SEO

B2B SaaS SEO audit checklist: technical, on‑page, and links

Published 29 min read
B2B SaaS SEO audit checklist: technical, on‑page, and links

** Why a B2B SaaS SEO Audit is Non-Negotiable**

Let’s be honest—B2B SaaS is a tough game. Long sales cycles, picky buyers, and competitors who seem to rank for everything. You pour time and money into content, ads, and sales teams, but traffic stays flat. Leads trickle in, not flood. Sound familiar?

Here’s the hard truth: You can’t scale what’s broken. Before you double down on blog posts or paid campaigns, you need to know exactly where your SEO is leaking. A single technical issue—like slow page speeds or duplicate content—can sabotage months of effort. And in B2B SaaS, where every visitor could be a six-figure deal, those leaks cost real money.

The High-Stakes Reality of B2B SaaS SEO

Unlike e-commerce or local businesses, B2B SaaS SEO plays by different rules:

  • Niche audiences – Your ideal customer isn’t searching for “best software”; they’re looking for specific solutions (e.g., “enterprise-grade CRM for healthcare compliance”).
  • Long sales cycles – A visitor today might not convert for 6–12 months. If your site isn’t optimized for every stage of their journey, you lose them.
  • Fierce competition – Tools like Ahrefs and SEMrush make it easy for competitors to reverse-engineer your strategy. If you’re not fixing gaps before they do, you’re already behind.

A structured SEO audit doesn’t just find problems—it reveals opportunities. Maybe your blog ranks for high-intent keywords, but your product pages are buried. Or your backlink profile is strong, but internal links are a mess. Without an audit, you’re flying blind.

What’s Inside This Checklist (And Why It Matters)

This isn’t just another generic SEO guide. We’re breaking it down into three critical pillars—each with actionable steps to harden your site for growth:

  1. Technical SEO – Fix crawlability, Core Web Vitals, and site architecture before scaling content. (Spoiler: If Google can’t index your pages, nothing else matters.)
  2. On-Page SEO – Align intent with pages, optimize titles/H1s, and plug internal link leaks. (Orphan pages? Cannibalization? We’ll hunt them down.)
  3. Link Health – Build authority with quality backlinks and clean up toxic ones. (Yes, bad links can tank your rankings.)

This checklist is for in-house teams, agencies, and founders who want stable growth—not just quick wins. Because in B2B SaaS, SEO isn’t about chasing trends. It’s about eliminating bottlenecks so your content—and revenue—can scale without surprises.

Ready to stop guessing and start fixing? Let’s dive in.

1. Technical SEO Audit: Fixing the Foundation Before Scaling

You built a great SaaS product. You wrote amazing content. But if search engines can’t even find your pages, none of that matters. That’s why a technical SEO audit isn’t just a checkbox—it’s the difference between ranking on page one and being invisible.

Think of your website like a high-rise building. If the foundation is cracked, no amount of fancy decor will keep it standing. The same goes for SEO. Before you pour resources into content or backlinks, you must fix the technical issues holding you back. Otherwise, you’re just throwing money into a leaky bucket.

So where do you start? Let’s break it down into the most critical areas—crawlability, speed, structure, and markup—so you can stop guessing and start ranking.


Crawlability & Indexation: Ensuring Search Engines Can Access Your Content

Google can’t rank what it can’t see. If your pages aren’t being crawled or indexed, they might as well not exist. The first step? Diagnosing the problem.

How to find crawl errors:

  • Google Search Console (GSC): The “Coverage” report shows which pages are indexed, excluded, or blocked. Pay special attention to “Discovered – Currently Not Indexed”—this means Google found your page but didn’t add it to its index.
  • Screaming Frog: This tool crawls your site like a search engine would, revealing broken links, redirect chains, and blocked resources.
  • Log File Analysis: If you’re dealing with a large site, server logs show exactly how Googlebot interacts with your pages—no guesswork.

Common B2B SaaS pitfalls:

  • JavaScript rendering issues: If your site relies heavily on JavaScript (common in modern SaaS apps), Google might struggle to render content properly. Use the “URL Inspection” tool in GSC to see how Google views your page.
  • Blocked resources: A single robots.txt misconfiguration can block critical CSS or JS files, making your pages look broken to Google.
  • Infinite scroll or lazy-loaded content: If Google can’t “see” all your content because it’s hidden behind user interactions, it won’t index it.

