In 2024, SaaS link building continues to evolve, embracing new tactics that adhere to the ever-changing algorithm updates from search engines and user behavior trends.
Being intelligent, resourceful, and genuine when building links can bring incredible results.
Below, we discuss the importance of link building for SaaS companies and share 24 effective tactics that you can use to secure high-quality links.
But first, let’s take a quick look at the industry’s growth.
Remarkable Growth in the SaaS Industry
The SaaS industry has grown remarkably from a niche corner of the tech world into a sprawling metropolis of innovation.
Source: Statista
In 2015, spending on SaaS products was 31.4 billion, compared to 232 billion in 2024. The projections for 2030 expect an even more significant growth percentage in the market.
Stiff competition will follow in a market with this kind of growth and profit potential. A well-designed link-building campaign can help you secure your place on Google and claim more traffic and leads.
Building Links & Content That Boost Revenue
Brands like HubSpot have become the skyscrapers in this cityscape, towering examples of what’s possible when organic traffic strategies are leveraged effectively.
HubSpot isn’t just a success story. It’s a masterclass in using organic traffic to fuel growth. From insightful blogs to invaluable tools, they’ve created a compelling digital ecosystem that draws in visitors through the sheer power of value and relevance.
They’ve laid out a welcome mat on the internet’s doorstep, inviting anyone seeking marketing wisdom.
By creating content that answers the real questions their audience is asking, HubSpot and similar SaaS giants have harnessed organic traffic not just to grow but to thrive.
The lesson here?
Organic traffic isn’t just a metric to measure; it’s a force that needs to be harnessed.
Here are 24 tactics to improve your organic and referral traffic in 2024.
24 SaaS Link Building Tactics
Custom Link Outreach
Stellar SEO’s custom link-building service distinguishes itself by employing a range of tried-and-tested tactics and weaving them into a comprehensive, goal-oriented strategy.
Each campaign is meticulously crafted around the client’s goals and needs, ensuring that every link acquired boosts SEO performance and aligns with broader business objectives.
The benefit?
This highly targeted approach moves beyond generic link building to create genuine, lasting value for SaaS platforms, driving traffic and brand authority.
At Stellar SEO, we also take pride in custom link outreach. This involves identifying and engaging with relevant, high-authority websites within the SaaS industry to secure backlinks that matter.
We focus on creating meaningful connections with sites that can add relevance and authority to your SaaS offering.
Why this isn’t a tactic per se: The importance of a solid link-building strategy, backed by the right tactics, will enable you to build links that support your overall goals.
If you don’t have a clear plan, we encourage you to develop one before trying random tactics to secure inbound links. The time and effort required upfront will increase your results tenfold.
For those of you with a plan, here are some tactics to help support it.
CEO Interviews
Leveraging your company’s CEO’s insights and thought leadership can be a goldmine for securing authoritative backlinks.
You showcase your company’s expertise by engaging in interviews with industry publications, podcasts, and news outlets and open doors to high-quality media coverage.
This strategy enriches your backlink profile and positions your brand at the forefront of industry conversations.
Conferences
Participating in industry conferences through speaking engagements or sponsorships presents a unique opportunity to bolster your backlink strategy.
Events are networking and brand visibility hotspots, providing a platform to share your knowledge and connect with like-minded professionals.
Furthermore, being featured on event websites, press releases, and related coverage can secure valuable backlinks to your site.
Content Syndication
Content syndication involves republishing original content on third-party sites to reach a broader audience. This strategy extends your reach and secures backlinks from reputable platforms to your original content.
It’s a win-win: your content gets more visibility, and your site earns quality backlinks. However, choosing syndication partners wisely ensures your content aligns with the right audience.
Free Tools & Calculators
Offering free tools or calculators on your website can serve as a magnet for backlinks, drawing in users and encouraging shares across the web. This tactic provides value to your audience and positions your SaaS platform as a resource hub within your industry.
Tools that solve specific problems or provide insights can garner mentions and links from blogs, forums, and social media, amplifying your reach.
Content that includes useful tools can significantly increase user engagement. This is because audiences are likelier to share and link back to resources that have a direct, practical application in their professional or personal lives.
Guest Posting & Blogger Outreach
Guest posts and blogger outreach are classic yet effective ways to spread your brand’s message and secure quality backlinks.
By contributing valuable content to other blogs, you share your expertise with new audiences and weave a network of backlinks that funnel traffic back to your site.
Help A Reporter Out (HARO)
Utilizing services like Help A Reporter Out (HARO) to provide expert insights for journalistic content is a strategic way to earn authoritative backlinks.
You can secure mentions in high-profile publications by connecting your knowledge with reporters’ need for credible sources.
This boosts your backlink profile and brand credibility and visibility.
Image Credits
Implementing a strategy to request credit for your images when used by others is a straightforward method of acquiring backlinks.
This practice ensures that every use of your visual content across the web is potentially a source of backlinks to your site. As visual content continues to dominate the internet, securing your visual assets becomes crucial in bolstering your backlink strategy and enhancing SEO.
