyword related to your business, and Google will suggest similar terms that people are searching for.
• Use Google Trends: This tool lets you see how popular a certain keyword is, and how that popularity has changed over time.
• Use Google Search Console and Webmaster Tools to find your target keywords, as well as the history of keywords for your website or industry.
• If you have a large email list, you can use surveys to collect customer feedback on their biggest pain points and then search for related terms in Google Trends to create a list of potential “customer” keywords.
• If you don’t have an email list, you can use social media to reach out to potential customers and ask them directly.

Once you have a list of potential customer keywords, it’s time to start prioritizing them.

Step 4: Add negative keywords to refine your keyword strategy.

Negative keywords are keywords you don’t want to appear in your search result. They are a great way to refine your keyword strategy and help you avoid wasting money on keywords that don’t convert or aren’t relevant.

For example, if your SaaS business sells project management software, you might want to add the following negative keywords:

• free
• trial
• cheap
• download
• learn

These are all keywords that people might use when they’re not looking to buy project management software, so you don’t want to waste your money on them.

You can use the Google Keyword Planner or Google AdWords Keyword Tool to find negative keywords. Just enter in a few of your target keywords, and they will suggest a list of related negative keywords.

Once you have a list of negative keywords, add them to your Google AdWords campaign so that your ads don’t show up for those particular searches.

Step 5: Round up all your key findings into a single sheet.

Once you’ve analyzed your findings and come up with a list of keywords, it’s time to put them into a spreadsheet.

Use one column for each type of keyword: search volume, corresponding competition level (both on Google and Bing), cost per click, etc. This will help you keep track of your keywords and make it easier to sort and filter them later on.

You can use this spreadsheet to track your progress over time and adjust your keyword strategy as needed.

Now it’s time to analyze the data in your hands.

Gathering and analyzing the right kind of data

Gathering and analyzing the right kind of data is vital for any keyword strategy. Too much data can be just as bad as not enough, and you have to be careful about what you choose to use.

You need the right tools in order to collect, manage and analyze your keywords effectively. Google Analytics is a good place to start, as it’s free and relatively easy to use.

There are also a number of paid tools that can help, including:

SEMrush: This tool provides detailed data on keyword competition, search volume, and cost per click.

Moz: This tool includes data on keyword difficulty, search volume and SERP features.

Wordstream: This tool provides data on keyword difficulty, search volume and cost per click.

Once you have the right data, it’s time to start analyzing it. Look for patterns and trends in the keywords you’ve collected. Are there certain words that are being searched for more often than others? Are there certain topics that seem to be more popular than others?

Use this data to help you refine your keyword strategy. Identify the keywords that are most likely to convert, and focus your efforts on those.

Keyword research is an ongoing process, and you should always be looking for new keywords to add to your list.

You also need the right people on board with strategies that deliver results, which means understanding how they work together or against each other when it comes to different kinds of keyword research tasks being carried out across teams within a business (and who owns those tasks). The same goes for processes: if there isn’t one already, then creating one could help streamline things even more!

Finally, there are metrics. These will tell you whether something is working well or not so well…so make sure that whatever metrics are chosen (or created), they’re relevant ones too!

Final Thoughts

As you can see, there are a lot of steps involved in creating a keyword strategy for your SaaS marketing plan. But if you follow these steps and do your research, you’ll be on your way to driving more traffic to your website.

Applying the right keyword strategy to your SaaS marketing can make all the difference in how visible it is to potential customers. By understanding what people are searching for and using those keywords throughout your site, you can set yourself up for success. 

Read our blog and stay tuned for more B2B SaaS marketing tips on how to grow your SaaS business!