SaaS SEO for Founders: What to Ask Before Hiring an SEO Agency

Hiring the wrong SEO agency can quietly burn months of runway.

You get nice reports. You get more traffic. But your demo calendar is still empty, your CAC is still high, and nobody can explain what you actually got for the money.

If you run a SaaS company, you cannot afford that.

This guide is for SaaS founders and CEOs who want to hire an SEO partner but do not want to gamble their brand, their pipeline, or their sanity.

You will get:

• A simple checklist of questions to ask any SEO agency

• There are red flags that should make you walk away

• The green flags that show they understand B2B and SaaS

• How we handle these questions Business Warriors so you can see what a safe answer looks like

If you already know you want a SaaS‑SEO team, you can skip ahead and see how we work on our

Before You Start: What You Actually Want From SEO

Most agencies will talk about:

• Rankings

• Traffic

• Impressions

• “Visibility”

As a founder, you care about:

• Demo requests and trials

• Sales pipeline and MRR

• CAC and payback period

• Churn and expansion

So when you interview an SEO agency, your real question is:

“Can you connect what you do to demos, revenue, and runway for my SaaS?”

Keep that in mind as you read the questions below.

Question 1: “What Does a Successful SEO Engagement Look Like for a SaaS Company Like Mine?”

A good SaaS SEO agency will:

• Talk demo requests, trials, and pipeline, not just traffic

• Ask about pricing, ACV, sales cycle, and churn

• Explain how they will measure success business metrics

Red flags:

• “We will get you to page one for 50 keywords.”

• “We guarantee #1 rankings in 90 days.”

• No mention of demos, trials, or revenue at all.

How we answer at Business Warriors:

• We start with demo and revenue targets, then work backwards

• We define success as “X extra demos / trials per month from organic within Y months”

• We show how SEO fits into your overall growth engine (paid, email, sales, product)

Question 2: “What Is Your Experience With B2B SaaS, Not Just ‘SEO’?”

SEO for a local plumber and SEO for a B2B SaaS platform are not the same game.

A good answer will include:

• Specific SaaS or B2B case studies

• Understanding long sales cycles and multiple stakeholders

• Familiarity with PLG vs models

• Examples of content into demos, not just traffic

Red flags:

• They only show ecommerce or local business examples

• They cannot explain the difference between B2C and B2B SaaS funnels

• They do not mention demos, trials, or sales teams at all

How we answer at Business Warriors:

• We specialise in service and B2B growth, including SaaS

• We talk through real examples of turning SEO content into booked calls and pipeline

• We show how we use SEO alongside paid ads, email, and sales to fill calendars

Question 3: “How Will You Adapt Your Strategy to Our ICP and Sales Model?”

In SaaS, who you sell to and how you sell changes everything.

A good agency will ask you about:

• Your ideal customer profile (ICP)

• Your ACV and contract length

• Whether you are PLG, sales‑led, or hybrid

• How demos are booked and how trials are activated

They should then explain how they will:

• Map your buyer journey

• Build content for each stage of the funnel

• Align SEO with your sales and CS teams

Red flags:

• One‑size‑fits‑all “we publish X blogs per month” packages

• No questions about your ICP, ACV, or sales process

• They talk more about their tools than your customers

At Business Warriors:

• We start with astrategy workshop focused on your ICP, funnel, and offers

• We design SEO content that moves people one step closer to a demo or trial

• We keep your sales team in the loop so content supports their conversations

Question 4: “What Types of Content Will You Create for Us, and Why?”

For SaaS, you need more than generic blog posts.

A serious SaaS SEO partner will talk about:

• Comparison and alternatives pages

• Use case and industry pages

• Playbooks and step‑by‑step guides

• Benchmarks, templates, and calculators

They should explain:

• Which content is aimed at top of funnel

• Which content is aimed at bottom of funnel

• How each piece will be used to drive demos and trials

Red flags:

• “We will write four blog posts per month” with no strategy

• No mention of comparison pages or use case pages

• No plan for CTAs, lead capture, or nurturing

At Business Warriors:

• We build a content roadmap that includes:

  • High‑intent pages (comparisons, use cases, pricing support)

  • Authority assets (playbooks, benchmarks, templates)

• Every piece has a clear next step: book a demo, start a trial, or download a resource

Question 5: “How Do You Handle Technical SEO for SaaS Sites?”

