SEO Agency for SaaS – How to Choose the Right Partner

Did you know that 68% of online experiences begin with a search engine? Or that organic search generates twice as much revenue for technology companies as any other channel? Or that, according to the Digital Marketing Institute, SEO leads have a 14.6% close rate (vs. outbound leads at 1.7%)? 

These are powerful arguments for leveraging SEO. For SaaS companies, SEO makes particularly good sense, since the product itself is online, and clearly, so are many potential customers. But choosing an agency to spearhead this vital marketing strategy can be tricky. Many SEO or digital marketing agencies may not have experience with SaaS, or the technological background to truly understand your solution.

Below, we’ll walk you through why SEO is important for successfully scaling your SaaS startup and five essential questions to ask before you hire an agency.

Why SEO for SaaS?

There’s a bit of a joke among digital marketers that the best time to start SEO was yesterday. The next best time, of course, is today. SEO is a foundational digital marketing strategy for all e-commerce brands, including SaaS. This is because SEO as a marketing strategy is a long game. However, it can be one of the most cost-effective and just plain effective marketing strategies for start-ups because there are no additional advertising costs to get started with SEO. Optimizing your website for SEO through blogs and case studies helps drive organic traffic to your pages, establish authority with search engines, and foster trust with potential customers. Additionally, SEO is an important component of lead generation, without which, of course, no SaaS company can grow.

As you explore if and when to hire an SEO agency for your SaaS company, it’s important to understand that there is more to SEO than keyword-driven content creation, meta-tags, and URL structure. These are all elements of on-page SEO or the SEO factors you can control on your website. But off-page SEO is equally important yet more difficult to influence. 

What is off-page SEO? While on-page optimization tells search engines what your site is about and whether it is mobile-friendly and user-friendly, off-page optimization measures how authoritative your site is on a particular topic. This is principally determined by the number and type of backlinks, or inbound links, to your pages or content. These can come from other websites, through social media, or via guest blogging or posting. 

Off-page SEO also determines your domain authority - a score your site is given that measures how authoritative your site is compared to others. The higher the domain authority, the more likely you are to rank for a particular keyword. The best way to help boost your domain authority is by creating valuable, shareable content on your website and through your social media posts. Don’t be tempted to take unethical shortcuts, like buying backlinks. These ‘black hat’ tactics will get you in trouble with Google and simply aren’t worth it.

5 Questions to ask before hiring an SEO Agency for SaaS

1. What are your goals? It’s impossible to measure how well something is working without first clearly defining your goals. Whether you are looking to build awareness, generate leads or drive conversions it makes sense to establish what you are trying to achieve with SEO before you hire a partner.
   
   
2. Does the agency have a proven track record? How did you find them? A Google search? (this may be the one situation where a high organic ranking does indicate proficiency!) An industry referral? Do they offer case studies or testimonials on their website? Can they provide references from another SaaS company? 
   
   
3. Do they understand your industry/product/solution? Have they worked with SaaS companies before? If not, do they understand the broader industry you are in? You will be trusting this agency to essentially speak on your behalf and write content under your brand name. It’s important to know if they can get up to speed quickly on your specific brand.
   
   
4. Are they skilled in both on and off-page SEO? As you now know, SEO isn’t just about content creation. There are technical aspects to on-page SEO such as UX and page loading speed.  And then there is the elusive category of off-page SEO. A good agency should be comfortable tackling all aspects.
   
   
5. How do they measure success? Are KPIs tracked? Are reports provided? What, if any, growth milestones do they set? Many agencies will offer quarterly audits and review metrics with clients so the impact of their SEO efforts can be visualized. One way or another, they should be accountable for their results (or lack thereof).

Ready to Scale Your SaaS Brand with SEO?

Choosing an SEO agency for your SaaS company is an important step in the growth of your business. Whether you choose to hire a firm that specializes solely in SEO or opt for a more comprehensive growth marketing team that incorporates SEO alongside a suite of interconnected tactics to drive steady growth and customer acquisition, there is no question that SEO should be part of your marketing strategy. 

At Brand Theory, we help scale SaaS companies with a proven framework rooted in growth marketing principles and SEO. If you’re ready to establish a clear path to profitable growth, schedule a free, no-pressure introduction to Brand Theory today.