The best SEO keywords for a software company follow how buyers search at each stage: alternatives ("Asana alternatives"), comparisons ("Trello vs Asana"), category plus use case ("CRM for real estate agents"), integrations, templates and calculators, and the problems your product solves ("how to track billable hours"). Start with the bottom-of-funnel patterns, because they bring searchers who are already choosing a tool, then build problem-led content around them.
Search volumes for these keywords are usually small. That's fine: one visitor comparing two tools is worth more than fifty reading a definition. Below are the nine keyword types, the page each one needs, how to find them for your product, and what results software companies actually see.
Key takeaways
- Bottom-of-funnel software keywords follow fixed patterns, such as "[competitor] alternatives", "[A] vs [B]", "[category] software for [industry]" and "[app] [app] integration".
- Each pattern needs a specific page type. Comparison and use-case keywords want landing pages or comparison pages, not generic blog posts.
- Free tools, templates and calculators earned 2.11× the CTR of the same sites' articles at positions 4–10 in Outrank's study of 6.2M pages.
- SaaS was the hardest niche in Outrank's 2,119-site study (70% of 183 SaaS sites grew clicks), yet the median SaaS site still went from 265 to 765 clicks per 28 days.
- Plan for the long tail. Across 4,348 sites, 63% of the keywords Outrank targeted had a keyword difficulty under 20.
The 9 keyword types for software companies
Every software category produces the same search patterns. Here they are, sorted by how close the searcher is to signing up. The buying-intent rating is our judgment, not a tool metric.
SEO keyword types for software companies
| Alternatives | [competitor] alternatives | Mailchimp alternatives | Alternatives page listing several tools, yours included | ★★★★★5 |
| Comparison | [A] vs [B] | Trello vs Asana | Head-to-head comparison page | ★★★★★5 |
| Pricing and free | [category] pricing, free [category] | free CRM, HubSpot pricing | Pricing page, free plan page | ★★★★★5 |
| Category + use case | [category] software for [industry/role] | CRM for real estate agents | Use-case landing page | ★★★★★4 |
| Integration | [app] [app] integration | Slack Jira integration | Integration page with setup steps | ★★★★★4 |
| Branded | [your brand] + login/pricing/reviews | yourapp reviews | Pages that answer each branded query | ★★★★★4 |
| Feature | [category] with [feature] | time tracking app with GPS | Feature page | ★★★★★3 |
| Template and tool | [thing] template, [metric] calculator | invoice template, churn rate calculator | Free template or calculator page | ★★★★★3 |
| Problem and how-to | how to [job your product does] | how to track billable hours | Guide that shows the manual way and your product's way | ★★★★★2 |
Click a column header to sort.
1. Alternatives keywords
People searching "[competitor] alternatives" already know the category and are unhappy with a tool. An alternatives page that lists several honest options, yours among them, can rank and convert because it answers exactly that question. Add a separate page per major competitor rather than one page for all of them: each competitor name is a different search.
2. Comparison ("vs") keywords
"[A] vs [B]" searchers have a shortlist. If you are A or B, build a comparison page with a feature table, pricing and who each tool suits. If you are neither, a three-way comparison ("A vs B vs yours") can still rank when the results are thin. Outrank's own compare pages follow this pattern.
3. Category + use case, industry or role
"Project management software for construction" or "CRM for real estate agents" pairs the category with a segment. These keywords are usually far easier than the bare category term, and the searcher tells you exactly who they are. One landing page per segment you actually serve, with screenshots and a workflow specific to that segment, beats one generic features page. At scale this becomes programmatic SEO.
4. Integration keywords
Searches like "connect Shopify to QuickBooks" or "Slack Jira integration" come from people who already use one of the tools and want them to work together. Every integration your product has is a keyword. Build an integration page for each, with what syncs, setup steps and a screenshot.
5. Templates, calculators and generators
"Invoice template", "OKR template", "churn rate calculator": software companies can win these because the product already does the job. They also earn clicks that articles don't. In Outrank's analysis of 6.2 million pages, free tools and calculators earned 2.11× the click-through rate of the same sites' articles at positions 4–10, while "what is" definitions earned 0.52×.
6. Problem and how-to keywords
These describe the job your product does: "how to track billable hours", "how to reduce SaaS churn", "how to schedule social media posts". Volume is often higher and intent is lower. The page that works shows how to do the job manually, then how your product makes it faster. This is where most of a software blog's traffic comes from.
7. Feature keywords
"Time tracking app with GPS" or "email marketing with A/B testing" come from buyers filtering by a must-have feature. A feature page that leads with the use case (not your internal feature name) can rank for these.
8. Pricing and "free" keywords
"Free CRM", "[competitor] pricing" and "[category] pricing" are some of the highest-intent searches in software. Make your own pricing page indexable and clear, and if you have a free plan, give it a page that ranks for "free [category]".
9. Branded keywords
Once people know you, they search "[your brand] pricing", "[your brand] reviews", "[your brand] vs [competitor]" and "is [your brand] legit". If you don't answer these on your own site, review sites and competitors will. Check Search Console for every query containing your brand name and make sure each has a page.