Integration Partners
Using integration partnerships for mutual backlinking diversifies your backlink profile and showcases your product’s interoperability with others in the industry.
This collaboration between SaaS platforms can significantly boost your SEO by creating a network of relevant, high-quality links
Niche Edits
Niche edits, or adding links to existing content on relevant websites, are an effective method of weaving your backlinks into articles that already hold authority and audience trust.
This tactic can enhance your website’s authority and drive targeted traffic, positively impacting your SEO metrics.
Podcasting
Engaging in podcasts as a guest can serve as a unique avenue for acquiring backlinks. Your insights can directly lead to backlinks from the podcast episode’s webpage to your site.
This method amplifies your reach to a dedicated audience and enriches your backlink profile with links from reputable media platforms.
PPC Ads To Attract Links
Utilizing PPC ads to promote high-value, informational content can attract the attention of content creators and website owners in your niche.
This innovative approach, akin to “emailing a list” but on autopilot, relies on crafting compelling content that naturally encourages backlinks.
Product Embeds and Shareable Links
Encouraging the use of embeddable components of your product or shareable links to gain product-based backlinks can significantly contribute to your SaaS platform’s organic growth.
This tactic broadens your digital footprint and drives referral traffic back to your site.
Product Reviews
By having your product reviewed by bloggers and influencers, you can showcase your product to a wider audience and garner valuable backlinks.
Nearly 50% of consumers trust product reviews as much as personal recommendations, making this tactic a dual-edged sword for improving SEO.
PR Outreach
Direct outreach to media sites and journalists provides a proactive strategy to gain authoritative backlinks.
Unlike HARO’s wait-and-see approach, actively sharing relevant statistics or insights with media professionals can secure high-quality placements.
Replicating Competitors’ Backlinks
Analyzing and mirroring your competitors’ backlink strategies can unlock pathways to successful link acquisition.
This method allows you to understand the backlinking landscape within your niche and adopt proven tactics.
Resource Page Link Building
Identifying resource pages within your niche and reaching out to get your content included diversifies your backlink sources and drives targeted traffic to your site.
These are valuable for improving site authority and can be a strategic part of your overall building links campaign.
Roundups and Broken Links
Participation in article roundups and rectifying broken links are effective link-building tactics.
These approaches involve getting included in summary posts and replacing outdated links with your own, providing fresh value to the content while securing a backlink.
Testimonials
Crafting testimonials for other products or services in your niche can often lead to do-follow links.
This method is especially effective if you have brand recognition for the product or service you are leaving a testimonial for, and you will want to display it as social proof.
Thought Leadership Articles
Writing thought leadership articles is an effective method of demonstrating authority and gaining backlinks. By offering your insights and expertise, you position yourself as a key influencer in your industry and guarantee natural backlinks to your website.
This approach supports your SEO efforts and enhances your brand’s reputation and credibility.
Trend Reports
Creating and sharing trend reports and industry research is an exceptional strategy for attracting backlinks.
This content, rich in data and insights, draws the attention of various stakeholders keen on the latest trends, leading to valuable backlinks from their platforms.
Unlinked Brand Mentions
Scouring the internet for unlinked mentions of your brand and requesting the addition of links can significantly boost your SEO performance.
This approach capitalizes on existing brand recognition, converting mentions into valuable SEO assets.
Webinar Collaborations
Collaborating on webinars with other companies or influencers is a multifaceted link building approach.
These partnerships foster industry relationships and generate backlinks through promotional content and post-event summaries.
YouTube Videos
Wait, what?
The value isn’t the direct link you get from YouTube; it is leveraging the platform to gain exposure for your main content piece of a page.
Like the PPC approach, you can reach a larger audience and tell them about new content by creating and sharing a video with a tip or actionable advice from your latest content. Then, mention the full article in the video and drop a link below in the description.
Ready for More Traffic From Search Engines?
As we’ve explored, organic traffic and link building are not just mere tactics but fundamental components that drive visibility, credibility, and growth.
Mastering SEO and link building isn’t optional for SaaS companies—it’s essential.
These strategies are your ticket to standing out in a crowded market, attracting high-quality leads, and nurturing them into loyal customers.
However, understanding the intricacies of SEO and executing a link building strategy that yields results requires expertise, persistence, and a deep understanding of your market.
Looking To Scale? It’s Time To Access Your Link Building Efforts
Are they driving the results you need?
Are you positioned as a thought leader in your space?
If not, it is time to reconsider your approach.
Consider partnering with SEO and link building specialists who can tailor a strategy to your specific goals, ensuring your SaaS platform reaches its target audience and resonates with them.
Remember, in the world of SaaS, visibility is everything. Don’t let your competitors outshine you in search engine results pages.
Take action today to secure your spot at the top and drive the growth your SaaS company deserves.
SaaS Link Building FAQs
High-quality links paired with quality content will help your SaaS Business’s website traffic grow exponentially. If you will invest the time and resources to build links, you want to make sure you have the knowledge to do it right.
