SaaS Link Building: Evidence-Backed Tactics To Follow in 2024

Although there is chatter around that SaaS link building has decreased in importance, the truth is far from reality. 

Link building is and will remain one of the top factors used by search engines to determine the authority of a domain.

If your SaaS website has a high authority, it will have excellent chances of ranking at the top for more relevant keywords. 

So, how can you build SaaS backlinks? This guide shares 21 white-hat SaaS link building strategies used by leading software and technology businesses to increase website authority. 

What is SaaS Link Building?

SaaS link building is the process of acquiring natural, white-hat, and non-spammy backlinks from relevant, high-authority, and aged domains. 

The different metrics used in link building are:

• Domain Authority (DA) 
• Page Authority (PA) 
• Trust Flow 
• Citation Flow 
• Number of Referring Domains 
• Anchor Text Diversity 
• Link Relevance 
• Spam Score 
• Social Signals (Shares, Likes, etc.) 
• Traffic from Referring Domains 
• Historical Link Growth

What Are The Advantages of Link Building For SaaS Companies?

• Boosts search engine rankings. 
• Drives targeted traffic to your website. 
• Builds brand credibility and trust. 
• Establishes authority in your industry. 
• Expands your online presence. 
• Increases brand visibility. 
• Generates leads and conversions.
• Improves domain authority. 
• Enhances brand reputation. 
• Facilitates relationship building with influencers and industry leaders. 
• Provides valuable referral traffic. 
• Helps in indexing and crawling of web pages. 
• Supports content marketing efforts. 
• Increases the likelihood of being featured in industry publications. 
• Strengthens social proof. 
• Enhances user experience by providing valuable resources. 
• Enables access to new markets and audiences. 
• Supports long-term sustainability and growth. 
• Provides insights into competitor strategies. 
• Reinforces brand positioning and messaging. 

Also See: B2B SaaS Content Marketing Guide

Does Link Building Work in 2024?

Here is a screenshot from Ahrefs (published on Search Engine Journal) which suggests that there is a correlation between the number of referring domains pointing to a site and the amount of organic traffic it acquires. 

Hence, the more the number of high-quality backlinks your site has, the higher organic traffic it can acquire. Additionally, with a strong domain rating, any content you publish on your site starts to rank faster compared to sites with low authorities (although certain exceptions apply like the content quality). 

Top Link Building Strategies For SaaS Brands

Guest Posting – The Most-Used SaaS Link Building Method

With the potential to boost SEO rankings, SaaS guest blogging offers long-term growth and engagement.

The different advantages of SaaS guest blogging for link building are:

• Improved domain authority and search engine rankings 
• Increased referral traffic from software/SaaS/technology guest posting websites 
• Opportunities for anchor text optimization 
• Diversification of backlink profile 
• Enhanced online visibility and brand recognition through link placements

Here is an example of a SaaS guest post in action:

Some top-tier SaaS guest posting sites you can approach to become a guest author are:

• Slidebean 
• Ciphr 
• Proprofs 
• Ganttpro 
• The Startup Inc 
• Getapp 
• Userbrain 
• Saleshandy 
• Inturact 
• Kissmetrics 
• Mulesoft.com 
• Snipcart 
• SaaStronauts 
• App Marketing Minds 
• Procurify 
• Cloudways 
• Content Marketing Institute 
• HubSpot 
• MarketingProfs 
• Social Media Examiner 

Also See: Top SaaS SEO Agencies

Broken Link Building

How about finding dead links on other domains and reaching out to them with a request to link to your website? This is called broken link building.

Here is the actual process: 

• Look for websites related to SaaS. 
• Utilize tools like Ahrefs to find broken links. 
• Develop valuable SaaS-related content. 
• Identify broken links on target websites. 
• Politely inform webmasters and suggest your content. 
• Provide your content URL as a replacement. 
• If needed, send a polite follow-up email. 
• Monitor responses and backlink additions.

The biggest advantage with broken link acquisition?

You can obtain high-quality backlinks from aged and high-traffic domains. 

