I helped a B2B SaaS startup in the project management niche acquire over 200 paying customers from SEO in six months.

Here's exactly how I do it for software companies and startups.

Before I proceed, the results speak for themselves:

➡️ Copysmith (AI copywriting tool): Drove 3,000+ user signups in just 7 months, and improved their search presence.

➡️ SweetProcess (SOP software): Currently redefining their SEO strategy, driving thousands of monthly signups from Google and ranking high for MoFu and BoFu keywords that actually convert.

➡️ OneCal (calendar sync software): Took them from zero to 40,000+ monthly visitors in six months. Dominated the first-page rankings for calendar-sync keywords.

Today, I run Your Content Mart, where my team and I help SaaS startups compete with goliaths in their niche. I've also shared my insights in publications like Moz, CoSchedule, G2, and Entrepreneur.

My Approach

After 7+ years in SaaS SEO, here's what I've learned: traffic without conversions is just expensive vanity metrics.

So, I focus on building SEO strategies that align with your business goals. That way, we not only drive traffic but also generate user signups, leads, and demo requests.

Here's how I make organic search drive signups, not just traffic, for SaaS startups:

✅ Deep user research - I become obsessed with understanding your ideal users, their pain points, and how they search for solutions like yours.

✅ Funnel-focused keyword strategy - Target keywords that map to every stage of your customer journey, from awareness to decision.

✅ Product-led content creation - Build content that naturally showcases your product while solving real user problems.

✅ Technical SEO foundation - Ensure your site architecture supports both user experience and search engine crawling.

✅ Conversion optimization - Every piece of content is designed to move visitors closer to becoming customers.

When I'm not obsessing over search rankings, I spend my time:

- Testing new AI tools that could change the game for myself and clients.
- Studying successful SaaS companies to understand their growth strategies.
- Exploring Africa's growing tech ecosystem and connecting with other entrepreneurs.

I'm currently taking on select SaaS startups that are serious about turning SEO into a sustainable growth channel.

Ready to transform your organic search strategy?

DM me or email shehu@yourcontentmart.co

AbdulGaniy Shehu

Most B2B SaaS companies still think SEO = publishing more blog posts.

That worked in 2015.

In 2026, AI search engines don't just read your website. 

They scan Reddit, YouTube, and Wikipedia; everywhere people talk about your niche.

You're not just creating content. You're now teaching AI what to recommend.

Every Reddit comment, every community discussion, every authentic answer you give, you're teaching AI tools what your brand does and who you help.

The future of search belongs to companies that control the narrative beyond their blogs.

Swipe to learn the playbook for winning AEO in 2026. 👇

#saas #seo

Shehu AbdulGaniy

Founder @ Your Content Mart | SEO & AEO for B2B SaaS Companies

Start Training AI Models Using This Strategy

Here is what I built with Claude this week.

An SEO ROI calculator for B2B SaaS companies, which answers the question most founders can't: "How many signups do I actually need to justify my SEO budget?"

What it does:
- Calculates signups needed per month to break even.
- Shows your cost per acquisition from organic search.
- Gives you traffic targets based on your conversion rate.
- Works for both PLG (trial-based) and sales-led SaaS companies.

It's free to use, and no email address is required. 

Just plug in your numbers, and it tells you if your SEO investment makes sense.

You can try it using the link in the comment section below.

Would genuinely love your feedback. What's missing? What's confusing? Let me know.

P.S.: This was inspired by Grow and Convert's Content Marketing ROI spreadsheet. Just made it interactive and available online.

#saas #seo

Perplexity cites Reddit in 46.7% of its answers.

ChatGPT? Only 11.3%.

If you're not building a Reddit presence, you're invisible to one of the fastest-growing sources for AI search engines.

Here's what recent research shows:

AI search engines don't work like Google. 

Each one pulls from different sources:

Perplexity → Reddit
ChatGPT → Wikipedia
Google AI Overviews → Reddit

So optimizing only for Google means you're missing where AI tools are actually looking.

The old SEO playbook was: publish articles on your website, build backlinks, and rank.

AEO is different.

AI tools don't just scan your website. They look at what people across the web are saying about your space, your problems, your solutions.

Think of it as training the models.

