Product-led SEO (search engine optimization) is a term from Eli Schwarts’s book Product-Led SEO: The Why Behind Building Your Organic Growth Strategy. This strategy focuses on attracting traffic with a free tool or product and then trying to convert that traffic into paying customers. This type of SEO brings in extremely relevant traffic, as they are all interested in the product or free tool you are offering.
In this guide, you will learn the following:
- Product-led SEO vs. traditional SEO
- Real-world case studies
- How you can use product-led SEO for your business
Product-led SEO vs. traditional SEO
Product-led SEO focuses on using a product’s features to directly target a user’s specific needs, while traditional SEO focuses on optimizing its content for tons of keywords covering a much larger audience. With traditional SEO, you build everything around search engines in hopes they rank your website for the keywords you are targeting. This isn’t the case with product-led SEO, as you focus your site on putting the user first with your product.
SEO should always follow this method, but unfortunately, search engines aren’t advanced enough to rank sites that focus on users rather than sites that try to game the ranking system.
When to use product-led SEO:
- SaaS companies: SaaS (software as a service) companies are perfect for this type of SEO strategy because the product is the site’s primary selling point. Users are able to easily see and find its features through search results.
- E-commerce platforms: When showcasing specific product listings, you want to give the user exactly what they are looking for. This includes detailed descriptions, real reviews, and transparent pricing options.
- Niche market with specific search behavior: Any niche site with very specific searches is perfect for product-led SEO because it is already a targeted market. This strategy can bring your niche site very relevant organic traffic with high conversion rates.
Real-world examples of product-led SEO
Example 1: Ahrefs
Ahrefs is a prime example of how product-led SEO should be done. They are considered a powerhouse when it comes to keyword research and overall SEO strategies. Here is how they were able to boost their traffic from a mere 500k to almost ten million in a 5-year timestamp.
Free Tools:
- Backlink Checker: Users can analyze the top 100 backlinks for a domain, offering limited but valuable insights. Ahrefs offers a free backlink checker that can analyze the top 100 backlinks for a domain. This is perfect for doing research on your competitors and seeing if you can take advantage of any of their backlink opportunities.
- Keyword Generator: They have a free keyword generator that offers keyword research for Google, Amazon, Bing, and even YouTube, so no matter what platform you are on, you can find great content opportunities.
- SERP Checker: This brand offers 3 free SERP tools: one to analyze site traffic, one to check your site’s ranking, and one to analyze the top 10 rankings for any keyword in any country.
All of these free tools have links, popups, and limitations that lead people to their paid plans. They have an estimated 50,000 users on their month-to-month paid plans, which is insane.
Example 2: Grammarly
Grammarly is another great example of how product-led SEO should be used. They are a leader in the industry, and for good reason. Here is how they do it:
Grammarly’s SEO strategy:
Grammarly offers a free grammar-checking tool that allows users to fix typos and grammatical errors at the click of a button. The tool targets keywords like “grammar checker,” “grammar corrector,” and “check grammar for free.” These keywords have a huge search volume, which Grammarly takes advantage of.
They also offer educational content on topics such as “commonly misused words” and “writing tips.”
They make money by offering a few “premium suggestions” for free, which gives users a glimpse of what they can have if they upgrade. They then hide things like a plagiarism/AI checker behind the same paywall. Since they give away so much for free, people are more inclined to upgrade to their paid plan.
The results of their efforts are evident in their massive traffic gain. In just five years, Grammarly has multiplied its traffic by threefold, from 10 million to around 30 million.
Example 3: Zapier
Zapier makes it extremely easy to automate workflows and tasks. One of their primary marketing strategies has been product-led SEO. Here is the exact strategy they have used to grow into an authority brand.
- Educational Content: They have educational blog posts like “How to connect Google Sheets to Slack,” targeting people searching for solutions to their workflow problems. These posts rank extremely well for long-tail keywords relevant to automation.
- Interactive Product Pages: Zapier has product pages that let users experience how its systems work without actually paying for anything. This gives users an inside look at what their paid plans can offer. The pages also feature case studies and other user-focused tools.
- Free Plan: Zapier’s free plan allows users to try automations (zaps) with limited runs per month. It gives enough zaps to test things out but not enough to run most business operations at scale, causing users to get hooked before being forced to upgrade.
Their strategy has not been in vain, as evidenced by their exponential growth over the past two to three years.
How you can use product-led SEO to drive traffic
Now that you have seen real-world examples and know what product-led SEO is. You can now do it on your site. If you follow these key features, you should start seeing some success pretty early on.
- Focus on product features: Show off your product features and everything you offer. Compare your product to your competitors and show why you are unique and why customers should choose you over them.
- User-generated content: Add content that real users made. People like hearing that your product works, not from you but from people who have actually used your product. You can do this with reviews, testimonials, and case studies.
- Integrate product demonstrations: Show off everything your product has to offer with visuals like screenshots, videos, or, best yet, interactive demos. This gives people another way to see your product in action before trying it for themselves.
- Educational content: Consider creating a blog with how-to guides on tasks that your product can help with. Big brands regularly use this technique to bring relevant traffic to their sites. If you have helpful content and show that your product can help them while also offering alternatives, they are likely to choose you.
It is worth noting that SEO results typically aren’t seen for 3-6 months, but it varies for each site.
Common product-led SEO mistakes you should avoid
- Poor product page optimization: Many people overlook correctly optimizing their product page. You can do this with relevant keywords, clear descriptions, high-quality visuals, and structured data. Failure to do this will make it really hard to appear in search results.
- Ignoring user experience on the product: Not considering how users interact with your product and addressing any usability issues will hurt your rankings. When creating your product page, you need to put yourself in your users’ shoes and ask yourself what they would want to see.
- Too much technical jargon: Overusing technical terms in product descriptions can alienate potential customers, leading them to choose a different brand. It can also make it difficult for search engines to understand your content.
Final thoughts
Product-led SEO is a great strategy for putting your product in front of relevant users. Always consider the user and their experience. This, along with educational content and free tools to initially attract users, will bring you the traffic you are looking for.
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