How to fix “Discovered – Currently Not Indexed” errors:

  1. Check for low-quality or thin content. Google may skip pages that don’t offer value.
  2. Improve internal linking. If a page isn’t linked from anywhere else on your site, Google may assume it’s not important.
  3. Submit a sitemap. Ensure your XML sitemap includes all important pages and is submitted to GSC.
  4. Request indexing manually. In GSC, use the “URL Inspection” tool to submit individual pages for indexing.

Pro tip: If you’re using a headless CMS or a JavaScript framework like React, test your site with Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test tool. It’ll show you exactly what Googlebot sees—and what it’s missing.


Core Web Vitals (CWV): Speed, Stability, and User Experience as Ranking Factors

Speed isn’t just about user experience—it’s a ranking factor. Google’s Core Web Vitals (CWV) measure how fast your pages load, how stable they are, and how quickly they respond to user input. For B2B SaaS, this is especially critical.

Why CWV matters for SaaS:

  • Long-form content: SaaS blogs often have in-depth guides, case studies, and whitepapers. If these pages take forever to load, users bounce—and Google notices.
  • Interactive demos: Many SaaS sites include embedded videos, calculators, or live demos. These can tank your Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) if not optimized.
  • High-intent users: B2B buyers are impatient. If your pricing page takes 5 seconds to load, they’ll leave before seeing your features.

How to measure and improve CWV:

  • Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): Measures how long it takes for the main content to load. Aim for under 2.5 seconds.
    • Fix: Optimize images, use a CDN, and lazy-load offscreen content.
  • First Input Delay (FID): Measures how quickly your page responds to user interactions. Aim for under 100ms.
    • Fix: Reduce JavaScript execution time and defer non-critical scripts.
  • Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): Measures visual stability. Aim for under 0.1.
    • Fix: Set explicit dimensions for images and embeds, and avoid dynamically injected content.

Case study: How a SaaS company reduced LCP by 40% and saw a 22% lift in conversions A B2B SaaS company noticed their blog pages had an LCP of 4.2 seconds—way above Google’s threshold. After auditing, they found:

  • Unoptimized hero images (3MB+ each)
  • Render-blocking JavaScript
  • No lazy loading for below-the-fold content

They fixed these issues by:

  • Compressing images with WebP format
  • Deferring non-critical JavaScript
  • Implementing lazy loading

The result? LCP dropped to 2.4 seconds, and organic conversions increased by 22%—all without changing a single word of content.

Key takeaway: Speed isn’t just about rankings. It’s about conversions. If your pages are slow, you’re not just losing traffic—you’re losing customers.


Sitemaps & URL Structure: Guiding Search Engines to Your Most Important Pages

A well-structured sitemap is like a roadmap for Google. It tells search engines which pages matter most and how they’re connected. But if your sitemap is messy, Google will get lost—and so will your rankings.

Best practices for XML sitemaps:

  • Prioritize important pages: Use the <priority> tag to signal which pages are most important (e.g., pricing, product features, high-intent blog posts).
  • Update lastmod tags: This tells Google when a page was last updated, helping it decide when to recrawl.
  • Dynamic sitemaps for large sites: If you have thousands of pages (e.g., a SaaS with multiple product tiers), use a dynamic sitemap that updates automatically.

How to clean up URL parameters and duplicate paths:

  • Faceted navigation: If your site has filters (e.g., /pricing?plan=enterprise), use rel="canonical" to point to the main page.
  • Trailing slashes: Decide whether your URLs end with a / or not—and stick to it. Redirect duplicates to avoid confusion.
  • URL parameters: Use GSC’s “URL Parameters” tool to tell Google how to handle them (e.g., ignore tracking parameters like ?utm_source).

When to use noindex vs. canonical:

  • noindex: Use for pages you don’t want in Google’s index (e.g., thank-you pages, internal search results).
  • canonical: Use for duplicate or near-duplicate content (e.g., /pricing and /pricing?ref=blog).

Common mistake: Using noindex on pages you want to rank. If a page is noindex, Google won’t even consider it for rankings—even if it’s linked from other pages.


Canonicalization & Duplicate Content: Preventing Self-Sabotage

Duplicate content confuses Google. If multiple pages have the same (or very similar) content, Google won’t know which one to rank. For SaaS companies, this is a huge problem—especially with product pages, blog categories, and localized content.

How to identify duplicate content:

  • HTTP vs. HTTPS: If both versions of your site are accessible, Google may see them as duplicates.
  • www vs. non-www: Same issue—pick one and redirect the other.
  • Trailing slashes: /pricing and /pricing/ are treated as separate pages unless you canonicalize or redirect.

