How to Do B2B SaaS SEO (Lessons From My Experience)

It’s no secret that B2B buying is tough.

I mean, Gartner found that 77% of B2B buyers say their latest purchase was very complex or difficult.

So where do they turn for clarity? Search engines.

SEO makes that whole process a lot easier for them. They use it to ask questions and find solutions long before they're ready to talk to a sales team.

I actually saw this happen the other day. My co-founder was on a call with a lead who found us on Google, but only after they’d already asked ChatGPT a bunch of questions about our product. That’s just how the modern B2B buyer works.

So in this article, I'll walk you through my repeatable, six-step framework that focuses on driving conversions, not just vanity traffic. These are all from my 10+ years of experience in B2B SaaS being a writer, strategist, and agency owner.

We’ll cover everything from adopting a conversions-first mindset to finding high-intent keywords, creating content that sells, and building links that actually move the needle. Let's get into it.

Key highlights

Here’s a quick rundown of the core strategies I’ve personally used to get results. Think of this as the playbook we’ll be unpacking.

I start with a conversions-first mindset. This means every single SEO decision, from topics to content, is based on its potential to drive conversions, not just traffic.
I always go after low-difficulty, "money-making" keywords first. These are your bottom-of-funnel (BoFu) terms like "alternatives" or "pricing" that capture ready-to-buy customers.
My next move is expanding to product-led middle-of-funnel (MoFu) keywords. I look for topics that let me naturally bring up my product as the solution.
I create content from the bottom of the funnel up. This means starting with BoFu assets like comparison pages that support sales and capture immediate demand.
To build authority, I systematically connect my BoFu and MoFu content with internal links. It’s super handy for guiding users through the funnel and boosting rankings.
When it comes to backlinks, I focus on quality over quantity. From what I’ve seen, links from relevant, authoritative sites are what really matter.

My 6-step framework for B2B SaaS SEO

Here’s the exact six-step process I follow to build a B2B SaaS SEO strategy that drives real business results.

Step 1: Adopt a conversions-first mindset to drive business results

You have to start with a conversions-first mindset. I can't stress this enough.

This single decision guides every other choice you'll make, from the topics you pick to how you create your content.

Prioritize revenue-driving topics over high-volume keywords

A conversions-first approach means you prioritize content that attracts ready-to-buy customers.

For example, if I have to choose between a buzzy industry term and an article on "alternatives to a competitor's product," I’m going with the second option every time.

That’s the kind of content that captures people actively looking to make a purchase. It's a real shift in thinking, and as one Reddit user put it, for SaaS, "what really matters is how that traffic converts."

Keyword Type	Example	Monthly Volume	Potential Business Impact
High-Volume / Low-Intent	"what is content marketing"	5,000	Low. Attracts beginners, not buyers.
Low-Volume / High-Intent	"best content marketing tool for startups"	50	High. Attracts users evaluating solutions.

Define your funnel stages & conversion metrics

This is where you get specific about what a "conversion" actually means for your business. You have to define your funnel stages clearly.

Is a lead someone who downloads an ebook, signs up for a trial, or does something else entirely? Without these definitions, you're flying blind.

If you need a starting point, First Page Sage has some research showing typical B2B SaaS conversion rates from SEO are 2.1% from Visitor to Lead, 41% from Lead to MQL, and 51% from MQL to SQL. You can use those as a baseline for your own goals.

Establish an attribution model & tracking system

You also need an attribution model and the right tools for tracking. It really helps to know your numbers, because then you can see what’s working and what isn’t.

It's how you prove your SEO efforts are actually driving revenue. Personally, I use a CRM, but I’ve also used tools like PostHog and Smartlook to get the full picture.

This isn't just me, either. 6sense found that 57% of marketers use both sourced and influenced attribution, mostly relying on CRMs and spreadsheets. Even a simple spreadsheet is a great place to start.

Step 2: Find low-difficulty, high-intent BoFu keywords to drive immediate results

Once your mindset is right, it's time to find those money-making, bottom-of-the-funnel (BoFu) keywords. This is all about targeting users who are ready to pull the trigger.

Method 1: Translate customer pain points into search queries

Your best keyword ideas come from talking to customers and your sales team. They'll tell you the exact pain points people are struggling with.

The trick is to figure out the specific keywords your buyers use when they search for solutions on Google. What someone says on a sales call might be a little different from what they type into a search bar.

For example, a customer might say, "We're having trouble with adoption," but they'll probably search for "best user onboarding software." Your job is to find that actual search query.

Method 2: Systematically uncover competitor "alternative" keywords

This is one of my favorite tactics. People searching for alternatives to your competitors are high-intent buyers, period.

They're already unhappy with what they have and are actively looking for a replacement. I've found there are often several "alternative" keywords that are surprisingly easy to rank for.

These are the keywords you want to start with. In a tool like Ahrefs, you can search for terms like "[competitor name] alternative" or "vs [competitor name]" and filter for a low Keyword Difficulty (KD) score.

