SEO for SaaS
We build organic search engines around buying intent, not search volume. The difference matters. A query that gets 200 searches a month from active buyers is worth more than a query that gets 20,000 searches a month from curious tourists.
The problem with most SaaS SEO
Most SaaS SEO programs we audit have the same pattern: a content team chasing keyword volume, ranking for a lot of stuff, generating big-looking traffic numbers, and contributing almost nothing to pipeline. The terms they rank for are answered by their content — but the readers aren’t anywhere close to buying. They’re researching, comparing, learning.
Worse, the queries that do drive pipeline — “best [category] tool for [specific company size + use case]” — are dominated by listicle sites with no skin in the game. AI search has now compounded this: when ChatGPT or Perplexity get asked the same question, they cite those listicle sites because that’s where the structured comparison content lives. The actual best-fit vendor isn’t in the answer set.
What we do differently
- Buyer-intent first. We audit the 100 highest-value queries in your space using customer interviews, GSC data, and competitor PPC bids as signals. We do not write a single piece of content for low-intent queries.
- JTBD-rooted, not keyword-stuffed. Each pillar piece answers a specific buyer job, with the depth that earns trust. We refuse to ship a 700-word “What is X” piece for ranking purposes.
- Technical foundation done right. Schema.org markup, llms.txt, robots.txt allowance for AI bots, internal linking architecture, sitemap hygiene, page-speed remediation. Most SaaS sites lose 30% of their potential ranking just on technical foundation issues.
- AI search optimization. Structured data, citation-friendly formatting, source attribution patterns that ChatGPT/Claude/Gemini/Perplexity reward. We track citation rates weekly across all four major AI engines and adjust.
- Founder voice preserved. If we’re ghostwriting, we capture the founder’s perspective through async interviews and editorial passes. The voice stays distinct.
Typical engagement shape
SEO for SaaS engagements are typically Foundation ($18K, 90 days) for $500K–$2M ARR companies, or Engine ($32K, 90 days) for $2M–$10M ARR. Some clients run both sequentially. After the second sprint, most clients move to advisory mode — $2,400/month — where we provide oversight on a self-running engine.
What success looks like
The KPI we underwrite is pipeline contribution from organic. The leading indicator we report on weekly is qualified inbound leads attributed to organic search. The lagging metric we report quarterly is closed-won attributable to organic. Traffic numbers, ranking positions, and domain authority show up in our reports — but as supporting indicators, not as goals.
