SaaS Link Building Guide: 22 Proven Strategies for 2023

If content is the engine, backlinks are the fuel that powers SEO for SaaS brands in 2023 and beyond. 

Link building has always been a key component of SEO, helping websites rank higher in search engine results (SERPs). In this guide, we give you 22 proven backlink strategies that can help take your SaaS site to the next level, helping you get and stay ahead of the competition.

What is Link Building?

Link building is the process of acquiring backlinks, or links from other websites, to your own website. These links act as “votes of confidence” for search engines, indicating that other websites find your content valuable and relevant. The more high-quality backlinks your website has, the higher it will rank in SERPs.

Why is Link Building Important?

Link building is important for several reasons. First, it helps to increase the visibility of your website in search engine results. Second, it helps to drive more traffic to your website by making it more easily discoverable. Third, it helps to improve the overall authority and credibility of your website.

SaaS Link Building Strategies for 2023

1. Unlinked brand mentions as a link-building strategy 

Unlinked brand mentions, also known as “unlinked citations,” refer to instances where a website or online publication mentions a company or product name without providing a link to the company’s website. 

As a link-building strategy for SaaS companies, the goal would be to find these unlinked mentions and then reach out to the website or publication to request that they add a link to the company’s website. 

2. Linked brand mentions as a tactic for link building 

Linked brand mentions refer to instances where a website or online publication mentions a company or product name and provides a link to the company’s website. 

As a link-building tactic, companies can actively seek out opportunities for linked brand mentions by building relationships with relevant websites and publications, such as industry blogs or news sites. They can also create valuable, shareable content that is likely to be picked up and linked to by other websites.

3. Guest posting as a link building strategy 

Guest posting is a link-building strategy where a company writes and publishes content on another website, usually in their industry, with the goal of increasing visibility and traffic to their own website. 

This can be an effective strategy for SaaS companies because it allows them to reach a new audience and establish themselves as thought leaders in their field. Additionally, when the guest post includes a link back to the SaaS company’s website, it can help improve its search engine rankings and drive more organic traffic. 

However, it’s important to make sure that the website you’re guest posting on is relevant and credible, and that the content you’re publishing is high-quality and valuable to the audience.

Here are a few strategies for using guest posting as a link-building tactic:

• Research relevant websites: Look for websites in your industry that accept guest posts and have a large and engaged audience
• Create high-quality content: Make sure the content you’re submitting is well-written, informative, and relevant to the audience of the website you’re guest posting on
• Build relationships: Reach out to the website’s editor or owner and introduce yourself, and explain why you think your content would be a good fit for their website
• Use anchor text: When linking back to your website in your guest post, use anchor text that is relevant to your content and includes keywords that you want to rank for
• Monitor and measure: Keep track of the traffic and referral sources to your website to measure the success of your guest posting efforts and make adjustments as needed
• Be consistent: Guest posting should be a consistent effort and not a one-time thing. The more you guest post, the more backlinks and traffic you can get
• Focus on Quality over Quantity: The number of links doesn’t matter as much as the quality of the links. It is better to have few high-quality links than many low-quality links

4. Discover broken links 

Discovering and fixing broken links is a backlinking strategy that can be used by SaaS companies to improve their search engine rankings and drive more organic traffic to their website. Broken links are links that no longer lead to a valid webpage, and they can negatively impact a website’s search engine rankings and user experience.

Use a broken link checker tool to take advantage of broken links on other sites. Similarly, tools like Screaming Frog can crawl other sites and give you a broken link report that can be used to reach out to the webmaster and offer a valuable asset to link to (i.e. a page on your site).

5. Creating trend reports to attract and earn backlinks

Creating trend reports can be a useful strategy for attracting and earning backlinks for SaaS companies. A trend report is a document that analyzes and presents data on a specific topic or industry trend. By creating a trend report, SaaS companies can position themselves as thought leaders in their field and provide valuable insights and information to their target audience.

Here are a few strategies for creating trend reports that can attract and earn backlinks:

• Choose a relevant and timely topic: Select a topic that is relevant to your industry and that is currently generating a lot of interest and conversation
• Gather and analyze data: Collect data from a variety of sources and analyze it to identify key trends and insights
• Create a visually appealing report: Use charts, graphs, and images to make the report easy to read and understand
• Share the report widely: Share the report on your website, social media channels, and industry-relevant websites
• Reach out to other websites: Reach out to other websites in your industry and offer to share your report with them
• Use a clear call-to-action: Encourage readers to share the report on their own websites and social media channels

By creating a valuable and informative trend report, SaaS companies can establish themselves as thought leaders in their field, generate interest and engagement, and ultimately attract and earn backlinks from other websites.

6. Creating free tools or web apps 

Creating free tools like widgets can be an effective strategy for earning backlinks for SaaS companies. A widget is a small application or tool that can be easily embedded on other websites, and it provides a useful function or service to the users. By creating a free widget, SaaS companies can offer a valuable resource to other websites and increase the chances of earning backlinks.

