EPISODE SUMMARY
SEO is one of the most effective strategies that SaaS companies should consider. When done right, it’s a cost-efficient strategy that can boost a startup’s growth. SaaS-Story in the Making host Matt Wolach and Bright Line Media’s Founder and CEO, Barrett O’Neill, talks about the importance of SEO strategy, content creation, and optimizing learning for SaaS Startups.
PODCAST-AT-A-GLANCE
Podcast: SaaS-Story in the Making
Episode: Episode No 199., “How to Grow Your SaaS Startup with SEO”
Host: Matt Wolach, a B2B SaaS sales coach, Entrepreneur, and Investor
Guest: Barret O’Neill, Founder, and CEO of Bright Line Media
TOP TIPS FROM THIS EPISODE
Create Compelling Content Consistently
Giving value to your prospects and clients is the most effective way to build trust. For startups, content creation is more crucial. Building your credibility starts showing your prospects that you’re an expert in your chosen field. But no matter how great you think the product is, it won’t gain attention without the right buildup.
Creating content can be done in various ways in different channels. You can create blogs on your website, videos on YouTube, or tweet some tips on Twitter. Anything that can be shared of value is content. But it’s also essential to improve its quality which can help with your Clickthrough Rate (CTR). When writing articles, O’Neill suggests creating Meta descriptions and titles and always having a Call-to-Action (CTA). Not only can it make your articles well structured, but it also keeps your prospects inspired and entertained.
As per Barrett, publishing a certain amount of content per week and being consistent about it puts you ahead of the game. He said, “I would advise any early-stage company make it somebody’s job to put out 1500 words of content per week. And that right there is going to put you ahead of so many other early-stage companies, and that’s about as basic as it can get.”
To get the maximum exposure, employing an SEO strategy is essential. Your goal is to appear in the highest ranking on search engine results. You can increase your business awareness and slowly earn your prospects’ trust when done right. In most scenarios, businesses would publish several articles and stop there, thinking it won’t convert. But the reality is content only stacks—it continues to give value as long as it’s relevant. Being consistent on value sharing helps with your credibility and SEO. Just as Barrett says, “adding value to people is the new way of selling.”
Use Long-Tail Keywords
Long-tail keywords consist of 3 or more words to make a phrase. It helps with getting too specific products or services and often has little competition. Prospects want to have the best effect. Optimizing long-tail words minimizes the search volumes. Also, these prospects have a higher chance of converting. Because they’re being specific with what they need or want. Using long-tail keywords reduces competition while bringing you “closer to the dollar.”
If Needed, Make It Someone’s Job
Content and SEO are organic but cost a lot of effort. Startups have a lot on their plate, and some may lack resources. It’s common for some not to make these a priority. But you can still get organic customers through social media, your website, or anything you have at the time.
Eventually, hiring somebody or an agency to do it for you is a huge help. They can focus on building your business, enhancing your brand awareness, and getting more organic clients. Considering the amount spent on paid ads and other inorganic customer acquisition costs, the benefits and potential of content creation and SEO are worth every effort—and dollar.
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
SEO Is Essential
SaaS companies don’t get their revenue instantly. While waiting for a cycle, they need to acquire clients continuously. This is part of why SEO is an essential strategy for them. It allows companies to be consistently in the loop and find prospects. By the time they collect revenue, clients are stacked up, campaigns are still running, and the cycle continues.
Barrett explained you could also use SEO on competitors. You can research a specific product or feature that’s currently taking over and be persistent in building something around it. It can help you get leads and other company’s prospects. And by the time they search for it, you will come up and possibly own that category.
Put Skin in the Game
A typical SaaS issue is when prospects don’t maximize their free trials. Plus SaaS businesses don’t make the most out of it. They don’t want to put any effort into the process and entirely miss its value.
Start-ups have a lot of opportunities to learn from their experiences. Learning on the ground is way different from the theoretical lessons they had. Their learning opportunities can only be maximized by devoting time and effort. In doing a project or conducting a new strategy, exerting the required effort accelerates its growth. Moreover, putting skin in the game helps achieve your desired results.
TOP QUOTES
Barrett O’Neill
[04:51] “Having a little bit of skin in the game and that forces you to learn quickly, then [it] accelerates that growth curve.”
[11:13] “The only way to get organic traffic that converts is to start doing SEO.”
[15:26] “Not every piece of content has to be earth-shattering, but it’s about showing up. And again, the consistency–like being in the game.”
Matt Wolach
[06:05] “When you put skin in, when you put some money into a business, you’re extremely motivated to make sure that you see a return on it.”
[12:23] “If you do [SEO] it right, someone else spends a lot of money on marketing, somebody searches them or searches a keyword about them, and YOU pop up.”
LEARN MORE
To learn more about Barrett O’Neill and Bright Line Media, visit https://brightlinesocial.com/.
You can also find Barrett O’Neill on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barrettoneill/.
For more about how host Matt Wolach helps software companies achieve maximum growth, visit https://mattwolach.com/.