6 Must Haves For Your SaaS Website

Software as a Service (SaaS) are fast becoming necessities for our everyday lives. The most successful SaaS websites are used on a daily basis by millions of people. What do all of these SaaS companies have in common? They would not have gotten to where they are today without a superior website that helped to organically capture leads, engage consumers and ultimately convert leads into the profitable behemoths they are today.

To help you begin organically growing your SaaS business and moving in the right direction, we’ve compiled a list of 6 must haves for a successful SaaS website.

1. Responsive design

The responsive design of a SaaS website should be one of the first elements to consider during the development phase. A responsive SaaS website is one that adjusts to both desktop and mobile devices effortlessly. With over 50% of all internet searching now being conducted on a mobile device, a mobile friendly and optimized website is pivotal.

With SaaS companies like Netflix and SurveyMonkey being used remotely on mobile devices for leisure and business activities, the significance of how important responsive design is to a SaaS company’s success can’t be understated. 

2. Clear path to trial

Have you even been to a farmers market fruit stall that has those punnets of delicious produce for you to trial and taste that inevitably results in you making a purchase? This same sales method should be applied to a SaaS website. Giving customers the opportunity to first test and trial your product is a hugely beneficial way of converting them into a long-term customer as this strategy gives them the flexibility to test your SaaS offering without the pressure of making a purchase or being locked into a contract.

Research has shown that on average, 66% of free B2B trials converted into paid subscriptions. Finessing the way that a trial is conducted can also impact on its success. Trials that did not require a credit card upon signup generated twice as many paying customers at the conclusion of the trial.

The success of offering a free trial is also predicated on how well your communication is during this trial phase. Ensuring that the customer is having all of their queries met and that their experience at the conclusion of the trial is being followed up on all add to the success of your SaaS product trial.

3. Effective SEO

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a crucial aspect of your SaaS website building and marketing process. Failing to rank in the top pages of Google, or other search engines, means your SaaS website will struggle to attract visitors organically, resulting in poor traffic through your site.

Taking the time to research which keywords and phrases are best suited to your service offering is the foundation to your SEO strategy. Being such a crucial component of your SaaS website, having a skilled SEO professional undertake your copywriting is an approach that we always recommend. Many SaaS websites have fallen into the trap of thinking beautifully well-written site copy is the key to a successful webpage. If meaningful traffic isn’t being directed to your page however, there won’t be many customers there to read it which is why strategic SEO practices need to be employed. Instead, beautifully well-written SEO copy should be implemented as this, over time, will draw in customers, build trust and guide customers towards purchasing your SaaS offering.

One of the greatest SEO strategies that a SaaS company can provide is a great resource library, not just about your product but useful resources that will help your target audience. For example, if your SaaS product is an accounting tool – you might have a blog that is full of useful advice on improving business cashflow.

At the end of the day, SaaS is designed to solve a problem so leverage your SEO strategy off this offering by highlighting the existing problems, offer solutions and best methods and finally pitch your service and how it works.

4. Unique Selling Propositions (USP)

A USP is a clever way of giving customers a reason why they should buy your SaaS product and not the competitions. It’s important to understand that a USP is not a marketing offer, like a 20% OFF, as those come and go but rather it is a unique benefit that a SaaS company exhibits which is ingrained in their brand identity.

A compelling USP should encompass the following three aspects;

1. Be Assertive – Having a specific stance and making a case for your SaaS product against those of competitors is more memorable than generic positions like “we sell the best SaaS product”.
2. What Customers Value – Identify what customers love about your SaaS product offering and run with it!
3. Differentiate Yourself – You might sell a similar SaaS product to that of the competition but the messaging and experience that you provide is what separates you from the rest.

5. Social Proof

One of the most important aspects to assist in conversions is that of social proofing or testimonials and reviews. As your SaaS business begins to grow, using the recommendations from customers is an extremely powerful way to not only improve your service offering but also convince others as to why your SaaS product is right for them. Here’s four reasons why it’s important to showcase your testimonials;

1. Building Trust

88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations with a further 72% saying positive reviews make them trust a business more. Building trust, especially in the SaaS space is paramount to successful conversions and positive brand positioning.

2. Show Your Customers

Testimonials that feature a star or number rating are all well and good but by putting a name and face to each and every review only builds more trust and a better connection with potential customers. If you are a SaaS business and can see testimonials from people who are from other SaaS companies, will you be more willing to try a service? Absolutely you will!

3. Conversions

When consumers interact with positive testimonials, they are 58% more likely to convert. When you think about it, all it took was for someone else’s review to convert a sale. Thanks, anonymous salesperson!

4. Insights Into How Customers Use Your SaaS Product

A great testimonial is one that not only reviews the product or service but also tells a story as to how it is being used in their everyday business. This gives potential customers, who may have a business in the same industry, the confidence in knowing that if they were to undertake the product/service offering it would most likely result in a positive transition.

6. Feature Comparisons

A brilliant way to showcase your SaaS offering is to show feature comparisons that customers can expect if they are to trial or purchase your product. A feature comparison gives customers an insight into what they can expect if they were to use the software. This can be in the form of static images, GIFs or video tutorials.

A great example of a SaaS website utilizing feature comparisons is Mail Chimp. Mail Chimp specializes in email campaigns which come in a variety of themes and layouts which users can custom create or edit too. On their home page, Mail Chimp does an excellent job of giving visitors an idea of how creative and beautiful their email or social media campaigns can be.

By showcasing the software in action, SaaS websites have the unique opportunity to exhibit their offering and convince customers of what to expect should they decide to undertake a trial or subscription.

The SaaS sector is hugely competitive where the only point of contact between business and customer is through their website. This is why a SaaS website needs to be operating at an exceptional level to ensure potential visitors are being captured, engaged with and converted into valuable subscription paying customers. Building a website for your SaaS company that works is a challenging task. The bar has already been set so high, and this isn’t an industry where you can get away with a subpar website so make sure you follow a clear strategy and execute accordingly!