SaaS link building is a surefire way to build authority and organic search visibility of your website.
In fact,
67.5% of SEOs believe that backlinks have a big impact on search engine rankings. (Source)
And that’s why we bring you this ultimate guide to building quality links for your SaaS business.
So, if you’re struggling with your SaaS link building strategy, don’t worry; we’ve got you covered. Just make sure you read this post till the very end.
What is SaaS Link Building?
SaaS link building is the process of acquiring backlinks from authoritative and relevant niche websites. The process helps increase your SaaS website’s credibility by showcasing its connection with other niche-specific and reputed sites to Google.
The Importance of Link Building for SaaS Businesses
It’s an essential component of organic SaaS marketing, as it helps you to improve your business’s visibility in search engines. Here are some of the key advantages of building quality backlinks for your SaaS website:
- Improve search engine rankings and attract relevant search traffic to your website.
- Display authority in your niche and boost conversions and revenue.
- Create valuable relationships and partnerships with relevant niche websites and influencers and explore new opportunities for collaboration and growth.
- Reduce customer acquisition costs, as link building is essentially an organic growth marketing tactic.
Over the past couple of decades, link building has transformed significantly. Let’s understand how:
A Shift From Quantity to Quality Backlinks
In the past, link building was akin to a wild gold rush. SEO managers focused on acquiring as many external backlinks as possible, often through practices like link farms, web rings, and mass directory link postings.
Back then, marketers preferred more links than quality backlinks.
But with the evolution of Google’s search algorithms, things changed over time. Since low-quality links meant a poor experience for online searchers, Google started penalising sites that acquired low-quality links.
Algorithmic updates like Panda, Penguin, and Hummingbird led marketers to focus on quality backlinks and move away from quantity-focused strategies.
Over the years, marketers have also realised that they should aim to acquire contextual organic links instead of obtaining quick, paid backlinks.
Growth of Digital PR
As the SEO landscape has evolved, Digital PR has emerged as an effective organic link building strategy. It involves gaining exposure and earning backlinks through blogger relationships, outreach, and content collaborations.
Link Building Through Organic Content
Today, link building revolves around value-driven content. Businesses are now working towards attracting natural backlinks by creating value-driven and shareable content.
90% of marketers utilize content pieces as their main way to generate more backlinks. (Moz)
Proven Effective Link Building Strategies for SaaS
In this section, let’s get to some of the basic SaaS link building techniques that you can use for your website.
Unlinked Brand Mentions
A great way is to convert your existing brand mentions to backlinks. Just set up a simple alert to track all such mentions on news sites and niche blogs.
Next, write to each of the editors or website admins requesting a link to your brand’s website.
Linked Brand Mentions
You can also contact sites linked to your SaaS website’s home page link; why? Because it’s an opportunity for you to convert your backlink into a more relevant one by requesting a product page link.
The strategy is useful in improving link quality and the conversion levels from referral traffic.
Guest Posting
Another incredible way to acquire quality backlinks is to write high-quality guest articles for authority niche publications; how? You need to list all websites that accept guest articles and contact their editors with your request.
The ideal way is to understand their guest posting guidelines before writing a customised pitch for a specific website.
Guest posting creates a win-win for publications and guest authors because they get free content, and you get a free link for your website. The strategy also helps you to expand your audience and improve the brand’s credibility.
Round-Up Articles
Round-up articles make for terrific linkable content assets. For instance, you can create an in-depth list of popular tools or resources in your niche to attract high-quality backlinks to your website.
Infographics
You can also create infographics around the latest research in your industry. Such content pieces offer an excellent user experience; hence, they’re great for fetching quality links for your SaaS website.
Conferences
One of the best ways to get visibility on news websites is to participate in popular events and conferences. You can even participate as a speaker or apply for awards in such events.
Such participation can help you get a link from the event website. You might also get links from popular blogs covering these events and conferences.
Original Research
One of the best ways to create incredible value for your target audience is to publish in-depth original research in your industry. That’s why third-party news sites and bloggers love these content assets and link to them instantly.
And so, by publishing an original study, you can get thousands of quality backlinks for your SaaS website.
Image Credit
If someone uses your image without proper attribution, reach out to them and politely request that they credit your website by linking back to it.
Many website owners are willing to add a link when asked. Regularly check where your images are being used. If you find instances where your images are credited but lack a link, follow up and request the addition of a backlink.
Q&A Sites
Just hop on to a popular Q&A community like Quora or Yahoo Answers and share your knowledge with your target audience.
Don’t forget to insert a link to a relevant resource or blog post from your site; voila, you’ve got one new backlink. Moreover, community participation is an excellent way to garner more traffic to your website.