Method 3: Prioritize keywords by difficulty, not search volume

I see this mistake all the time. The temptation to go after high-volume keywords is strong. You see a term with 5,000 monthly searches and imagine all that traffic.

But in reality, a keyword with that much volume is often too difficult to rank for, so it won’t help you hit your conversion goals.

It's so much better to find low-difficulty keywords you can actually win. I've seen B2B SEOs on Reddit talk about this, you just have to explain to stakeholders that it's about quality over quantity.

Step 3: Find low-difficulty, product-led MoFu keywords to nurture leads

After you’ve targeted BoFu keywords, you can expand to the middle of the funnel (MoFu). The goal here is to find topics that give you a chance to "soft-sell" your product by being genuinely helpful.

Method 1: Use competitive research to find "soft-sell" opportunities

My own process involves a lot of competitive research using tools like Ahrefs and SEMrush. I look for keywords that give us an opportunity to mention our product naturally.

This is what most B2B marketers are trying to do, anyway. A CMI report I read showed that 76% of them use content just to generate leads.

For example, a great MoFu keyword for us at Leaps is "how to use AI for SEO content writing." A topic like that lets us teach people something valuable and then introduce our product as the perfect tool for the job.

Method 2: Turn customer pain points into product-led keywords

Just like with BoFu keywords, your customers are a goldmine for MoFu ideas. Their problems can directly inspire your content.

Remember that stat from Gartner about how 77% of buyers find purchases difficult? Your content can simplify that journey by addressing their specific challenges head-on.

Listen to sales calls or check out support tickets. If multiple customers ask how to integrate your tool with their project management software, that's a perfect MoFu topic for a guide.

Method 3: Mine online communities for unfiltered search intent

I also love mining Reddit and other industry forums. You can see what people are actually discussing about the pain points you solve.

This is where you find unfiltered language and raw search intent. For instance, I'd look for discussions about creating content with AI and find threads where people ask how to create high-quality content that isn't just "slop."

This kind of direct insight is golden. As one SaaS founder on Reddit said, getting involved in these communities and helping people can naturally lead to new users.

Step 4: Execute with BoFu-first content to accelerate ROI

Okay, all that planning leads to the most important part: execution. And sticking with our conversion mindset, you need to create content in a very specific order.

Why prioritizing bottom-funnel content delivers faster ROI

You need to prioritize content that leads to faster ROI and helps your sales team. That means starting with your BoFu keywords.

Creating this content first gets you quick wins and shows the immediate business impact of your SEO efforts. It's the most direct path to generating revenue.

And it's working. In fact, the CMI found that 58% of B2B marketers now say their content helps generate sales, which is way up from the year before.

Match content formats to funnel stage & audience needs

For most of the B2B SaaS businesses I know, buyers really appreciate detailed blog content. For BoFu, this means comparison pages and case studies.

For MoFu, it's more about in-depth blog posts and guides. Of course, the format can depend on your industry. If your buyers are all on YouTube, then you'll need to focus on video.

Build a content plan that transitions from BoFu to MoFu

Think of your content plan in two phases. Phase one is all about BoFu. You'll create all the comparison pages, alternative articles, and case studies you identified.

Once those are live and starting to gain traction, you move to phase two. This is where you start building out your MoFu content, like guides and blog posts that address customer pain points.

The best part is you can create topic clusters that internally link back to your high-converting BoFu pages. It becomes a really powerful content engine.

Leverage an AI content workflow that prioritizes your unique POV

If you need help scaling content, AI can be a great partner. The key is to use a tool that prioritizes your expertise. For example, Leaps has a simple workflow that does all the heavy lifting on research for you.

What I like about it is that it doesn't write a single word until it's 100% clear what you want to say. It does a point-of-view (POV) gathering session first.

This is what I normally say when I say one of the best uses of AI is to amplify human expertise. This process ensures the final article is built around your unique insights, which is what I'm doing right now as I created this content with Leaps.

Related:

Step 5: Weave a web of authority through strategic internal linking

Once you have content, you need to connect it strategically. Internal linking is a powerful lever that a lot of people overlook, but it can have a massive impact.

Strategy 1: Boost SEO authority & guide the user journey

Internal linking does two critical things. First, it helps Google crawl your site and understand how your content is related.

Second, it passes authority from your stronger pages to your weaker ones, lifting your overall SEO performance. I saw a case study from SEOClarity where they focused just on internal linking and it resulted in a 9,500 weekly jump in organic traffic. The impact can be huge.

Strategy 2: Organize content with the "hub & spoke" model

The "hub and spoke" or topic cluster model is the best way I’ve found to organize internal linking at scale. You create a main "hub" page on a broad topic, then create several "spoke" pages that dive deeper into sub-topics.

For example, your hub page might be "A Complete Guide to Email Marketing." Your spoke pages could be "Best Email Subject Line Formulas," "How to Segment Your Email List," and "Klaviyo vs. Mailchimp." You link from the hub to all the spokes, and every spoke links back to the hub.

