If you’re running a SaaS company and trying to rank higher on Google, you’ve probably heard people say, “You need backlinks.” But what does that really mean? And more importantly—how do you actually get good links that make a difference?

In this guide, I’ll explain everything I’ve learned about SaaS link building—what it is, why it matters, and how to do it without wasting your time or money. Whether you’re just getting started or you’ve been at it for a while, this article will help you build a smarter strategy that fits your business stage and goals.

You’ll learn the best types of links for SaaS, the tactics that work right now (and which ones to avoid), how to create content that earns links naturally, and how to track your progress.

I’ll also break down tools you can use, how much you might need to budget, and whether you should build links yourself or hire an agency.

By the end, you’ll have a clear plan to start building absolute authority for your SaaS brand—without all the fluff! Let’s get into it.

What Is SaaS Link Building?

Link building for SaaS is the process of getting other websites to link back to your software company’s website. Think of these links as a vouch for confidence from across the internet. The more quality and authoritative sites link to you, the more Google sees you as trustworthy and relevant.

What makes SaaS link building different?

While general link building focuses on any website, link building for SaaS companies targets the specific challenges software companies face.

You’re not selling physical products or local services—you’re selling sophisticated solutions that often require education and reliability.

I’ve found that SaaS companies need links from tech publications, industry blogs, and review sites that their potential customers read.

These specialized links help in multiple ways:

1. They boost your rankings in search results when people look for solutions like yours.
2. They drive qualified traffic from relevant audiences already interested in software solutions.
3. They directly impact your bottom line—better rankings lead to more demos and trials and, ultimately, more monthly recurring revenue (MRR).

Unlike e-commerce or local businesses, SaaS companies often have longer sales cycles. Good links keep your brand visible throughout this journey, from when someone first realizes they have a problem to when they’re ready to pull out their credit card.

Why SaaS Companies Need Link Building 

The SaaS SEO landscape is incredibly crowded. New software solutions launch every day in practically every niche. Without a solid link profile, your fantastic product might remain hidden on page 10 of Google, where nobody will find it.

In my experience, building topical authority is crucial for SaaS companies.

When you get links from respected sites in your industry, you’re not just getting SEO juice—you’re establishing your brand as a thought leader. When multiple trusted sources in a specific topic area refer to you as an authority, Google recognizes you.

This is exactly why many SaaS companies partner with experienced agencies like The Blueprints, a link building service that specializes in helping SaaS brands gain authority through high-quality backlinks.

Here’s why this matters beyond just SEO:

• Investors check your online presence before funding decisions
• Enterprise clients research your reputation before signing larger contracts
• Partners evaluate your market position before strategic alliances

SaaS companies with strong link profiles tend to have lower customer acquisition costs. When prospects see your company mentioned across trusted publications, they enter your sales funnel with higher trust. This shortens sales cycles and improves conversion rates.

Remember that trust isn’t just nice to have in SaaS backlinks—it’s essential when asking someone to store their data or run critical business functions through your platform. Quality backlinks serve as public endorsements that build this necessary trust.

Link Building vs. Other SaaS Growth Channels 

When I look at the typical SaaS marketing stack, I see several key channels:

Channel	Pros	Cons
PPC	Immediate traffic, precise targeting	Stops when you stop paying, rising costs
Social	Brand building, community engagement	Algorithm changes, constant content needs
SEO + Link Building	Compounds over time, passive traffic	Takes patience, longer-term investment

What I love about link building compared to other channels is its compounding nature. A PPC campaign delivers results today but stops tomorrow when you turn off the budget. A quality backlink can send traffic and SEO value for years with no additional cost.

Think of it this way: PPC is like renting attention, while link building is like buying real estate in the digital landscape. Each good link you build becomes a permanent asset for your company.

I’ve seen SaaS companies that invested heavily in link building early on reap the rewards years later, with steady organic traffic that provides a reliable baseline of leads month after month. It creates a foundation that makes all your other marketing efforts more effective and reduces your dependency on paid channels.

Setting Goals for Link Building 

When setting up your link building strategy, establish clear expectations.