How to implement canonical tags correctly:

  1. Self-referencing canonicals: Every page should have a canonical tag pointing to itself (e.g., <link rel="canonical" href="https://example.com/pricing" />).
  2. Cross-domain canonicals: If you syndicate content (e.g., guest posts), use canonical tags to point back to the original.
  3. Avoid common mistakes:
    • Don’t canonicalize to a noindex page.
    • Don’t use relative URLs (e.g., /pricing instead of https://example.com/pricing).

Handling duplicate content in SaaS:

  • Product pages: If you have multiple versions of a product (e.g., /enterprise and /pro), use canonical tags to point to the main page.
  • Blog categories: If a post appears in multiple categories (e.g., /blog/seo and /blog/content-marketing), pick one as the canonical.
  • Localization: If you have region-specific pages (e.g., /us/pricing and /uk/pricing), use hreflang tags to tell Google which version to show to which audience.

Schema Markup: Enhancing Visibility for B2B SaaS Features

Schema markup is like a cheat code for SEO. It helps Google understand your content better—and can lead to rich snippets, which dramatically improve click-through rates (CTR).

Must-use schema types for SaaS:

  • SoftwareApplication: Perfect for product pages. Highlights features, pricing, and ratings.
  • FAQ: Great for blog posts and help center articles. Can trigger FAQ-rich snippets.
  • HowTo: Ideal for tutorials and step-by-step guides.
  • Breadcrumb: Helps Google understand your site structure and can appear in search results.

How to implement schema without breaking your site:

  • JSON-LD vs. microdata: JSON-LD is Google’s preferred format—it’s cleaner and easier to implement.
  • Testing: Use Google’s Rich Results Test to check for errors.
  • Avoid spammy markup: Don’t stuff schema with irrelevant data. Google will penalize you.

Real-world example: How schema improved CTR by 35% for a SaaS pricing page A B2B SaaS company added SoftwareApplication schema to their pricing page, including:

  • Product name
  • Price range
  • Aggregate rating (from customer reviews)

The result? Their CTR jumped from 3.2% to 4.3%—a 35% increase—just from adding a few lines of code.

Why it worked: Schema doesn’t just help rankings—it makes your listing stand out in search results. When users see star ratings, prices, or FAQs directly in the SERPs, they’re more likely to click.


Final Thoughts: Fix the Foundation First

Technical SEO isn’t glamorous. It’s not as exciting as writing a viral blog post or landing a big backlink. But it’s the only way to ensure your content actually gets seen.

Start with crawlability. Fix your Core Web Vitals. Clean up your sitemaps and canonicals. Add schema markup. Do these things before you scale your content, and you’ll see results faster—and with less wasted effort.

Because in SEO, the foundation always comes first.

2. On-Page SEO Audit: Aligning Content with Intent and Authority

You wrote a great blog post. It’s well-researched, packed with value, and even got some shares on LinkedIn. But here’s the problem: it’s not ranking. Or worse—it’s ranking for the wrong keywords, bringing in traffic that bounces faster than a rubber ball. Sound familiar?

This is where on-page SEO becomes your secret weapon. It’s not just about stuffing keywords into your content. It’s about making sure every page on your site speaks the same language as your ideal customers—at every stage of their journey. Miss this, and you’re leaving rankings, leads, and revenue on the table.

Let’s fix that.


Keyword Intent Mapping: Are Your Pages Speaking the Right Language?

Imagine walking into a hardware store looking for a hammer, but the salesperson keeps trying to sell you a drill. Frustrating, right? That’s exactly what happens when your content doesn’t match search intent.

Google doesn’t just want to rank pages that mention a keyword. It wants pages that solve the problem behind the search. And in B2B SaaS, those problems change depending on where your buyer is in their journey. Here’s how to map it:

  • Informational intent – “How to automate customer onboarding” (They’re researching solutions.)
  • Commercial intent – “Best onboarding software for SaaS” (They’re comparing options.)
  • Navigational intent – “Userpilot vs. Appcues” (They’re evaluating specific tools.)
  • Transactional intent – “Book a demo for Userpilot” (They’re ready to buy.)

The mistake most SaaS companies make? They write blog posts targeting commercial intent keywords (like “best X software”) but structure them like informational guides. The result? Google ranks them for the wrong queries, and the traffic they do get doesn’t convert.

How to audit for intent misalignment:

  1. Plug your target keywords into Ahrefs or SEMrush and check the top-ranking pages.
    • Are they blog posts, product pages, or comparison tables?
    • What’s the angle of the content? (E.g., “how-to” vs. “best tools”)
  2. Look at Google’s “People Also Ask” section for your keyword.
    • Are the questions informational, commercial, or transactional?
  3. Check your own content.
    • Are your blog posts ranking for commercial queries? (Bad.)
    • Are your product pages ranking for informational queries? (Also bad.)

