Having a great SaaS website is half the battle. The other half is getting your customers to your website.
The good news is that having a strong backlink profile helps get traffic to your site. The even better news is that there are tried-and-true strategies when it comes to link building for software products. That’s why we’re about to cover the top ten link building strategies in this ultimate guide for SaaS companies.
If you want to know more about how our SaaS SEO agency can assist you in building a strong backlink profile for your website, schedule a call with our Head of SEO now.
As of October 2023, a lot has changed in terms of what’s effective in SaaS link building strategies. In this update, I’ve incorporated tested and successful techniques I tested with my SEO team.
A three-way link exchange is a strategic method where three distinct websites collaborate to enhance their SEO standings, especially beneficial for SaaS companies aiming for a competitive edge.
Consider the following participant websites:
In this strategy, you collaborate with a website (B), asking them to link to (C). In return, you secure a backlink from (C) to your own website (A).
Website (B) could be another platform you own, an affiliated SaaS partner, or a contact you have a mutual benefit arrangement with.
To be able to succeed with the strategy, make sure website (B) receives an adequate reward like premium content contribution, special partnership deals, or exclusive SaaS features.
Engaging in this three-way link strategy offers SaaS companies several advantages:
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Getting listed in SAAS directories doesn’t only put your software in front of a targeted audience actively looking for solutions, but also adds to your backlink profile!
Niche directories are especially valuable to be listed on in order to boost your website authority. As we all know, Google loves your backlinks relevant, so SAAS directories are your go-to platforms to get links from. Here are some good options:
Benefits of the strategy:
How It Works:
Update Regularly: As your product evolves, make sure your listings are updated.
Using press releases can help SaaS websites improve their page rankings by getting many links from news sites.
This method is a good way to get a lot of links lightning fast!
Benefits of Using Press Releases:
How It Works:
One thing to watch out for is that these links might not last long. News articles can get old and be moved to archives.
For SaaS brands, expert commentary can be an amazing opportunity to position themselves as thought leaders in the tech and software industry, as well as earn top-tier backlinks!
We typically use HARO, Featured, HAB2BW to find niche questions reporters are asking industry experts.
The benefits of this strategy are:
For the past year, we have been implementing this smart strategy that got us hundreds of backlinks from top publications like American Express, Business Insider!
Here’s how we did it:
Check out my recent LinkedIn post about the experiment we have done to evaluate the effectiveness between HARO, Featured (previously Terkel) and HAB2BW.
As a SAAS brand, you should totally make use of unlinked brand mentions. As your software offers value and solves problems, chances are, it's being talked about online.
However, many of these mentions might not be directly linking back to your website. That’s exactly what you need to fix with this strategy.
Benefits of the Unlinked Brand Mentions Strategy
How It Works:
Link insertion is a great way to earn links back to your SaaS website. The example above shows how Big Commerce linked back to Mouseflow (a web analytics tool).
To get niche edits, we recommend you first identify relevant prospects. These are news sites, blogs, and other digital publications that post industry-relevant content. Ideally, these publications have high domain authority and rankings.
Next, find high-quality content on each prospect’s website. You want to find articles, blogs, and so on that attract your target audience. The purpose of this is to identify pieces of content on someone else’s website that can link back to your site.
Then reach out to each site’s webmaster to request link insertions. Remember to demonstrate value in your request. For example, explain why a link to your SaaS website benefits the website and its readers.
Each niche edit you earn gets you more link juice!
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Guest posts work in a way that’s similar to niche edits. But instead of asking a webmaster to insert a link into their own content, you provide the content.
The example above features a guest post submitted by Adzooma. Adzooma is an automated tool that helps run Google Ad campaigns. The guest post is featured in realbusiness.co.uk, and it has a backlink at the very bottom of the article.
Research publications that post about SaaS and software, and review their websites. Often, these sites have links in their menus to submit guest posts. Always remember to include a link to your target page in the guest post before you submit it.
Even if you aren’t sure what a “round-up” is, you’ve almost certainly come across one online at some point. Round-ups are posts that review, list, or rank:
The example above is a marketing tool round-up for businesses. The post includes tools like Google Analytics, Optimizely, and more. Each program featured gets a highlight wherein the author briefly describes its features. They also usually include an organic contextual link back to the platform’s website.
We recommend you search for publications that post relevant round-ups frequently. Make a list of those sites and reach out to them one by one. Present your SaaS or software program, and provide a brief overview of its benefits. Lastly, ask to be featured in an upcoming round-up on their site.
SaaS companies can also secure backlinks by requesting software reviews. Here’s how it works:
Now, not all review sites require a discount or free trial. Some review sites just want a one-on-one demo, screengrabs, and so on. In which case, what you offer in exchange depends on the site you partner with.
Press releases are another great way for SaaS companies to earn quality backlinks. In the example above, Unbounce announces a new software feature.
When you post a press release, you get to include a backlink to your target page. Plus, other news sites may pick up your release and post a link in their own coverage.
Some newswires charge a fee to publish press releases. Other newswires are free. Regardless, we recommend posting to a newswire that focuses on tech, software, or a niche that’s relevant to you.
