Guide to Technical SEO for SaaS Companies & 5 Low Hanging Fruit You Can Tackle Today

Are you struggling to get your website to rank higher on search engines? Have you tried every on-page, off-page, and content strategy under the sun, but still can’t seem to crack the code? Well, my friend, it’s time to turn your attention to the often-overlooked but incredibly valuable world of technical SEO, and learn how to do technical SEO for SaaS. It’s a key part of a successful holistic SaaS SEO strategy.

But what exactly is technical SEO? It’s the behind-the-scenes optimization that ensures your website is built in a way that search engines can easily crawl and index. Think of it as the foundation upon which all other SEO efforts are built.

In this blog post, we’ll dive deep into the world of technical SEO and explore its evolution over time. We’ll also discuss how technical SEO compliments good design and user experience, and how it can contribute to a profitable SaaS SEO strategy and SaaS SEO roadmap. Plus, we’ll give you a list of low-hanging fruit optimizations that can significantly boost your technical SEO, along with some top best practices and advanced topics to keep in mind.

But that’s not all! We’ll also share some powerful tools that can help you in your technical SEO journey. So buckle up, my friend, because, by the end of this post, you’ll have all the knowledge and tools you need to take your website’s SEO to new heights. Let’s get started!

What is Technical SEO?

Technical SEO is the backbone of any successful website. It involves optimizing your site’s infrastructure and code to improve its visibility in search engine rankings. In simpler terms, it’s about making your website search engine-friendly so that it can be easily discovered and indexed by search engines like Google.

One aspect of technical SEO is ensuring that your website is easily accessible to search engine crawlers. This involves creating a clean and well-structured website architecture, utilizing XML sitemaps, and implementing proper redirects. By making it easy for search engines to crawl and index your site, you increase the chances of your pages appearing in search results.

Another important aspect of technical SEO is optimizing your website’s load speed. Studies have shown that users tend to abandon websites that take too long to load, so it’s crucial to optimize your site’s performance. This can be done by compressing images, minifying code, and leveraging browser caching, among other techniques.

Additionally, technical SEO involves ensuring that your website is mobile-friendly. With the majority of internet users accessing the web through mobile devices, it’s essential to provide a seamless experience for mobile users. This includes using responsive design, optimizing content for mobile screens, and improving website speed on mobile devices.

Implementing technical SEO best practices can have a significant impact on your website’s visibility and organic traffic. According to Moz, technical SEO is the foundation upon which other SEO strategies, such as on-page optimization and off-page link building (speaking of, check out our practical guide to SaaS link building), can have the most impact. Without a solid technical foundation, your efforts in other areas may not yield the desired results. Speaking of, did you know, neglecting techincal SEO is one of the top SaaS SEO mistakes that most companies make? You can avoid techincal SEO mistakes, and other mistakes by using our 14-step expert level SaaS SEO checklist.

Now, let’s explore the importance of technical SEO compared to other types of SEO.

How does Technical SEO contrast with other types of SEO?

When it comes to optimizing your website for search engines, there are several different aspects to consider. Two of the most important ones are technical SEO and on-page SEO. While they may sound similar, they serve different purposes and provide distinct value to your overall SEO strategy.

Technical SEO vs. On-Page SEO

On-page SEO focuses on optimizing individual web pages to rank higher in search engine results. It involves optimizing the content, HTML source code, and meta tags of a webpage to improve its relevance and visibility in search engine results. On-page SEO tasks include keyword research and optimization (check out our guide on SaaS keyword research), creating high-quality and relevant content, optimizing (see our guide on EAT SEO for SaaS to learn how to build authority around your content, and our guide on enterprise SaaS SEO to see how the bigger companies do SEO) title tags and meta descriptions, and improving the overall user experience of your website. If you’re interested in learning more about on-page SEO, check out our guide to on-page optimization for SaaS companies. Some companies even work with SaaS SEO copywriters, SaaS SEO agencies, or SaaS SEO Consultants so that they can implement on-page SEO best practices.

Both technical SEO and on-page SEO are crucial for improving your website’s visibility in search engine results. However, they provide value in different ways. Technical SEO ensures that your website is accessible to search engine crawlers and provides them with the information they need to understand your site’s content. This helps search engines index your website more effectively, which in turn improves your chances of ranking higher in SERPs.