Every Reddit comment you write, every question you answer in your niche subreddits, you're teaching AI tools: 

→ What problems your product solves 
→ How you think about the industry
→ What language your customers actually use

This isn't about posting more blog content.

It's about multi-channel distribution.

If you're only focused on onsite SEO; publishing 10, 20, 50 articles a month on your blog, you're playing yesterday's game.

The AI tools are learning from Reddit, YouTube, community forums, Q&A platforms.

That's where you need to be.

Are you investing in Reddit as part of your content strategy or still focused only on your blog?

#seo #saas

I was listening to Gaetano Nino DiNardi on a podcast the other day, and he shared a concept that completely reframes how to think about AEO.

Money prompts.

In SEO, we talk about money keywords: the middle and bottom-of-funnel terms that indicate buying intent. 

Phrases like:

→ "Project management software." 
→ "Hubspot alternatives." 
→ "Hubspot vs Monday." 
→ "Hubspot pricing."

These are keywords people search when they're ready to buy.

But here's the thing: people don't search ChatGPT the same way they search Google.

No one opens ChatGPT and types "HubSpot vs Monday."

They ask: "What's the difference between HubSpot and Monday. com in terms of integration with other tools?"

That's a money prompt.

Same intent but different format. Conversational, not keyword-based.

So how do you optimize for money prompts?

Here's the process:

Step 1: Identify 5-10 money keywords for your business

Start with the terms you know drive revenue. The bottom-of-funnel keywords that bring buyers, not browsers.

Step 2: Turn them into conversational questions

Use ChatGPT or Claude to convert those keywords into questions someone would actually ask an AI tool.

"Project management software" becomes:

→ "What's the best project management software for a small business?"
→ "Which project management tool has the best integrations?"
→ "How do I choose between Asana, Monday, and ClickUp?"

Step 3: Track how you show up

If you have a budget, use AEO tracking tools to monitor your top 5-10 money prompts.

If you don't, manually search for them in ChatGPT, Claude, or Perplexity, to see if you're in the answer.

If you are, it shows you've done a lot influencing the AI models.

Else, it means you still have a lot to do.

Try it this weekend and let me know what you discover.

#saas #seo

Had a conversation with Craig Hewitt (Founder & CEO of Castos) a while back.

Asked him:  "When's the best time for a SaaS startup to invest in SEO?"

His response:

"Day Zero."

Not after product-market fit. 
Not after you have traction. 
Day Zero.

If Craig started a new company today, he'd map out 6 months of content, hire a writer, and start publishing at least once a week.

Then build the product.

(If you're bootstrapped with no budget, write it yourself. Even once every two weeks works. Something is better than nothing.)

Most founders do the opposite.

Build for months, launch, then scramble to get traffic. 

By then, they're 6-12 months behind on SEO while competitors who started earlier dominate search results.

Craig's approach?

Start with content targeting long-tail, easier-to-rank keywords in your space. 

Let that content sit and build authority with Google for 6 months while you're building the product.

By launch day, you already have:

→ 24+ pieces of content indexed
→ Early rankings establishing domain authority
→ A foundation to build on when you're ready to target competitive terms

SEO compounds over time, but only if you start. Waiting until "the right time" means you're always 6 months behind someone who started today.

Craig's been doing this at Castos for 8+ years. Their blog is now one of the highest-traffic podcasting blogs in the industry.

That compounding effect doesn't happen if you wait.

When did you start publishing content? 

Before or after you had a product to sell?

#saas #seo

Helped Copysmith generate 3,457 signups in 8 months with SEO | B2B SaaS SEO Strategist

What should we do to get cited by ChatGPT?

This is one of the most common questions by SaaS founders these days.

You see…

Currently, there is no official documentation from ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and others on the specific factors they consider before citing websites and pages on their platforms.

As the market matures and grows, we’ll most likely have more clarity on that.

That said, here’s one thing I've learned about being cited by these AI tools after analyzing several websites, reading various studies, listening to podcasts on AI search, and attending webinars on the topic.

It’s simple…

Ranking high on Google gives you an edge to get recommended by AI tools.

So, most of the things you do to rank high on Google are the exact things you’ll do to get cited on ChatGPT. 

Of course, this isn’t always the case.

If you’re a SaaS startup, I recommend focusing on fundamentals like:

→ Build a solid brand.

