Guest Post by Ioana Wilkinson

SaaS keyword research has officially become complicated. 

Gone are the days of planning a piece of content around a simple keyword. Now? Google considers something broader, yet more connected to a user’s search intent: Topics.

That’s right. When it comes to planning content pillars, clusters, and individual assets, SaaS brands can’t afford to ignore the importance of conducting topic research. 

If you’ve been looking for methods to help you nail down the best subjects and keywords to include in your SaaS content, we’ve got you covered. 

Today, we’ll review how to find, evaluate, and categorize main topics and SaaS keywords so you can cater to search intent, increase domain authority, and increase search engine rankings. 

Let’s dive in.

A Quick Note About Keyword Research

Here’s the deal. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to keyword research and planning. And there’s a reason for that.

While Google is willing to share some of the metrics it uses to gauge ranking scores, the search engine giant doesn’t lay out its exact process, which is enough to frustrate any content marketer or SaaS company.

That’s why it’s essential to conduct ample trial-and-error to see what works best for your specific blog, website, and target audience. 

That said, there are still methods you can employ to give yourself the best chance at locating the main phrases and keywords your SaaS audience searches for.

And that’s what we’ll help you focus on in this guide.

1. Research Main Topics to Target in your SaaS Content

Use a topical approach to uncover the main subjects you should target in your content assets. This method gives you a better chance at creating content that represents search intent and delivers the value and answers searchers are looking for.

After you have your target keyword list finalized, you’ll plan each content piece around a specific, defined topic from your list — think “the future of chatbots” or “top website design tools”. 

You’ll then weave in semantic keywords (also known as related topics or secondary keywords) naturally, appropriately, and with value in mind. These might include “chatbot software”, “chatbots”, and “chatbot trends”, for example.

Of course, you’ll also need to go the extra mile to make sure your content is thoroughly researched, includes high-authority sources, and follows other SEO best practices. For instance, you’ll need to format your articles properly, include high-value images, and use bulleted lists to break up text.

With this in mind, let’s review some practices you can follow during SaaS keyword research to uncover the main topics you could target in your content.

Uncover and notate your target audience’s top pain points and questions

Start by honing in on your target market’s most pressing problems, pain points, and frequently asked questions (FAQs). 

Ask yourself questions like:

• Why did we build our SaaS product in the first place?
• What problems did we uncover in the market and how does our tool solve them? 
• What market gaps did we notice and how did creating our product fill in the gaps?

Answering these questions should give you some content categories to look through and analyze. 

Next, carve out time to conduct thorough research to uncover additional pain points and questions. 

Consider reviewing:

• Data from your social listening tools, such as branded mentions and questions
• Forum questions and answers via Reddit and Quora
• Polls, surveys, and questionnaires you’ve sent out to prospects and customers
• Any inquiries site visitors have submitted to your chatbot software or online forms
• Common customer support (CS) questions, concerns, and complaints — check your CS tickets!
• Data pulled from a search listening tool, such as Answer the Public (see the images below)

Conduct SaaS competitor research

Another great avenue to find main topics to target is by reviewing competitor keywords and ranking scores. You can try out this competitor analysis tool for free.

But there’s a caveat here. Never aim to rank for a topic or keyword that’s not relevant to your SaaS tool or the problems it solves. Just because a competitor ranks high for certain search terms, doesn’t mean the same themes apply (or are relevant) to your SaaS business and target audience.

Here are some methods you can use to uncover topics your competitors are targeting:

• Review the target phrases and keywords your top competitors are building content around — conduct a manual review on their sites, or use a keyword research tool.
• Review your competitors’ top content scores and note the numbers you’d have to hit to meet or beat them.
• Perform a content gap analysis to see which topics you haven’t covered yet that most of your SaaS competitors have. Differentiate your content from them by sharing your own expert advice, experiences, as well as data and research they haven’t taken the time to explore. 

Perform a win-loss analysis to uncover why your competitors are ranking better than you on certain topics you’ve covered. Then revamp those articles — Google loves fresh, updated content!

Review the historical data in your Google Ads account

Running Google Ads? Good news! Your ads account stores historical data and phrases that have driven the most traffic and conversions. This is a great resource you can use during SaaS keyword research to see what engages your ideal customer as well as which topics you should research further.

Use Google’s auto-suggest to auto-populate trending searches

Understanding the keywords that potential customers are using to find SaaS solutions similar to yours is key to boosting online visibility and driving targeted traffic to your website. In fact, with Google alone processing over 3.5 billion searches every single day, it’s imperative to go straight to the source to see what users are looking up. 

While you could use one of Google’s free research tools, a simpler and quicker method is pulling up the search engine itself. Yes, just go to google.com.

Next, type in the kind of software you sell into Google’s search window (without hitting enter). You’ll then see the engine auto-populate common searches in its drop-down menu. You can also search for other main topics related to your audience’s pain points, but for this example, we’ll start with a common software type — “time tracking tool”.

As you can see in the image above, Google populated 10 potential article topics you could cover in your blog, knowledge base, or help center. 

