7 SEO Moves Bootstrapped SaaS Can Actually Execute

SEO is one of the few growth channels that gets cheaper over time—if you build it right. That’s why it matters so much for bootstrapped SaaS in the U.S. SMB market: you don’t get to paper over mistakes with paid spend, and you don’t have a VC runway to “figure it out later.” You need compounding, repeatable acquisition.

Most companies get this wrong by treating SEO like a checklist (“add keywords, get backlinks”) instead of a system. Ross Hudgens (Siege Media, an SEO/content agency that’s worked with large SaaS brands) shared seven patterns he sees repeatedly: fixes that are boring, practical, and disproportionately effective.

This post reframes those tips specifically for US startup marketing without VC—and fits squarely into our SMB Content Marketing United States series: how to build an owned audience and predictable pipeline on a budget.

Put your blog in a subfolder (not a subdomain)

If you want your content to lift your product pages, your blog has to live on the same “site” in Google’s eyes.

Do this: yourcompany.com/blog/ (subfolder)

Avoid this: blog.yourcompany.com (subdomain)

Here’s why I’m opinionated about it: a subdomain often behaves like a separate property. You can publish great content, earn links, and still fail to transfer much authority to your main marketing site.

Ross has seen 20–30% traffic lifts after moving a blog from subdomain to subfolder. That’s huge for bootstrapped SaaS because it’s one of the rare SEO improvements that can pay off without adding headcount.

Practical notes for SMB SaaS teams

• If you’re using WordPress “off to the side,” you can usually keep it that way and still serve it under /blog using a reverse proxy.
• Plan the migration carefully: map old URLs to new URLs with 301 redirects and keep the same content paths when possible.

Snippet-worthy rule: If your blog can’t pass authority to your product pages, you’re doing content marketing for someone else.

Use exact-match URL slugs for keyword-focused pages

Google doesn’t need your URL to be clever. It needs it to be clear.

Recommendation: when you’re creating content to rank for a specific keyword, make the URL slug match the keyword as closely as possible.

Example:

• Keyword: “podcasting tips”
• URL slug: /podcasting-tips/
• Not: /podcasting-tips-for-saas-founders-who-want-growth/

You can still write a human title. In fact, you should—titles sell clicks. But the slug is a place to be ruthlessly literal.

Founder-friendly workflow

1. Pick the primary keyword.
2. Set the slug to the primary keyword.
3. Write a title that includes the keyword near the front, then add personality.

This is one of those small SEO details that compounds across dozens of posts.

Turn feature pages into long-tail “software” landing pages

If your navigation has “Features,” those pages should pull their weight.

Many SaaS sites have feature pages that read like internal product docs—useful for prospects, but not designed to rank. Ross’s take: almost every feature page should target a “[thing] software” keyword when it makes sense.

Examples:

• “Podcast analytics” → Podcast analytics software
• “Client portal” → Client portal software
• “Inventory forecasting” → Inventory forecasting software

Why this works for bootstrappers: long-tail keywords often have low search volume, but high intent. A person searching “inventory forecasting software” isn’t browsing. They’re shortlisting.

How to implement without bloating your site

• Don’t create 40 thin pages.
• Do create 8–15 pages tied to core jobs-to-be-done.
• For each page, include:
  • A clear H1 with the keyword
  • 2–4 scannable sections answering “who it’s for,” “what it does,” “how it compares,” and “pricing/CTA”
  • Internal links to relevant how-to posts (and back)

Strong stance: Feature pages are part of your SEO strategy, not just your UI.

Don’t try to rank for “best [X] software” (win it indirectly)

Trying to rank your own site for “best [category] software” is usually a losing battle—especially for bootstrapped SaaS.

Searchers want third-party validation. Google tends to reward lists, directories, and review sites for “best” queries.

Better play: rank for the category term (“[X] software”) and get featured on the pages that already rank for “best.”