On the other hand, on-page SEO focuses on optimizing individual web pages to improve their relevance and visibility in search engine results. By optimizing your content, meta tags, and other on-page elements, you can increase the likelihood of your webpages appearing higher in search results. This can lead to more organic traffic to your website and potentially more conversions.

Technical SEO vs. Off-Page SEO

While technical SEO and on-page SEO are important, they are just two pieces of the SEO puzzle. Off-page SEO plays a crucial role in improving your website’s visibility and driving organic traffic. Off-page SEO involves actions taken outside of your website to improve its visibility, such as building high-quality backlinks and promoting your website through social media and other online channels. Check out our complete guide to off-page SEO for SaaS if you are interested in learning more about this topic for your company.

Technical SEO vs. Content Strategy

Content strategy, on the other hand, focuses on creating and delivering valuable and engaging content to your target audience, which can attract more organic traffic and improve your website’s authority and reputation. Content strategy also takes on additional complexity when you need to consider who your target market is; B2B or B2C. Check out our guides on B2B SaaS SEO, and B2C SaaS SEO to learn more about the nuances between the two.

Now, let’s dive deeper into how technical SEO has evolved over time and the key activities it has encompassed since the start of search engines.

How has Technical SEO evolved over Time?

Technical SEO has come a long way since the inception of search engines. In the early days, it primarily focused on optimizing websites for search engine crawlers to ensure that they could be effectively indexed and ranked. This involved activities such as optimizing meta tags, keyword density, and URL structures (HubSpot).

However, as search engines became more sophisticated, so did technical SEO. Today, it encompasses a wide range of activities aimed at improving the overall performance and user experience of a website. These activities include optimizing site speed, mobile-friendliness, and structured data, as well as ensuring proper website architecture and URL structure.

Technical SEO starts to blend with User Experience and Web Design

One of the key drivers behind the evolution of technical SEO has been the increasing emphasis on user experience. Search engines now take into account factors such as bounce rate, time on site, and page load speed as indicators of a website’s quality. As a result, technical SEO has had to adapt and incorporate elements that enhance user experience, such as responsive design and intuitive navigation.

In today’s digital landscape, technical SEO and good design go hand in hand. While technical SEO focuses on the backend optimization of a website, good design ensures that the website is visually appealing, easy to navigate, and provides a seamless user experience. Both aspects are crucial for attracting and retaining visitors.

Although there is some overlap between technical SEO and design, they are distinct disciplines with different goals. Technical SEO is primarily concerned with optimizing a website for search engines, ensuring that it is discoverable and can be effectively crawled and indexed. On the other hand, design focuses on creating an engaging and user-friendly interface that appeals to human users.

However, there is also a significant synergy between technical SEO and design. Elements such as website speed and mobile-friendliness, which are important for technical SEO, also contribute to a positive user experience. Similarly, design choices such as intuitive navigation and clear calls to action can improve a website’s searchability and ranking.

While technical SEO and design have distinct goals, they complement each other in creating a website that is both search engine-friendly and user-friendly. Now, let’s move on to discussing examples of software as a service companies that have excelled in technical SEO.

3 SaaS Companies with Great Technical SEO & How They Got There

In the world of Software as a Service (SaaS) companies, excelling in technical SEO is crucial for attracting organic traffic and ranking high on search engine results pages (SERPs). Let’s take a look at three examples of SaaS companies that faced SEO challenges, took strategic actions, and reaped the benefits of their efforts:

Hubspot

Problem: HubSpot, a leading inbound marketing and sales platform, faced the challenge of a slow-loading website, which negatively impacted its SEO performance.

Actions: They invested in website optimization by compressing images, minifying CSS and JavaScript files, and implementing browser caching. Additionally, they leveraged content delivery networks (CDNs) to improve page load times.

Solution Impact: HubSpot experienced a significant increase in organic traffic and saw their website load time decrease by 50%.

Buffer

Problem: Buffer, a popular social media management tool, struggled with URL parameters that created duplicate content and confused search engines.

Actions: They employed URL parameter handling techniques, such as using the noindex tag for certain parameter variations and implementing URL parameter settings in Google Search Console.

