Keyword Research for SaaS: Everything You Need to Know

June 19, 2023
One of the starting points of every SEO strategy is keyword research. It is the starting point of any link-building campaign or quality content that needs to be adequately understood to succeed.

For SaaS companies, finding the most competitive terms and the intent behind those queries is a priority. Many possibilities, leads, and opportunities to drive traffic into a SaaS business can be missed without the proper keyword research. That’s what makes this starting point so vital for everything.

How to Identify Keyword Intent Before Searching

Keyword classification can be done differently based on their intention or purpose. This is the most common way to classify keywords by their intent:

Informational Keywords

These keywords are specific words or phrases that users often use when searching for information or seeking answers to their questions. They indicate that the user is looking for knowledge, explanations, tutorials, or general information on a particular topic.

Some of the most known examples are “What is,” “How to,” “Guide to,” “Tips to,” “Reasons Why,” “Facts About,” and many other similar ones.

Transactional Keywords

Specific words or phrases used in search queries or online interactions that indicate a user’s intent to engage in a transaction or purchase are known as transactional. They typically imply that the user actively seeks to buy a product or service.

Most are often combined with specific product or service names or categories to narrow the search intent further. For example, “buy iPhone X,” “order pizza online,” or “get discount shoes.”

Navigational Keywords

It relates to keywords that are specific search terms of users entering into search engines when looking for a particular website or web page. These words are used to navigate directly to a specific destination rather than conducting a broader search.

Among the most famous ones, there are various types. The websites, such as YouTube, Facebook, and Amazon, the brand ones (Apple, Nike), products and services, applications, or social media profiles.

Commercial Keywords

They are specific words or phrases commonly used in marketing and advertising to promote products, services, or businesses. Such keywords are strategically chosen to target potential customers and increase visibility in search engine results and online advertising campaigns.

“Sale,” “Shop now,” “Best deals,” “Discount,” “Special offer,” “Get X product,” and “Buy X service” are some of the most used ones.

Comparison Keywords

Keywords for comparations are used when users are interested in checking different options before purchasing. They often include terms like “best,” “compare,” or “versus.” Some examples are “best mobile phone 2023 “, “laptop comparison,” and “iPhone vs. Samsung.”

Local Keywords

It refers to specific terms or phrases used in online searches to find local businesses or services within a particular geographic area. They typically include location-specific information, such as city, neighborhood, or region, along with the product or service sought.

For example, “Restaurants in Madrid,” “Plumber in New York,” “clothing stores in Barcelona,” and “best shops in New York.”

How Are Keywords Categorized?

Keywords do not only have an intent but also a categorization. This is essential in digital marketing and search engine optimization (SEO).

By classifying keywords, a marketing agency can organize them into thematic groups and use that information to create relevant content, structure a website, and guide your SEO efforts. Some of the guidelines agencies use to categorize them are:

Main Theme

Identifying the central theme or general topic around which your keywords revolve is very important. For example, a SaaS company would need a piece like “cloud service” or “e-commerce.”

Broad Keywords

These are general keywords that represent your central theme. Its main characteristic is that they are broad and possess competitive terms. For example, in the case of a software business, the words could be “online stores,” “retailers,” or “products.”

Long-tail Keywords

Long-tail ones are even more specific phrases related to the central theme of a business. They often have less competition and can generate more qualified traffic. In addition, extensive keywords vary depending on the niche of each company and its focus.

Secondary categories

Break down your central company theme into more specific categories. These work as “subcategories” that can expand or focus on more particular aspects of the previous.

Keyword tools

Agencies use keyword research tools like Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, or Ahrefs to get ideas and data on search volume, competition, and trends. These tools can also help to group and categorize related keywords.

Ways Marketing Agencies Integrate Keywords to Websites

Marketing agencies like Kala integrate keywords into a website through search engine optimization (SEO). This practice improves its visibility and ranking on search engine results pages (SERPs). Once keywords are identified, they are strategically placed on various sites, such as:

  • Page titles include the targeted keywords in each page’s title tags.
  • Meta descriptions: creates compelling reports with relevant keywords for Google’s main page.
  • Headers (H1, H2, etc.): incorporating keywords in the headings and subheadings of the content is essential since it’s the most visible part of an article, and everyone reads first.
  • URL Structure: placing relevant keywords on links can significantly optimize an URL.
  • Content: high-quality content that naturally incorporates the keywords without overstuffing is mandatory for blogs and other businesses. They must be placed in the first paragraph, throughout the body, and in a balanced manner.
  • Image optimization: media on the website can also be optimized by using relevant words in the image file names, alt tags, and captions.
  • Internal linking: establishing links within the website’s content can help search engines understand the website’s structure and identify essential pages. Keyword-rich anchor text can be used for these links.
  • URL Mapping: ensuring the website’s URL structure is clean and organized. Keywords need to be added where relevant for more impact.
  • Monitoring and iteration: marketing agencies continuously monitor keyword rankings and website performance. They analyze data, adjust to improve rankings and stay updated with changing search engine algorithms.

Remember that while keywords are essential for SEO, creating content that provides value to users is crucial. Over-optimizing or engaging in keyword stuffing can harm rankings and user experience. Striking the right balance between keywords and user-centric content is critical to successful integration.

The Importance of Reviewing Competitor Advertising Campaigns

Reviewing competitor advertising campaigns to extract relevant keywords is crucial, especially in keeping current. To do so, agencies follow specific steps:

Identifying Competitors

Making a list of leading competitors in the industry or market niche is the first step of a marketing agency. This is done based on previous knowledge or by conducting new online searches.

Investigating Advertising Channels

Visiting the competitors’ websites and social media platforms to identify their advertising channels can be very valuable to know what’s being used.

This investigation may include search engine ads (such as Google Ads), social media ads (such as Facebook Ads), online advertising (banners on relevant websites), print advertising, and television ads, among others.

Analyzing the Ads and Keywords

Examining competitors’ ads on each of the identified advertising channels is crucial. Respond to critical messages, calls to action, and frequently repeated words or phrases. These are the ones that an agency will want to extract as relevant keywords.

Conducting Analysis

Once there’s a collected list of competitor keywords, it’s possible to use analysis tools to evaluate their performance. These tools provide insights into average search result positions, monthly search volume, competition, and other relevant metrics.

Keep in mind that this stage aims to gain insights and understand competitors’ keyword strategies, but it is not about directly copying their keywords. Use this information as a starting point and tailor your advertising campaigns to highlight your strengths and differentiate yourself from the competition.

Conclusion

Keyword research plays a crucial role in the success of SaaS businesses. It is a fundamental aspect of digital marketing and can significantly impact organic search visibility, website traffic, conversions, and revenue.

By conducting thorough keyword research, SaaS companies can identify and target high-value keywords that align with their target audience’s search intent and preferences.

Remember that Kala Agency can realize this type of work for your company, lightening your employees’ workload and allowing them to learn other tasks. Our experts can ensure the relevance of your page, optimizing every type of content, whatever region or language your site is based on.

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