Here are a few strategies for creating free widgets to earn backlinks:

• Choose a useful and unique tool: Create a widget that provides a unique and useful service or function that is relevant to your industry
• Make it easy to embed: Make sure the widget is easy to embed on other websites by providing clear instructions and the necessary code
• Promote the widget: Share the widget on your website, social media channels, and industry-relevant websites
• Reach out to other websites: Reach out to other websites in your industry and offer to share your widget with them
• Monitor and track: Monitor and track the number of backlinks and the websites linking to your widget
• Constantly improve and update: Keep your widget updated and improve it over time, this will encourage other websites to continue using it and linking to it

7. Publishing High-Value Assets 

Publishing high value assets is a strategy that SaaS companies can use to attract backlinks. High-value assets are resources such as e-books, infographics, whitepapers, webinars, and other types of content that provide valuable information and insights to the audience. By publishing high value assets, SaaS companies can establish themselves as thought leaders in their field and provide valuable resources to other websites and individuals that they can link to.

Here are a few strategies for publishing high-value assets to attract backlinks:

• Choose a relevant and timely topic: Select a topic that is relevant to your industry and that is currently generating a lot of interest and conversation
• Research and create high-quality content: Ensure the content is well-researched, informative, and provides value to the audience
• Use visuals: Use images, videos, and infographics to make the content more engaging and easily shareable
• Share the asset widely: Share the asset on your website, social media channels, and industry-relevant websites
• Reach out to other websites: Reach out to other websites in your industry and offer to share your asset with them
• Use a clear call-to-action: Encourage readers to share the asset on their own websites and social media channels
• Monitor and measure: Keep track of the number of backlinks and the websites linking to your asset, and measure the success of your efforts

8. Podcasting (an unlikely but effective link earner)

Podcasting can be an effective strategy for earning backlinks for SaaS companies. Podcasts are a popular medium for sharing information and insights, and by creating a podcast, SaaS companies can establish themselves as thought leaders in their field and provide valuable information to their target audience. Podcasts also can be shared across different platforms and can also include show notes and transcripts that can be linked to their website.

Additionally, most podcasts have a corresponding website, and when an episode goes live, it’s usually accompanied by show notes or a transcript. These often include links to any websites mentioned during the episode, and if your website was mentioned, it’s likely it will be included in these notes, providing a backlink to your site.

9. Product embeds

One way for SaaS companies to earn more backlinks is by making their app or product embeddable. This means making it easy for other websites to include your app or product on their own site by providing a code or plugin that can be easily added.

Here are a few strategies for making your app or product embeddable to earn more backlinks:

• Create an embed code: Create a simple and easy-to-use code that can be easily added to other websites
• Make it visually appealing: Make sure your app or product is visually appealing and easy to use, which will increase the likelihood that other websites will want to embed it
• Promote the embed option: Promote the embed option on your website, social media channels, and industry-relevant websites
• Reach out to other websites: Reach out to other websites in your industry and offer to share your app or product with them as an embeddable option

10. Make Links Sharable 

Making links sharable is a strategy that SaaS companies can use to earn more backlinks. By making it easy for others to share a link to your website or a specific page on your website, you increase the chances that it will be shared and linked to by other websites.

Here are a few strategies for making links sharable to earn more backlinks:

• Add social media sharing buttons: Add social media sharing buttons to your website so that visitors can easily share a link to your website or a specific page on their own social media channels
• Create shareable content: Create content that is valuable and shareable, such as infographics, e-books, whitepapers, and blog posts
• Use clear call-to-action: Encourage visitors to share the link by using clear call-to-action such as “Share this on Social Media” or “Link to this page”
• Use shortened links: Use shortened links like bit.ly or TinyURL to make the link shorter and more shareable
• Incentivize sharing: Consider offering an incentive for sharing the link, such as a discount or free trial

11. Comprehensive Roundups and/or Resource Pages

Creating comprehensive roundups or resource pages can be an effective strategy for earning more backlinks for SaaS companies. A roundup is a collection of information, resources, or tools on a specific topic. A resource page is a dedicated webpage that lists different resources and tools that are related to a specific topic. By creating these types of pages, SaaS companies can establish themselves as experts in their field and provide valuable information to their target audience.

12. Conducting and Publishing Interviews 

Conducting interviews can be an effective strategy for earning backlinks for SaaS companies. By conducting interviews with industry experts or thought leaders, SaaS companies can establish themselves as experts in their field, provide valuable information to their target audience and also create shareable content that can be linked to.

By reaching out to websites in your niche and offering expert insights and knowledge, you can establish yourself as a thought leader and build relationships with website owners. Many websites are always looking for fresh and valuable content and by providing that, you can also benefit from the backlinks that come with it. In this way, interviews with yourself or your team can be a mutually beneficial strategy, as it provides value to both parties and can be a great way to boost your digital marketing efforts.

13. Infographics  

Creating and promoting infographics can be an effective strategy for link building for SaaS companies. Infographics are visual representations of information and data, and they can be a powerful tool for communicating complex information in a simple and easy-to-understand format. They are also highly shareable, which increases the chances that they will be linked to by other websites.

14. Images: credit where credit is due 

An effective SaaS link-building tactic is to identify websites that have used images from your website without proper attribution and request that they provide photo credit in the form of a link back to your site. 