You do not need a developer as your SEO, but they must understand the basics of a SaaS setup:

• Marketing site vs app vs docs

• Subdomains vs subfolders

• Site speed and Core Web Vitals

• Navigation and crawlability

Good signs:

• They can explain, in simple language, how they will:

  • Keep your marketing content on the main domain

  • Make sure key pages are crawlable and indexable

  • Improve speed and UX without breaking your product

• They talk about internal linking and information architecture

Red flags:

• They want to move everything to random subdomains

• They push heavy plugins or bloated tools without reason

• They cannot explain technical concepts in plain English

At Business Warriors:

• We focus on practical fixes that move the needle

• We work with your dev team instead of fighting them

• We keep your product experience and conversions front and centre

Question 6: “What Is Your Approach to Link Building for SaaS?”

Links still matter. But in SaaS, you want quality and relevance, not spam.

Good agencies will talk about:

• Directories and review sites (G2, Capterra, niche directories)

• Guest content, podcasts, and community contributions

• Partnership and integration links

• Earning links to your best assets (guides, benchmarks, templates)

Red flags:

• Selling “packages” of 100+ links per month

• Using private blog networks (PBNs) or obvious link farms

• Guaranteeing specific link numbers without context

At Business Warriors:

• We focus on real relationships and relevant mentions

• We use your best content as link magnets

• We care more about pipeline and brand safety than vanity link counts

Question 7: “What Will You Need From Us to Be Successful?”

SEO is not fully “set and forget,” especially in SaaS.

A good partner will be honest that they need:

• Access to your data (analytics, CRM, search console)

• Time with founders, marketing, sales, and CS to understand your customers

• Feedback on lead quality and closed‑won deals

• Approval and input on positioning and messaging

Red flags:

• “We do everything. You will not need to be involved at all.”

• No mention of collaboration with your team

• No plan for regular strategy reviews

At Business Warriors:

• We run a collaborative process

• We bring the SEO and growth expertise

• You bring the product and customer insight

• Together we build a system that fills your calendar with the right demos

Question 8: “How Will You Report Results, and How Often?”

You want reporting that is:

• Simple

• Honest

• Tied to business outcomes

Good reporting includes:

• Rankings and traffic for priority SaaS keywords

• Organic traffic to key pages (product, use cases, comparison pages)

• Demo and trial volume from organic

• High‑level view of pipeline and revenue impact

Red flags:

• 20‑page PDF reports full of vanity metrics

• No mention of demos, trials, or revenue

• They avoid talking about what is not working

At Business Warriors:

• We agree on a small set of core KPIs with you

• We report on what matters to founders: demos, trials, pipeline

• We are transparent about wins, misses, and next steps

Question 9: “What Are the Biggest Risks or Limitations With SEO for Our SaaS Right Now?”

This is a powerful question.

A serious agency will:

• Be honest about competition and timelines

• Tell you if your brand, positioning, or site needs work first

• Explain what they cannot control (Google updates, market shifts)

• Help you set realistic expectations

Red flags:

• “There are no risks.”

• “We can rank you for anything.”

• They dodge the question or give vague answers.

At Business Warriors:

• We tell you where SEO can win fast and where it will take time

• We show you how to de‑risk by combining SEO with paid and email

• We will walk away if we do not think SEO is the right move for you yet

Quick Checklist for SaaS Founders Hiring an SEO Agency

You can use this as a simple yes / no checklist in your next agency call.

Strategy and SaaS Fit

• Do they talk about demos, trials, and pipeline, not just traffic?

• Do they understand B2B SaaS, ACV, churn, and sales cycles?

• Can they explain how SEO fits into your overall growth engine?

Execution

• Do they have a clear plan for comparison pages, use cases, and playbooks?

• Do they have a sensible approach to technical SEO for SaaS sites?

• Is their link building brand‑safe and relevance‑driven?

Communication and Reporting

• Are they honest about timelines and limitations?

• Do they show how they will report on demos and revenue?

• Do they ask smart questions about your ICP and product?

If you get mostly “no” on the questions above, you probably have your answer.

When You Want a SaaS‑Focused SEO Partner You Can Trust

You do not need another agency that sends you pretty reports and vague promises.

You need a partner who:

• Understands B2B and SaaS economics

• Builds SEO around demos, trials, and pipeline

• Can plug into your existing sales and marketing engine

• Is honest about what it will take to win

That is exactly how we run SaaS SEO at Business Warriors.

You can see what we do, what is included, and how we work with founders CLICK AROUND THIS PAGE TO BOOK A FREE MARKETING PLAN see you soon.