ServiceNow has established itself as a leading digital workflow company, providing cloud-based solutions that automate various IT processes. This report aims to analyze the growth of ServiceNow's organic traffic and the factors that have contributed to it.
Before diving into the analysis, it's important to understand the methodology used to gather and analyze data. To track historical data on ServiceNow's organic traffic growth, a historical data collector was utilized. This tool collects scores and snapshots for existing records, providing insights into past performance. The historical data collector is configured with specific values in the Run fields to ensure accurate data collection1.
Additionally, the sys_search_event table was used to analyze ranking positions and search volume for high-intent keywords. This table provides valuable information about the actual search terms used by users, the click rank, and whether the search resulted in any clicks. By analyzing this data, we can gain insights into the effectiveness of ServiceNow's keyword strategy and identify areas for improvement2.
ServiceNow has experienced significant growth in recent years, with over 22,000 employees and $8.5 billion in revenue reported in 20233. The company is projected to reach $16 billion in revenue soon3. As ServiceNow has expanded its operations and market reach, its online presence has also grown4. In 2024, ServiceNow's organic traffic increased by an impressive 41%, reaching 1,201,106 monthly visits4. This growth rate surpasses the average growth observed in the customer service SaaS industry, highlighting ServiceNow's strong performance in the market4.
Several factors contribute to this organic traffic growth, including a robust content marketing strategy, a strategic SEO approach, and continuous product updates. To analyze data that existed before setting up Performance Analytics, a historical data collector is used to gather scores and snapshots for existing records. This process is crucial when Performance Analytics is initially set up for an application, when indicator sources are created, or when new indicators are defined5. Running a historical data collection job is also necessary when collecting data for the first time, such as for a new indicator, to generate scores and snapshots for existing records6.
ServiceNow operates in a competitive market with several other companies vying for market share in the IT service management space. Some of the key competitors include:
|
Competitor |
Unique Features |
|---|---|
|
BMC |
Offers a suite of IT service management platforms that support cognitive automation and multi-cloud management. |
|
Microsoft |
Provides a comprehensive suite of IT management tools, including cloud-based solutions and on-premises offerings. |
|
IBM |
Offers a wide range of IT service management solutions, including those focused on AI and automation. |
|
Atlassian |
Known for its agile project management tools, Atlassian also provides IT service management solutions with a focus on collaboration and teamwork. |
|
Broadcom |
Offers a broad portfolio of IT management solutions, including those for security, automation, and mainframe environments. |
|
SAP |
Provides enterprise-grade IT service management solutions with a focus on integration with other SAP products. |
|
SolarWinds |
Offers a variety of IT management tools, including those for network monitoring, security, and service desk operations. |
|
ManageEngine |
Provides a suite of affordable IT management solutions that are designed for businesses of all sizes. |
|
CloudEagle |
Offers comprehensive SaaS management, helping businesses optimize software spending and streamline operations. |
|
Freshdesk |
Provides user-friendly cloud-based customer support software that streamlines help desk operations. |
|
Zendesk |
Offers a comprehensive customer service solution that grows with businesses. |
|
InvGate |
Provides a modern platform focused on streamlining business processes and ensuring compliance. |
When choosing an IT service management solution, businesses should carefully consider their specific needs, budget, and team size9. ServiceNow differentiates itself by offering a cloud-based platform that is easy to use and integrates with legacy software10.
For SaaS companies like ServiceNow, link building is a crucial aspect of their SEO strategy11. By acquiring backlinks from other reputable websites, ServiceNow can improve its search engine rankings and drive more organic traffic to its site.
High-intent keywords play a vital role in driving conversions for ServiceNow. These keywords indicate a strong user intention to take a specific action, such as making a purchase or signing up for a demo. ServiceNow utilizes a variety of strategies to identify and target these high-intent keywords.
One approach ServiceNow employs is leveraging its Virtual Agent dashboard. This dashboard provides insights into user conversations and helps identify the intent behind user queries12. By analyzing this data, ServiceNow can better understand what users are looking for and tailor its content and offerings accordingly.
Furthermore, ServiceNow uses natural language processing (NLP) to understand the context of search queries and match them with relevant articles13. This advanced search capability ensures that users find the information they need quickly and efficiently, improving their overall experience and increasing the likelihood of conversion.
ServiceNow also utilizes keywords in its Virtual Agent conversations to guide users to the appropriate topics and resources14. As users type, the Virtual Agent analyzes the words and phrases used to anticipate their needs and presents matching requests based on the keywords entered. This proactive approach helps users find the information they need quickly and efficiently, leading to higher conversion rates.