Example: A SaaS company targeting “best project management software” wrote a 3,000-word blog post listing 10 tools. But the top-ranking pages were all comparison tables with pricing, features, and CTA buttons. They rewrote their post as a comparison guide—and saw a 3x increase in demo requests within a month.


Title Tags & H1s: The First (and Sometimes Only) Thing Google Sees

Your title tag is like a billboard on a highway. If it doesn’t grab attention in 2 seconds, drivers (and Google) keep scrolling.

The anatomy of a high-performing B2B SaaS title tag:

  • Length: 50-60 characters (Google cuts off anything longer).
  • Modifiers: Words like “best,” “vs.,” “2024,” “for [audience]” (e.g., “for startups”).
  • Emotional triggers: “Boost,” “save,” “avoid,” “ultimate,” “proven.”
  • Keyword placement: Put the primary keyword at the beginning (Google weighs the first few words more heavily).

H1s matter just as much. While title tags are for search engines, H1s are for readers. They should:

  • Be clear and specific (no vague headlines like “A Guide to Productivity”).
  • Include the primary keyword (but don’t force it).
  • Follow a logical hierarchy (only one H1 per page, with H2s and H3s for subtopics).

Case study: A SaaS company selling HR software had this title tag: “HR Software | Company Name”

They rewrote it to: “Best HR Software for Small Businesses in 2024 (Top 7 Tools Compared)”

Result? A 28% increase in organic CTR and a jump from page 2 to page 1 for their target keyword.


Internal Linking: The Invisible Web That Holds Your SEO Together

Internal links are like the roads in a city. If they’re missing or poorly planned, visitors (and Google’s crawlers) get lost.

Why internal links matter for SaaS:

  • Distribute link equity – A backlink to your homepage is great, but internal links spread that authority to other pages.
  • Improve crawl depth – Google discovers new pages faster when they’re linked from high-traffic pages.
  • Reduce orphan pages – Pages with no internal links are like islands—no one visits them, and Google ignores them.

How to audit your internal links:

  1. Screaming Frog – Run a crawl and filter for pages with fewer than 3 internal links.
  2. Ahrefs – Go to “Internal backlinks” and sort by “Referring pages” (low numbers = problem pages).
  3. Google Search Console – Check the “Links” report to see which pages have the most internal links (and which have none).

Best practices for internal linking:

  • Anchor text – Use descriptive phrases (not “click here” or “read more”).
  • Link placement – Prioritize links in the first 100 words of a page (Google gives these more weight).
  • Avoid over-optimization – Don’t stuff the same keyword into every anchor text. Mix it up (e.g., “project management tools,” “best PM software,” “how to choose a PM tool”).

Example: A SaaS company selling accounting software had a high-traffic blog post about “how to reduce payroll errors.” They added internal links to their payroll feature page with anchor text like “automated payroll software” and “payroll error prevention tools.” Within 3 months, the feature page’s organic traffic increased by 62%.


Content Cannibalization: When Your Pages Fight Each Other

You have two blog posts:

  1. “How to Automate Customer Onboarding”
  2. “The Best Customer Onboarding Tools in 2024”

Both target the keyword “customer onboarding software.” Now, Google doesn’t know which one to rank—and neither page performs well.

This is keyword cannibalization, and it’s a silent killer of SaaS SEO.

How to spot cannibalization:

  • Ranking fluctuations – Your pages jump between positions 5 and 15 for the same keyword.
  • Multiple pages in top 20 – If two of your pages rank for the same query, they’re competing.
  • Ahrefs/SEMrush alerts – These tools flag cannibalization issues in their site audits.

How to fix it:

  1. Merge content – Combine the two posts into one ultimate guide.
  2. Redirect – If one page is outdated, 301 redirect it to the stronger page.
  3. Re-optimize – Target different intents (e.g., one for “how to,” one for “best tools”).

Case study: A SaaS company had three blog posts targeting “email marketing automation.” They merged them into one comprehensive guide, updated the title tag, and added internal links from related posts. Result? A 45% increase in organic traffic to that page—and higher rankings for related long-tail keywords.


Orphan Pages: The Ghost Towns of Your Website

Orphan pages are pages with no internal links pointing to them. They’re like hidden rooms in a house—no one knows they exist, and Google’s crawlers rarely visit.

Why orphan pages hurt SEO:

  • Wasted crawl budget – Google spends time crawling pages that don’t matter.
  • Poor user experience – Visitors can’t navigate to these pages from your site.
  • Missed ranking opportunities – Orphan pages could rank if they were properly linked.

