Product Led Growth (PLG) vs Product-Led SEO

I found Wes Bush’s book and website about Product Led Growth in 2022 and knew he was onto something.

SaaS companies exploded in users signups and revenue by using this strategy.

If you are new to the concept of PLG i’ll share a definition from Wes’ website below.

Product-led growth is a business strategy that relies on using your product as the main vehicle to acquire, activate, and retain customers. If you’ve used Slack or Dropbox, you’ve witnessed this first-hand. You didn’t request a demo to have a salesperson show you how cloud-based file sharing or instant messaging could revolutionize your work. You just tried the product out yourself for free.

Some of the common ways you can tell a company is executing a product led growth strategy are…

1. Freemium (think Canva, Figma, Mailchimp). They have features you can use free forever.
2. Free trial (too many companies to name)
3. Interactive Demo (ClickUp.com has a great interactive demo on their home page).

Does PLG = Product Led SEO?

The short answer is NO.

They are two very different strategies but they have some overlap.

1. They both focus on the user experience
2. They both focus on user value by showing, not telling
3. They reduce friction in the buying process (again by showing the product)
4. They both rely on a GREAT and easy to use product

In some ways – I think the product led growth movement inspired the naming of product-led SEO.

Summary Of Their Differences

Aspect	Product-Led Growth (PLG)	Product-Led SEO
Main Focus	Product drives growth	SEO content drives growth
Scope	Business model-wide strategy	SEO-specific strategy
Goal	Acquisition, conversion, retention, expansion via product	Driving organic traffic and conversions via SEO
Growth Mechanism	In-product experience, virality, upgrades	Search engine traffic and content
Best for	SaaS, digital products, low-touch sales	Content-heavy industries, SaaS, problem-solving tools

Which one should I do first?

It’s easy to get caught up in the hype of wanting to scale your SaaS business right away. After all, scaling means more users, more revenue, and more visibility, right?

However, without first establishing a solid foundation, trying to scale too soon can actually backfire. When you’re in the early days, your primary goal is survival—figuring out what works and what doesn’t, and ensuring that your product is something people truly want.

Scaling before you’ve hit product-market fit can lead to wasted marketing dollars, churned customers, and a business model that’s unsustainable.

In this stage, your focus should be on proving your business model—understanding your customers’ pain points, delivering real value, and optimizing the product experience to retain users. This is where Product-Led Growth comes into play.

The Three Pillars of PLG: Acquisition, Activation, and Retention

At the heart of PLG are three key stages:

1. Acquisition: This is all about getting users through the door. Whether it’s through free trials, freemium models, or demos, your goal is to attract users and give them a taste of what your product can offer.
2. Activation: Once a user is in the door, activation is where they experience that “aha” moment—the point where they realize the true value of your product. This is crucial because if users don’t quickly understand why your product is valuable, they’ll likely churn.
3. Retention: After activation, the focus is on keeping users engaged and satisfied. PLG emphasizes creating a user experience that continues to deliver value over time, ensuring that customers stick around and become loyal advocates.

How to Fuel Your PLG Strategy with Paid Ads and Influencers

While Product-Led Growth is heavily focused on your product, you still need to get eyes on it to start the cycle of acquisition, activation, and retention. This is where paid ads and influencers come into play.

Driving targeted paid ads to a landing page offering free trials or freemium versions is a great way to attract users early on.

Paid channels like Google Ads, Facebook, and Instagram allow you to zero in on your ideal customer base, delivering them directly into your product’s onboarding flow.

Similarly, partnering with influencers or micro-influencers who align with your product can help you build trust and reach audiences you might not have otherwise been able to tap into.

Their endorsements can be a powerful way to drive traffic and interest without spending huge amounts on traditional marketing campaigns.

Testing Your Way to Success

In the early stages of a SaaS business, it’s important to keep an experimental mindset. As you roll out paid ads, work with influencers, or launch affiliate marketing programs, continually track the performance of each initiative. Split testing different messaging, targeting, and channels can give you insights into what resonates best with your audience.

Don’t be afraid to try new things, but also be ready to pivot if something isn’t working. The beauty of being a lean startup is that you have the flexibility to adapt quickly, learning from both successes and failures along the way.

The Long-Term Play: Product-Led SEO

Once you have product-market fit and some cash flow, it’s time to start thinking about scaling your marketing efforts with a long-term, sustainable approach. This is where Product-Led SEO comes into play.

SEO is a long-term investment that can pay off big—if you do it right. Product-led SEO isn’t just about ranking for any keyword. It’s about creating content that aligns directly with the pain points your product solves and driving qualified traffic that is primed to convert.

However, SEO requires patience. Results won’t come overnight, which is why you should only dive into this strategy after your business has a steady cash flow and you can afford to invest the time and resources necessary to see it through.

In the meantime, focus on building up your user base with Product-Led Growth strategies to maintain stability while your SEO engine starts gaining momentum.

Conclusion: Focus on Survival, Then Scale

In the early days of your SaaS business, the goal is survival, not scaling. By adopting a Product-Led Growth strategy, you can attract, activate, and retain users who love your product.

Once you’ve established demand and built a strong user base, you can start layering in long-term strategies like SEO to scale your business sustainably. Keep in mind that every step of the journey requires thoughtful execution, testing, and continuous learning—so pace yourself, stay agile, and focus on building a product that users love.