Solution Impact: Buffer noticed a significant decrease in the number of indexed duplicate pages and an improvement in their website’s crawlability, leading to better SEO performance.

Moz

Problem: Moz, a renowned SEO software provider, encountered issues with duplicate content caused by similar product pages and multiple URL variations.

Actions: They implemented canonical tags, which helped consolidate duplicate content and indicate the preferred version of the page to search engines.

Solution Impact: As a result, Moz’s rankings and organic search traffic improved, and they experienced a 17% increase in organic search visits.

These examples demonstrate the effectiveness of resolving technical SEO issues to enhance a SaaS company’s organic search visibility and attract more qualified traffic. By addressing specific problems and implementing tailored solutions, these companies were able to reap the benefits of improved SEO performance.

Now that we’ve explored how some SaaS companies overcame technical SEO challenges, let’s dive into some common low-hanging fruit for optimizing technical SEO. By focusing on these five areas, you can significantly boost your website’s technical SEO.

5 Low-Hanging Technical SEO Optimizations You Can Easily Make

When it comes to optimizing your website for search engines, there is some low-hanging fruit that can significantly improve your technical SEO. These are relatively simple tasks that can yield big results. Here are five common low-hanging fruit for technical SEO optimization:

1. Page Speed Optimization: Page speed is a crucial factor in both user experience and search engine rankings. Slow-loading pages can drive visitors away and harm your SEO efforts. To tackle this low-hanging fruit, start by compressing images, minimizing CSS and JavaScript files, and enabling browser caching. Consider using a content delivery network (CDN) to improve page loading times.

2. Mobile Optimization: With mobile devices becoming the primary means of online access for many users, optimizing your website for mobile is essential for technical SEO. Ensure that your website is mobile-friendly, with responsive design and fast loading times. Implementing mobile optimization can boost your search engine rankings and improve user experience.

3. URL Structure: Having a clear and descriptive URL structure is not only beneficial for users but also helps search engines understand your website’s content. Include relevant keywords in your URLs and avoid using numbers or random strings of characters. Implementing a logical and organized URL structure will make it easier for search engines to crawl and index your pages.

4. Meta Tags Optimization: Meta tags provide information about your web pages to search engines and visitors. Optimizing your meta tags, including the title tag and meta description, can significantly impact your click-through rates and search engine rankings. Use relevant keywords, compelling descriptions, and unique tags for each page to make your website more attractive to both search engines and users.

5. XML Sitemap Creation: An XML sitemap helps search engines understand the structure and content of your website. By submitting a sitemap to search engines, you ensure that all your important pages are crawled and indexed. Creating an XML sitemap involves generating a file that lists all your website’s URLs and submitting it to search engines through Google Search Console or other webmaster tools. Check out our guide on SaaS SEO tools for a more complete, robust list of tools that will help you (hint we go deep on Google Search Console).

By addressing these low-hanging fruit, you can significantly improve your website’s technical SEO, making it more user-friendly and search engine-friendly. Now, let’s dive into the top technical SEO best practices to keep in mind.

Quick Intro to Advanced Technical SEO

When it comes to advanced technical SEO, there are several topics that require a deeper understanding and expertise. These topics go beyond the basics and delve into more complex strategies and techniques that can significantly impact your website’s search engine rankings and overall performance. Here are some topics to get you started to becoming a technical SEO wiz.

The first topic is fixing broken links and crawl errors for your website. Broken links and crawl errors can create a frustrating user experience and hinder search engines from properly indexing your site. Regularly audit and fix broken links, ensure proper redirections are in place, and keep an eye on crawl errors in your website’s Google Search Console.

Another important topic is structured data implementation. Structured data provides search engines with additional context about your website’s content, helping them understand your website better and potentially displaying rich snippets in search results. Implementing structured data can be done through various formats, such as JSON-LD or microdata, and can include information like product details, business information, reviews, and more.

Lastly, understanding and optimizing for website crawling and indexing is crucial for advanced technical SEO. Crawling is the process where search engines discover and visit web pages, while indexing is when search engines store and organize these pages in their databases. Technical aspects such as XML sitemaps, robots.txt files, canonical tags, and crawl budget management play a vital role in ensuring that search engines can access and index your website effectively.