Here’s what realistic progress looks like:

In the first 3-6 months, focus on:

• Growing your website’s Domain Rating (DR) by 5-10 points
• Increasing referring domains by 30-50%
• Improving rankings for 5-10 key terms related to your product

Don’t expect overnight miracles. Quality link building takes time, and I typically see the most significant results of a consistent strategy between months 6 and 12.

For your team’s OKRs (Objectives and Key Results), I suggest:

Objective: Build a strong backlink profile that drives qualified organic traffic

• KR1: Acquire X new referring domains from sites with DR 50+ each quarter
• KR2: Improve average position for core keywords by Y positions
• KR3: Increase organic traffic to product pages by Z%

Make your goals specific to your starting point. If you’re a new SaaS with few backlinks, gaining 10-15 quality links per quarter is excellent progress. If you’re more established, focus on quality over quantity.

Tracking the proper metrics keeps teams motivated. Rather than obsessing only over link counts, track the actual business outcomes: demo requests, free trial signups, and the conversion rates of this organically acquired traffic.

Most Effective SaaS Link Building Strategies 

Over the years, I’ve tried many link-building tactics and have found that the following work particularly well for SaaS companies.

Guest Posting with a SaaS Angle

The era of guest posting isn’t over yet—it just needs the right approach. Instead of writing generic content, I focus on solving specific problems the target site’s audience faces.

Guest posting for SaaS content marketing:

• Pitch topics that showcase your software’s value without being promotional
• Include relevant case studies from your customers (with permission)
• Create custom screenshots or data visualizations to make your posts stand out

Websites like GrowthHackers, SaaS Magazine, and industry-specific publications are often more receptive than general marketing blogs. They want content that genuinely helps their readers solve problems.

Digital PR for SaaS 

Data is your secret weapon for PR. SaaS companies’ platforms give journalists irresistible, unique insights.

My approach to acquiring SaaS PR backlinks:

1. Look at the aggregate, anonymized data from your platform
2. Find surprising trends or statistics
3. Package these insights into a compelling story with visual assets
4. Pitch to relevant tech and industry journalists

For example, if your software tracks employee productivity, you could release a study on “The Best Time of Day for Deep Work” based on your user data. This kind of story can simultaneously earn links from business publications, HR blogs, and productivity sites.

Partner Pages and Integrations 

This link building approach is the lowest-hanging fruit in SaaS SEO strategy. Every time you build an integration with another software, you should get a link from their partners or integrations page.

What works well:

• Create a dedicated landing page for each integration
• Ask partners to link to your specific integration page, not just your homepage
• Offer to write the description text for them to make it easier

Unlinked Brand Mentions 

People are already talking about your brand—they just might not be linking to you. Tools like BrandMentions or even Google Alerts can help you find where your company is mentioned without a link.

My simple process:

1. Find mentions of your brand without links
2. Email the author and thank them for the mention
3. Politely ask if they would mind adding a link

I keep these emails short, friendly, and without pressure. About 30% of people will add the link when asked nicely.

Linkable Assets 

Creating valuable tools people naturally want to link to is one of my favorite long-term strategies.

Effective linkable assets for SaaS:

Asset Type	Examples	Why It Works
Calculators	ROI calculator, Pricing comparison	Solves a specific problem for users
Original Research	Industry surveys, Benchmark reports	Provides citable data others can reference
Interactive Tools	Template generators, Decision makers	Provides immediate value without a full signup

These assets work because they provide standalone value while showcasing what your product can do.

Broken Link Building SaaS

This strategy involves searching for broken links on other websites and suggesting your content as a replacement.

For SaaS companies, I focus on:

• Finding broken links to competitors who’ve rebranded or shut down
• Creating better alternatives to missing resources
• Focusing on high-authority sites in your industry

While this takes work, it has a higher success rate than cold outreach because you’re helping web admins fix a problem.

Product-Led Outreach 

Your product itself can be a link magnet.

I’ve seen great results from:

• Creating free, lightweight versions of your tools that anyone can use
• Developing embeddable widgets that include a link back to your site
• Offering free access to journalists and bloggers who might write about your software

This approach builds links while also generating product awareness—a win-win!

