Most SaaS companies start keyword research by opening a tool and typing in their general product category. That’s where things go sideways.
I’ve been working with B2B SaaS companies over the last 6+ years. And the pattern I keep seeing is the same.
Someone on the team opens a keyword tool, types in a broad product category term, and gets excited about the search volume. Then they spend weeks creating content around it…
The post goes live. It lands somewhere on page 6. Nobody sees it. The team loses trust in content as a channel.
The problem isn’t that keyword research is hard. It’s that most people approach it like a generic SEO exercise instead of a SaaS-specific one.
Let me walk you through how I actually do it that ensures top rankings and conversions.
Why SaaS Keyword Research Is Different
Keyword research for SaaS isn’t the same as keyword research for an ecommerce store or a local business.
Your buyer’s journey is longer. Someone searching “best event management software for conferences” isn’t pulling out their credit card right now. They could be weeks or even months away from a purchase. Your keyword strategy has to account for that entire journey.
Your product solves a problem, not a physical need someone can search for directly. People don’t Google “I need a SaaS tool.” They search for the problem your tool fixes. So your keyword research needs to start with problems and pain points, not product features.
And here’s the thing most people miss… your best keywords probably won’t have huge search volume. The keywords that actually bring in qualified signups for SaaS companies are often in the low hundreds range. If you’re only chasing high-volume head terms, you’re going to miss them entirely.
If your content is already live and not performing, I wrote a detailed breakdown on why SaaS content doesn’t rank that covers the most common issues.
Start With Your Product, Not a Keyword Tool
This is the step most people skip. And it’s the most important one.
Before you touch Ahrefs or Semrush, get clear on three things:
1. What problems does your product solve?
Not features. Problems. If you sell a video conferencing tool, the problem isn’t “video calls.” It could be “our remote team meetings feel disorganized and nothing gets followed up on” or “we’re paying for three different tools just to run a decent meeting.”
2. Who are you solving it for?
An event management platform for corporate teams and one for independent event planners have completely different keyword universes. The more specific you are about your audience, the better your keywords will be.
3. What does your buyer actually type into Google?
Talk to your sales and support teams here. The language your customers use is almost never the language your marketing team uses. Your customers say “how do I get more people to show up to my webinars.” Your marketing team says “webinar attendance optimization.” Google rewards content that matches how real people search.
Write all of this down before you open any tool. You’ll end up with 15-20 seed topics directly tied to your product and audience. That’s your real starting point. If you need help thinking through this foundation, this guide on how to build a SaaS content strategy covers the broader approach.
The Keyword Categories That Matter for SaaS
Once you have your seed topics, you can start finding actual keywords. But not all SaaS keywords are created equal. Here are the categories I focus on with every client.
Comparison and alternative keywords
Things like “Asana alternatives” or “Asana vs. Trello” These are high intent. Someone searching these is actively looking to switch or buy. For SaaS, these are some of the highest-converting bottom-of-funnel keywords you can target.
Use-case keywords
“Best social media scheduling tool for agencies” or “AI meeting note taker for sales teams.” These are specific enough to rank without massive domain authority, and the traffic they bring is very qualified.
Problem-aware keywords
“How to reduce customer churn” or “why are my email open rates dropping.” These sit at the top of the funnel, but they’re useful because they let you introduce your product as a natural part of the solution within the content.
Feature-specific keywords
“Ecommerce platform with built-in email marketing” or “video editing tool with AI captions.” These attract people who know exactly what they need. If your product has that feature, you want to show up.
The mix matters. You don’t want all bottom-of-funnel keywords and nothing at the top. And you don’t want all awareness content with no way to capture people ready to sign up. A good SaaS keyword strategy covers all stages. If you’re looking for content ideas across the funnel, I’ve got a full list of blog topics for SaaS startups that can help.
How to Evaluate Keywords Like a SaaS Marketer
Here’s where most generic keyword research guides fall short. They tell you to look at search volume and keyword difficulty. That’s not enough for SaaS.
You need to evaluate three things together:
Intent
What does someone searching this keyword actually want? If you search “what is sales analytics” the person wants a definition. If you search “best sales analytics tools for B2B” the person is evaluating solutions. The second keyword might have a fraction of the volume but much higher conversion potential.
Competitive reality
Look at the actual SERP, not just the difficulty score. If the top 10 results are all from companies with domain authority above 70, a difficulty score of “35” doesn’t mean much for your newer site. But if you see Reddit threads, small blogs, or outdated content ranking… that’s your opening.
Conversion potential
sk yourself: if someone reads our content for this keyword and it’s exactly what they need, is there a natural path to trying our product? If the answer is no, the keyword might bring traffic but not pipeline.
I keep a simple scoring system for clients. Each keyword gets a 1-3 rating on intent fit, competitive chance, and conversion potential. Anything that scores well on all three goes to the top of the list. If you want to turn this into a proper content brief for your writers, I’ve outlined the full process.
Map Keywords to Your Funnel
Once your keyword list is scored, map each keyword to a funnel stage. This keeps your content strategy balanced.
Top of funnel (TOFU)
Problem-aware keywords. “How to improve team productivity” or “why is our social media reach dropping.” The goal is to attract people who have the problem your product solves but aren’t shopping yet.
Middle of funnel (MOFU)
Solution-aware keywords. “Best tools for reducing churn” or “how to automate onboarding emails.” These people know they need a solution and are exploring options. Writing strong MOFU content is where a lot of SaaS companies miss the mark.