Google's core updates are significant changes to its search algorithms aimed at improving the quality and relevance of search results. These updates can have a considerable impact on website traffic, and ServiceNow is no exception.
In 2024, Google released four core updates15. These updates were designed to ensure that Google delivers helpful and reliable results for searchers16. While most websites don't need to worry about core updates, they can cause significant traffic drops for some17. The March 2024 core update, in particular, was one of the largest in history, with MozCast temperature spikes reaching 120.0°F, indicating significant ranking volatility18.
It's important to note that while a website negatively affected by a core update might not fully recover until the next one, Google continuously makes small changes to its algorithm, so recovery might happen sooner19. To adapt to these changes and recover from potential traffic drops, websites need to understand how core updates work, assess their impact, and improve their content quality and E-A-T (expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness)20.
Google's core updates involve a comprehensive assessment and update of its systems to keep pace with the ever-changing web content16. This process ensures that Google continues to provide users with the most relevant and helpful search results.
ServiceNow utilizes a combination of paid advertising and social media strategies to reach its target audience and promote its products and services.
ServiceNow employs paid advertising campaigns to increase brand visibility and generate leads. While specific historical data on these campaigns was not found, ServiceNow offers various resources and templates to help businesses plan and track their marketing campaigns21. These resources include tools for tracking performance metrics, such as impressions and click-through rates, allowing businesses to measure the effectiveness of their campaigns and make data-driven decisions22.
ServiceNow also provides a range of content options for its campaigns, including portal content, mobile app banner content, to-do content, and more23. This diverse content selection allows businesses to tailor their campaigns to specific audiences and achieve their marketing goals.
ServiceNow maintains a strong social media presence across major platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram24. The company primarily uses these platforms to share blog post promotions, event updates, and company news24. ServiceNow also leverages social media to engage with customers, build relationships, and foster a sense of community around its brand24.
Beyond paid advertising and social media, several other factors contribute to ServiceNow's organic traffic growth.
ServiceNow has a comprehensive content marketing strategy that focuses on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and engage a target audience3. This content includes blog posts, case studies, white papers, and more. ServiceNow's content marketing strategy has been recognized by the industry, with the company and its agency partner Message Lab taking top honors at the 2023 Content Marketing Awards3.
ServiceNow segments its services into IT workflows, employee workflows, customer workflows, and creator workflows10. This segmentation allows the company to target specific audiences with tailored content that addresses their unique needs and challenges. ServiceNow's content marketing efforts are further supported by Think Points, which helps ServiceNow partners develop content strategies aligned with their target audience's needs25.
To ensure its content strategy is effective, ServiceNow uses a Venn diagram approach to align its organizational goals with audience expectations and the content it creates26. This strategic approach helps ServiceNow deliver content that is both valuable to its audience and supportive of its business objectives.
ServiceNow employs a robust link-building strategy to enhance its online presence and drive organic traffic. The company focuses on creating high-quality, informative content that naturally attracts backlinks from other reputable websites27.
ServiceNow also provides detailed instructions and best practices for constructing and formatting links in knowledge base articles27. This includes guidelines on using descriptive link text, setting the context for external links, and using variables in sample URLs. By adhering to these best practices, ServiceNow ensures that its links are user-friendly and contribute to a positive user experience.
Furthermore, ServiceNow offers solutions for dynamic linking in knowledge base articles, allowing for more flexible and adaptable link structures within its platform28. This technical approach to link building demonstrates ServiceNow's commitment to providing a comprehensive and robust platform for its users.
ServiceNow consistently releases product updates and new features to enhance its platform and meet the evolving needs of its users. These updates play a crucial role in attracting new users, retaining existing ones, and driving organic traffic growth.
In 2024, ServiceNow introduced several new features, including a new Gantt layout option, date dependencies, and an improved way to preview utilization when assigning tasks29. These updates demonstrate ServiceNow's commitment to innovation and its dedication to providing a cutting-edge platform for its users.
ServiceNow's organic traffic growth is a testament to its comprehensive and multifaceted approach to online presence. By combining a strong content marketing strategy, a strategic SEO approach, continuous product updates, and a dedicated social media presence, ServiceNow has successfully established itself as a leader in the digital workflow space.
The company's commitment to providing valuable content, user-friendly resources, and a robust platform has resonated with its target audience, resulting in significant organic traffic growth. As ServiceNow continues to innovate and adapt to the evolving digital landscape, its organic traffic is poised for continued growth, further solidifying its position as a leading digital workflow company.