Founder-Led Link Building Interviews and Podcasts 

Podcast appearances are gold for SaaS link building because:

1. Most podcasts create show notes pages with links to guests
2. The personal connection makes the link more natural
3. You gain exposure to new audiences as a bonus

I recommend starting with industry-specific podcasts rather than immediately aiming for the biggest shows. Prepare interesting stories about why you started your company and the specific problems you’re solving. These personal elements make your interview memorable and more likely to earn additional mentions beyond the podcast itself.

Content That Attracts Links in SaaS 

Certain types of content consistently attract links in the SaaS space.

Here are the formats that work best:

Top-Performing Content Types 

• Original Research & Data: When I share unique insights from my customer base or industry surveys, other sites love to reference this data
• Comparison Content: “[Your Product] vs [Competitor]” pages solve real problems for buyers and attract links from review sites
• How-to Guides & Templates: Detailed step-by-step content that helps people implement solutions gets linked from resource pages
• Industry Trend Reports: My annual or quarterly analysis of where the industry is heading becomes reference material
• Free Tools & Calculators: Interactive elements that help users solve problems without requiring signup

I’ve noticed that content mapping to different funnel stages attracts various types of links:

Funnel Stage	Content Examples	Link Sources
Top of Funnel	Industry reports, trend analysis, free tools	News sites, industry blogs, resource pages
Middle of Funnel	Comparison guides, case studies, templates	Review sites, industry communities, and other SaaS blogs
Bottom of Funnel	Product tutorials, integration guides	Partner sites, customer blogs, implementation resources

The secret is creating content that serves a dual purpose: it helps your sales funnel AND provides link-worthy value to other websites.

My most successful SaaS clients invest heavily in TOFU content for link building while using MOFU/BOFU content primarily for conversion.

Remember that genuinely link-worthy content solves problems for your potential customers AND other content creators who need to reference quality resources.

Tools and Platforms for SaaS Link Building 

The right tools make SaaS link building much more efficient.

Here are the ones I often use:

Outreach Platforms 

I use these to manage relationships and campaigns:

• Pitchbox: Great for large-scale campaigns with personalization fields
• Respona: My go-to for finding contact information and tracking responses
• Lemlist: Solid option for smaller teams with good automation features

Content & Opportunity Discovery

• BuzzSumo: I use this to find trending topics and identify who’s linking to similar content
• Qwoted: I get journalist queries and respond to relevant ones
• Help a B2B Writer: Similar to the famous HARO (Help a Reporter Out; now discontinued) platform but focused specifically on B2B topics—perfect for SaaS

Competitive Analysis Tools 

• Ahrefs: My favorite for link gap analysis—finding who links to competitors but not to you
• Semrush: Great for tracking your backlink growth and domain authority over time
• Moz Link Explorer: Useful for checking link quality and spam score

I recommend starting with at least one tool from each category. For teams on a budget, focus first on Ahrefs or Semrush for research, then add an outreach platform as you scale your efforts.

Don’t overlook free tools either—Google Alerts for brand mentions and Google Sheets for tracking outreach can take you surprisingly far when starting out.

In-House vs. Outsourced Link Building 

I’ve tried both approaches, and each has clear pros and cons.

Here’s what I’ve learned:

In-House Link Building 

Pros:

• Complete control over outreach quality and brand voice
• Team builds relationships that benefit the company long-term
• Knowledge stays within your organization
• Can pivot strategies quickly based on what’s working

Cons:

• Requires hiring specialized talent (hard to find good link builders)
• Takes time to build processes and relationships from scratch
• Team members may lack diverse industry connections

Outsourced Link Building 

Pros:

• Immediate access to established relationships and processes
• Specialized expertise without the hiring headache
• Predictable monthly deliverables
• Usually faster results in the short term

Cons:

• Less control over outreach methods
• Higher cost per link (agency markup)
• Risk of tactics that don’t align with your brand values

Cost Comparison 

Approach	Monthly Cost Range	Cost Per Link	Best For
In-House	$5,000-$10,000 (salary + tools)	$100-300	Long-term SEO investment, content-heavy companies
Agency	$2,000-$8,000	$300-800	Faster results, companies without SEO specialists
Freelancer	$1,000-$3,000	$200-500	Testing the waters, smaller campaigns

I typically recommend bringing in an agency when:

• You need results within 3-6 months
• You don’t have specialized link building experience on your team
• You’re entering a new market where you lack connections
• You want to supplement your in-house efforts for specific campaigns

The hybrid approach often works best—use agencies to jumpstart your efforts while building internal capabilities for the long run.