Below, we explore some common questions about SaaS Link building, to help you make the most of your outreach efforts.
What Role Do Anchor Texts Play In Link Building Campaigns?
Anchor texts, the clickable words in a hyperlink, are crucial for SEO as they help search engines understand the linked page’s content.
Using descriptive, relevant anchor texts for SaaS sites can enhance keyword relevance and improve search rankings for those terms.
Are Blogger Outreach and Guest Posting Still Viable Link Building Techniques?
Guest blogging on reputable industry-related websites can drive referral traffic and improve domain authority.
Ensure the content is high-quality, relevant, and provides value to the readers. Always include a contextual backlink to your site that enhances the article and provides additional information.
Should I Pass Up Relevent Links On A Low Domain Authority Site?
While links from established sites carry more authority, startups can be beneficial if they are relevant and have growth potential.
These links can diversify your backlink profile and support newer companies in your ecosystem.
How Often Should I Conduct A Backlink Audit?
Conducting a quarterly or bi-annual backlink audit is recommended to identify and remove potentially harmful backlinks that could affect your SEO.
It will also help you find broken links, which can often be salvaged by redirecting or contacting the linking site for an update.
Regular audits help maintain a healthy link profile and optimize your link building strategy.
No Follow vs. Do Follow Links: What’s The Difference?
Nofollow links, while not passing direct SEO value, are still crucial for a natural link profile and can drive traffic to your site.
They can also lead to indirect SEO benefits, such as increased brand exposure and the potential to secure do-follow links from other sources.
Is Implementing an Internal Link Building Strategy Worthwhile?
Yes, strategic internal linking helps distribute page authority throughout your site and improve navigation for users, which can lead to better user engagement and increased SEO performance.
It’s essential for directing users to high-conversion pages.
How Can Influencer Marketing Be Leveraged To Build Backlinks?
Partnering with influencers in the SaaS space can help you reach a broader audience.
Influencers can introduce your content to their followers, who might link back to your site if they find your content valuable, thereby enhancing your link-building efforts.
What Are Some Common Pitfalls To Avoid During The Link Building Process?
Avoid spammy sponsored links, excessive link exchanges, and irrelevant links, as these can lead to search engine penalties.
Instead, focus on earning links through genuine, high-quality content and relationship-building in the industry.
How Can I Track The ROI of My Link Building Campaigns?
Use analytics tools to monitor referral traffic, conversion rates from referred visitors, and changes in your search rankings associated with new links.
Setting clear KPIs and regularly reviewing these metrics can help assess the effectiveness of your link building strategy.
How Can I Build An Effective SaaS Link Building Strategy?
Good SaaS link building strategies can help your website grow exponentially. To build a good plan, you need to understand your end goal. Once you have a set end-point, it will be easier to determine how many links you need and whether or not you have enough high quality content to earn them.
As you set out to create your own SaaS link building strategy, you should identify your desired outcome, find and analyze competitors who have already achieved it, and determine where your site is falling short. This will allow you to understand the time and resources needed to reach your goals.
Is Link Building the Same as Content Marketing?
Content marketing is defined as the combination of white papers, e-books, educational blog posts, and other content intended to inform potential customers.
Link building, on the other hand, is more focused on outreach and promotion of education content and, when possible, sales content. In either case, the goal is to secure high-quality backlinks that improve the visibility of your web pages.
That being said, there is definitely an overlap between content marketing and link building. For example, if you are trying to build resource page links, having a definitive educational guide on a topic is going to improve your success rate tremendously. So instead of content marketing vs. link building, you should think content + link building = better ROI.
How Can I Find Content Marketing Ideas for My SaaS Business?
As with building links, analyzing your competitors is a good place to begin. This process is called a keyword gap analysis or content gap analysis. The idea of both is to find out what types of content are sending traffic to competing websites that you have not currently covered on your site.
You can identify related target keywords to expand your content strategy from this. Once you have the core pages set up, you can start to think about related white papers and other content assets that would further engage your target audience.
Is Building Links A Guaranteed Way To Increase Organic Traffic?
A sound link building strategy is a good way to improve your rankings and organic traffic. However, without a technically sound website and high quality content, the impact of link building will be diminished.
While nothing in Google is guaranteed, high-quality backlinks have a profound positive impact when used as part of a holistic SEO strategy.
You also want to avoid risky links, like those placed on private blog networks or paid sidebar homepage links, as they can negate the gains from your other links.
Is Listing My SaaS Business on Review Sites a Good Way To Get Quality Links?
Getting your SaaS website listed on review sites can be a good way to generate referral traffic. Unlike guest posting and outreach to resource pages, many SaaS review sites give you nofollow links. While nofollow links do not pass link equity, they can help you generate traffic.
This is known as referral traffic, and when coming from the right site, it can lead to conversions. While you don’t want all the links to your site to come from review sites, having some will help you maintain a natural link profile while increasing your site traffic.
Remember, when building links, it is important to define your desired outcome. This will help you determine which tactics make sense for a page or campaign.