How to find orphan pages:

  1. Google Analytics – Look for pages with traffic but no internal links (check the “Behavior > Site Content” report).
  2. Screaming Frog – Run a crawl and compare it to your sitemap. Pages in the sitemap but not in the crawl are likely orphans.
  3. Custom scripts – If you’re technical, use Python or JavaScript to compare your sitemap to your internal link structure.

How to fix orphan pages:

  • Add internal links – Link to them from relevant, high-traffic pages.
  • Redirect – If the page is outdated, 301 redirect it to a similar page.
  • Consolidate – Merge thin orphan pages into stronger, more comprehensive content.

Example: A SaaS company found 47 orphan pages in their blog. They added internal links from related posts and consolidated 12 thin pages into 3 in-depth guides. Within 2 months, their overall organic traffic increased by 18%.


Putting It All Together: Your On-Page SEO Checklist

Here’s what to do next:

  1. Map intent – Audit your top 20 pages. Are they aligned with the right search intent?
  2. Optimize titles & H1s – Rewrite weak headlines using the formula: [Modifier] + [Primary Keyword] + [Year/Value Prop].
  3. Fix internal links – Use Screaming Frog to find pages with fewer than 3 internal links.
  4. Resolve cannibalization – Merge, redirect, or re-optimize competing pages.
  5. Find orphan pages – Check Google Analytics and your sitemap for hidden pages.

On-page SEO isn’t about quick fixes. It’s about making sure every piece of content on your site has a clear purpose—and that Google and your ideal customers can find it. Do this right, and you won’t just rank higher. You’ll attract the right traffic—traffic that converts.

Backlinks are like votes of confidence for your SaaS website. The more high-quality votes you have, the more Google trusts you. But not all votes are equal. Some can actually hurt your rankings—like getting a recommendation from someone with a bad reputation. That’s why a link audit isn’t just about counting links. It’s about making sure every link in your profile is helping, not hurting, your authority.

Think of your backlink profile like a garden. You want strong, healthy plants (high-quality links) that help your site grow. But weeds (toxic links) can choke out the good stuff if you don’t remove them. And if you ignore the garden entirely? It’ll get overrun. Let’s make sure your link profile is thriving.


First, you need to know what you’re working with. Tools like Ahrefs, Moz, and Majestic can show you every backlink pointing to your site. But raw numbers don’t tell the full story. Here’s what to look for:

  • Domain Rating (DR) or Domain Authority (DA): This tells you how strong a website is. A link from a site with DR 80 is worth way more than one from DR 20.
  • Trust Flow vs. Citation Flow: Trust Flow measures how trustworthy a site is, while Citation Flow measures how many links it has. A high Trust Flow is good—it means the site is respected.
  • Spam Score: Moz’s Spam Score flags sites that might be low-quality or spammy. If a site has a high Spam Score, it’s a red flag.

Now, what does a bad backlink look like? Here are some common red flags in B2B SaaS:

  • PBNs (Private Blog Networks): These are groups of fake blogs created just to build links. Google hates them.
  • Spammy directories: If a site exists only to list links with no real content, it’s probably not helping you.
  • Irrelevant niches: A link from a pet food blog to your SaaS site? That doesn’t make sense—and Google knows it.

So, what does a healthy backlink profile look like for SaaS? It’s a mix of:

  • Links from industry blogs and news sites (e.g., TechCrunch, SaaS-focused publications).
  • Mentions from partners, customers, or integrations (e.g., “We use [Your SaaS] to automate our workflow”).
  • Natural links from forums, Reddit, or Quora where people are actually talking about your product.

If your profile is full of low-quality links or irrelevant sites, it’s time to clean it up.


Let’s say you’ve found some toxic links. What now? You have two options: remove them or disavow them.

Option 1: Reach Out for Removal

If the link is from a real site (even if it’s low-quality), you can email the webmaster and ask them to remove it. Here’s how to do it politely:

Subject: Request to Remove Link to [Your Site]

Hi [Name],

I noticed that [Their Site] links to [Your Site] at [URL]. While we appreciate the mention, we’re currently cleaning up our backlink profile to ensure it aligns with Google’s guidelines. Would you be able to remove the link?

Thanks for your help! [Your Name]

Keep it short, friendly, and to the point. If they don’t respond after a week or two, move to Option 2.

