Link Building for SaaS: 20+ Best Tactics and Strategies

The SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) space is bursting at the seams. With a projected market value of $883.34 billion by 2029, according to Fortune Business Insights, the competition is fierce. SaaS companies are rolling out innovative software solutions every day, yet even the most brilliant tools can fall flat if nobody knows they exist.

Here’s the point: if you’ve got a killer product, you need to make sure the right people know about it. This boils down to one thing: boosting your organic website traffic, which translates into leads and, ultimately, profit. 

A cornerstone of achieving this is link building. For SaaS companies, it’s one of the primary SEO tactics that fuels search engine rankings, improves domain authority, and gets your site front and center on SERPs.

You have two options: outsource to a SaaS link building agency or take matters into your own hands. Either way, a smart link building strategy can make all the difference.

We’ve asked 17 SEO experts and have rounded up the best link building tactics and strategies for SaaS companies, and will walk you through everything you need to know:

• Why link building is essential for SaaS
• What are the benefits of link building campaign for SaaS projects
• What are the common SaaS link building challenges
• Top techniques to get dofollow and nofollow links
• How to choose the best SaaS link building strategy for your business

By the end, you’ll be ready to launch a savvy link building strategy that will show Google your website deserves top SERP positions.

A quality backlink profile is like gold for any website, and SaaS is no exception. The more high-quality, niche-relevant links your SaaS site has from trusted sources, the better your odds of climbing the rankings in search results. And let’s face it: higher visibility in search means more traffic, leads, and improved revenue without bleeding funds on pricey ad campaigns.

Vlad Orlov

Brand Partnerships at Respona

[editor's note: One of the most common misconceptions about SAAS is] that once you get that #1 spot you're golden. SaaS is super competitive, and your competitors WILL try and outrank you :)

Backlinks are one of Google’s top-ranking factors, alongside quality content and mobile optimization. Google itself confirms this: the right backlinks give your site credibility and authority.

The Benefits of Backlinks for SaaS Companies

1. Boosted Domain Authority
   With solid backlinks, Google sees your site as trustworthy, nudging it up the ranks.
2. Increased Organic Traffic
   Higher ranking on target keywords means more eyeballs on your site, leading to more potential customers.
3. Ongoing Referral Traffic
   Unlike ads, backlinks bring steady referral traffic as long as they’re live.
4. Brand Credibility
   The more respected sites link to you, the more your target audience will trust you.

Must-read for a deeper coverage: How to get quality backlinks to promote your website.

We’ve asked our experts yet another question: why do 90% of SaaS companies fail at SEO? 

And here’s what they think:

Lucas Carval

Growth Specialist at Mention

They prioritize vanity metrics such as traffic, positions, and backlinks instead of focusing on generating revenue. High traffic is meaningless if it doesn't result in conversions.

Satya D

SEO Manager at Surfer

SEO takes time and a focussed approach that you need to evolve. Most companies try to do several things at once, and don't adapt. What worked when you were a small website may not work when you are much larger.   I think most SaaS companies severely underestimate the competition in their niche, to see results from SEO. Focussed SEO tactics will only start paying reasonable dividends upto 6-12 months later.

Horațiu Voiqu

Senior Digital Marketing Consultant at Voiqu

Most SaaS companies fail at SEO because they focus primarily on product-related keywords, overlooking the broader intent of users. They fail to understand that potential customers aren’t always searching for specific features but rather solutions to their pain points. Another key mistake is neglecting technical SEO, which can result in slow website performance and poor indexing. Additionally, many SaaS companies lack a consistent content strategy, missing opportunities to engage at different stages of the customer journey, from awareness to decision-making.

Raluca-Maria Toma

PR, Media & Partnerships at Transylvania International Spoken Word Festival

Many companies overlook the importance of keyword research. They often create content without understanding what their audience is searching for, leading to missed opportunities.

Sašo Merkač

SEO Project manager

People who handle SEO (or their management), value money over quality, so they go for quick fixes, or simply lack good judgment.

Mariya Fokina

Digital PR & Content Specialist at Tidio

Many companies treat SEO as a sprint rather than a marathon. Unfortunately, it's a recipe for frustration. SEO is multifaceted and requires consistent effort - and then, with time, rewards you with great results. SEO is an ongoing long-term strategy, not a task to check and forget about.

