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Stop Wasting MRR on Wrong SaaS Keywords

From JOHNWICK

Stop wasting SaaS MRR on vanity keywords. Learn a tested framework to identify high-converting keywords for real revenue growth.

Last Tuesday, I posted about Product-Led SEO. Today, I’m going a step further to tackle one of the most costly mistakes SaaS founders make: burning MRR on the wrong keywords.

Why Most SaaS SEO Fails I’ve seen dozens of SaaS SEO campaigns flop. The pattern is the same: founders chase high-volume keywords that look impressive on reports but convert poorly.

Here’s the math:

  • Ranking #3 for “team collaboration software” (22K searches) → 0.1% conversion → 22 conversions
  • Ranking #8 for “slack alternative for small teams” (800 searches) → 3.2% conversion → 26 conversions

The smaller, niche keyword actually generates more paying users because buyer intent is higher.

A SaaS Keyword Framework That Actually Converts

1️⃣ Revenue Potential > Search Volume Google Keyword Planner shows search volume, not real conversion potential.

Revenue Per Search (RPS) formula:
Conversion Rate × LTV × Estimated CTR = RPS Example:

  • “Project management software” = 45K searches, 0.2% conversion, $50 LTV → $45 RPS
  • “Basecamp pricing alternative” = 1.2K searches, 3.1% conversion, $280 LTV → $104 RPS

Pro tip: Keywords with “pricing,” “cost,” “alternative,” or “vs [competitor]” often convert 5–10x better than broad category terms.


2️⃣ SERP Reality Check for B2B SaaS Three patterns that kill rankings:

  • Review aggregators dominate (G2, Capterra)
  • Enterprise vendors monopolize (Salesforce, Microsoft)
  • Comparison posts rule (good if you can get mentioned)

Golden SERPs are a mix of product pages, how-to guides, and smaller competitors — the ones you can realistically penetrate.


3️⃣ Map Keywords to the Buyer Journey

  • Problem Aware: High volume, low intent → 0.1–0.3% conversion
  • Solution Aware: Medium volume, decent intent → 0.8–1.5%
  • Vendor Aware: Low volume, high intent → 2–8%
  • Decision Stage: Ultra-low volume, conversion goldmine → 10–25%

4️⃣ Competition Analysis for Resource-Strapped SaaS Red flags:

  • Top results all have 1M+ traffic
  • Dominated by public companies
  • Only review sites rank

Green lights:

  • At least 2 competitors under 100 employees
  • Product pages ranking
  • Mixed domain authority
  • Recent content updates

Hack: Check if competitors have affiliate programs — may indicate artificial link boosts.

The $50/Month SaaS SEO Stack

  • Keyword research: Ubersuggest, AnswerThePublic, Google Search Console
  • Competition analysis: Ahrefs free tier, SEMrush free account, manual SERP checks
  • Tracking: Google Analytics, Search Console, simple spreadsheets

Implementation Roadmap Week 1: Audit current performance → identify high-converting keywords
Week 2: Competitor intelligence → find content gaps
Week 3: Content gap analysis → prioritize high-intent opportunities
Week 4: Content production → start with 1 high-intent keyword, create detailed 2,000+ word content, mention product naturally


Common Mistakes ❌ Targeting broad “software” terms dominated by incumbents
❌ Creating generic “best tools” lists
❌ Ignoring customer support keywords
❌ Focusing only on your primary feature


Timeline Reality Check

  • Month 1–2: Likely nothing
  • Month 3–4: Page 2–3 for some keywords
  • Month 5–6: Page 1 for long-tail terms
  • Month 7–12: Compound growth begins

SaaS SEO is a long game — don’t expect miracles before month 6.

Read the full article here: https://blog.startupstash.com/stop-wasting-mrr-on-wrong-saas-keywords-be04513534d8

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