If the site is spammy or the webmaster ignores you, use Google’s Disavow Tool. Here’s how:

  1. Create a disavow file: This is a simple text file (.txt) listing all the toxic links or domains you want to disavow. Example:
    # Domains to disavow
    domain:spammysite.com
    domain:lowqualityblog.net
    
    # Specific URLs to disavow
    http://badblog.com/spammy-post
  2. Upload it to Google’s Disavow Tool: Go to Google’s Disavow Tool, select your site, and upload the file.
  3. Wait: Google will process it, but it can take a few weeks to see results.

When should you disavow? Only if:

  • You have a manual penalty from Google (you’ll get a message in Google Search Console).
  • You have a lot of spammy links (e.g., hundreds or thousands).
  • The links are clearly toxic (PBNs, hacked sites, etc.).

Case Study: A SaaS client of mine had a manual penalty because of 200+ toxic links from PBNs. After disavowing them, their rankings recovered within a month. The lesson? Cleaning up your backlink profile can save your site from Google’s wrath.


Now that your profile is clean, it’s time to build good links. Here are some proven tactics for SaaS:

1. Guest Posting

Write articles for industry blogs in exchange for a backlink. Example: If you sell project management software, write a guest post for a productivity blog like “5 Ways to Improve Team Collaboration.”

2. HARO (Help a Reporter Out)

Journalists use HARO to find expert sources. Sign up, and when a reporter asks for insights on SaaS topics, respond. If they quote you, you’ll get a backlink from a high-authority site.

Find broken links on industry sites, then email the webmaster and suggest your content as a replacement. Example:

Hi [Name],

I noticed that your page on [Topic] links to a broken resource. I recently wrote a guide on [Topic] that might be a good replacement. Here’s the link: [Your URL].

Thanks for considering! [Your Name]

4. Digital PR

Get featured in roundups, interviews, or news stories. Example: A SaaS company I worked with got 50+ backlinks in 3 months by creating a “State of SaaS in 2024” report and pitching it to journalists.

5. SaaS-Specific Opportunities

  • Integrations: If your SaaS integrates with other tools (e.g., Slack, Zapier), those partners might link to you.
  • Case studies: Ask happy customers to feature you on their site.
  • Industry reports: Publish original research (e.g., “How 500 SaaS Companies Use AI”) and promote it.

Backlinks aren’t the only links that matter. Internal links (links from one page on your site to another) help distribute authority and improve rankings. Here’s how to use them:

Tools like Ahrefs’ “Link Intersect” or Moz’s “Link Explorer” can show you which pages are getting the most link equity. If your homepage has 100 backlinks but your pricing page has none, you’re missing an opportunity.

  • Update old content: Add internal links to newer, high-priority pages.
  • Strategic internal linking: Link from high-traffic blog posts to your product pages.
  • 301 redirects: If you delete a page, redirect it to a relevant one to pass link equity.

3. Prioritize High-Conversion Pages

For SaaS, these are usually:

  • Pricing pages
  • Feature pages
  • Demo request pages

Example: If your blog post on “Best SaaS Tools for Startups” gets a lot of traffic, link to your pricing page from it. That way, visitors who are ready to buy can find it easily.


A link audit isn’t a one-time task. It’s something you should do every few months to keep your backlink profile clean and strong. Remember:

  • Remove or disavow toxic links to avoid penalties.
  • Build high-quality links through guest posting, HARO, and digital PR.
  • Use internal links to distribute authority to your most important pages.

If you do this right, your SaaS site won’t just rank higher—it’ll attract the right kind of traffic. Traffic that converts. Now, go audit those links!

4. Advanced B2B SaaS SEO Audit Tactics: Scaling Beyond the Basics

You’ve fixed the basics—your sitemaps are clean, your meta titles are optimized, and your backlinks aren’t toxic. Now what? If you want to scale your SaaS SEO beyond the usual checklist, you need to tackle the hidden bottlenecks that most teams ignore. These are the issues that separate the top 10% of SaaS sites from the rest. Let’s break them down.


JavaScript SEO: When Your Dynamic Content Stays Invisible to Google

Most SaaS products run on JavaScript frameworks like React, Angular, or Vue. That’s great for user experience—but terrible for SEO if you don’t handle it right. Google can crawl JavaScript, but it’s slow, inconsistent, and often misses key content. If your pricing page, feature descriptions, or blog posts rely on JavaScript to load, you might as well be invisible.

Common JavaScript SEO issues in SaaS:

  • Client-side rendering (CSR): Googlebot sees a blank page until JavaScript executes. If your server response is slow, Google gives up before rendering.
  • Lazy-loaded content: Critical text (like pricing tiers or feature lists) loads after the initial page render. Google might not wait for it.
  • Broken internal links: If your navigation or CTAs are JavaScript-dependent, Googlebot can’t follow them.
  • Missing metadata: Dynamic meta titles and descriptions often don’t update in the HTML snapshot Google sees.