Next, hit enter to uncover common filtered keywords and featured snippets (if any) at the top of the SERP. These are great opportunities to discover low-hanging topic ideas.

Then, scroll down a bit further to review the “People also ask” section for additional topic ideas.

Next, scroll down a bit further to discover topic potential in the “Related searches” section.

Finally, look over the organic search results to see what the top-ranking articles (and your competitors) have to say on the original subject you searched‌ for.‌

Ask yourself important questions about your product 

By now, you’ve discovered endless topic opportunities, but you still have another avenue you can explore if you need to. 

Simply, ask yourself some additional detailed questions to uncover more core subject opportunities. 

For instance:

• How does our product work?
• Who does our product serve?
• How do we describe our SaaS solution to others?
• What can people accomplish with our product?
• How do people succeed with our product?

Next, review your answers and look for any specific category-like phrases you could use as potential topics.

2. Evaluate Your Main Topics and Identify Related Topics

It’s time to conduct your keyword analysis.

At this point, you should have an exhaustive topic list ready for review. In this step, take the time to review each search phrase on your list. 

To make sure each topic supports your SaaS SEO strategy, you’ll need to determine if it:

• Matches your audience’s needs and pain points
• Has buying intent (or could lead to other topics that do)
• Is relevant to your product, sales, and marketing goals 

You’ll also need to determine if your team has the subject-matter expertise to write high-value articles around these topics. 

If a topic doesn’t match the criteria above, strike it from the list or archive it for future review. 

Next, use a topic modeler like LinkGraph to review the potential of each topic. For example, LinkGraph’s Keyword Researcher provides essential keyword metrics to help you craft a more targeted content strategy.

With LinkGraph, you can evaluate:

Suggested Keywords: Explore subtopics, relevant keywords, and long-tail variations with our Keyword suggestions feature. 

Keyword Difficulty: Understand the competition and uncover relevant keywords where your web pages stand a good chance of ranking.

Search Volume: Discover how many users are typing a keyword into Google each month.

Cost-Per-Click (CPC): See the price per click that advertisers pay to target a keyword in a Google Adwords Campaign. 

Our recommendation? 

Use these metrics to uncover and prioritize high-volume topics that have a high buying intent. When you run out of those, use these metrics to uncover and prioritize low-volume topics that have a high buying intent. And bonus! Not many people target these, so they’re easier to rank for. 

Add any high-volume topics that have ‌low buying intent at the bottom of your topic list.

3. Categorize Your SaaS Topics and Content Plans According to the Buyer’s Journey

Review the final topics on your SaaS keyword research list and categorize them according to the buyer’s journey. For instance, you should have top-of-the-funnel (ToFu) topics, middle-of-the-funnel (MoFu) topics, and bottom-of-the-funnel (BoFu) topics.

Evaluate each topic carefully so you can fully understand its intent and the best format it should be displayed in.

When solidifying your content plan and publishing schedule, we recommend that you plan on creating your BoFu content first to encourage higher conversion rates. Then, your MoFu content, and then your ToFu content. 

Every funnel stage serves different audience needs, so your content should follow suit. 

For example, ToFu content intent primarily focuses on delivering informational value — think more generic articles, such as tips, “how-to” guides, and industry trends. 

MoFu content, on the other hand, compares products, evaluates options, and helps users perform an investigation. Some examples of MoFu content include feature breakdowns, solution-focused product pages, product comparison review guides, and case studies. MoFu content may also include pillar pieces, FAQ pages, and testimonials. 

It’s also important to note that your MoFu content will remain evergreen. In other words, it’ll stay on your site indefinitely. Make sure to refresh it often so it continues to stay relevant.

And finally, your BoFu content should help users make their purchases or commit to an action you’d like them to take, such as signing up for a free trial or demo. Since the intent is transactional, you’ll focus on creating product-led content, comparison articles, and ranking lists.

Conclusion

And that’s it!

You’ve officially uncovered how to plan your content marketing strategy using relevant SaaS topics that relate to your business and target audience.

Your next step after SaaS keyword research? Put these insights into action. 

Meet with your SEO and content planning team to begin working your way through these steps. Then, work with subject-matter experts to write, edit, publish, and monitor your content. You might also consider having an SEO strategist audit your current plan to identify any gaps and suggest additional tips.

Don’t forget to incorporate other important SEO tactics into your content pieces as well, such as including internal links, aiming for featured snippets, and paying attention to formatting guidelines. You’ll also need to think seriously about how to generate quality backlinks to these pieces. 

When in doubt, reach out to a content agency that offers SEO services for help. They can help you fine-tune your keyword research strategy and SEO campaign according to your brand goals and your audience’s search intent. 

And if you need a keyword research tool, we’ve got you covered. Schedule a meeting with one of our SEO experts to learn how LinkGraph can elevate your SaaS content for good. 

Author Bio: Ioana is a Business, Digital Marketing, and SaaS content writer for B2B brands. Born in Transylvania and raised in Texas, Ioana has been living the digital nomad life since 2016. From Barcelona to Puerto Vallarta to her new abode in windy, Oklahoma City, you’ll never know where Ioana will head off to next.