Which software keywords to target first
Start at the bottom of the funnel and move up:
- 1
First 10 pages: the buyers
Alternatives pages for your top 3 competitors, 2 comparison pages, and use-case pages for the 3–5 segments that already pay you. These convert even with small traffic. - 2
Next: integrations, templates and tools
One page per integration and one free template or calculator per core job your product does. They attract searchers who use adjacent tools. - 3
Then: the problems you solve
How-to and problem guides, grouped into clusters around each job. Link every guide to the relevant use-case or feature page. - 4
Later: the category head term
"CRM" or "project management software" is where the biggest brands compete. Earn it with links and coverage rather than starting there.
To rank keywords within each group, our keyword picking method scores each one on business value, intent fit and winnability.
How to find SEO keywords for your software product
- 1
List the patterns for your product
Write down your category names (the words buyers use, not your internal jargon), your top 10 competitors, every integration, your main features, the industries and roles you serve, and the jobs your product does. Each list feeds one keyword pattern from the table above. - 2
Expand and check volume and difficulty
Run the patterns through a keyword tool. Outrank's free keyword research tool shows volume, keyword difficulty and a 12-month trend with no signup. Keep keywords with any real volume for the bottom-of-funnel patterns; even 20 searches a month can be worth a page. - 3
Run a keyword gap against competitors
A keyword gap analysis shows the comparison, integration and use-case keywords competitors rank for and you don't. - 4
Mine Search Console and support tickets
Search Console → Performance → Queries shows the phrasing people already use to find you. Support tickets and sales calls show the problems they describe before they know your product exists. - 5
Check difficulty and the live results
Software is a competitive niche. Filter with keyword difficulty, then look at page one before committing. For tool recommendations, see our list of SaaS SEO tools.
What SEO results look like for software companies
Software is one of the harder niches to rank in, and the data shows it. In Outrank's study of 2,119 sites, SaaS and tech had the lowest share of growing sites among the 16 niches with enough data, but the median SaaS site still nearly tripled its clicks:
70%
of 183 SaaS and tech sites grew Google clicks after starting with Outrank
Lowest of 16 niches with 25+ sites; sports and fitness led with 88%
265 → 765
median clicks per 28 days, SaaS and tech sites, before → after
26,265
articles Outrank wrote for 653 SaaS and tech sites in 90 days
The largest named industry on the platform
Two software customers show the range. Scalelist, a B2B SaaS for lead data, went from DR 16 to 45 in 12 months with 206 articles and 327 verified backlinks; it had no Search Console connected, so there's no verified click data. AIApply, a job search SaaS publishing to Webflow, grew Google clicks 44% year over year (188,390 to 270,592 for May to July) and had 109,260 clicks in June 2026.
Links matter more in software than in most niches, because comparison and category keywords sit on competitive results pages. If that's your bottleneck, see how backlinks for SaaS companies work in Outrank's exchange.
Mistakes software companies make with keywords
- Targeting your own jargon. Your feature might be called "Smart Flows", but buyers search "workflow automation". Use the words in your customers' search queries, not your product's UI.
- Only writing top-of-funnel posts. "What is project management" brings readers who are years from buying. Build the alternatives, comparison and use-case pages first.
- Answering commercial keywords with blog posts. If Google ranks comparison pages and landing pages for "CRM for real estate agents", a 2,000-word blog post won't break in.
- Chasing the category head term. "CRM" is fought over by the biggest brands. Twenty use-case keywords are a better first year.
- Publishing near-duplicate pages. "Time tracking for freelancers" and "freelancer time tracking app" usually show the same results. One page, not two; see keyword clustering.
For the technical side (JavaScript rendering, app subdomains, docs), our guide to technical SEO for SaaS covers what to fix. Outrank handles the keyword and content side for software companies: it researches your niche and competitors, picks keywords your site can win, and publishes an article a day to WordPress, Webflow, Framer, Next.js or a webhook, with backlinks from its exchange.
FAQ
What are the best SEO keywords for a software company?
The best keywords are bottom-of-funnel patterns: "[competitor] alternatives", "[A] vs [B]", "[category] software for [industry]", integration keywords and pricing keywords. They have smaller volume but bring buyers who are choosing a tool. Add problem and how-to keywords next to build traffic around the jobs your product does.
How do I find keywords for a SaaS product?
List your category terms, competitors, integrations, features, target industries and the jobs your product does, then turn each into its search pattern. Check volume and difficulty in a keyword tool, run a keyword gap analysis against competitors, and read Search Console queries and support tickets for real customer phrasing.
Should SaaS companies target competitor brand keywords?
Yes, with alternatives and comparison pages that are fair and accurate. People searching "[competitor] alternatives" are actively looking to switch, so these are among the highest-converting keywords in software. Keep claims about competitors factual and dated, because pricing and features change.
Are low-volume keywords worth it for B2B software?
Usually yes. A keyword with 30 searches a month from people comparing tools can bring more sign-ups than a 3,000-search definition keyword. Low-volume keywords are also easier to rank for; the median keyword Outrank targets has 170 searches a month and a keyword difficulty of 14.
How long does SEO take for a software company?
Expect a slow first three months. In Outrank's study of 2,119 sites, the median site was up 7% after 28 days, 27% after 84 days and at 2.0× its starting clicks by month 7. Software sites face tougher competition, so links and bottom-of-funnel pages matter more for speed.