→ Build an SEO strategy around your startup’s topic(s).

→ Target each keyword with a specific page on your website.

→ Create helpful content that solves your reader’s problems.

→ Show (not just tell) how your tool works to solve their pain points.

→ Link the pages on your website.

→ Get featured on other relevant and authoritative websites.

→ Leverage other owned channels like LinkedIn, X, YouTube, Newsletter, and Podcast.

→ Invest in UGC channels like Reddit, Quora, and many more.

Which of these strategies are you currently implementing for your SaaS startup, and what impact are you seeing so far?

#saas #seo

Most SaaS companies are asking the wrong question about AI search.

They're debating: "Should we focus on Google or AI tools?"

But that's a false choice. 

The real opportunity is showing up everywhere your prospects are searching, whether that's Google, ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, or Claude.

At Your Content Mart, we don't treat SEO and AEO as separate channels. 

If you rank well on Google for the right keywords, AI tools are more likely to cite you. And when we say "right keywords," we mean ones that actually drive signups, not just traffic.

Take "Calendly alternative for remote teams" versus "how to choose a calendar app." One targets people ready to switch tools. The other targets people still figuring out what they need.

But ranking isn't enough on its own. The content structure matters. 

AI tools typically cite content that's specific, addresses real problems, uses relevant examples, and provides clear answers.

There's also what happens off your site. 

According to AirOps, nearly 90% of brand mentions in AI tools come from third-party content like comparison posts, listicles, and industry roundups. 

We've seen this work for our existing and previous clients:

For example, OneCal, a bootstrapped startup, now ranks high in Google AI Overviews for "calendar sync software", ahead of VC-backed competitors.

If you're a B2B SaaS founder ready to get serious about acquiring signups from Google and AI search, let's talk.

DM me or comment below.

#saas #seo

Founder @ Your Content Mart | Driving Signups & Paying Customers for B2B SaaS Companies Using SEO & GEO

The SEO vs AEO debate is everywhere right now.

Should you optimize for Google or AI tools? 

Traditional search or answer engines?

Here's my take: 

It's not either/or.

As long as people search for solutions online, SEO remains relevant. 

But the game is expanding beyond Google to include ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and whatever comes next.

That's what I'm focusing on this year.

Understanding how B2B SaaS companies can rank on Google and get cited by AI tools. Testing what actually works, not just repeating theory.

Also diving deep into AI tools that make SEO work faster and more effective.

If you're a B2B SaaS founder navigating SEO in 2026, this is what I'll be writing about.

#saas #seo

A lot of B2B SaaS founders and marketers are using AI to create blog content.

While some get great results from it. Most don’t.

Here's what's actually happening:

AI is trained on content that already exists on the web. When you prompt it to write about a topic, it summarizes what's out there and gives you an output. 

The problem is, everyone else using AI gets similar outputs.

Your article on project management software reads like every other one. Nothing stands out. Nothing is unique.

For B2B SaaS companies, this is especially problematic because you're competing for the same keywords as well-funded competitors with established domain authority. Generic AI content won't cut through that noise.

But AI-generated content can work if you approach it differently.

The key is giving AI something unique to work with.

Here are four ways to do that:

1) Include expert quotes

If you're writing about project management, interview project managers who actually use tools like yours. Ask them about specific challenges they face, how they solve them, and what they wish existed. 

Those insights make your content genuinely different from the generic "best practices" articles AI generates on its own.

2) Use proprietary data

If you have customer research, usage data, or industry benchmarks that no one else can access, build your content around that. 

AI can help you structure the analysis and draft the narrative, but the data itself is what makes the piece valuable and citable.

3) Show product walkthroughs

When your product solves the exact problem you're writing about, show it in action. Include screenshots, step-by-step processes, and real examples of customers using your solution. 

AI can draft the explanation, but the walkthrough demonstrates real value.

4) Work with domain experts

Hire content writers who actually understand your space. They catch AI hallucinations, add context and nuance, and write from real expertise rather than summarized knowledge. 

Even if you use AI to speed up drafting, having someone who knows the subject deeply makes the final output dramatically better.

Without unique input, AI just creates more noise. And you end up publishing more content while sacrificing quality.