You can easily detect broken links on any domain using the Ahrefs broken link checker.

Content Repurposing

Content repurposing for SaaS link building involves converting existing content into different formats like:

• Infographics
• Videos
• Podcasts
• Slide Decks
• Email Newsletters
• Ebooks
• Social Media Posts

These varied formats help reach new audiences, drive traffic, and attract valuable backlinks.

Content repurposing helps to:

• Reach varied audiences across multiple channels. 
• Cater to different preferences, boosting visibility. 
• Engaging formats attract more shares and backlinks. 

Resource Page Link Building

Resource page link building for SaaS companies is all about getting your business listed on pages that curate helpful resources for their audience. 

Here is how to do it:

• Find relevant resource pages. 
• Create valuable content or tools. 
• Reach out to website owners via email. 
• Personalize your outreach. 
• Highlight the benefits of inclusion. 
• Follow up if necessary. 
• Track results and build relationships. 
• Continuously improve your approach.

Here are some resource pages that you can approach: 

• Industry directories like Capterra or G2. 
• Educational institution pages. 
• Niche community listings. 
• Blog resource sections. 
• Non-profit organization pages.

See this example of a SaaS resource page in the Agile Payments blog:

Influencer Outreach

Influencer outreach for link building is about establishing partnerships with industry influencers to amplify brand messages and secure valuable backlinks. 

By collaborating with trusted voices, such as bloggers and social media personalities, SaaS companies can reach broader audiences and enhance their website authority. 

These influencers integrate brand endorsements seamlessly into their content, driving traffic and boosting SEO rankings. 

Through strategic outreach and partnerships, SaaS brands can leverage influencer credibility to strengthen their link profiles and expand their online presence.

Here is how to do it: 

• Identify relevant influencers in the SaaS niche. 
• Personalize outreach messages. 
• Build genuine relationships over time. 
• Leverage influencer endorsements for brand credibility. 
• Collaborate on content creation or co-marketing initiatives. 

Also See: Best SaaS Content Marketing Companies

Unlinked Brand Mentions

When someone mentions your SaaS product or company online without linking to your website, it’s a missed opportunity for a valuable backlink.

Tools like Google Alerts, Mention, Brand24 and Awario can help you identify brand mentions. 

Set these tools to alert you whenever your brand, product names, or even key executives are mentioned online. Here is an example dashboard from Awario:

Source

Not all mentions are worth pursuing. Check each mention for relevance and the authority of the website. You should focus on mentions that come from sources that are relevant to your industry. 

This ensures that the links you might gain are valuable and can positively impact your SEO. 

Once you find a mention without a link, the next step is to contact the website or the author. 

Craft a polite and friendly outreach email thanking them for mentioning your brand and gently ask if they’d consider adding a link back to your site. 

Be sure to explain briefly why linking would add value to their content, whether it’s providing their readers with direct access to your product or a useful resource.

HARO (Now Connectively) Link Building

Connectively is the new HARO. It is the platform where journalists and bloggers post queries looking for expert sources for their upcoming stories. 

If your expertise fits, you send them a compelling pitch, and boom—you might just score a mention or a backlink from a high-authority website. 

For SaaS companies, this is gold because it drives both traffic and credibility, which are crucial for growth.

CEO Interviews

Interviewing a CEO is a super effective SaaS link building strategy if you do it right. 

Start with targeting CEOs who are known for their thought leadership and are active in your industry’s community. 

SaaS leaders will not only have valuable insights to share but also likely have a good following, which means more eyes on your content and potentially more backlinks. 

Remember, nobody wants to read a bland Q&A that sounds like every other interview out there. Craft questions that invite stories, personal insights, and unique perspectives. 

Ask about challenges, trends, future predictions, and personal achievements. This makes the content more engaging and shareable, increasing the likelihood of it earning backlinks. 

Promote across platforms: Once the interview is live, don’t just sit back. Promote it through all your channels—social media, newsletters, and maybe a press release if it’s a big enough scoop. 

