Search engine optimization (SEO)

SEO is our primary long-term growth engine. We're building organic visibility by publishing strategic content that targets buyers actively searching for help center and documentation solutions.

Core strategy

Our SEO approach focuses on consistent, high-quality content targeting low-to-mid-volume, low-difficulty keywords. This strategy allows us to:

• Rank quickly with a newer domain

• Target high-intent buyers without competing against established giants

• Build topical authority in the knowledge base and documentation space

• Generate compounding organic traffic over time

Content production workflow

We publish 3-5 articles per week following this process:

1. Keyword research (ongoing)

We constantly monitor Ahrefs for keyword opportunities that match our criteria:

• Volume: Low to mid-range (typically 50-1,000 monthly searches)

• Difficulty: Low (achievable for our domain authority)

• Intent: Bottom-of-funnel preferred (comparisons, alternatives, "best X" searches)

• ICP alignment: Keywords our target customers would actually search

2. Content creation with AI assistance

We draft articles using Claude Opus 4.5, focusing on:

• Comprehensive coverage of the search intent

• Practical, actionable insights (not generic fluff)

• Authentic voice that reflects our positioning

• Strategic internal linking to product pages and related content

3. Publishing and optimization

Articles are published to our blog and help center, optimized for:

• Target keyword in title, H1, and naturally throughout content

• Clear structure with descriptive headings

• Fast page load times (critical for SEO and user experience)

• Mobile responsiveness

• Internal linking to build site authority

Target content types

We focus on specific content formats that drive conversions:

Comparison and alternative pages

Articles comparing Ferndesk to competitors or comparing competitor tools (e.g., "Zendesk vs. Intercom," "Help Scout alternatives"). These capture buyers actively evaluating options.

Buyer's guides and "best of" lists

Curated lists like "best help center software for SaaS" that position Ferndesk alongside (or above) alternatives.

Solution-focused content

Articles addressing specific pain points our ICP searches for (e.g., "how to keep documentation up to date," "reducing support tickets with better docs").

Free blog posts (weekly minimum)

At least one article per week targeting broader ICP interests—not always directly about help centers, but valuable to our audience (e.g., product-led growth tactics, documentation best practices).

Tools and resources

Our SEO stack is intentionally lean:

• Ahrefs: Keyword research, competitor analysis, rank tracking, backlink monitoring

• Claude Opus 4.5: Content drafting and ideation

• Ferndesk help center: Publishing platform (dogfooding our own product for SEO performance)

What we're not measuring (yet)

We're actively publishing but currently lack systematic measurement across key metrics:

• Organic traffic growth and sources

• Keyword ranking positions and movement

• Conversion rates from organic traffic

• Content ROI (traffic and conversions per article)

• Backlink acquisition velocity

Next steps and improvements

As we mature this play, we're focused on:

1. Implementing analytics: Set up comprehensive tracking for all SEO metrics

2. Content performance analysis: Identify which topics and formats drive the most traffic and conversions

3. Backlink outreach: Proactively build authority through strategic link building

4. Technical SEO audit: Ensure our help center is fully optimized (site speed, schema markup, crawlability)

5. Conversion optimization: Test CTAs, page layouts, and positioning to improve organic visitor conversion rates

SEO is a long game, but with consistent execution and proper measurement, it will become our most scalable acquisition channel.