#saas #seo

SEO drives traffic to your website.

AEO influences whether AI tools recommend you in their answers.

When you write a blog post targeting "project management software," the old game was simple: rank #1, get clicks, drive traffic.

That's SEO. The goal is visitors.

AEO works differently.

When someone asks ChatGPT, "What's the best project management tool for engineering teams?" the AI isn't trying to send them anywhere.

It's synthesizing an answer right there in the chat.

Your goal isn't traffic anymore. It's influence.

You want to be cited. You want to be the recommendation the AI gives when someone asks about your category.

So what changes?

The keywords you target need to shift. You're no longer chasing high-volume terms. You're targeting the exact questions people ask AI tools.

The content you create needs to be quotable, not just comprehensive. AI models extract clean answers, not entire articles.

Your success metrics flip. Traffic alone doesn't tell you if AI tools are recommending you. You need to start asking people how they found you.

If you're still only measuring traffic, you're optimizing for the wrong outcome.

This week, I want you to search your category in ChatGPT or Perplexity to see if you are in the answer. If not, every day you wait is a day your competitors could be filling that gap.

#saas #seo

Ahrefs analyzed 17 million AI citations and found something important:

AI-cited content is 25.7% fresher than content that ranks on Google.

AI platforms cite content that's about 2.9 years old on average, while Google's top results average 3.9 years old.

That's nearly a full year difference.

Here is what that means for your content strategy:

Let's say you published "The Best Notion Alternatives" back in 2023. Solid article and good research, but you haven't touched it since then. 

Fast forward to 2026. Notion alternatives have evolved. New tools have launched. The features have changed. The pricing has been updated. Yet your screenshots show interfaces that no longer exist.

When AI tools scan for information on Notion alternatives, they look for up-to-date information not outdated content.

Here's where the evergreen content strategy gets tricky:

Traditional evergreen content such as "What is project management?" or "Benefits of CRM software" can remain relatively static. That foundational information doesn't change much.

But the content that actually drives signups? That's different.

Comparison pages need to change when your competitor ships new features.

Alternative guides become outdated when pricing changes.

How-to articles need to be updated when interfaces change.

These aren't truly evergreen, even though we treat them that way.

What I typically recommend:

Monitor your content monthly to see what's performing. Then, on a quarterly basis, identify pieces that need refreshing.

Not everything needs constant updates. Top-of-funnel content can go longer between refreshes.

But your middle and bottom-funnel content, like comparisons, alternatives, pricing guides, and implementation how-tos, needs more frequent attention.

When your competitor updates their product, and you don't update your comparison page, guess whose features AI learns about?

#saas #seo

I'm seeing a growing trend among B2B SaaS founders.

They attend a webinar on AEO or GEO or listen to a podcast about AI search. Then decide SEO is dead and want to abandon their entire strategy for ranking on Google.

This is a mistake.

Yes, AI search is growing fast. 

ChatGPT has 800 million weekly active users. Google's AI Mode is rolling out globally. Perplexity and Claude are gaining traction.

But that doesn't mean you should abandon Google rankings.

Here's why:

Google is investing billions into AI search. Their AI Mode is designed to give users answers without sending them to websites. Eventually, this will likely become the default search experience.

But here's what most founders miss: even when AI Mode becomes default, Google will still need to pull answers from somewhere.

And where do you think Google will source those answers?

Most likely from websites that already rank well in traditional search.

Google has spent 25+ years building ranking algorithms. They're not throwing that away. They're integrating it with AI.

So when Google AI Mode looks for the best answer about 'project management software for remote teams,' it will likely prioritize sites that already rank well for that query.

If you're not ranking now, you won't be cited then.

This is why ripping out your SEO strategy right now is premature.

The smart move is to optimize for both.

Rank on Google through traditional SEO and structure your content so AI tools can easily cite it.

Are you optimizing for both Google and AI search, or betting everything on one?

#saas #seo

In traditional SEO, the rule is simple: 1 keyword = 1 page.

Let’s say you wanted to rank for "email marketing software," you'd create one comprehensive page targeting that head term. 

Publishing multiple pages for variations like "email marketing software for startups" or "email marketing software for agencies" would lead to the pages competing with each other.

This made sense when the goal was to rank #1 on Google. Only one page could win that top spot.