How to test and fix it:

  1. Use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test – Paste your URL and check the “Screenshot” tab. If the page looks empty or broken, Googlebot isn’t seeing your content.
  2. Try Rendertron – This tool simulates how Googlebot renders your page. If it looks different from what users see, you’ve got a problem.
  3. Switch to server-side rendering (SSR) – Frameworks like Next.js (for React) or Nuxt.js (for Vue) pre-render pages on the server, so Googlebot gets the full HTML instantly.
  4. Dynamic rendering – If SSR isn’t an option, use a service like Prerender.io to serve a static HTML version to search engines while keeping the dynamic version for users.

Example: A SaaS client of mine had a React-based pricing page that ranked on page 3 for “best [product] pricing.” After switching to SSR, it jumped to position 2 in two weeks—and conversions increased by 40% because users could finally see the pricing tiers.


International SEO for SaaS: How to Expand Without Duplicating Content

If your SaaS serves multiple countries, you can’t just copy-paste your English content and call it a day. Google will penalize you for duplicate content, and users will bounce if your pricing is in USD but they’re in Europe. The solution? Hreflang tags—but most SaaS teams mess them up.

How to structure hreflang tags the right way:

  • Language + region: Use en-us for US English, en-gb for UK English, es-es for Spain, etc.
  • Self-referencing tags: Every page should include a hreflang tag pointing to itself.
  • X-default tag: Use this for users who don’t match any language/region (e.g., x-default for your homepage).
  • Avoid common mistakes:
    • Don’t use hreflang for just language (e.g., en without a region). Google needs the region to serve the right version.
    • Don’t point hreflang tags to non-existent pages. If /es/ doesn’t exist, don’t link to it.
    • Don’t forget to update hreflang when you add new pages.

Localized content without duplication:

  • Pricing pages: Show local currency and payment methods (e.g., iDEAL for Netherlands, SEPA for EU).
  • Feature pages: Highlight region-specific use cases (e.g., “GDPR-compliant analytics for EU customers”).
  • Blog content: Translate high-value posts, but don’t translate everything. Focus on topics with local search volume.

Case study: A SaaS company expanded to 5 markets (US, UK, Germany, France, Spain) without cannibalizing rankings. How? They:

  1. Created separate subdirectories (/de/, /fr/, etc.) with localized content.
  2. Used hreflang tags to tell Google which version to show to which users.
  3. Added region-specific schema markup (e.g., priceCurrency: "EUR" for Germany).
  4. Avoided duplicate content by rewriting feature descriptions for each market (not just translating them).

Result? Organic traffic from non-US markets grew by 120% in 6 months.


SEO for SaaS Pricing Pages: The High-Intent Goldmine

Pricing pages are the most important pages on your site—but most SaaS companies treat them like an afterthought. They hide them in the footer, use vague language (“Contact us for pricing!”), or stuff them with generic keywords. That’s a huge mistake. Pricing pages convert 3x better than blog posts, and they rank for high-intent keywords like “[product] pricing” or “how much does [product] cost.”

How to optimize them for SEO (and conversions):

  1. Schema markup: Use Product and Offer schema to show pricing in search results.
    {
      "@context": "https://schema.org",
      "@type": "Product",
      "name": "Your SaaS Product",
      "offers": {
        "@type": "Offer",
        "priceCurrency": "USD",
        "price": "49.00",
        "url": "https://yoursaas.com/pricing"
      }
    }
  2. Internal linking: Link to your pricing page from:
    • Your homepage (in the hero section or navbar).
    • High-traffic blog posts (e.g., “For pricing, check out our [plans].”).
    • Feature pages (e.g., “See pricing for [feature] here.”).
  3. Content structure:
    • Headline: Include the keyword (e.g., “Project Management Software Pricing – Plans Starting at $9/month”).
    • Subheadings: Use h2 and h3 tags to break down pricing tiers (e.g., “Starter Plan – $9/month”).
    • FAQ section: Answer common questions like “Is there a free trial?” or “Do you offer discounts for annual plans?”
  4. Avoid these mistakes:
    • Hiding pricing behind a “Contact us” button (Google can’t crawl it).
    • Using vague terms like “Custom pricing” (be specific).
    • Not updating pricing in schema when you change plans.

Case study: A SaaS company’s pricing page was stuck on page 2 for “best [product] pricing.” After adding schema, improving internal links, and rewriting the content to match search intent, it jumped to position 1 in 30 days. Organic traffic to the page increased by 60%, and demo requests from organic search doubled.