Jakub Rudnik

Head of Content & SEO at Softr

People either think only about traffic, or they create content without thought of the traffic. You must combine the audience with the intent. It's simple, but people won't find you if they're not searching for what you're creating. They also won't convert to anything if the article or page doesn't show them how your product solves their query.

Svitlana Fomenko

Marketing Specialist at CloudTalk.io

In my opinion, impatience is the enemy of SEO. While some initiatives can bring quick results, SEO is a long-term strategy that requires consistent effort and time to pay off. Many companies give up too soon before they can see the results, but it's worth staying the course to achieve lasting success.

Nathan Gotch

Co-Founder & CEO at Rankability

Consistency. It takes time to make real progress at a difficult keyword and many SEOs quit long before it happens.

Shreya Jha

Public Relations Executive at Appy Pie

One major mistake is neglecting technical SEO. Companies often focus too much on content without addressing page load speed, mobile-friendliness, or site architecture, which can significantly impact rankings.

Lauren L. Walter

Director of Search & Content at Online Optimism

One huge mistake that I see a lot of SaaS companies make is not targeting realistic keywords. Sometimes this even applies to their branded keywords. When you choose a name for your company and products, it’s worth taking a look to see if another organization that’s bigger than yours is already using that name. If so, you may have a hard time ranking #1 for your own name, which is usually an all but guaranteed win.

David Pagotto

Founder & Managing Director at SIXGUN

Most SaaS companies fail at SEO because they underestimate the investment needed to succeed, especially in competitive industries.   SEO is not a ‘test-the-waters’ channel. It requires a dedicated budget and a long-term commitment to drive meaningful results. Half-measures rarely cut it. You must go all in and treat SEO as a core sales and marketing channel to see real impact.  Otherwise, you’ll never be able to compete with established brands.

Vlad Orlov

Brand Partnerships at Respona

Try to appeal to as broad of an audience as possible. Need to specialize from the get-go :)

Let’s break down backlink profiles of three successful SaaS brands that are crushing it with link building.

1. HubSpot

HubSpot has been around since 2006 — long enough to make a mark in SEO. HubSpot’s backlink and traffic growth over the years clearly shows that link building pays off.

HubSpot’s Ahrefs data shows continuous growth in referring domains, which fuels both organic traffic and brand authority

Here you can see the overview of the Hubspot website in Ahrefs that shows the number of backlinks and referring domains that have been added over three months: 

2. Databricks 

Founded in 2013, Databricks provides a unified data analytics platform, and its backlink profile tells a story of steady, strategic growth. 

Now let’s see the graphs of referring domains and organic traffic:

The increase in organic traffic alongside backlinks shows that the company relies on link building, not paid ads, for long-term success.

3. DealHub 

DealHub, established in 2014, empowers sales teams in B2B companies to close deals faster. Like HubSpot and Databricks, DealHub’s organic traffic growth aligns with its backlink profile, proving the impact of well-planned link building.

Below you can see how organic traffic graph virtually simultaneously increases with referring backlinks:

The takeaway? You don’t need a massive ad budget to build traffic. Focus on quality link building strategies, and the results will follow.

Now, let’s get down to tactics that can help your SaaS brand gain quality backlinks and grow traffic organically, ranking in the top of SERPs.

Strategy 1: Link Reclamation & Unlinked Brand Mentions

The unlinked brand mentions link building tactic includes looking for sources that have mentioned your brand name but didn’t link to you. You can turn those mentions into backlinks, but before asking for link insertion, you should check the authority of the resource to ensure you’ll get a quality link.

Additionally, auditing all backlinks to your site is essential. If any of them are broken, you can ask the site owner to replace the link with a relevant one. In both cases, contact the site owner to inquire about a link insertion or replacement, either via email or social media.

Sašo Merkač

SEO Project manager

Triple-check the publishing websites, before you get a link (or a mention) from them. If they are in any way shady, stay away.

Strategy 2: Guest Posting

Guest posting remains one of the most effective and widely used SaaS link building tactics. It helps build search engine trust and brand credibility over time.

