If you’re running a SaaS company, you already know that building a great product is only half the battle: getting people to find it online is the other half.
Many SaaS founders and marketers build beautiful, functional websites that Google completely ignores, not because the product isn’t amazing, but because the site misses crucial elements that search engines really care about.
Even if your website has the best content on the internet, if search engines can’t get in or figure out what’s going on, your rankings will sit in the dark.
You’ve invested time and resources. Your website looks slick, your features are strong, and maybe you’re even publishing a few blog posts here and there. But despite this, you’re still struggling to gain visibility in search.
Here’s an example of how it often goes. You launch your SaaS site, you’ve got slick graphics, killer copy, and a product that actually solves real problems. You hit “publish,” sit back with your coffee, and wait for the leads to roll in.
And then…crickets!
Not even a pity click from page three of Google. If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone.
Think of Google as that selective dinner guest. It’s not enough to invite them—you’ve got to set the table, cook something irresistible, and prove you’re the best host in town. That’s where understanding what search engines are actually looking for becomes a game-changer.
Curious about how your SaaS SEO is doing?
We’ve created a free SEO checklist to help SaaS companies evaluate the effectiveness of their current SEO strategy. At the end of the post, you can download your free copy and discover areas for improvement.
In this post, we’ll break down the four core ingredients that search engines check before they decide to send traffic your way:
🔧 Technical SEO: Can they technically access and understand your site?
✍️ Content That Converts: Are you solving the right problems with high-quality content?
💡 User Signals: Is your site a joy to use, or a bounce waiting to happen?
🌐Authority Building: Do other websites trust and recommend you?
Let’s pull back the curtain, fix the SEO blind spots, and get your SaaS site the love it deserves from search engines and your ideal customers.
- 1. Technical SEO: Can Google technically access and understand your site?
- 2. Content quality – are you solving the correct problems?
- 3. Key UX priorities for SaaS sites
- 4. Authority building: Do others trust and endorse your site?
- Bringing it all together for your Saas SEO strategy
- Get your free SaaS SEO Checklist download here
What really matters to Google?
Search engines look at a broad range of signals to decide which websites deserve to be seen and more importantly, trusted. From the way your site is built to the quality of your content and the way users interact with it, every detail counts.
SEO for SaaS isn’t just about keywords or having a blog. It’s about whether your site ticks these four key boxes that search engines use to decide who makes it to the top and who gets buried on page two (or worse). These aren’t just technical checklists; they’re about how accessible, useful, trustworthy, and engaging your site is to both search engines and real users.
With competition growing fiercer every day, it’s critical to understand how search engines evaluate and rank your site. While Google’s algorithm is complex and constantly evolving, these four core categories remain constant for Google to rank SaaS websites.
Whether you’re a startup founder or a growth-focused marketer, this breakdown will help you determine what’s working, what’s holding you back, and where to focus next.
Stop wondering why your traffic isn’t growing! Nail these four essentials, and you’re halfway to higher rankings (and more conversions).
1. Technical SEO: Can Google technically access and understand your site?
Before your content can appear in search results, Google must be able to find, access, and understand it. That’s what Technical SEO is all about. It lays the foundation that allows everything else (content, UX, backlinks) to actually work.
Imagine this: You throw an epic party. Lights on, snacks out, your best playlist ready to go. But… you forgot to unlock the front door. No one shows up. Your SaaS website can have brilliant content, but if search engines can’t get in or figure out what’s going on, your rankings will sit in the dark with that unfinished hummus dip.
That’s what Technical SEO is all about—making sure Google (and your users) can find, access, and enjoy your content without tripping over broken links, slow load times, or digital cobwebs.
For SaaS companies, where performance, reliability, and trust are critical, strong technical SEO is non-negotiable.
If search engines can’t crawl or index your site correctly, none of it will rank. A slow-loading site, website errors or incorrect indexing instructions can block your visibility and waste your SEO investment.
Site Speed: Because nobody likes to wait
A slow site is a silent killer! If it takes longer than 3 seconds to load, your users are already checking out a competitor’s free trial or product specs.
- Compress images
- Minimise scripts
- Use a reliable host (not your cousin’s $3/month hobby server).