Broken Links
Blogs and publications often have many broken links. Here lies an opportunity to get creative and build quality links for your SaaS website.
As a goodwill gesture, you can inform them about a broken link on their site.
You can also share a replacement link with them—ideally, a relevant and valuable resource or a blog post from your website. This way, you can help a niche website fix a broken link and build a new backlink for your site.
Advanced Link Building Techniques
Let’s face it: building links isn’t easy. Also, it’s a time-consuming process. However, there are advanced techniques that can help you get more out of your link-building efforts.
In this section, let’s understand some innovative SaaS link building strategies.
Skyscraper Technique
The Skyscraper technique is a super-useful way to outdo your competition when it comes to SaaS link building. Here are the quick, easy-to-understand steps involved in this proven SaaS SEO strategy:
- Identify existing content linking to competing articles.
- Write a superior version of the competing content piece. Your “skyscraper content” should be more comprehensive, up-to-date, credible, and valuable. It could include unique insights, tools, or visuals that add significant user value.
- Reach out to website owners who linked to the original content. Show them why your improved version is more valuable and suggest they link to your content.
HARO
HARO is a free platform that helps you share your expertise and win quality backlinks for free. The platform allows you to connect with journalists working on stories in your niche and offer them your expert tips.
If they quote you in their article, you get a free backlink to your website. Isn’t that just phenomenal?
Tools and Resources for Link Building
Now that you have an understanding of some of the basic and advanced SaaS link building techniques, let’s learn about tools that can help you build high-quality links for your SaaS website:
Semrush
An all-in-one SaaS link-building tool, Semrush allows you to discover backlink prospects, implement outreach campaigns, and track new links.
Ahrefs
Ahrefs is another fantastic SaaS link building tool for analysing backlinks and exploring competitor link building strategies.
Pitchbox
If you’re looking for an excellent outreach tool to scale your SaaS link building, this tool might be the perfect fit for your organisation.
Whether you need to find the relevant prospects or reach out to them, this SEO tool is a terrific option for automating your outreach efforts.
Buzzsumo
Buzzsumo is an incredible tool for finding trending and innovative content ideas in your niche. This feature helps create highly linkable content assets for your SaaS website. You can also use this SaaS link building tool to find niche influencers and build relationships with them.
Common Link Building Challenges for SaaS Business
Now that you have a fair idea of building backlinks for your SaaS business, let’s get a quick overview of some of the challenges you might face and how to overcome them.
Fatigued Bloggers: Bloggers and content creators receive numerous link pitches daily. As a result, they may become weary of repetitive outreach.
So, what’s the solution? Make sure your pitch is compelling. Try to focus on creating real value for the blogger you’re targeting. If you’re out there to help, they’ll be interested in collaborating with you.
Cut-throat Competition: The SaaS industry is fiercely competitive. Established vendors boast massive link profiles, high domain authority, and strong brand recognition.
If you still don’t have a robust link profile, don’t worry; you must consistently create quality links and content for your SaaS business.
Lack of Budget: Many budding SaaS startups don’t have enough to spend on link building.
But link building gets the best results when you focus on organic strategies. Hence, you do not need a big budget to build a strong link profile. So, keep going.
Let’s look at some SaaS link building best practices to make your link building journey worth all that effort.
Link Building Ethics and Best Practices
Don’t forget that if your link-building intentions are authentic, the results will be very satisfying, too. Here are some essential SaaS link-building ethics you must follow:
Focus on White Hat Link Building
White-hat link building is an SEO practice focusing on earning organic backlinks from authoritative and trustworthy websites. Here are some black-hat SaaS link-building practices you must avoid:
- Paid Links: Avoid buying or selling links. Google penalises such practices.
- Private Blog Networks (PBNs): These are networks of low-quality sites created solely for link manipulation.
- Link Farms: These are collections of unrelated sites linking to each other. They are considered spammy.
Focus on User-Experience
When building links for your SaaS website, you must remember that you’re out there to improve the experience of your target online searchers. Hence, your goal should be:
- Create in-depth content that attracts links.
- Write high-quality guest articles for building organic links.
- Ensure that linked pages provide value to your users.
- Use a mix of anchor text variations (brand name, partial match, natural phrases).
- Regularly disavow toxic or spammy links using Google’s Disavow Tool.
This way, you can create a roadmap to building quality links from sites that publish great content. And you can set yourself up for SaaS link building success.
Final Thoughts
A winning SaaS link building strategy can get you to the top of Google’s search results for the relevant niche keywords.
And it helps you to create an impeccable reputation for your business.
Are you finding it tedious to build quality backlinks at scale? Consider hiring an experienced SaaS link building agency like TripleDart. Book a free consultation with our link building experts today.