Nathan Gotch

Co-Founder & CEO at Rankability

The most important link-building tactic in my SaaS company is using guest posts to acquire high-quality backlinks. Guest posts compound over time and the more you do them, the easier it will be to do the next one. Over time, you'll build credibility in a niche if you write for a few dozen sites.

Shreya Jha

Public Relations Executive at Appy Pie

The most effective link-building tactic for us is guest posting on high-authority industry blogs. By offering valuable insights and linking back to relevant pages, we boost both referral traffic and domain authority.

To apply this strategy effectively:

• Create unique, valuable, relevant, and SEO-optimized content.
• Limit to three links per guest post, with at least one link at the beginning.
• Search for “guest posting platforms” or “write for us” pages.

Or check out our collection of 200+ free guest posting sites

The method above is free, which is a big plus, but let’s be honest — it can be pretty time-consuming (you can spare some of it by using the My Lists feature). If you want to save yourself even more hassle, check out Collaborator’s catalog. 

Our catalog has got a handy database of guest posting sites in all kinds of niches, tons of filters to speed up your search, and a super user-friendly interface that makes communication and publishing a breeze.

Sign Up For Free

Strategy 3: Reviews

Reviews are a proven strategy to increase brand awareness, attract new customers, and gain backlinks. Offer free trials or benefits to influencers or bloggers in exchange for an honest review of your SaaS product. Reach out to existing users, encouraging them to share reviews in exchange for a small bonus.

Raluca-Maria Toma

PR, Media & Partnerships at Transylvania International Spoken Word Festival

Building relationships with relevant industry influencers has been a key driver of authoritative backlinks for us. Since our target audience is programmers, we’ve secured links from high-quality sites like dev to and creative-tim com. Another effective tactic is leveraging GitHub by deploying code there and using integrations to showcase code directly from the repository. 

An example of a Shopify review published on the Style Factory blog

Strategy 4: Outreach

Outreach involves communicating with target sites to request link placements. This can be done via:

• Email
• Instant messengers
• Social networks
• Phone calls

Building relationships with industry professionals can amplify results:

Raluca-Maria Toma

PR, Media & Partnerships at Transylvania International Spoken Word Festival

Building relationships with industry influencers and bloggers to earn guest post opportunities has been really effective. It helps us get quality backlinks and exposes us to new audiences.

Vlad Orlov

Brand Partnerships at Respona

We use a combination of link building techniques: skyscraper, listicles, and ABC link exchanges using our guest posts to set up indirect link exchanges. We also run sniper outreach campaigns - manual emails (with 30-60 sec videos!) sent to editors and CEOs in some cases, offering a spot on one of our own listicles.

For detailed tips, check out our Outreach Strategy Guide.

Strategy 5. Building linkable content assets

Creating valuable content, such as blogs, practical cases, infographics, and research, can naturally attract backlinks. For SaaS companies, blogging offers dual benefits: SEO optimization and a platform for customer engagement.

Lucas Carval

Growth Specialist at Mention

We've created statistics pages (e.g., Instagram Engagement Report) that have allowed us to secure 500+ high-quality backlinks from companies such as Business Insider, Shutterstock, Shopify, Mailchimp, and more.

Content formats that are proven to bring backlinks (according to experts): research, case studies, infographics, lists of tools or resources, articles with valuable links on specific topics, 'why,' 'what,' or 'how-to' posts, videos, and more.

Strategy 6: Utilize Widgets & Content Embeds

This tactic is also called “widget link building.” Widgets and embedded products can drive backlinks. For example, Typeform templates include embedded “Powered by Typeform” links, which boost domain authority and backlinks.

If you analyze the page of this template in Ahrefs, you will see the number of backlinks it has.

Strategy 7: Competitors’ Backlinks

Analyzing competitors’ backlinks through tools like Ahrefs can reveal link-building opportunities. Reach out to sites linking to competitors and propose collaborations or replacements.

To analyze your competitors' link profiles, follow these steps:

1. Open Ahrefs Site Explorer
2. Enter the URL of the website you want to examine for link data
3. Click the “Backlinks” button to view all links (including those from the same site) or the “Referring Domains” button to see unique web sources.