Another effective SaaS link building strategy is blogger outreach. Sites like Peer Spot (featured above) dive deep into tech product and service categorization. Apps, SaaS platforms, and other software are categorized, reviewed, and rated.
We recommend you reach out to such review sites and request an evaluation. Many review bloggers and content contributors analyze SaaS platforms in exchange for a free trial. Just make sure the review site you partner with is relevant and has authority in your niche.
As always, don’t forget to request a backlink in the review. Some review sites include links automatically, but others don’t.
Connect with a journalist directly to earn backlinks across high-authority news sites. Plus, there are several digital platforms you can use to get in touch with industry-relevant journalists.
We recommend using HARO (Help A Reporter Out). It’s a platform that connects knowledge sharers (journalists) with experts (like you). The way it works is that you share your expertise with journalists, and they share that knowledge on their websites (often for free).
Visit HARO online and sign up to receive email notifications from potential journalists. You can also choose niche-specific topics like A/B testing, automated marketing, and so on. Choose topics that align with your SaaS platform’s purpose, and you’re good to go!
You can also build a backlink profile by partnering with other SaaS companies. You post their link on your website, and they post your link on theirs.
Below the example shows this in action. Visme is a design and presentation tool. They posted some content with a link to Adzooma’s website.
Below is Adzooma linking to Visme in their own blog.
Research other SaaS platforms in your industry, but that aren’t competitors. For example, if you own a finance SaaS product, consider partnering with an accounting product.
Make a list of potential partners and reach out to them. Explain why your products complement one another, and how that benefits your shared audience. Then, ask to exchange backlinks — perhaps in the form of niche edits.
Remember to check for things like high domain authority, rankings, traffic, and other important SEO metrics. The stronger their profile, the more link juice you earn.
Guest podcasting and sponsorships are effective SaaS linkbuilding strategies. This is because most podcast episodes feature “show notes.” Show notes are essentially a description for a podcast episode. And when guests come on the podcast, the hosts usually post a backlink in the notes.
For example, Duct Tape Marketing mentions Opteo in the show notes above. Opteo is a Google Ads optimization software that sponsored that particular episode. In exchange, they get a backlink.
Want to take things to another level? Offer a discount or free trial of your SaaS product to podcast listeners to increase sales and traffic.
Any piece of content that offers a lot of value to your audience is a linkable asset. Some linkable assets may include:
In the example above, Gusto offers an entire library of payroll and HR tools. These linkable assets have generated over 2,000 backlinks and 40,000 monthly sessions (according to Ahrefs).
In addition to the strategies outlined above, consider implementing tiered link building to further enhance your SaaS website's SEO performance by strategically leveraging link equity and targeted keyword optimization across multiple tiers.
As you probably noticed, we mentioned “prospects” a lot in each of the strategies above. We also talk a lot about reaching out to those prospects. So let’s get into how to evaluate prospects for outreach.
We recommend you use the following five criteria to identify and evaluate backlink prospects:
Building a strong backlink profile takes time. Sometimes, along the way, SaaS companies make mistakes that can prolong the process. Here’s a quick snapshot of the top six link building mistakes to avoid:
Private blog networks (PBNs), link farms, and other black hat techniques exploit website loopholes. Sure, this boosts rankings and earns lots of traffic quickly. But, ultimately your website faces penalties in the long run for such practices.
Link building campaigns focus on “target pages.” A target page can be a homepage, a landing page, a product page, and so on. Sometimes it’s best practice to target the homepage. But we recommend targeting whichever page makes the most sense for your goals.
Anchor text should use descriptive keywords that accurately describe the linked page. But it’s easy to go overboard, or “over-optimize” anchor text. Avoid using repetitive and keyword-stuff phrases for your anchor texts.
Backlink prospects should have high authority. But if they aren’t ALSO relevant, the link won’t do you much good. That’s because search algorithms look at your link profile to better understand your website. In which case, the sites that link to you should be related to your product, audience, or industry.
So if you have a fintech SaaS product, it doesn’t make sense to collect a bunch of backlinks from high-end fashion websites.
Above all, your SaaS company’s content has to provide real value to readers. Whether it’s content on your website, or guest posts on someone else’s … it has to benefit the audience. So instead of writing for search algorithms, write for your readers.
Your website’s internal link structure teaches search engines about your website. In addition, linking between web pages passes along authority. So if you have one page with high authority, and another without, it’s critical you link between them.
Avoid making link building mistakes. Instead, make the most of your link building strategy with Loopex Digital’s link building services for SaaS and software companies.
We help companies like yours build strong backlink profiles to rank better in search engines, and connect with more customers. Contact Loopex Digital to get your free SEO proposal today.
Link building is an important part of search engine optimization (or SEO). Strong backlink profiles help SaaS companies:
But how does it work?
Link building associates your website with other websites. So if a website links to your website, you get link juice. This is what pumps up your rankings, traffic, and so on. It’s sort of like rubbing elbows with important people, but online.
Since the SaaS industry keeps getting more and more competitive, companies have to leverage every resource possible. In this case, link building is one of those resources.
After all, an effective link building strategy can help your SaaS company outrank competitors. This in turn earns you more traffic, which can translate into more conversions.
At Loopex, we can help your SAAS business develop a successful Link Building strategy! Contact us today to book a call with an expert SEO strategist.
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