# How to Do a SERP Analysis Before You Write a SaaS Page > A SERP analysis shows what Google rewards for a search before you write. Follow a simple process to read intent, format, competitors and features for any keyword. Source: https://comppound.com/blog/serp-analysis-before-you-write-a-saas-page (published 2026-11-09) A SERP analysis is the habit of reading the search results page for your target keyword before you write anything, so you know what kind of page Google is choosing and why. It takes about twenty minutes per keyword and prevents the most common content mistake in SaaS: writing a good page of the wrong type. If the top results are comparison tables and you publish a long essay, quality alone will rarely rescue it. Say you run a 15-person SaaS selling customer onboarding software. You want to rank for a phrase about onboarding checklists. Your first instinct is a how-to guide. A quick look at the results shows that the first page is mostly downloadable templates and short lists, with a video block above them. That tells you what the searcher wants, and it changes your plan. This post shows how to read a results page in that way. ## Search the way a customer would Open a private window, set the right country and language, and type the keyword exactly as a buyer would. Results are personalised by location, device and sometimes history, so what you see on your usual browser can mislead. Treat the view as a sample, and repeat it on mobile if your audience uses it. The [glossary entry on personalized search](/glossary/personalized-search) explains the differences. Write down the date and the first ten organic results. You will want to compare against this later, because results change over time. ## Read the intent behind the results The top results answer one question better than any keyword tool: what does Google think people want here? Sort the results into types. Are they guides, product pages, comparison posts, templates, tools, forum threads or videos? A mix suggests the intent is unclear, and a result set made almost entirely of one type is a strong signal. Match your page to the dominant type unless you have a reason to offer something different. The [guide to search intent for SaaS keywords](/blog/search-intent-for-saas-keywords-how-to-read-it-and-match-it) goes into the categories in more depth. Also watch for a change over time, as described in the [glossary on search intent shift](/glossary/search-intent-shift), since a page that fit last year may no longer match. ## Study the pages that rank Open the top few results and note what they have in common, not what makes each one clever. Look at length and depth, the headings they use, whether they include examples, templates or screenshots, how recently they were updated and how well they answer the question in the opening lines. Pay attention to what is missing. If every page repeats the same generic advice, a page with a real worked example for a specific company type has room to stand out. If every page is thin, a thorough one has an obvious route in. Keep a list of the questions the results leave unanswered. ## Look at who is ranking The identity of the ranking sites tells you how hard the keyword is for you. If the first page is full of large publishers and well-known software brands, a new site faces a long climb. If smaller sites and niche blogs appear, the result is more open. Compare their strength with yours honestly, using a tool of your choice, and choose keywords where you can compete. Notice also whether competing brands are your direct rivals or editorial sites. Writing against editorial sites calls for a neutral, helpful page. Writing against rivals may call for a comparison or alternatives page, a format the [guide to programmatic alternative and use case pages](/blog/programmatic-seo-for-saas-integration-alternative-and-use-case-pages) covers. ## Check the features on the page Modern results pages carry more than ten blue links. Look for featured snippets, People Also Ask boxes, video carousels, image packs, AI-generated summaries and local results. Each feature changes how clicks are distributed and hints at what to include. A featured snippet suggests a concise answer near the top of your page. A People Also Ask box supplies related questions worth answering in subheadings or an FAQ. A video result may suggest adding a video. An AI summary tells you the answer is being given directly, so your page needs something beyond the basic definition to earn the click. The [overview of SERP elements that drive SaaS conversions](/blog/google-serp-elements-that-drive-saas-conversions) shows how to weigh them. ## Turn the findings into a brief Convert what you saw into a short brief that a writer can follow. State the search intent in one line, the page type, the questions that must be answered, the angle that will make this page different, and the features to aim for. Add the competitors to study and the examples you can include from real experience. A good brief also says what not to do, such as avoiding a long product pitch in a guide or skipping a comparison table where one is standard. This step connects analysis to writing. Without it, the notes stay in a spreadsheet. ## Repeat it for pages that stall SERP analysis is not only for new pages. When a page sits at a middling position, compare it with the pages above it. Often the gap is format, freshness or a missing section, not authority. Review the page in the Search Console report for its queries, a habit covered in [Search Console for SaaS founders](/blog/google-search-console-for-saas-founders-the-reports-that-matter), and update it to close the gap. Set a reminder to look again after the next major search update. Reading the results page first costs little and saves weeks of writing the wrong thing. Match the intent, learn from what ranks, find what is missing and write a page that is better for that specific searcher. If you would like a team to build briefs and pages from this kind of analysis, [see our SEO growth service](/services/seo-growth). ## Frequently asked questions ### What is a SERP analysis? It is a review of the search results for a keyword to understand the intent, page types, competitors and features that shape how a new page should be written. ### How many results should I analyse? The first page is usually enough. Read the top five or six closely and skim the rest for patterns. ### Do I need a paid tool? No. You can do it by hand in a private window. Tools help when you track many keywords or want to see changes over time. ### How often should I redo it? Redo it when a page stalls, after a major update, or at least once a year for pages that matter. ## About Comppound Comppound runs SEO and AI search for B2B SaaS companies: a person sets the plan and reviews samples and every high-risk page, and AI speeds up production. - [See SEO Growth](https://comppound.com/services/seo-growth): Buyers compare before they book a demo. Are your pages there when they do? - [See pricing](https://comppound.com/pricing): Want the content written, reviewed and published for you?