Tracking SEO Audit Success: Are Your Fixes Actually Working?

You’ve fixed JavaScript issues, set up hreflang, and optimized your pricing page. Now what? If you’re not tracking the right metrics, you won’t know if your efforts are paying off. SEO isn’t a one-time audit—it’s an ongoing process.

Key metrics to track post-audit:

MetricToolWhy It Matters
Organic trafficGoogle Analytics 4Shows if more people are finding your site.
Keyword rankingsAhrefs/SEMrushTracks if you’re moving up for target keywords.
Impressions & CTRGoogle Search ConsoleReveals if your titles/meta descriptions are working.
Backlink growthAhrefsMeasures if your link-building efforts are paying off.
Conversions from organicGA4Proves that traffic is actually turning into leads.

How to set up a custom dashboard:

  1. Google Looker Studio: Connect GA4 and Search Console to create a real-time SEO dashboard.
  2. Ahrefs/SEMrush: Set up rank tracking for your top 50 keywords.
  3. Google Sheets: Track backlinks, rankings, and traffic in a simple spreadsheet.

Pro tip: Don’t just track rankings—track conversions from organic search. If your traffic is up but conversions are flat, you’re attracting the wrong audience.


Final Thought: The SaaS SEO Flywheel

Advanced SEO isn’t about quick fixes. It’s about building a system where every improvement compounds over time. Fix JavaScript? Your content becomes visible. Optimize pricing pages? You rank for high-intent keywords. Set up hreflang? You dominate international markets. Track the right metrics? You know what’s working (and what’s not).

The SaaS companies that win aren’t the ones with the biggest budgets—they’re the ones that execute the basics flawlessly and then scale with advanced tactics. Now it’s your turn. Pick one of these tactics, implement it this week, and watch your organic growth accelerate.

Conclusion: Turning Audit Insights into Actionable Growth

You’ve just gone through the full B2B SaaS SEO audit checklist—technical fixes, on-page optimizations, and link strategies. Now what? The real work begins when you turn these insights into real growth. Let’s make sure your audit doesn’t just sit in a spreadsheet.

The Three Pillars Work Together—Don’t Skip Any

Technical SEO is your foundation. If Google can’t crawl your site, nothing else matters. On-page SEO makes sure your content actually answers what your customers are searching for. And links? They’re the votes of confidence that tell Google, “This site is worth ranking.”

But here’s the thing: you don’t need to fix everything at once. Some issues are quick wins (like updating meta titles), while others take more time (like earning high-quality backlinks). The key is prioritizing based on effort vs. impact.

How to Prioritize Your Fixes (Without Overwhelming Your Team)

Not all SEO issues are equal. Some will move the needle fast, while others are just nice-to-haves. Here’s a simple way to decide what to tackle first:

  1. High Impact, Low Effort (Do these first)

    • Fix broken internal links
    • Update missing meta descriptions
    • Remove duplicate content
  2. High Impact, High Effort (Plan for these next)

    • Improve Core Web Vitals
    • Build a backlink strategy
    • Rewrite underperforming pages
  3. Low Impact, Low Effort (Do these if you have time)

    • Add alt text to images
    • Optimize URL structures
  4. Low Impact, High Effort (Skip or deprioritize)

    • Overhauling site architecture (unless it’s broken)
    • Chasing every single keyword variation

Turn Your Audit into a 90-Day SEO Roadmap

A good audit is useless if you don’t act on it. Here’s how to turn your findings into a plan:

  • Week 1-2: Fix technical issues (crawl errors, sitemaps, canonical tags).
  • Week 3-4: Optimize on-page elements (titles, H1s, internal links).
  • Week 5-8: Start building backlinks and fixing toxic ones.
  • Week 9-12: Monitor progress, adjust, and scale what’s working.

Pro tip: Use a simple spreadsheet or project management tool (like Notion or Trello) to track progress. Assign tasks to team members and set deadlines.

Your Next Step: Run Your First Audit

If you haven’t done an SEO audit yet, now’s the time. Pick one tool (Ahrefs, SEMrush, or even Google Search Console) and start with the basics. You don’t need to be perfect—just consistent.

And if you’ve already run an audit? Great! Now it’s time to execute. Share your results in the comments or with your team. What was the biggest surprise? What’s your first priority?

The best SaaS companies don’t just audit—they act. So go ahead, pick one thing from this checklist, and start today. Your rankings (and your revenue) will thank you.

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Written by

KeywordShift Team

Experts in SaaS growth, pipeline acceleration, and measurable results.