Getting your SaaS (Software as a Service) company noticed online is pretty challenging in this day and age, especially since the internet feels more crowded than ever. With so many businesses vying for attention, it can be hard to attract enough organic traffic to your site. Here’s the good news: there’s a strategy that can help you rise above the noise — SaaS link building.
If you’ve never heard of the term “link building” don’t worry — you’re not alone. The concept of link-building might sound quite technical, but at its core, it’s about improving your online presence and search rankings by connecting with other credible websites. Let’s break it down below, shall we?
What is Link Building?
Link building is an excellent way to make connections with other professionals and drive more organic traffic to your website. Links are so important that they're one of the top two things Google considers when deciding where to rank websites. Over 84% of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) experts agree that link building has a major impact on how authoritative a brand appears online.
In fact, we’d argue that link building isn’t just important; it’s necessary. If you want your website to get a lot of visitors, you’ll need other websites to mention your site by including a link to it on their pages (through guest posting and other link building efforts).
The more credible the websites are that link to yours, the more search engines like Google think your site is trustworthy. This can push your website higher in search results, which will make it a lot easier for people to find you.
Why is Link Building so Important for SaaS Businesses?
Search engines have become really smart over the past few years, which, admittedly, makes the link building process more complicated than it used to be. They use artificial intelligence (AI) and natural language processing to figure out which content is high-quality and which isn’t. One of the main ways they do this is by looking at the valuable backlinks a website has.
Backlinks are the links from other websites that lead to yours. When a well-known website links to your content, Google sees that as a sign that your site is trustworthy and should be shown to more people. For SaaS companies, this is especially important. Your product or service is likely digital, meaning most of your target audience interactions happen online.
If your website ranks higher in search results, more people will see it, visit it, and potentially become customers. Plus, when you have a lot of high-quality links, you build what's called "topical authority." This means that Google sees your site as an expert on a specific topic, and will likely rank any new blog content you publish on that topic more quickly.
However, the benefits of a link building campaign go past just ranking higher on Google. When done right, it can also bring in qualified leads — people who are actually interested in buying what you're selling.
Let’s say, for example, that you offer an email marketing tool for businesses. You write a great blog post about the best email marketing strategies. To get that article noticed, you need it to rank high in search results.
By getting other well-known websites in your industry to link to your article, you can improve its search ranking. As a result, more people will see it, click on it, and potentially sign up for your marketing tool. This might not happen immediately, but you’re sure to see results over time. That’s the thing about building relevant backlinks. It often takes time, but it’s well worth it.
The Benefits of SaaS Link Building
Link building is super important when it comes to SEO, but it comes with more benefits than just getting better search engine rankings. For example, you’ll be building relationships with publishers of authoritative websites as well as building your brand. Here are the main benefits of SaaS link building:
Building publisher relationships
As you reach out to relevant websites for links, you build relationships with publishers. These relationships can be incredibly valuable. For example, a publisher might help promote your next webinar or feature your product in their newsletter. This would give you even more exposure.
Continuous referral traffic
Once you’re able to secure a reciprocal link on a partner's website, that link is there to stay. Unlike ads that stop bringing in traffic once you stop paying for them, a good link can continue to drive traffic to your site for years. This means that link building is a worthwhile investment.
Brand building
In the SaaS world, the competition can be pretty tough. Getting mentioned on high-authority websites not only improves your SEO but also builds your brand’s credibility. When potential customers see your name on trusted sites, they’ll be much more likely to trust your brand (and buy your products).
What to Avoid While Building Links
While link building through guest blogging and creating high-quality content can be incredibly beneficial, there are certain content creation and link building practices you should avoid. This is mainly a matter of protecting your website’s reputation and avoiding penalties from search engines.
Illegal websites and link farms
Some websites can damage your site's reputation if they link to you. Link farms are another no-no. These are groups of websites that all link to each other just to improve their rankings. While it might seem like a quick way to get links, search engines like Google are very good at spotting this tactic and can penalize your site for it.
Link exchanges
The idea of "you link to me, I’ll link to you" might sound like a good deal, but it’s quite risky. If the other site’s audience doesn’t match yours, the traffic you get won’t be valuable. Plus, Google frowns on excessive link exchanges and might penalize your site if you’re involved in too many.
Buying links
Paying for links might be tempting, but it’s not a good idea. Not only can it get expensive, but the site might also tag your link as "nofollow," which means it won’t help your SaaS SEO as much.
The Risks of Bad Link Building
Getting good backlinks can make your SEO efforts worthwhile, but, unfortunately, bad backlinks can have the opposite effect. Here are some risks that you should be aware of:
Poor quality traffic
If your backlinks come from low-quality sites, the traffic you get might not be very valuable. Your site’s visitors may not be interested in your product and could leave your site quickly, which is bad for your SEO.
Reduced visibility
If Google sees that your site is getting a lot of mismatched traffic, it might lower your rankings for certain target keywords.
De-indexing from search engines
In extreme cases, having too many bad links from websites can lead to your site being removed from search engine results altogether. This means no one will be able to find your site through Google or other search engines.
Understanding Different Types of Backlinks
Did you know that there are different types of backlinks? They come in two main types: dofollow and nofollow. Let’s talk about the different types of backlinks in more detail below:
Dofollow
“Dofollow” backlinks are the gold standard of backlinks. When a website gives you a dofollow link, it’s telling search engines, "Hey, this site is worth checking out." Dofollow links are the most beneficial for your SEO, since they directly impact your rankings.
To be clear, a “dofollow” link is simply a link without a “nofollow” tag.
Nofollow
These links include a special tag that tells search engines not to give them as much weight. While they don’t have as much impact on your rankings as dofollow links, they’re still valuable. Nofollow links can bring in high-quality traffic, and search engines still take notice of them. Google has even introduced two new tags to categorize nofollow links further:
- Sponsored links: Sponsored links are links that you pay for — like when your product is featured in a blog article, for example. They’re marked with a rel="sponsored" tag.
- User-generated links: These are links created by users (as the term suggests), like when someone mentions your site on social media. They’re marked with a rel="ugc" tag.
The Benefits of Nofollow Links
Even though nofollow links aren’t as powerful as dofollow links, they’re still quite useful. Let’s take a look at the reasons why below:
High-intent traffic
If a reputable site in your industry gives you a nofollow link, the traffic it sends your way is likely to be valuable. These visitors are more likely to stick around and explore your site, which can improve your SEO.
Increased visibility
Even though nofollow links don’t pass as much "link juice," they still help increase your site’s visibility. If a high-traffic site links to you, you’ll likely see an increase in your own site’s traffic.
Improved social signals
Social signals are the shares and mentions your content gets on social media. These are often nofollow links, but they still matter. There’s a strong correlation between social signals and higher rankings in search results.
Why Sustainable SaaS Link Building is Important
When you build links the right way, they continue to add value to your site over time. This means your initial investment in link building can pay off for years. As you continue to build more guest posts, link insertions, or digital PR mentions, search engines will start to see your site as an authority in your niche.
Once you have a link-building process in place, you can scale it as your business grows. This means more links, more traffic, and more customers. If all of this sounds like a lot to manage on your own, don’t worry — there are link building experts who can help.
Choosing the right SaaS link-building agency is more important than you might think. Make sure to look for a link building service that understands the unique challenges of the SaaS industry and can help you build a sustainable link-building strategy.
Conclusion
Here at Reporter Outreach, we specialize in connecting businesses with excellent journalists to secure valuable media coverage and build authoritative backlinks. If you want your SaaS business to succeed, don’t hesitate to Book a Call with us today. We’re dedicated to helping you earn high-quality backlinks with effective link building techniques.
