At Spyndle, we work with many B2B SaaS companies to secure AI citations. We focus on citations that lead to real demos and results, above all else.
To do this, we need a method that reliably increases visibility for bottom-of-funnel and middle-of-funnel search terms and prompts in the AI-driven B2B SaaS space.
In this guide, I will share how we deliver results for clients, what the process looks like, and some predictions of how this will change in the future.
Let’s dive right in.
Our Process
The first – and most important – part of this article is our actual process.
The steps below outline the process we use for all our clients. Keep in mind these are in the B2B SaaS space, so everything is specific to that.
Research
The first part of the process is research.
We need to understand which search terms and prompts are valuable for a particular B2B SaaS, and we use a variety of methods to do so.
This part is crucial because our entire strategy depends on the value of citations for these keywords/search terms.
We need to discover where our efforts should focus in order to get citations for keywords that actually deliver results.
‘Regular’ Keyword Research
The first part of this step is ‘regular’ keyword research.
This means using a tool like Ahrefs to discover valuable keywords in a particular niche with search volume. For example, if we were looking at a sales CRM for small businesses, we might find keywords like:
- best CRM for small business
- CRM software for small teams
- simple CRM for small business
We may also look into alternative angles, like comparison keywords:
- HubSpot vs Pipedrive
- Pipedrive alternatives
- HubSpot alternatives for small business
We’d then look at the search volume data to get an idea of the demand for these keywords.
The idea here is that if people are searching these terms on Google, it’s very likely to translate well in AI.
VoC Data
After that, we love to look into VoC data to see what real customers are saying and what problems they have.
We pull this data from sources like:
- Sales call transcripts
- Customer reviews
- Case studies
- Support tickets
- Discovery call notes
- Anywhere buyers describe their problems in their own words
This allows us to take things to the next level and really hone in on longer-tail prompts that real customers are searching in AI, not just the ‘basic’ main keyword.
We have an article that really goes into detail on this part, so I’d highly recommend checking that out.
Competitor Analysis
Competitor analysis is an important part of the research process, as most B2B SaaS brands are (understandably) very conscious of how competitors are performing in AI and organic search, and what keywords they rely on to get demos.
In-House Search Data
Lastly, we leverage any in-house data to see which terms have historically driven demos for a brand.
This is an easy way to know whether it is worth the effort to secure a citation for a specific term or not. It also allows us to estimate the actual traffic that can be generated from AI as an acquisition channel – more on this here.
Outreach
Once we know what terms are important, it’s time to start reaching out to websites.
The goal is to build relationships with webmasters and ultimately secure SaaS coverage, either by publishing original articles or by featuring the brand in an existing listicle.
We’re looking for sites in particular that are:
- Niche relevant to the SaaS
- Highly cited in AI engines (ideally for relevant terms already)
- High quality (good monthly traffic from relevant countries, consistent traffic history, and authoritative)
We reach out to these sites to build real relationships with the editors, and then use these connections to publish articles or feature our clients in content that already has AI visibility.
This process involves finding the right emails, sequencing emails to reach out and follow up with editors, and then maintaining and nurturing relationships with the editors.
Content Creation
When publishing an article on another website, we often need to write the content ourselves and submit it for approval.
Every website has its own set of guidelines and editorial standards, and these must be met at a minimum.
However, we also need to ensure that the content we publish aligns with the client’s target keywords and prompts.
This means obtaining webmaster approval to publish a specific topic and then optimizing the content for organic (and AI) visibility.
We follow a few optimization checks for this:
- Position the client as the solution or best option for the problem or use-case, and mention them near the beginning of the article
- Use subheadings to structure the content, and include structured data where possible, like tables
- Include relevant internal and external links
With time and experience, you’ll learn what keywords a website can rank for, and what chance the article has of being cited in AI. If the article can rank on Google for the main term, this is a good indicator that it will do well in AI (most of the time).
An obvious bonus point here is that you can include a do follow link in the article back to the client, which helps with organic SEO, and indirectly, AI visibility.
Publication And Monitoring Citations
Once we’ve completed the steps below, it’s time to get the content or brand mention published and monitor the results closely.
- Research phase to determine valuable keywords and prompts
- Outreach phase to find valuable websites to work with that are highly cited in AI and niche relevant
- Content production, whether through an original article or a brand mention in an existing piece of content
Monitoring AI citations is still very tricky.
First, you need reliable software that can monitor the terms you want to track. Secondly, AI results change frequently, so you need to be able to pull fresh data and monitor citations over periods of time. Thirdly, AI monitoring software tends to be very expensive, and a lot of options out there are not very reliable (trust me, we’ve tried a lot of different options)…
We like to use Rankscale, because it lets us monitor every AI engine and pull fresh data as needed. We can also look at different countries and use our own search terms.
How Long Does It Take To See Results?
This works so well because these articles and brand mentions are typically picked up by AI within 1-2 weeks.
This means our clients can see results quickly, and ultimately book more demos.
Why This Achieves Results For B2B SAAS
So, now you know how our process actually works, let’s see why it is so effective.
Customer Intent
Studies show that users from AI search convert up to 23x higher than traditional organic visitors.
This does, of course, vary by industry, but for our clients, AI referrals are becoming one of the largest lead-generation channels. Businesses looking for SaaS solutions to their problems are using AI as a research tool more frequently, and our client results and calls all reflect this.
We’re obviously biased here as we make sure that our clients show up for prompts that actually lead to demos, but we don’t see this trend slowing down anytime soon.
Customers Are Using AI More And More
It’s no secret that AI is becoming more popular for search versus the traditional Google SERPs.
ChatGPT receives over 5 billion monthly visits, AI search traffic is up 527%, and estimates predict that it could surpass traditional search traffic as early as 2028 (see Semrush study).
Regardless of whether this actually happens, AI search is here to stay, and it’s even more important for customers seeking a SaaS solution, as they are more likely to be AI-savvy.
How Things Will Change
Right now, a lot of valuable B2B SaaS search terms and prompts in AI rely heavily on listicles as sources.
You can learn more about this in our breakdown of a recent Ahrefs study, as well as a case study on a real B2B SaaS and what the sources look like for real prompts in ChatGPT.
The Tl.Dr is that right now, listicles are widely cited and used as sources by AI for valuable, bottom-of-funnel terms and prompts. When you search for the best software for X in ChatGPT, it relies on multiple listicles published by authoritative websites to determine which option is the ‘best’.
This won’t last forever, at least not in the way it does now.
We expect that only the very best listicles from authoritative websites will withstand the test of time, rather than listicles published on random websites with the sole purpose of influencing AI’s recommendations.
We also expect that longer tail, conversational-style prompts will become more important to rank for as potential customers chat with AI and the specific problems they are having with their business. This is where ranking for longer-tail, specific queries related to your customers’ problems will be worth its weight in gold (this links back to our VoC data article).
Wrapping It Up
No matter how AI citations for middle- and bottom-of-funnel queries change, we’ll stay up to date on the latest developments to make sure we continue to get our clients cited.
Right now, coverage in the very best, most relevant articles is the fastest path to AI visibility, generating referral traffic and ultimately leading to demos.
Things will only get more competitive as people realise how lucrative this channel can be, and it will be exciting to see how things develop.
Stay tuned as we publish weekly updates on the space.
