Why and How: SEO is a Marathon, Not a Sprint

SEO is a long-term game, and if you’re expecting overnight results, I have some bad news for you. SEO is not a sprint where you dash to the finish line in record time. It’s a marathon—one that requires endurance, patience, and a solid strategy. Or, if you prefer a different analogy, it’s like getting fit at the gym, not a crash diet. You can’t do 100 sit-ups in one day and expect a six-pack.

SEO is a long-term strategy that requires consistent effort and optimization. It takes time to see results. There are no shortcuts, and if anyone promises you quick wins, they’re probably deceptive.

So, let’s break down why SEO for SaaS is a marathon and how you can train for it effectively.

Understanding the Basics of SEO

Before we get into the long game, you should learn what SEO basically is and how to do it. For example, learn about what "On-Page SEO" is, what "Off-Page SEO" is, and what their benefits are.

• On-Page SEO: This includes optimizing your content, meta tags, internal linking, website speed as well as overall website performance. For example, if you have a blog post targeting "best project management tools," you’d want to make sure that phrase appears in strategic places like the title, headers, and throughout the content.
• Off-Page SEO: This is all about backlinks (other sites linking to you), brand mentions, and social proof. Think of it as your website’s reputation. The more high-quality sites vouch for you, the more search engines trust you. The key point here is that the more websites relevant to your niche you are mentioned on, the better. So, if your brother in-law has a high-ranking gardening website that's mentioning about your project management tool; it probably won't work as well as another blogger who has a lower rank but talking mentioning your product.

A great SaaS SEO strategy combines both. You can write the best blog post in the world, but without backlinks, it might stay buried on page five of Google. And no one goes to page five.

Backlinks Matter More Than Ever (Thanks to SearchGPT!)

Speaking of backlinks, let’s talk about AI-powered search. AI-driven tools are changing the SEO game. Instead of just ranking traditional websites, search engines are now pulling answers directly from authoritative sources.

ChatGPT now offers a Chrome extension called ChatGPT Searchfor using ChatGPT chat as a search engine. The trend of using ChatGPT as a way of searching for knowledge is rising, and ChatGPT provides results from other websites' blog posts, news related to the topics, etc. This makes backlinks even more important because they establish your content as a trustworthy source that AI tools and search engines can rely on. Most of the gurus are talking about that trend - and you should definitely hear them.

If you’re relying on outdated SEO tricks from 2015, you’re in trouble. Google’s AI is also smarter than ever, and keyword stuffing alone won’t cut it. You need to prove your credibility with solid backlinks and genuinely helpful content. Remember, you should have a backlink from websites that are most relevant to your product's niche and/or highly reliable sources like Wikipedia, news websites, etc.

How Search Behavior is Changing

Remember when people used to search with robotic queries like "best CRM software 2024"? Well, that’s evolving. Now, people search in a more conversational way, using "why," "how," and "what" questionswhich also makes ChatGPT search especially handy.

For example:

• "What are the best CRM tools for startups?"
• "How does CRM software improve sales?"
• "Why should I choose HubSpot over Salesforce?"

Having "why, how, what" in titles is important because search queries are shifting towards more conversational language. Writing blog posts like "Why CRM Software is Essential for Small Businesses" instead of just "Best CRM Tools" can help you capture more traffic.

But here’s the catch: Google is now displaying answers directly in search results(SERP), a.k.a. zero-click searches. So, if you give away everything in a quick answer, users might never click through to your site.

The Challenge of Getting Clicks in 2025

Google is making it harder to get organic traffic. With featured snippets, AI-generated answers, and "People Also Ask" sections, many users get what they need without visiting a website.

This is especially linked to having a "conversational language" for SEO. When people search for "what does X mean," they see the definition right in the SERP results. They get what they need instantly and move on, which makes inviting people to read the full content harder than before.

So how do you fight back?

• Create curiosity: Instead of fully answering a question in one sentence, hint at deeper insights that require a click.
• Offer unique value: If your content is the same as every other SaaS blog, why would someone click yours?
• Use strategic CTAs: Instead of just "Learn More," try "See how this SaaS tool boosted conversions by 300%."

If you’re expecting immediate SEO results, you’re in for disappointment. But if you treat SEO like a marathon, consistently improving your content, earning backlinks, and adapting to search trends, you’ll see long-term growth.

The best part? While your competitors who expected quick wins are quitting at mile 3, you’ll be passing them at mile 20.

So keep running. The finish line is worth it.