For SaaS teams
Link building for SaaS companies
Before someone signs up for a tool, they read 'best X software' lists, alternatives pages and comparisons. Getting your product into those posts earns links that rank and visitors who are ready to try you. Here's where SaaS links come from and how to get them without paying for placements.
'Best X software' lists
"Best project management tools for agencies". Editors refresh these often and add products their readers ask about.
Alternatives pages
"Trello alternatives". Readers are actively leaving a competitor. Being on the list puts you in the shortlist.
Comparisons and reviews
"X vs Y" and hands-on reviews. Harder to get, but they send the most qualified visitors.
How-to guides
"How to send invoice reminders". A one-line mention with a link where your product does the job.
Why these links beat guest posts for SaaS
A guest post earns one link from an article nobody was searching for. An inclusion in a roundup that already ranks for "best invoicing software" earns a link from a page your buyers actually find, and it keeps sending visitors as long as the post ranks. Editors also update those posts regularly, so a good pitch arrives at a useful moment rather than as an interruption. Our listicle link building playbook goes deeper on why, and on how these lists now feed the brands AI assistants recommend.
How to run SaaS link building yourself
- List the searches your buyers make. Your category ("invoicing software"), each competitor ("FreshBooks alternatives"), and the jobs you do ("automate payment reminders"). The search string builder turns these into Google queries, and studying who links to your competitors fills in the rest.
- Keep posts where you'd genuinely fit. If the list is "best enterprise ERP" and you're a freelancer tool, skip it. Relevance decides whether the editor replies.
- Find the person who edits the post. Author box first, then the contact page. Our email permutator helps when there's only a name.
- Pitch the specific post. Name it, say which section you'd fit, and give one concrete reason readers would care: a free tier, a missing use case, a lower price. Start from the best-of list email template; for alternatives pages, follow this guide to competitor alternatives posts.
- Follow up once or twice, then stop. And never offer payment. Editors who sell inclusions are usually also selling them to your competitors.
- Check the link after it goes live. Make sure it's there and followed with the nofollow checker, then re-check now and then.
What BacklinkGenie does for SaaS teams
- Reads your site, learns your category, competitors and audiences, and searches for the posts above.
- Scores each post for fit, finds the editor's address and verifies it before anything is sent.
- Writes a short pitch for each post that names the article and where you'd fit. You approve or edit every one (or turn on autopilot on Growth and Agency).
- Sends from a separate domain and mailbox we set up and warm up, so your main domain never sends cold email.
- Never contacts the competitors you name, never offers payment, and re-checks every won link weekly.
Start with a free prospect report to see the posts in your category. Paid plans that write and send pitches start at $99/month. See pricing, how we compare with other outreach tools, or what happened when we submitted our own SaaS to directories.
What to expect
| Timeframe | What usually happens |
|---|---|
| Week 1–2 | Prospects found, first pitches approved, new mailbox sending a handful of emails a day while it warms up. |
| Week 2–6 | First replies. Editors ask what to add; some ask for payment, which we decline politely. |
| Month 2+ | Links start landing as editors refresh their posts. Referral visits arrive first; ranking changes follow over the next months. |
No outreach can promise a number of links. Editors decide what to publish. What you control is how relevant the pitch is.
Questions people ask
What kind of backlinks matter most for a SaaS company?
Mentions in content your buyers read while choosing a tool: 'best X software' roundups, '[competitor] alternatives' pages, comparisons and how-to guides for the job your product does. These send referral visitors who are already shopping, and they're the pages AI assistants and search engines lean on when they recommend tools.
Should a SaaS company do guest posting?
Sparingly. Guest posts take hours each, many sites that accept them sell links too, and the link often sits in an author bio. Getting added to a list that already ranks for your category is usually faster and worth more. Write guest posts only for publications your buyers genuinely read.
How long until links improve my SaaS rankings?
Expect months, not weeks. Search engines need to recrawl the pages that link to you, and one link rarely moves a competitive keyword. Referral traffic from a well-read roundup can start the day it's published, which is why listicle inclusions pay off sooner than most link types.
Is it OK to pitch a list that already includes my competitors?
Yes. That's the point: the editor already writes about your category and updates the post to stay current. Show what you do differently and why their readers would care. BacklinkGenie never emails the competitors you name, and you choose whether to pitch roundups published by other vendors.
What anchor text should I ask for?
Your product name, or a short description like 'Margin's source-linked notes'. It fits naturally in a list entry and keeps your link profile looking earned. Don't ask for exact-match keyword anchors.
Related
Link building for startups
Your first editorial links on a small budget: where a new product can realistically get mentioned, and how to ask.
Link building for agencies
Run white-hat outreach for several client sites from one account, each with its own sending domain and approval queue.
All use cases
See every way teams use BacklinkGenie, side by side.
Guide: get listed in 'best X' articles
Find the lists you're missing from and write a pitch editors accept.
See which roundups you're missing from.
Enter your product's URL. The agent finds posts in your category where you belong and the editor to contact for each. Free, no card.