Here are a few steps for implementing this link building strategy:

• Search for your images: Use a reverse image search tool to search for your images on the internet, this will help you find any websites that have used your images without proper attribution
• Reach out to the website: Contact the website owner and politely ask them to provide photo credit in the form of a link back to your site
• Provide the link: Provide the website owner with the link to the page on your website where the image originally appeared
• Follow up: Follow up with the website owner to ensure that they have added the link and that it is working properly
• Keep track of your progress: Keep track of the number of backlinks and the websites linking to your site as a result of this strategy

15. Give a Little to Get a Little  

Offering free products or trials in exchange for a review and backlink is a strategy that SaaS companies can use to earn backlinks. By providing a free product or trial to a website or blogger in exchange for a review and backlink, SaaS companies can increase visibility and credibility for their product and also increase the chances of earning a backlink.

It’s important to note that this approach could be seen as a form of paid link-building, which is against Google’s guidelines, and could lead to penalties for your website in terms of SEO. Therefore, you should be careful when offering free products or trials in exchange for reviews, and make sure that the reviews are honest, and the back

16. Partner with Other Providers and/or Offer Integrations 

Integration partners can be a valuable source of backlinks for SaaS companies. These partners, with whom a company integrates its products or services, can provide a mutually beneficial relationship when it comes to driving MRR as well as backlinks.

When working with integration partners, it’s important to:

• Ensure that they include a link to your integration directory listing on their website
• Create a guest post on their blog that includes a contextual link back to a key page on your website that you want to promote. It’s important to make sure that the anchor text contains your target keyword
• Review the number of integration partners that are not linking back to you or that you haven’t guest posted on. Reconnecting with these partners could be a great way to boost your backlink strategy

By fostering strong relationships with integration partners and leveraging these relationships to gain backlinks, SaaS companies can improve their search engine rankings and drive more organic traffic to their website.

17. Create Lists and Rank Them  

Simple in theory, but time-consuming to do right, ranked lists are one of the most linkable assets online. Everyone wants to know the ‘top xyz for xyz’ and you can give it to them. 

Bear in mind, the more you can substantiate HOW you ranked the list, the more valuable and trusted it will be, and by association, the more links it will earn.

18. Badges

By providing badges for users to display on their website or social media profiles, SaaS companies can increase visibility and credibility for their product and also increase the chances of earning backlinks. One example of a successful “badge link building” strategy is G2’s quarterly rankings of software companies, where companies are awarded a badge for ranking in the top of their respective category.

Here are a few strategies for using badges for link building:

• Create engaging and visually appealing badges: Design badges that users will want to display on their websites or social media profiles
• Offer badges for different achievements or milestones: Offer badges for different achievements or milestones, such as reaching a certain level of usage or completing a certain task
• Encourage users to share their badges: Encourage users to share their badges on their websites or social media profiles by providing a clear call-to-action

19. HARO

A powerful strategy for SaaS companies to gain positive public relations and build valuable backlinks is through the use of HARO. 

Help A Reporter Out (HARO) is an online tool where journalists can source information for their upcoming stories, and in exchange for providing this information, they are likely to link back to the source in their articles. This can be a great way for SaaS companies to earn backlinks and increase visibility for their brand. Even though the links obtained through HARO may be either Nofollow or Dofollow, it still can drive organic traffic to your website. Additionally, many SaaS companies have reported getting links from reputable websites such as Forbes and Inc.com through their use of HARO.

One of the great advantages of utilizing Help A Reporter Out (HARO) is that it is accessible at no cost, and it provides daily opportunities. Additionally, with a paid account, you can refine the topics you’re interested in writing about by using keywords, this way you can focus on the subjects that are most relevant to your business and boost your chances of being featured in pertinent publications. This makes HARO an efficient and cost-effective way for SaaS companies to gain positive PR and acquire backlinks.

20. Testimonials

Providing testimonials is a simple way for SaaS companies to acquire backlinks. Even though many platforms only offer nofollow links, it’s still worth giving testimonials for products or services you have recently used. 

Reach out to the company and let them know you’re willing to provide a short text testimonial in exchange for a link back to your website’s homepage. 

For instance, by giving a short evaluation of a company’s software, you can often get a link back to your website. This strategy not only helps the other company but also helps your own website to gain more visibility and credibility by using the power of social proof.

21. Conferences 

Speaking at and/or sponsoring conferences and other industry-related events is a great way to get your name out there, but also acquire high-value links.

Oftentimes, speakers and sponsors are given a bio and link on event pages.

22. Participate on Q&A Sites

Sites like Quora provide knowledgably individuals with the ability to drop a link in their valuable answers. Not only is this an opportunity to showcase your authenticity and industry prowess, but also to sneak in a link to your brand.

SaaS Link Building – closing thoughts 

Link building is an essential aspect of SEO that can help to improve the visibility, traffic, and credibility of your SaaS site. By following the tips outlined in this article, you can effectively build quality backlinks and improve your search engine rankings, helping you stay competitive and drive more traffic to your brand.