Strategy 8: Broken Links

Identifying broken links on niche sites and suggesting your content as a replacement is an efficient way to secure backlinks. Tools like Ahrefs are invaluable for finding these opportunities.

Strategy 9: Free Tools & Products

Creating free tools tailored to your audience’s needs is another highly effective method:

Satya D

SEO Manager at Surfer

Building free tools and products is a good strategy for SaaS companies to acquire links. You can build tools that are relevant to your community, like a job marketplace, template directories, and of course, basic SaaS tools for mundane tasks.

Make sure to check out the collection of Collaborator's free tools.

Strategy 10: Influencer Collaboration

Collaborating with influencers who align with your target audience is a powerful way to secure authoritative backlinks.

Raluca-Maria Toma

PR, Media & Partnerships at Transylvania International Spoken Word Festival

Building relationships with industry influencers and bloggers to earn guest post opportunities has been really effective. It helps us get quality backlinks and exposes us to new audiences.

Horațiu Voiqu

Senior Digital Marketing Consultant at Voiqu

Influencer Collaboration Building relationships with relevant industry influencers has been a key driver of authoritative backlinks for us. Since our target audience is programmers, we’ve secured links from high-quality sites like dev to and creative tim com. Another effective tactic is leveraging GitHub by deploying code there and using integrations to showcase code directly from the repository.

Strategy 11: Quality Partnerships & Integration Partners

Creating integrations with partners could be exactly the boost your backlink strategy needs. Partnering with reputable link-builders is crucial in an industry prone to low-quality opportunities:

Mariya Fokina

Digital PR & Content Specialist at Tidio

Quality partnerships with fellow link-builders are game-changers. This way, you can secure unique opportunities (rather than link-farms and sketchy websites) and have full control over the links you are building.

Dmytro Kovtoniuk

SEO Specialist Phonexa

At Phonexa, we emphasize relationship-based link building. This strategy centers around building and nurturing partnerships, allowing us to create content such as collaborative publications and roundup posts. We love sharing partner content and often include products we’ve thoroughly evaluated in listicles in our blog. More often than not, our partners reciprocate by sharing these posts and being open to future collaborations.

Strategy 12: Round-Ups, Rankings and Competitor lists

Content comparing or ranking companies and businesses.Round-ups are excellent for collaboration and relationship-building:

Svitlana Fomenko

Marketing Specialist at CloudTalk.io

My favorite type of collaboration is round-ups. They allow you to build lasting relationships, working closely with others to see the article through to publication.  It’s a great way to start meaningful partnerships, which are key to continuous growth.

Strategy 13: Podcasting

The method works on the principle of guest posting. Each podcast has a website that describes it, so you can get quality backlinks to your site and mentionings of your product.

Check out our SEO podcast on YouTube

Strategy 14: Infographics & Image Credit

Think of infographics as the eye-candy of the content world. Create a killer, data-packed visual that tells a story, and suddenly, other blogs will be sliding into your DMs. It's like an equal exchange – you provide the visual, and they provide the backlinks. 

Pro tip: when other sites use your images, don't be shy about asking for proper photo credit. It's not being demanding; it's just good digital etiquette.

Must-read: SEO image optimization guide

Strategy 15: Testimonials, Surveys and Studies

Everyone loves a good recommendation. Drop a genuine, glowing review for a company, and chances are they'll be happy to showcase your brand logo or slip in a backlink. But don't stop there. Webinars, detailed guides, step-by-step instructions – these are your golden tickets. Create content that doesn't just talk at people, but actually helps them solve real problems.

Strategy 16: Q&A Sites (Reddit, Quora, etc.)

Your SaaS solution is more than just a product – it's a problem solver. Dive into platforms like Reddit and Quora where people are actively seeking answers. But don't just drop a link and run. Provide genuine, valuable insights. Answer questions thoroughly, demonstrate your expertise, and let your solution shine naturally. Think of it as being helpful first, marketing second.

Strategy 17: SaaS Statistics Page

Numbers tell stories, and people love stories backed by data. Creating a comprehensive statistics page isn't just about throwing random numbers around. It's about compiling insights that are genuinely interesting and valuable.

Lucas Carval

Growth Specialist at Mention

We've created statistics pages (e.g., Instagram Engagement Report) that have allowed us to secure 500+ high-quality backlinks from companies such as Business Insider, Shutterstock, Shopify, Mailchimp, and more.

