The Most Effective Keyword Research Strategies for B2B SaaS

Keyword research is the process of identifying the words or phrases that match your clients’ search intent.

It solves the complexity of the searchers differing objectives by understanding pain points, market trends, and how specific personas resonate with the keywords.

Keyword research is the core of any Earned media (SEO search engine optimization) and Paid media program, and without it, sustainable visibility is a tall order.

In specialized SaaS (Software as a Service) sectors like FinTech, HealthTech, and Insurtech, finding the right keywords is essential for establishing credibility and winning the trust of your searchers. You’ll need a holistic SEO strategy to help your business rank high in the ever-evolving realm of Search.

This quick guide will teach you proven B2B SaaS keyword research processes and enhance your digital presence, demand generation, and revenue growth.

The Three Pillars of Successful Keyword Research

• Understanding your audience and their buyer’s journey
• Learning from the competitive landscape
• Developing a cohesive content plan

Understanding Your Audience and Their Buyer Journey: The Foundation of Keyword Research

It’s vital to understand your audience’s needs and how they relate to your product or service. We often ask the following deep-rooted questions during this process:

• What is their preferred method of communication?
• What tools do they use in their day-to-day lives?
• How do they create exceptional experiences for their consumers?
• What are the end consumers’ goals and objectives?
• What are their biggest challenges?
• If they were to look online, what would they search for?
• What would they type in the Google search bar if they knew nothing about your service?

These preliminary questions allow you to paint a picture of who your client is to understand their challenges and provide them with solutions.

Each stage of the buyer’s journey requires different keywords. From the awareness to the consideration and decision-making stage, it crucial to tailor your keyword strategy to match their intent and needs at each phase.

• Awareness Stage’s searching for high-level information

This is where prospects identify a problem or opportunity, so your keywords should focus on educating and providing industry insights.

In doing so, you are positioning your business as a trusted resource, therefore attracting more leads and ultimately driving higher engagements.

• Consideration Stage – evaluating different options

Here, prospects are looking for more detailed information about the features and benefits of available solutions. This helps prospects understand why your solution is the best fit for their needs, thereby increasing the likelihood of them progressing further.

• Decision-Making Stage – ready to make a purchase decision

At this final stage, prospects are validating their rationale for choosing your product over competitors. Keywords should focus on product-specific details, pricing, testimonials, and case studies.

Here is an example of how companies in the FinTech, HealthTech, and InsurTech sectors can leverage keyword optimization for SaaS.

By aligning keywords with their journey, your SaaS firm can create content that resonates with and guides the buyers at each step.

It also important to throw in niche-specific, long-tail keywords, as they are less competitive and highly relevant to your specialized audience. When used effectively, this can move your prospects’ search journey from a primary search to a conversion-oriented search.

Competitive Keyword Research: Learning from the Market Leaders

The golden rule of success: learn from the successful.

The simplest way to be a master in B2B SaaS is to study the most successful contenders in the same field, especially those who are ranking high on SERPs (search engine results pages).

You can utilize tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Moz to see who your top competitors are based on keyword rankings and traffic. After identifying the industry leaders, here’s a list of SaaS SEO tactics you should learn from them:

Content Themes

Blogs are a go-to marketing strategy for 90% of content marketers. It enhances SaaS SEO, generating leads and maintaining a sustainable online presence.

Other types of themes are whitepapers, case studies, videos, or webinars. Look for patterns in their subjects and their approach to addressing industry pain points and trends.

On-Page SEO

SaaS businesses generate 400% lead growth through strategic B2B content marketing. This covers proper content structure, including the effective use of headers, bullet points, and multimedia. Observe how they integrate internal linking to keep users engaged and improve SEO performance.

Backlink Profile

Use tools to analyze the sources of their backlinks. Understand their outreach strategy by looking at the types of sites that link to them and the content that attracts these links.

PPC (Pay-Per-Click) Campaigns

SaaS keyword tools like SEMrush are useful in discovering what keywords industry leaders are bidding on in their PPC campaigns. Analyze the ad copy to see how they use keywords to attract clicks and conversions.

Take inspiration from the journey of successful market leaders. By doing so, you will effectively learn from all the attempts, right or wrong, made by those who came before you. This will teach you valuable insights and guide you in implementing the best keyword research strategies and SEO practices for your B2B SaaS firm.

Leverage Third-Party Data Sources- G2, Capterra and Google’s Auto Suggest

When conducting B2B SaaS keyword research, leveraging Google’s auto-suggest feature can be a powerful way to refine your keyword pool. This tool provides insights into what potential buyers are searching for, offering a real-time glimpse into their needs and interests. Remember, today’s buyers are often well-informed before they even reach your sales team. They frequently visit review sites like G2, Capterra, and others, relying heavily on the opinions and experiences of their peers to guide their purchasing decisions.

To gain valuable insights, it’s crucial to pay attention to what past in-market buyers have said about your product and your competitors’ offerings in their testimonials. These reviews often highlight the pain points they faced, the solutions they sought, and the transformations they experienced. This feedback can reveal high-intent, long-term keyword research strategies or terms that are likely to drive demand in the future.

By analyzing these reviews, you can uncover recurring themes and keywords that resonate with your target audience. For instance, if multiple users praise a specific feature or mention a particular problem your software solved, these terms can be integrated into your SaaS SEO tactics and guide your ongoing strategy. Additionally, understanding the language and terminology used by your audience can help you create content that aligns more closely with their search behavior.

In summary, combining Google’s auto-suggest with insights from user reviews on sites like G2 and Capterra allows you to identify and target the keywords that matter most to your audience. This approach not only enhances your keyword strategy but also ensures that your B2B content marketing addresses the actual needs and concerns of potential buyers, ultimately driving more qualified traffic to your site.

Bonus: Expand Upon What Your Existing Customers Tell You!

One of the most underutilized steps in keyword research is delving into the feedback and insights provided by your existing customers when they first engaged with your product. Pay close attention to the pain points, challenges, and frustrations they shared during sales conversations and how these resonated with your solution. This interaction fostered trust before they made their decision, so reflect on what those conversations looked like. Reviewing CRM notes or having discussions with your current BDR team might reveal valuable intent search terms you’ve overlooked.

The overarching goal is to genuinely serve your customers, not just feel satisfied with ranking on the first page of search results or running paid ads that drain your budget without delivering viable ROI. By understanding and addressing the real needs and language of your customers, you can create more effective, customer-centric content and strategies.

Maximizing SaaS Success Through Ongoing Strategic Keyword Optimization

Keyword optimization for SaaS companies is not just a tactical tool but a strategic necessity. Align your keywords with the buyer’s journey and tailor them to your industry-specific needs. By continuously measuring the success of these keywords, you can refine them based on the data extracted, leading to new or continued growth. Incorporate these strategies, learn from the process, and continuously improve. Partner with us to see your SaaS company’s online presence soar. Start today and watch your business thrive!