Tool: Google Developer PageSpeed Insights doesn’t sugarcoat, it will tell you exactly why your site’s dragging.
Mobile-First = Google-First
Google ranks your site based on the mobile version. Not desktop. Not your designer’s beautiful wide-screen mockup.
- Use responsive design.
- Ensure important features do not require lots of scrolling.
- Verify that your mobile version is complete, including essential elements such as CTAs and pricing information.
Tool: Mobile-Friendly Test: Helps you see how easily visitors can use your page on a mobile device. Since mobile usability is a ranking factor, use this tool to identify issues like text that’s too small, clickable elements too close together, or content wider than the screen, and fix them to improve rankings and user experience.
Clear Navigation and Crawlability
Think of Googlebot as a slightly confused tourist. If your sitemap is a mess, your robots.txt blocks the best parts, and your links go in circles, it’s going to leave. And never come back.
- Submit a clean, up-to-date sitemap.
- Make sure robots.txt isn’t accidentally blocking key pages (yes, this happens).
Tool: Google Search Console = Your site’s personal translator for Googlebot
Broken Links and 404s = Bad Vibes
Imagine inviting someone to learn more about your pricing, only to have them confronted with a “404 – Page Not Found” error message. Not ideal!
- Run regular crawl audits to catch and fix broken links.
- Redirect retired pages properly—don’t leave your visitors or Google behind.
Tools: Ahrefs, Screaming Frog, Sitebulb, or even free Chrome extensions
Schema Markup: Speak Google’s Language
Adding structured data to your site is like giving Google a cheat sheet. It helps it understand what your pages are about, which means more visibility in search.
- Use schema for FAQs, product reviews, pricing tables and software features.
- Bonus: You may earn “rich snippets” (extra information displayed under your links in search results).
Tools: Schema.org, Google’s Rich Results Test
Canonical Tags: Avoiding the Clone Wars
If your product shows up on multiple URLs (thanks to filters, sorting, or bad development habits), Google might see it as duplicate content and punish you for it. Canonical tags tell it: “This is the original. Ignore the clones.”
If search engines can’t get through the front door, they’re never going to see the killer features your SaaS platform offers. Technical SEO ensures that visitors can easily navigate the site, understand its layout, and recommend it to their friends (a.k.a. your future customers).
Fix your foundation first, then stack the content and backlinks on top.
🚀 SaaS Pro Tip: Use Google Search Console weekly. It shows how Google crawls your site, identifies any errors, and how you rank in search results. It’s a goldmine for technical SEO insights.
2. Content quality – are you solving the correct problems?
If Technical SEO is the foundation of your site, then view content as the home you build on top of it and Google decides who gets to visit based on how helpful, clear, and relevant that content is.
For SaaS companies, content can’t just be keyword-stuffed or vaguely helpful. It has to directly align with what your ideal customers are searching for, and more importantly, why they’re searching in the first place.
What makes SaaS content high-quality?
It speaks to search intent. Google is no longer just matching keywords, it’s matching intent. If someone searches “how to manage remote teams,” they don’t want a product pitch, they want practical advice. Your job is to meet that need first, then gently show how your solution fits.
It solves real problems. Great content is built around pain points your audience is actively trying to fix. For example, if your SaaS solves time-tracking for freelancers, your content should address things like “how to invoice clients accurately” or “how to stay focused while working remotely.” Start with empathy, end with solutions.
It’s deep and authoritative (but scannable). Google favours E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness). Your blog posts, guides, and landing pages should reflect depth, backed by data, examples, and experience. But structure matters too. Use headings, bullet points, visuals, and summaries to enable busy readers to scan and learn effectively.
It has a strategy behind it. Content isn’t just there to fill space, it should connect to business goals. Ask this: Does this piece target a high-intent keyword group? Is it guiding readers to a sign-up, demo, case study or more in-depth article? Random blog posts won’t cut it. Create content hubs, internal linking strategies, and pillar pages that build topical authority.
It’s original and up-to-date. Avoid generic “how-tos” that already exist on 10 other blogs. Share your unique viewpoint, use screenshots from your platform, and show real cases. Update older posts regularly, especially if they drive traffic or conversions.
