SEO for B2B SaaS Founders: The First 50 Pages You Actually Need

Early-stage B2B SaaS SEO has a sequencing problem: founders skip the foundational pages and jump straight to blog content. The result is a 200-post blog that ranks for nothing useful and a homepage that doesn't convert. Build the first 50 pages in this order and the next 200 actually compound.

Table of contents

1. Why page sequencing matters more than volume · 2. The 12 conversion pages (build first) · 3. The 18 comparison & alternative pages · 4. The 12 use-case + integration pages · 5. The 8 foundational SEO assets · 6. When to start the blog · 7. FAQ

Why page sequencing matters more than volume

Early SaaS sites underperform because they invest in top-of-funnel content before the bottom-of-funnel pages exist to capture demand. The first 50 pages should be commercial-intent (comparison, pricing, alternatives, use-case), not informational. Once those pages exist and rank, blog content has somewhere to send qualified traffic — until then, blog traffic leaks.

The 12 conversion pages (build first)

Homepage, pricing, individual product pages, security/SOC2 page, demo/trial signup, customer story per ICP segment (3–5), about, contact, careers, changelog, status. Each gets Organization, Product, FAQPage and SoftwareApplication schema where relevant. **A SaaS site without a transparent pricing page loses ~40% of qualified pipeline in our audits**, and a site without security documentation loses every enterprise deal at procurement.

The 18 comparison & alternative pages

X vs Competitor (your top 6 competitors), Best [category] for [persona] (e.g., 'best CRM for solo consultants'), [Competitor] alternatives, [Category] tools comparison. These are the highest-converting SEO pages a SaaS owns — buyers searching them are 70% through the buying journey. Use comparison schema (Product with itemReviewed) and write honestly; competitor-disparaging content gets called out and shared.

The 12 use-case + integration pages

/use-cases/{job-to-be-done} (6–8 pages), /integrations/{tool} for your top 4 integrations. Use-case pages capture jobs-to-be-done queries that don't fit cleanly into product naming; integration pages rank fast because '[Your product] + [Popular tool]' has low competition and high intent.

The 8 foundational SEO assets

llms.txt, robots.txt, XML sitemap, BreadcrumbList sitewide, Organization + Person schema, /about page with founder bios, security policy, privacy policy. These aren't sexy but they're the entity-recognition foundation that lets ChatGPT answer 'who is [your company]' correctly. Skipping them is the most common reason a well-funded SaaS is still invisible in AI engines after 18 months.

When to start the blog

After the 50 commercial pages exist and your homepage ranks for your brand. The blog's job is to capture problem-aware buyers and feed AI citations — not to drive direct conversions. Start with 'how to' and 'what is' content for the exact pains your product solves, with internal links pointing to use-case and pricing pages.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is 50 pages really enough to compete?

For a niche B2B SaaS, yes — 50 high-intent pages routinely outperform 500 thin blog posts. The largest SaaS sites have thousands of pages, but most of their traffic comes from a few dozen comparison and integration pages. Build that core first, scale the rest later.

Should I publish AI-written comparison pages?

AI-drafted then human-edited is fine; pure AI generation gets caught by helpful-content systems and by buyers (low conversion). Comparison content benefits enormously from real product testing — that's the moat.

How do I avoid getting sued for competitor comparison pages?

Stick to factual, sourced claims (cite their pricing page, their docs, your own tested screenshots). Avoid superlatives without evidence. The legal risk is overstated — every major SaaS does this; lawsuits are vanishingly rare when content is factual.

Do AI engines cite SaaS vendor websites or third parties?

Both, but third-party citations dominate (G2, Capterra, Reddit, comparison blogs). Invest in third-party presence as much as your own site — entity stacking is the AEO moat for SaaS.

What's the highest-leverage page on a SaaS site for AEO?

The /alternatives/ or /vs/ pages. They answer the exact comparative question buyers ask AI engines, and once cited they often pull through to the homepage. Build them with FAQPage schema and direct 40–60 word answer blocks.