Also, encourage the CEO to share it on their personal and company platforms as well. This broad distribution not only drives traffic but also enhances the chances of other sites linking back to the interview. 

Bonus hack: You can also publish the interview of your CEO on other domains.

Competitor Backlinks 

This might sound obvious, but the real trick is to focus on competitors who are doing exceptionally well in search rankings. These are the companies you want to learn from because they’re clearly doing something right with their link building.

Tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Moz are crucial here. They help you peek into your competitors’ backlink profiles. You can see where their backlinks are coming from, the quality of these links, and how these links contribute to their SEO performance. 

Look for patterns. 

Are there specific types of content (like whitepapers, webinars, or blogs) that are getting more backlinks? 

What about the domains that are linking to them—are they industry blogs, news sites, or educational institutions? 

Understanding these patterns can help you target similar sources. 

Once you’ve identified where the quality links are coming from, reach out to these websites and pitch your own content. 

Maybe you have a blog post that adds a new angle to the topic, or perhaps you can offer a fresh insight that would be valuable for their readers. 

Sometimes, it’s not just about where the links are coming from, but also the quality of content they’re linking to. 

If you can create content that’s even more comprehensive, informative, or up-to-date than your competitors’, you’ll have a good chance of persuading these sites to link to you instead.

Also See: How to Generate More Organic Traffic For SaaS Companies

Testimonial Link Building

Every company loves to promote their products and services via customer testimonials. You can approach the admins of products or services you use and let them know that you are interested in sharing a review of their product.

Many times, your request will be accepted and they will also link back to your site by mentioning your company name. Review and testimonial SaaS link building is an excellent way to grab that extra share of valuable backlinks. 

Free Tools

Creating free tools naturally attracts backlinks as people share and reference your tool in their content. 

Identify a common pain point or a need within your target audience. 

What are some tasks or calculations that could be simplified with a tool? 

The more relevant and useful the tool, the more likely it is to attract attention and backlinks. 

The tool doesn’t have to be complex. Even something as straightforward as a calculator, template, or a basic software widget can offer immense value if it solves a user problem. 

Ensure the tool is easy to use and accessible from your website and make sure your tool’s page is SEO-optimized.

Also, create blog posts, videos, and tutorials on how to use the tool to maximize visibility. 

Stats and Trends

Writing stats-based posts for link acquisition is a crafty way to attract attention and earn high-quality backlinks.

Choose a popular topic that is searched online. It should be relevant to your industry and ripe for analysis. 

For instance, if you’re in the CRM software space, a post on the top CRM adoption stats across different industries could capture interest. 

The strength of your post lies in the credibility of your data. Use trustworthy sources such as government databases, reputable industry reports, and academic research. 

Tools like Google Scholar, industry-specific resources, or even data from your own user studies can be invaluable. 

Don’t just present data; analyze it to uncover trends, insights, or surprising correlations. This could involve comparing statistics over time, across demographics, or between different technologies. 

Add infographics to make your data easy to understand and share. Visuals are often reused by other content creators, who will link back to your original post as the source.

Also See: SEO For Bootstrapped SaaS

Conclusion

Remember, the essence of successful link building lies not just in the quantity of links but in the quality and relevance of those connections. 

Use these top link building tactics for SaaS companies to boost your domain authority and rating. 

Have patience, since natural link acquisition takes time, but the results are useful in the long-term. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I avoid in SaaS link building? 

Avoid black-hat link building tactics, such as buying links, excessive link exchanges, or using irrelevant directories. These practices can lead to penalties from search engines. Focus instead on earning links through genuine, high-quality content and partnerships.

Can I use a link building software to build backlinks?

Yes, you can use a link building tool to assist in SaaS backlink building. You can easily identify potential link opportunities, manage outreach efforts, and track the status of your backlinks. 

Which are some good link building tools for SaaS link building? 

• Ahrefs
• SEMrush
• BuzzSumo
• Moz
• Majestic
• Pitchbox
• Hunter.io
• Linkody
• NinjaOutreach
• GroupHigh