Growing a SaaS business is like satisfying your craving for fruit, there are two ways. One, plant a seed, nurture the tree and wait for it to grow, once it bears fruit you can enjoy as many fruits as you want without spending any money, and the second best option is to just go and buy the fruit from the market, but here you will have to pay every single time you want to buy a fruit.
In the same way coming to your SaaS business and growing its user base, you can do two things: build a product that organically attracts users over time, like planting a seed and nurturing it into a fruit-bearing tree, this process called SEO. Or, you can pay for ads to get instant users, like buying fruit from the market, this is called PPC.
What strategy from these two should be chosen is the main concern of a person who is planning to start or is in an early stage of a SaaS business. In this article we will address this issue.
Understanding SEO in SaaS Businesses
SEO is basically the process of working on your website to rank on Google’s first page organically by fixing your website and posting high-quality content. More or less, SEO for SaaS and any other business is the same, but there are a few things to keep in mind when it comes to a SaaS business.
Target audience: The audience for SaaS businesses are highly niche and have very specific pain points this means you need tailored keywords strategies and focus on solutions and features that directly address the needs often through blogs and other content.
High customer lifetime value: Unlike other industries, where traffic generation might be the main goal, in SaaS, your focus should shift towards acquiring high-quality leads who can convert into long-term customers. This is especially important because SaaS businesses follow a subscription model, making it crucial to focus on retention as well as acquisition.
Content strategy: Whatever content that goes into your website should be high quality and well researched, the SEO content you put in is usually in the form of guides, tutorial or case study which converts and turns your lead into a long term customer. Additionally, offpage SEO strategies like link building is also important to improve your site’s authority and ranking.
Trials/Signup focus: SaaS business is a subscription based revenue model so when you put a sign up button or a strong CTA it makes it easier for people to navigate which in turn makes technical SEO easier.
Localised and industry specific keywords: SaaS often caters to a specific industry in local or global markets so you need to choose the right keywords, like “best HR management software” or “Best CRM tool for small businesses” etc.
Understanding PPC in SaaS Businesses:
PPC (Pay-Per-Click) is like putting up a billboard on the internet—every time someone clicks on your ad, you pay a small fee. It’s a quick way to get noticed and drive traffic to your business.
Very High cost: Let’s be real PPC for SAAS gets expensive especially if you are targeting competitive keywords in metro cities, but the upside is that you get instant visibility and traffic leading to more leads which is important for the growth of an early SaaS business.
Demand capture Vs Demand generation: Now let’s talk about two different approaches, demand capture is for people who are already searching for your product, you will have to optimise on common keywords like “Best CRM tools” or “Best project management tools” On the other hand, demand generation involves running ads even if the audience does not need the product at the moment, such as ‘How to improve team collaboration’ or ‘Ways to streamline business processes’.
So by this we understand that you need to define your target audience very well and since SaaS is a subscription model you need to focus more on sales qualified leads, by narrowing them down job titles, location, business type and interests.
Optimise for conversion: Make sure your landing pages are on point—clear CTAs like “Start Your Free Trial” and a smooth sign-up process are key. Test different elements like forms and headlines to see what works best.
Retargeting Is Key: People don’t always convert the first time. Use retargeting ads to bring back those who showed interest in your product—whether it’s reminding them of your free trial or demo.
Keep an Eye on Competitors: Watch what your competitors are doing with their PPC ads. Look at their copy, targeting, and bidding strategies, and spot any areas where you can do better.
PPC is about fast results, so if you’re looking to generate leads quickly, it’s a solid choice for SaaS businesses. Just make sure you’re targeting the right people and optimizing for conversions!
So what’s better? SEO or PPC?
SEO Vs PPC
In a nutshell, we cannot say one is better than the other; both are essential, and you need to incorporate both strategies. The catch is that you will need to use different strategies at different times, based on the needs and stage of your business.
In the start, when people have no idea about your product and you have no idea whether it’s something people need or not, there is no use in optimizing for SEO. After 4 months or so, if you realize that this is not what businesses are looking for, it’s a loss of all your time, energy, and resources.
So initially, it’s important to run ads and create awareness, while complementing it with SEO later, once you stabilize your processes. As your business gains traction and you better understand your audience, SEO becomes increasingly important. It helps you attract organic traffic, build brand authority, and reduce long-term reliance on paid ads. SEO may take longer to show results, but it provides sustainable, cost-effective growth over time.
Conclusion
In conclusion the best way is to start with PPC to create awareness and test the market, then integrate SEO as your business stabilizes and you’re ready to focus on long-term visibility. Both strategies work best when combined strategically.
Book a quick call with us to understand your business needs and what suits you the best.