It includes clear next steps. Every piece should have a strong call to action (CTA). That might be: “Read our full case study,” “Book a live demo,” or even “Try the free plan.” Make it frictionless and relevant to where the reader is in their journey.
Search engines aim to deliver the most helpful results for any query. If your content directly addresses your ideal customers’ needs at different stages of the buyer journey, from awareness to comparison to purchase, you’ll rank higher and attract better-fit traffic.
🚀 SaaS Pro Tip: Use tools like AnswerThePublic, Ahrefs, or even your own support tickets and live chat logs to uncover exactly what your audience is asking. Turn those questions into content that ranks and converts.
3. Key UX priorities for SaaS sites
You can’t separate SEO from User Experience when it comes to SaaS. Search engines want to rank sites that deliver genuine value and a seamless user experience. A SaaS site that loads slowly, confuses visitors, or makes it hard to understand your product is a SaaS site that struggles to rank and convert. If your site is confusing, slow, or hard to navigate, visitors will bounce, and Google takes that as a signal that your content isn’t helpful.
UX isn’t just about looking good; it’s about reducing friction at every touchpoint: helping visitors immediately understand what your software does, who it’s for, and how they can take the next step, guiding users effortlessly, and building trust.
For SaaS sites, strong UX directly impacts trial signups, demo requests, and retention signals that search engines notice. The better the user experience you can give, the longer people stay, the more pages they view, and the more likely they are to engage with your offers. All of these are positive signals that support your rankings while also driving signups and demos.
To deliver a seamless experience that keeps visitors engaged (and helps you rank), focus on these key points.
Remember: A clean, user-focused SaaS site isn’t just good for SEO; it’s essential for growth.
- Clear Navigation: Visitors should be able to access key pages (Pricing, Demo, Features) with one click. Use sticky menus and clear calls-to-action.
- Fast Load Times (Again!): This affects both Technical SEO and UX. Every second counts—especially on mobile.
- Logical Page Structure: Use headings, bullet points, and section breaks to facilitate easy scanning. Include jump links or a table of contents for long-form content.
- Core Web Vitals Compliance: Metrics such as Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) directly impact rankings. Test your pages with Google’s PageSpeed Insights.
- Clear Calls-to-Action (CTAs): Use action-focused, visible CTAs that match user intent and guide visitors to take the next step, such as “Start Free Trial” or “Book a Demo,” to increase engagement signals that support rankings.
🚀 SaaS Pro Tip: Watch screen recordings and heatmaps (via Hotjar or Microsoft Clarity) to spot UX friction—where users get confused, drop off, or never click your CTA.
4. Authority building: Do others trust and endorse your site?
Key Ways to Build Authority and Trust
- Backlinks: Earn links from reputable sites, especially in tech and business niches.
- Brand mentions: Get featured in industry publications and review platforms.
- Reviews and testimonials: Showcase third-party endorsements prominently on your site.
- Use Schema Markup: Helps search engines understand your content structure, especially for reviews, FAQs, and company information.
- Thought Leadership Content: Publish high-quality articles on LinkedIn, Medium, or tech sites. Contribute guest posts to reputable industry blogs.
- Collaborate with others in your industry: Pitch podcasts or run joint webinars. These natural connections often lead to links and customers.
- Media/PR Do something newsworthy, sponsor a cause, announce industry leading innovations.
🚀 SaaS Pro Tip: Partner with influencers, publish thought leadership, and contribute to community forums to boost your domain authority.
Bringing it all together for your Saas SEO strategy
Knowing what search engines care about is one thing. Making them care about your SaaS site is another.
At Whippet Digital, we don’t just talk SEO, we live it. Whether you need a strategy refresh or a full site review, we can help you optimise every corner of your SaaS site for visibility, relevance, and real growth.
Insights without action won’t grow your SaaS. Let’s take the next step together.
Get your free SaaS SEO Checklist download here
If your SaaS company doesn’t have a strong SEO foundation, you’re leaving growth on the table. We’ve created a free checklist to help you review your current strategy, identify areas for improvement and take action to refine your strategy and attract more qualified leads. Download it now and start improving your SEO today.