Strategy 3: Optimize anchor text & avoid costly over-linking

Your anchor text (the clickable text in a link) should be descriptive. Instead of "click here," use something like "email marketing best practices."

But there's a catch: more isn't always better. A fascinating study from Zyppy analyzed 23 million internal links and found something surprising.

After a page gets about 45-50 internal links, traffic actually starts to decline. It’s a critical reminder to be deliberate and focus on relevance, not just cramming in as many links as possible.

Strategy 4: Conduct an audit to find & fix linking opportunities

You can get some quick wins by auditing your existing content for internal linking opportunities. This is a practical way to boost important pages without creating anything new. It's low-hanging fruit.

Here’s a simple process I use:

Make a list of your most important BoFu and MoFu pages.
Use a Google search like site:yourdomain.com "target keyword" to find other pages on your site that mention your topic but don't link to it.
Go into those old posts and add a relevant internal link.

Tools like Ahrefs also have site audit features that can help automate this process.

Step 6: Build authority & trust with backlinks on relevant domains

Finally, let's talk about off-page SEO. Backlinks are still a crucial signal to search engines that your site is authoritative and trustworthy. The key is to focus on quality and relevance.

Principle 1: Prioritize quality & relevance over sheer quantity

A single backlink from a respected, relevant site in your industry is worth more than 100 links from spammy, unrelated domains. Your goal is to get votes of confidence from the right places.

And yes, links absolutely still matter. I saw an Ahrefs study that confirmed the number of referring domains has a strong, positive correlation with search traffic. More unique, quality links usually lead to better rankings.

Principle 2: Create "linkable assets" to earn backlinks naturally

The best way to get backlinks is to earn them. This means creating content so valuable that other people actually want to link to it. These are your "linkable assets."

In B2B SaaS, this could be original research, a comprehensive "ultimate guide," or a free tool that solves a common problem. The in-depth content you're already creating can serve as great linkable assets, too.

Principle 3: Execute targeted outreach that provides value

Once you have a linkable asset, you need to do some outreach. The key is to create a strategy that doesn't feel like spam.

You're not asking for a favor; you're offering something valuable to another website's audience. Two beginner-friendly tactics are guest posting and using services like HARO (Help a Reporter Out).

Your outreach emails should be personalized and clearly explain why your content would make their article even better.

Principle 4: Vet every opportunity & measure your success

You also need to track your efforts. Before reaching out, vet every opportunity. Does the site have a decent domain rating? Is it topically relevant? Is its audience a good fit?

Then, measure your success beyond just counting new links. Look at changes in your own domain rating, increases in organic traffic to your linked pages, and referral traffic from those new links.

Frequently asked questions about B2B SaaS SEO

Why should I focus on low-difficulty keywords instead of high-volume ones?

I know the temptation to go after high-volume keywords is real. You see a term with thousands of monthly searches and can almost taste all that traffic.

In my experience, these keywords are often just too difficult to rank for, especially early on. It's much better to start with low-difficulty, high-intent keywords that attract people closer to making a buying decision.

What is the most important first step in a B2B SaaS SEO strategy?

For me, the first and most critical step is to start with a conversions-first mindset. This isn't just a phrase; it's an approach that should guide every single decision you make.

It dictates which topics you choose, which articles you prioritize, and how you create the content. If a piece of content isn't likely to drive a conversion, it goes to the back of the line.

What content should I create first for the fastest ROI?

To get the fastest return, I always recommend prioritizing content for Bottom-of-the-Funnel (BoFu) keywords first. This approach delivers quicker wins and gives your sales team valuable assets to help close deals.

Start with formats like comparison pages and in-depth case studies. Once you have a solid base of BoFu content, you can expand into Middle-of-the-Funnel (MoFu) content like blog posts and guides.

Where can I find keyword ideas for B2B SaaS?

My process involves a few different channels. First, I always talk to the sales team and listen to customer calls to understand the exact pain points and language people are using.

From there, I use tools like Ahrefs and Semrush for competitive research. I also love to browse industry forums, like Reddit, to see the raw, unfiltered conversations people are having about the problems you solve.

Your next step: From strategy to execution

So, all the steps we've covered help you build the plan for your B2B SaaS SEO. But a plan is just a plan until you start executing.

This is where you begin creating the content that attracts those high-intent, bottom-of-funnel buyers. If you need a hand with the content creation itself, Leaps provides a simple workflow that I find really effective for avoiding AI slop.

It helps you do all the research for your articles and then weaves in your own unique points of view before any writing begins. What I like is that it doesn't start writing until it's a hundred percent clear on what you want to say.

It gathers your insights first, builds the outline, and only then creates the article. This is what helps you create high-quality content that isn't just AI slop.

In fact, this is the exact process I'm using right now. I'm sure you can tell this article wasn't written by a generic AI, and that’s because it’s built entirely on my personal POVs Leaps captured.