Budgeting and ROI for SaaS Link Building 

Link building is an investment, and I’ve found these benchmarks helpful for SaaS companies:

Investment Guidelines 

For early-stage SaaS (pre-Series A): 

• Start with $2,000-$3,000 monthly for link building
• Focus on 5-10 quality links per month

For growth-stage SaaS: 

• Budget $5,000-$10,000 monthly
• Target 15-25 quality links monthly across different types of content

Enterprise SaaS companies often invest $15,000+ monthly in comprehensive link building programs.

Link Cost Ranges 

Not all links are created equal.

Here’s what I typically see in terms of cost:

• Guest posts on industry blogs: $200-500 per link
• Resource page links: $100-300 per link
• Journalist/media mentions: $300-1,000 per link (but often higher quality)
• Digital PR campaign links: When averaged out, $250-600 per link

Measuring Link ROI 

I track these metrics to measure link building effectiveness:

1. Domain Rating/Authority growth: Track monthly changes
2. Organic traffic increases: Specifically to pages receiving links
3. Keyword ranking improvements: For target terms related to link topics
4. Conversion rate from organic traffic: Are these visitors becoming leads?
5. Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC): Compare organic vs. paid channels

The trickiest part of link ROI is the time lag—links often show their full value 3-6 months after being built. I create a simple dashboard tracking these metrics over time to visualize the compounding value.

For SaaS companies, I’ve seen organic traffic from link building convert at 2-3x the rate of paid traffic because the visitors arrive with higher intent and trust. Even seemingly expensive links are worthwhile when measured against PPC costs in competitive niches.

Building Links by Stage of SaaS Growth 

I’ve noticed that effective link building looks different depending on where your SaaS company is in its growth journey.

Let me break down what works at each stage:

Pre-Launch Link Building 

When you’re not even live yet, focus on:

• Building your personal brand on social platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter
• Getting featured on “startups to watch” lists
• Creating anticipation through waitlist pages that others link to
• Leveraging founder connections for initial partnerships

During this phase, spend 70% of your time on relationship-building and 30% on creating content that explains the problem you’re solving. Your goal is to have 15-20 quality links before launching.

Early-Stage Link Building (Year 1) 

Now that you have a product, the most effective approach is founder-led:

• Podcast interviews where founders share their origin story
• Guest posts on industry blogs (with your unique insights)
• Case studies with early customers who are willing to link
• Speaking at smaller industry events that publish speaker pages

At this stage, quality beats quantity. I’ve seen early-stage SaaS companies do well with just 5-8 new quality links per month, as long as they’re from relevant industry sites.

Growth-Stage Link Building (Years 2-5) 

As you scale, you need systems:

• Create dedicated link-worthy assets (tools, reports, templates)
• Build an outreach team or hire an agency
• Develop content partnerships with complementary SaaS companies
• Invest in digital PR campaigns that can earn dozens of links per campaign

Your focus shifts from founder-dependent tactics to scalable processes that consistently earn 15-25 quality links monthly without requiring executive time.

Common Mistakes to Avoid 

I’ve seen many SaaS companies waste time and money on link building.

Here are the biggest mistakes I recommend avoiding:

Mistake #1: Buying cheap, spammy links

This might look good initially as your link count jumps, but Google’s sophisticated algorithm upgrades have gotten exceptionally good at identifying artificial link patterns. I’ve watched SaaS sites get penalized and lose all their rankings after buying links from sketchy services.

Mistake #2: Relying on just one tactic

Too many companies try guest posting and nothing else. When that well runs dry, they’re stuck. Always have 3-4 different link building methods running simultaneously.