But AI search works differently.

With ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Google's AI Mode, the goal isn't just ranking #1. It's influencing the models to cite you across different query variations.

Here's what changed:

People don't search AI tools the same way they Google. 

Instead of typing "email marketing software," they ask specific questions like:

→ "What's the best email marketing tool for a bootstrapped B2B SaaS startup?"
→ "How do I send emails automatically to people interested in my nonprofit work?"
→ "What email marketing software works best with Salesforce?"

When you have multiple pages covering these specific variations, AI models have more context to pull from. 

So, don't be afraid to publish multiple pages targeting related keyword variations.

You're not competing for one ranking position anymore; you're building your brand’s citation potential.

#saas #seo

Someone read my post last week about training AI models and got confused. 

They thought I was telling people to stop writing blog posts altogether.

So I explained further: 

AI tools aren't just reading your blog anymore. They go out and pull from everywhere: forums, discussions, Q&A threads, videos, across the entire web.

That led us to talk about Reddit.

And what he said next stuck with me:

"Reddit is indeed a gold mine."

For me, he's absolutely right.

Think about it. 

When someone posts on Reddit, they're not packaging information. They're not trying to impress anyone. They're just being helpful. Writing the way they'd explain it to a friend.

That's exactly why AI tools are citing it so much.

Reddit gets cited 46.7% of the time by Perplexity. Not because Reddit threads are well-optimized. Because people there are genuinely trying to help.

Now compare that to how most B2B SaaS companies write their blog content.

The irony? 

If you compare a Reddit thread and a corporate blog post on the exact same topic, the Reddit thread almost always gives you more real value.

Here's what I think matters now:

1) Be helpful first. Before you worry about keyword selection or AI citation, just focus on actually helping your reader.

2) Write like a human, not like a brand. The moment your content sounds like everyone else's, it becomes invisible to readers and to AI.

3) Add something new. Information your reader can't find on the first three Google results. That's what makes content worth citing.

The companies that figure this out early will dominate AI search.

#saas #seo

What is the traffic potential of this keyword?

This is the question most SaaS founders ask when building their SEO strategies.

Truth is…

On the surface, targeting keywords with a high search volume makes sense.

If more people are searching for a keyword, it means you have more opportunities to reach your target audience.

In reality, prioritizing keywords with a high search volume isn’t the best approach for startups.

Here is why…

1) Most high-volume keywords have low buying intent

High-volume keywords are typically informational. 

Most users searching for them are either trying to educate themselves or are unaware that your tool can solve a problem they have.

2) The search landscape is changing

There are numerous pain-point buyer-intent keywords with low or zero search volume in SEO tools. 

If you ignore them, you’ll be leaving potential customers on the table.

3) Traffic acquisition is a means to an end

As a SaaS startup, you don't need millions of visitors to grow your business. 

Instead, you need the right visitors who convert into paying customers. 

While a 50K monthly visitors graph is an ego booster on LinkedIn, 1000+ monthly signups with a decent conversion rate can go a long way to grow your startup profitably.

If you're a SaaS startup getting traffic but no signups, let's chat about what could be missing.

#saas #seo

Last year, AI Overviews reached 2 billion monthly users across 200+ countries.

According to Google, searches that show AI Overviews resulted in 10% more queries than before.

People were asking new types of questions they never thought to search for.

Six months later, AI Overviews are now a standard part of the search experience.

Here's what this means for B2B SaaS companies:

The "should we optimize for AI search?" debate is over.

2 billion people are seeing AI-generated summaries before they see your website. If you're not getting cited in those summaries, you're missing massive visibility.

The opportunity is even bigger than that.

AI search isn't replacing traditional search; it's expanding it. People are now searching more, asking more complex questions, exploring deeper.

This creates two paths:

1) Keep optimizing only for traditional Google rankings. 

With this approach, you'll watch your visibility shrink as AI Overviews take up more SERPs space.

2) Optimize for both (rank on Google and get cited in AI summaries). 

This helps you to capture traffic from traditional results and AI-generated answers.

Which path are you on?

#saas #seo

If you're active on Reddit, which subreddits are you finding most valuable for B2B SaaS?

#saas #seo

Which of these best describes your current Reddit strategy?

taplio