SaaS is a highly competitive online business model. Therefore, to stand out and stay ahead of the curve you must design a Software as a Service (SaaS) website that not only captures attention but also propels visitors toward meaningful conversions.
However, in the cloud-based software space, innovation is relentless, and user expectations are sky-high. Hence, crafting a website that stands out and also converts visitors into loyal customers is a formidable challenge.
In this article, we’ll discuss how to build a SaaS website. One that will significantly help you boost your conversion rates. Dive right in!
1. Understand your audience and goals
Your website should be tailored to your target audience. It’s not merely about attracting traffic, it's about attracting quality traffic. To achieve this, you must delve deep into the psyche of your audience, and comprehend their needs, desires, pain points, and preferences.
The first step in doing so is defining your target audience. Who are they? What challenges are they facing? What are their preferences in terms of design, tone, or cost factor? Conduct thorough market research, surveys, and user interviews to gather this crucial information.
Are they small business owners or large enterprises looking for scalable cloud-based SaaS applications or solutions? Understand their demographics, psychographics, and behavior patterns. The more detailed your understanding, the more precisely you can tailor your website content and design to meet their expectations.
For instance, if you’re a manufacturer, you will identify if your target audience prefers how-to content over comparison blogs and the manufacturer web design elements that work best. From visuals to CTAs.
Armed with this information, create a customer persona that’ll guide you.
Once you've defined your audience, the next vital step is setting clear goals for your website. What do you want visitors to do when they land on your site? Sign up for a free trial, or download a resource? Establishing concrete, measurable objectives provides a sense of direction for your website design and content strategy.
Keep in mind that understanding your audience and setting clear goals are intertwined processes. Your goals should align with the needs and preferences of your audience.
For instance, say your audience values comprehensive guides and knowledge. Your goal might be to increase engagement by X% within the next six months through a regularly updated blog section.
2. Plan and structure your content
Content is the heartbeat of any website. Therefore, planning and structuring your content thoughtfully can make all the difference. Your content on various web pages should captivate, inform, and persuade your visitors.
Here are some web pages you must include in your SaaS content planning process.
Homepage
Your homepage should be inviting, informative, and instantly communicative of your SaaS offering’s unique value proposition. Craft a compelling headline that clearly states what your product does and how it can benefit the visitor.
For instance, in the example below, you can tell that their product focuses on email marketing and automation, helping users convert their email contacts into loyal customers.
Integrate high-quality visuals and intuitive navigation, guiding visitors seamlessly to other sections of your site.
Features and benefits
SaaS products’ features tend to be complex. Therefore, it’s key that you translate technical details into user-friendly language. Clearly articulate your product’s basic features and, more importantly, emphasize the benefits these features offer to users.
How does your software make their lives easier or more efficient? See how GetResponse executes this on their features page.
It’s crucial that your features’ content is backed by visuals to keep readers engaged. So, ensure you choose a great web hosting service that provides resources for such media-rich pages.
Pricing and Plans
Transparency in SaaS pricing models is vital. A confusing pricing strategy will drive potential customers away. So clearly outline your subscription plans, detailing what each tier offers, as shown below.
This builds trust and also helps potential customers make informed decisions, leading to higher conversion rates. Consider offering a free trial period or a freemium model to allow users to experience your product before committing.
Testimonials and case studies
Nothing speaks louder for your brand than satisfied customers. So incorporate testimonials and case studies into your website to showcase real-life proof of SaaS business impact.
See how our GetResponse example does this below.
These elements add credibility to your brand, instilling confidence in prospective clients.
FAQs and support
In the digital age, users expect instant answers. Anticipate common questions your visitors might have and provide comprehensive FAQs. Also, offer multiple customer support channels, such as live chat, email, or phone support, ensuring users can easily reach out if they need assistance.
Blog and resources
A regularly updated blog and resources section serves multiple purposes.
It enhances your website’s SEO, making it more discoverable to potential customers searching for related topics. Additionally, it positions your brand as an authority in your industry, enabling your website to stand out and boost conversions.
3. Responsive and user-centric design
Considering users access websites from a range of devices and screen sizes, having a responsive and user-centric design is not just a preference; it's a necessity.
A responsive design ensures that your website adapts gracefully to the wide range of screen sizes and orientations. Text, images, buttons, and forms should be optimized, providing a smooth and enjoyable user experience for smaller-screen users.
A mobile-responsive website will also positively influence search engine rankings since search engines like Google prioritize mobile-friendly websites in their results.
Intuitive navigation lies at the core of user-centric design. Visitors should be able to explore your website effortlessly. Therefore, create logical menu structures, use concise labels, and implement a clean and uncluttered layout that enhances readability.
Additionally, incorporate a prominent search feature that enables users to quickly locate specific information.
Don’t forget clear CTAs! They guide visitors toward desired actions, such as signing up for a free trial, making a purchase, or contacting your team. These actions are the steps that lead to conversions.
Use clear, concise, and action-oriented language for CTAs. Additionally, whether a button, form, or hyperlink, your CTAs should stand out visually, prompting users to click and engage.
4. Optimize for performance and SEO
To effectively optimize your website for performance and SEO, start by checking your page load speed. Users expect websites to load almost instantly. Any delay leads to frustration and high bounce rates. A fast-loading website also positively impacts search engine rankings, as search engines like Google consider page speed as a ranking factor.
Some key strategies to enhance your load speed include optimizing images, minifying CSS and JavaScript files, leveraging browser caching, and using Content Delivery Networks (CDNs).
Next, publish SEO-friendly content. This content includes the strategic use of keywords that potential customers use when searching for SaaS solutions. By naturally incorporating these keywords into your content, headings, alt text, titles, and meta descriptions, you boost your visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs).
Ensure you create high-quality content that earns backlinks from authoritative websites. Additionally, regularly updating your website with fresh, informative content signals to search engines that your site is active, improving its chances of ranking higher in SERPs.
Analytics on user behavior are core to understanding your website’s performance. By understanding user interactions, you can identify bottlenecks and friction points, which you can refine for improved visibility and conversions.
So run A/B tests on different elements, such as CTAs, headlines, and forms, to help you make data-driven decisions. Additionally, monitor SEO performance through third-party tools like Google Analytics to track metrics like organic traffic, keyword rankings, and user engagement.
In closing
A great SaaS website is the key to success in a landscape that has grown quite competitive.
But crafting a SaaS website that stands out and converts isn’t just about implementing the latest web design trends, as we’ve discussed in our guide on how to build a SaaS website.
Designing a great SaaS website requires a deep understanding of your audience, responsive design, intuitive navigation, engaging content, and a commitment to ongoing optimization.
Follow these strategies and tips on how to build a SaaS website today and see your standout SaaS website become a powerful tool for driving conversions and fostering customer loyalty. All the best!