Now, let’s talk about the tools that marketers can use to perform technical SEO tasks. These tools help in analyzing, monitoring, and optimizing various technical aspects of your website to improve its search engine visibility and performance.

4 Tools that Will Help you do Technical SEO

When it comes to technical SEO, having the right tools in your arsenal can make all the difference. These tools help marketers analyze and optimize their website’s technical elements, ultimately improving search engine visibility and user experience. Here are four essential tools that every marketer should consider using:

1. Google Search Console: This free tool from Google provides valuable insights into the performance of your website on the search engine. It allows you to monitor your site’s indexing status, identify crawl errors, and submit sitemaps for better visibility. Google Search Console is a must-have for technical SEO as it helps identify and fix any issues that may be hindering your website’s performance. It should be used regularly to keep track of your site’s health and make necessary adjustments.

2. Screaming Frog: This desktop-based website crawler allows marketers to analyze the technical aspects of their website. By crawling your site, Screaming Frog provides a comprehensive report on various elements such as broken links, duplicate content, missing metadata, and server errors. This tool is invaluable for identifying and resolving any technical issues that might be affecting your site’s SEO. It should be used periodically to ensure your website is in top shape.

3. SEMrush: This all-in-one SEO suite offers a range of tools to help marketers optimize their website’s technical aspects. Its Site Audit feature evaluates your site’s health, checks for issues like broken links, and provides recommendations for improvement. With SEMrush, you can regularly monitor your website’s technical performance and ensure it adheres to SEO best practices.

4. Ahrefs: While primarily known as a backlink analysis tool, Ahrefs also offers features that aid in technical SEO. Similar to SEMrush, the Ahrefs Site Audit tool crawls your website, identifies technical issues, and provides detailed reports on areas that need improvement. Ahrefs is especially useful for monitoring and maintaining the health of your website, and it should be used periodically to keep your site in optimal condition.

Using these tools regularly is crucial for maintaining a technically sound website and optimizing it for search engines. By addressing technical issues promptly, you can significantly impact your website’s search traffic, ability to rank and maintain rankings, and ultimately, your conversion rates.

Now, let’s delve deeper into the world of technical SEO and understand how it can impact website performance and profitability.

How does Technical SEO contribute to a Profitable SEO Strategy

Technical SEO is a critical component of a profitable SEO strategy. It goes beyond creating great content and building backlinks; it focuses on the technical aspects of your website that can impact search engine rankings and ultimately drive more organic traffic. Let’s take a closer look at how technical SEO contributes to a successful SEO campaign.

Firstly, technical SEO plays a crucial role in boosting search traffic. Search engines like Google prioritize websites that are well-optimized from a technical perspective. By ensuring that your website is easily crawlable and indexable, search engines can efficiently understand your content and rank it higher in search results. This means that investing time and effort in technical SEO can increase your website’s visibility, leading to more organic traffic.

Secondly, technical SEO directly influences your website’s ability to rank and maintain its rankings over time. Search engines consider multiple factors when determining rankings, and technical SEO is one of them. A website that loads quickly has a mobile-friendly design, and is free of technical errors is more likely to rank higher than a poorly optimized one. Moreover, technical SEO also helps search engines understand the structure of your website, making it easier for them to determine the relevance of your content to search queries.

Lastly, technical SEO has a significant impact on conversion rates. While technical SEO alone may not directly increase conversion rates, it creates the foundation for a seamless user experience. A well-optimized website that loads quickly, has intuitive navigation and is mobile-friendly enhances user satisfaction. When visitors have a positive experience on your website, they are more likely to stay longer, engage with your content, and ultimately convert into customers or leads. On the other hand, a slow or poorly optimized website can frustrate users and drive them away, resulting in lost opportunities.

If you’re thinking of investing in SEO for your SaaS company, or increasing your SEO budget, check out our framework to guide SaaS SEO budget creation, and how you can create a profitable SEO operation for your company.

Investing in technical SEO should be a priority for any website owner looking to maximize their online presence and drive profitable results. If you’re looking for an actionable guide on how to improve your off-page SEO, feel free to request your action plan from our team! We help companies create profitable SEO operations that are designed to provide returns for years, if not decades!