Strategy 18: UGS

Social media isn't just for cat memes and dance challenges. It's a powerhouse for organic, user-generated links. Encourage your users to share their experiences, tag your brand, and create content around your SaaS solution. When your users become your advocates, backlinks become a natural byproduct.

Strategy 19: SaaS Partnerships

Partnerships aren't just about networking. Think of it like building a professional ecosystem where everyone wins. 

Mariya Fokina

Digital PR & Content Specialist at Tidio

Quality partnerships with fellow link-builders. With so much spam and low quality opportunities circulating in the link-building industry, quality partnerships with fellow link-builders are game-changers. This way, you can secure unique opportunities (rather than link-farms and sketchy websites) and have full control over the links you are building.

Lauren L. Walter

Director of Search & Content at Online Optimism

Building links can be tricky for SaaS companies. When relevant, I find that answering journalist queries is a valuable link building tactic. But if journalists aren’t asking questions that you can answer, it can be helpful to turn to your partnerships and relationships with other organizations. Think about opportunities for guest blogging, case studies, and testimonials you can leverage for building backlinks as well as your reputation.

These SaaS link building tips will help you create the most suitable strategy for your business.

Know your audience

Understanding your audience is a critical part of building a successful link-building strategy. Start by analyzing your target audience:

1. Create customer personas
   define your ideal clients and loyal customers.
2. Analyze feedback
   gather insights about what content your audience consumes, how often, and through which channels.
3. Research competitors
   identify their strengths and weaknesses to develop a unique and competitive approach.

The best place you can place links - depends on your target audience and what you deem relevant to your site and its goals. Dial in on that, and perfect your process - and you'll secure some of the best links you'll ever get. Amit Raj, Link Building & Digital PR Agency Owner The Links Guy

Find the Semantic Core

Semantic analysis helps identify the needs of your potential clients, allowing you to optimize your site’s content.

For a SaaS business focused on cloud storage services, use off-page SEO tools to uncover:

• Keyword variations
• Popular questions
• Related keywords

Identify Where to Post Your Content

1. Locate sites ranking for your target keywords
2. Evaluate competing domains for link opportunities
3. Use Google queries like:
   • [keyword] + “guest post”
   • [keyword] + “write for us”
   • [keyword] + “become an author”
4.  Reach out via platforms like email, Facebook, or LinkedIn.

Audit Potential Donor Domains

Before securing a backlink, evaluate the following metrics:

• Domain Authority (DA): a higher score indicates a stronger backlink profile.
• Traffic and sources: ensure the site attracts relevant traffic.
• Relevancy and backlink profile: align the site’s content with your goals.

Make Your Outreach Successful

To maximize positive responses to your outreach emails:

1. Personalize your email
   Reference the website’s content to show genuine interest.
2. Be professional
   Use a polite and engaging tone.
3. Utilize multiple channels
   Extend your communication beyond email to social networks like LinkedIn or Twitter.
4. Follow up
   Send a polite reminder if you don’t receive a response.

Ensure Content Placement and Maintenance

1. Monitor placements
   Regularly check your articles to ensure they remain live and functional.
2. Address broken links
   Reach out to site owners to resolve any issues.
3. Foster relationships
   Thank webmasters for their cooperation to pave the way for future collaborations.

Another question we asked our experts was: what are the most common misconceptions about link building for SaaS? And here’s what they said.

Satya D

In my opinion, the most common misconception is that the competition is too hard, or a product already exists so my product won't have an audience.

Horațiu Voiqu

Senior Digital Marketing Consultant at Voiqu

A common misconception about SaaS is that success is driven solely by product quality. There’s a meme about Microsoft Word that humorously says, “Gotta respect the longevity of Microsoft Word. Nothing about it works, and it’s still the standard. Want to move an image? Go to hell.” While having a strong product is essential, it’s not enough on its own. Many SaaS companies underestimate the importance of marketing, particularly SEO, in building long-term growth. They also assume that customers will automatically find them once the product is launched. In reality, targeted SEO strategies, content marketing, and customer engagement are crucial to visibility and scaling. Additionally, many believe SaaS growth happens overnight, whereas it’s often a gradual process requiring sustained effort across multiple channels.