Mistake #3: Ignoring content-readiness

Before starting outreach, make sure your site has link-worthy content. I can’t tell you how often I’ve seen SaaS companies try to build links to half-finished product pages or thin blog posts that nobody would want to reference.

Mistake #4: Inconsistent effort

Link building isn’t a one-time project. The winning companies maintain consistent effort over time rather than sporadic “link blitzes” followed by months of nothing.

How to Measure Success 

I track these key metrics to measure link building success:

Primary Metrics 

1. Domain Rating (DR) or Domain Authority (DA): This should increase steadily, typically 1-3 points every quarter, with consistent effort
2. New Referring Domains: Focus on unique websites linking to you, not total backlinks
3. Organic Traffic Growth: The ultimate goal is to track the correlation between new links and traffic increases

Secondary Metrics 

• Keyword Rankings: Track position changes for terms you’re targeting
• Link Velocity: How many new links you gain monthly compared to competitors
• Traffic Value: The estimated cost if you had to pay for that traffic via ads

Tools I Recommend for Tracking 

Tool	What It Tracks Best	Price Range
Ahrefs	Backlink profile, competitor gaps	$99-399/mo
Semrush	Keyword rankings, traffic value	$119-449/mo
Google Analytics	Actual traffic from referral sources	Free
Google Search Console	Impressions, click-through rates	Free

For timeline expectations, be patient.

I typically see:

• First 3 months: Minimal visible impact
• Months 4-6: Ranking improvements for long-tail terms
• Months 6-12: Significant traffic increases if consistent
• Year 2+: Compounding returns as your domain authority grows

Link Building for Different SaaS Models 

The link building strategy that works for one SaaS model might flop for another.

Here’s what I’ve found works best:

B2B SaaS Link Building

• Focus on industry publications that decision-makers read
• Create thought leadership content that addresses business challenges
• Build links through case studies with recognizable clients
• Target comparison pages on review sites

B2C SaaS Link Building

• Prioritize mainstream tech publications with a broader reach
• Create entertaining or educational content with viral potential
• Work with influencers in your space who have high-traffic blogs
• Focus on “best of” lists and roundups

Product-Led Growth (PLG) SaaS 

For PLG companies, the product itself should drive links:

• Create free tools that solve simple problems
• Make templates and frameworks that show value quickly
• Build public APIs that developers will reference
• Open-source components of your product when possible

The key difference I’ve seen is that B2B requires fewer, higher-quality links from industry-specific sites. Meanwhile, B2C and PLG benefit from higher link volume across diverse sources.

Aligning SEO, Content & Link Building 

In my experience, link building fails when it operates in isolation.

Here’s how I make these pieces work together:

Content fuels link building 

Create content specifically designed to attract links, not just traffic. This means developing resources others will want to reference, not just content that answers search queries.

SEO research guides content creation 

I use keyword research to identify topics with both search volume and link potential. I look for keywords for which the top 10 results have lots of links pointing to them.

Internal linking amplifies results 

Every time you earn a backlink to one page, ensure it has strong internal links to your key commercial pages. This passes link equity where you need it most.

My content promotion workflow:

1. Identify target audience and create link-worthy content
2. Build internal links from existing high-authority pages
3. Do initial promotion to get some social signals
4. Begin your targeted SaaS outreach strategy to relevant sites
5. Track your actual performance and double down on what works

Remember that great content without promotion rarely earns links, while great promotion of mediocre content wastes effort. You need both pieces working together to see real results.

Wrapping Up

Building links for your SaaS company doesn’t happen overnight, but it’s worth the effort. I’ve seen firsthand how consistent link building can transform a struggling SaaS website into an authority that ranks for valuable keywords and drives quality leads.

Start small with tactics that match your current growth stage, focus on quality over quantity, and be patient. Remember that each good link you earn becomes a permanent asset for your business.

The most successful SaaS companies I’ve worked with make link building a core part of their strategy, not just a one-time project. They align their content, SEO, and outreach efforts to create a system that gets better results over time.

Now, it’s your turn to put these ideas into action. Choose one or two strategies from this guide and start building your authority today.