What “indirectly” means in practice

• Search your main “best” query.
• List the top 10 ranking pages.
• Create a lightweight outreach plan:
  • Claim profiles where possible
  • Ask to be included where relevant
  • Build review velocity on credible platforms (the goal is consistency, not hype)

This is especially relevant for SMB content marketing: buyers often compare tools across multiple sources before they ever hit your pricing page.

A reality check for founders

Some review ecosystems are pay-to-play. You don’t have to love that. You just need to decide where a profile is table stakes and where it’s a distraction.

Fix the on-page UX basics (Google follows the user)

Google’s algorithm is essentially a proxy for user satisfaction. If your content is annoying to read, it will underperform.

Ross calls out several “simple but ignored” content marketing best practices:

Make your content easy to read

• Use 16px+ font (18px is often better)
• Avoid low-contrast text (gray on white is a common design mistake)
• Keep line length readable (very wide columns increase bounce)

Make pages fast enough to not leak conversions

• Compress images aggressively (a good rule: keep most images under ~200KB when possible)
• Avoid massive hero images on posts that don’t need them
• Reuse a few illustration components rather than uploading new heavy assets every time

Make it scannable

• Short paragraphs (2–4 lines)
• Frequent subheads
• Bullets where users compare options

If your SaaS is bootstrapped, this matters twice: better engagement improves rankings, and better readability improves conversion.

Build one “passive link asset” that earns backlinks for you

Link building is still a core ranking factor, but manual outreach doesn’t scale well for a small team.

A passive link asset is content people cite without you asking.

Ross recommends formats like:

• “[Industry] statistics”
• “[Industry] trends”
• “[Industry] benchmarks”

Example for a SaaS targeting SMB marketers:

• “2026 Email open rate benchmarks for SMBs (by industry)”
• “2026 SEO statistics for small businesses in the United States”

Why this works

Writers, bloggers, and even internal teams at other companies routinely Google a stat, grab the first credible source, and link to it. One good benchmarks page can generate links that raise your whole domain.

How to ship this without a research department

• Start with curated, sourced data from credible places you already trust
• Add your own dataset if you have it (even small, anonymized aggregates help)
• Update quarterly (freshness is part of the product)

Snippet-worthy rule: If you want backlinks without begging, publish what people cite.

Answer the query immediately after the H1 (optimize for “time to value”)

When someone searches a question, they want the answer fast. So does Google.

For question-based keywords (“what is,” “how does,” “[term] meaning”), put a direct answer right after the H1.

Example structure:

• H1: What Is Customer Retention Rate?
• First paragraph: Customer retention rate is the percentage of customers who continue paying over a given period.
• Then: context, examples, formula, calculator, benchmarks, FAQs

This improves:

• Clarity for readers
• Eligibility for featured snippets / AI Overviews
• Engagement (people stay because they got value quickly)

People-also-ask style follow-ups to include

Add short sections that match how prospects think:

• “What’s a good retention rate for SMB SaaS?”
• “How do I calculate retention vs churn?”
• “What increases retention fastest?”

This is how you build content that ranks and converts.

A bootstrapped SaaS SEO plan you can run in 30 days

If you’re reading this as part of our SMB Content Marketing United States series, here’s a practical way to execute without hiring a big agency.

Week 1: Fix structure

• Move blog to /blog/ (or scope the project and timeline)
• Standardize URL slugs on new content

Week 2: Upgrade money pages

• Pick 8–12 feature pages
• Map each to a high-intent keyword (“[feature] software”)
• Add scannable sections + internal links

Week 3: Publish one passive link asset

• “[Category] statistics” or “benchmarks”
• Make it genuinely useful and easy to cite

Week 4: Build distribution that doesn’t cost cash

• Create 10–20 “best [X] software” placements to pursue
• Send a small number of high-quality outreach emails
• Ask existing customers for reviews on 1–2 platforms you’ve chosen

This isn’t flashy. It’s durable.

Bootstrapped growth is mostly about removing friction and stacking small advantages until your acquisition becomes predictable. These seven SEO tips do exactly that.

If you had to pick just one to start this week, which would it be: moving your blog into a subfolder, or turning feature pages into keyword-targeted landing pages?