Raluca-Maria Toma

PR, Media & Partnerships at Transylvania International Spoken Word Festival

A common misconception is that once you build your product, customers will just come. In reality, ongoing marketing and support are crucial for growth and retention.

Sašo Merkač

SEO Project manager

Hard to generalize - I'd say that a lot of SaaS companies believe if they get enough new clients, they will be fine. That's not true - you need to equally focus on custom retention - churn can and does kill a company.

Mariya Fokina

Digital PR & Content Specialist at Tidio

That SaaS doesn't need SEO. There are paid ads, demos, sales teams, product, which is enough... Right? Wrong! SEO is crucial for SaaS for building brand awareness, generating leads, growing organic traffic, and nurturing potential customers. SEO is an essential pillar for the SaaS marketing strategy, without which other parts are not as effective as they could be. 

Jakub Rudnik

Head of Content & SEO at Softr

SaaS SEO at least is that people are still doing content like HubSpot 10 years ago. Pillar pages and cold link outreach are old tactics that don't produce the ROI you need to win SEO in 2024 and beyond.

Svitlana Fomenko

Marketing Specialist at CloudTalk.io

I’ve noticed that some people assume the lower cost of SaaS products means they’re less reliable than traditional software. However, SaaS solutions can offer powerful, scalable tools with lower upfront costs, delivering significant value in the long run.

Nathan Gotch

Co-Founder & CEO at Rankability

That it requires little maintenance. The MRRs look nice but many SaaS companies spend most of their revenue on team costs, software updates and growing the business.

Yulia Zubova

SEO Specialist at Snov.io

A common misconception about SaaS is that it’s set it and forget it. In reality, SaaS demands constant work in product development, customer retention, and marketing.

Shreya Jha

Public Relations Executive at Appy Pie

A common misconception is that SaaS growth is entirely dependent on product features. While features are important, factors like customer support, onboarding, and user experience are just as critical to retaining customers and driving growth.

Lauren L. Walter

Director of Search & Content at Online Optimism

A common misconception about SaaS is that SEO isn’t a worthwhile investment. In truth, this will depend a lot on the exact keywords you’re trying to rank for and how authoritative your website is. But even if you would struggle to rank for your main product-related keywords, don’t discount long-tail keywords—especially question-based keywords that demonstrate strong relevancy and intent from users.

David Pagotto

Founder & Managing Director at SIXGUN

Many people think SaaS growth is easy because of recurring payments, but that’s a misconception. The truth is that churn kills most SaaS companies. It’s especially difficult for B2C SaaS because regular folk have less money to spend on subscription tools. Targeting small businesses is difficult too because most small businesses fail within five years. That means business owners are struggling to balance the books. Despite these difficulties, SaaS businesses can be very profitable, and you get great multiples selling a successful SaaS company.

The SaaS link building strategies outlined earlier are effective, but they can be pretty time-consuming to yield results. Collaborator simplifies and accelerates the process, helping you build a strong link profile with ease.

Collaborato.pro  is a powerful guest post marketplace that connects you with 15,000+ verified websites and 1,000+ active Telegram channels for publishing articles and press releases.

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• Extensive Platform Selection: access live thematic websites and channels tailored to your niche, whether it’s business, finance, technology, or web design.
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• Advanced Filtering Options: use 40+ parameters to find the perfect platform for your needs.
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and take your link building efforts to the next level!

As we've explored these top SaaS link-building strategies, one thing becomes crystal clear: there's no one-size-fits-all approach to conquering search rankings. Each strategy we've discussed offers unique advantages, and the magic happens when you find the right mix for your specific business.

Don't be afraid to experiment, track your results, and pivot when needed. Link building is part science, part art – and your secret weapon is staying adaptable. While these strategies can dramatically improve your website's visibility, remember that quality always trumps quantity. A few meaningful, relevant backlinks will outperform a dozen random, low-quality links every single time.

For a faster and safer way to enhance your backlink profile, consider using Collaborator.pro But whether you choose to go solo or leverage additional tools, the key is consistent, strategic effort.

Your SaaS website's search engine potential is waiting to be unlocked. Time to make those links work for you.