Keyword difficulty for SaaS

Why core SaaS category terms are so hard

Category keywords like project management software carry very high difficulty because well-funded companies invest heavily in content and links to own them. For most SaaS teams, ranking for the main category term is a multi-year goal, not a starting point.

The winnable opportunity sits around the category, in the specific searches your buyers make on their way to a decision.

Comparison and alternative keywords

Searches like competitor alternative or product A versus product B have strong commercial intent and lower difficulty than the category term, because fewer pages target them well. These are prime SaaS keywords: the searcher is actively evaluating tools.

Write honest, specific comparison pages that help the reader choose, and you can rank for terms that send high-intent traffic straight to a trial.

Jobs-to-be-done and problem keywords

The lowest difficulty SaaS keywords describe the problem your product solves, phrased as the user would ask it: how to do a task, why something breaks, or a specific workflow. These informational searches build topical authority and feed your funnel.

• Map the questions buyers ask before they know your category exists
• Answer each one on a focused page that links to the relevant feature
• Group them into clusters around each core job

See how to find low-competition keywords for the method.

Validate before you build

SaaS content is expensive to produce, so confirm targets are realistic first. Run the free Can You Rank? check to check a page and keyword together before you commit a writer.