Bottom of funnel (BOFU)
Product-aware keywords. “[Competitor] alternatives,” “[product] pricing,” “best [category] for [specific use case].” These people are ready to compare and buy. Getting your BOFU content right can directly impact pipeline.
A common mistake I see is SaaS companies going all-in on TOFU content because the search volumes look bigger. That fills up your blog with traffic that doesn’t convert. You want a healthy mix, with a slight lean toward MOFU and BOFU if you’re a smaller company that needs pipeline now. I’ve written about this balance in more detail in my post on SaaS content marketing for small teams.
Tools and Where to Find Keyword Ideas
You don’t need ten tools. Here’s what actually works.
- Google Search Console is your best starting point if you already have content published. It shows you keywords you’re already ranking for (even on page 3 or 4). Sometimes you’ll find keywords you didn’t even target that just need a dedicated post to push into the top 10.
- Ahrefs or Semrush for competitor analysis. Pop in your competitors’ domains, look at what they rank for, and find the gaps. The “Content Gap” tool is especially useful. It shows you keywords your competitors rank for that you don’t.
- Reddit and community forums. Underrated. Go to subreddits where your audience hangs out. Look at how people describe their problems. Those phrases often make great long-tail keywords that the tools miss.
- Google’s “People Also Ask” and autocomplete. Type your seed keyword into Google and look at what comes up. These suggestions are based on real search behavior.
- Your own sales and support teams. The questions prospects ask on sales calls and the problems customers raise in support tickets are keyword research gold. If five prospects this month asked “can your tool do X,” there’s probably a keyword around “how to do X with [product category].”
Tip: If you want help with keyword research and content strategy that actually gets your SaaS content to rank, feel free to reach out. I work with SaaS companies on this stuff every week.
Common Mistakes That Waste Your Content Budget
After doing this across 30+ SaaS companies, here are the content marketing mistakes I see most often with keyword research specifically.
1. Chasing volume over intent. A keyword with thousands of monthly searches that brings unqualified traffic is less valuable than one with 200 searches that brings people who actually sign up.
2. Ignoring the actual SERP. Difficulty scores are a rough guide at best. Always look at what’s ranking. If the top results are old, thin, or from sites similar to yours in size, you have a real shot.
3. Not clustering keywords. If you write separate posts for “best scheduling tool for startups” and “top scheduling software for small companies,” you’re competing with yourself. Group similar keywords together and target them with one strong piece of well-written SaaS content.
4. Treating keyword research as a one-time project. Your competitors publish new content. Search behavior shifts. New features in your product open up new keyword opportunities. Revisit your keyword list every quarter at minimum.
Key Takeaways
- SaaS keyword research starts with your product’s problems and audience, not a keyword tool.
- The best SaaS keywords often have lower search volume but much higher conversion potential.
- Always check the actual SERP before committing to a keyword, not just the difficulty score.
- Comparison, alternative, and use-case keywords tend to bring the most qualified SaaS traffic.
- Map every keyword to a funnel stage so your content strategy stays balanced across TOFU, MOFU, and BOFU.
- Google Search Console and competitor gap analysis are the two most efficient places to start.
- Cluster similar keywords together to avoid cannibalizing your own content.
- Revisit and update your keyword list quarterly because the SaaS landscape shifts fast.
Final Thoughts
Keyword research for SaaS doesn’t need to be complicated. But it does need to be specific to how SaaS buyers actually search and buy.
Start with the problems your product solves. Find keywords where you have a realistic chance of ranking. Prioritize intent and conversion potential over raw search volume. And keep your funnel balanced so you’re attracting people at every stage.
The SaaS companies I’ve worked with that get this right don’t just see more traffic. They see more of the right traffic. The kind that turns into trials, demos, and paying customers.
If you’re looking for someone to handle the entire content strategy, content creation, and management for your SaaS company, I’d be happy to connect and learn more about your goals. Book a free consultation call today.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is keyword research for SaaS different from regular keyword research?
SaaS keyword research focuses on longer buyer journeys and problem-aware searches rather than simple transactional queries. You need to map keywords to funnel stages and prioritize conversion potential over raw search volume.
What tools are best for SaaS keyword research?
Google Search Console, Ahrefs or Semrush, and Reddit are the most useful combination for SaaS companies. Start with Search Console for existing opportunities, then use competitor gap analysis to find what you’re missing.
How many keywords should a SaaS company target?
Start with 20-30 well-researched keywords mapped across your funnel stages and scored by intent. A focused list of high-intent keywords will produce better results than a spreadsheet with hundreds of broad terms.
Should SaaS companies focus on high-volume keywords?
Not usually, especially if your site is newer or has lower domain authority. Lower-volume keywords with strong commercial intent often bring more qualified traffic that actually converts to trials and demos.
How often should I update my SaaS keyword research?
Revisit your keyword list every quarter to account for new competitors, product updates, and shifts in how people search. SaaS markets move fast and your keyword strategy needs to keep pace with those changes.
What are the best types of keywords for SaaS companies?
Comparison keywords, alternative keywords, use-case keywords, and feature-specific keywords tend to perform best. These attract searchers who are actively evaluating solutions and are closer to making a buying decision.
How long does it take for SaaS content to rank for target keywords?
Low-competition keywords can start showing results within a few weeks, while more competitive terms could take three to six months. Consistent publishing and building topical authority around keyword clusters speed things up over time.
Should I target competitor keywords in my SaaS content?
Yes, competitor alternative and comparison keywords are some of the highest-converting in SaaS. Someone searching for a competitor alternative is actively looking to switch, making them a very qualified prospect for your product.
