Build links for your SaaS for free

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Your SaaS content is a gold mine - but only if you know how to extract its link-building potential.

The problem with most SaaS these days is that they ignore organic traffic, whether from social media, email, or even SEO. Some SaaS founders consider cold DMs & emails to book demo calls and close deals.

But there’s only so much one can do this way. Alternatively, one can keep creating content without promoting the published content

586 companies have launched in 2024; therefore, there’s more competition than ever before. Getting in front of your audience is secondary now, staying on top of their mind should be your primary focus.

With decent content in the form of blogs, you can repurpose it on social media and build relevant links.

No matter how much Google denies, links are an important ranking factor. Links that scream spam don’t qualify for this. Search engines are way past that stage.

SaaS brands like HubSpot & Ahrefs aren’t winning by accident. They’re strategically creating content and building links from the web to add additional revenue to the balance sheet.

• If you understand that one high relevance & authority, contextually relevant backlink beats 100 garbage links.

• If you want precise positioning, want to stay relevant in the long run & build a brand.

• If you already have a decent content portfolio, this post is for you.

By the end of this issue, you will be able to:

• Increase domain authority

• Improve search rankings

• Drive targeted traffic

Build relevant & profitable links for your SaaS

The whole point of link building is first to create link-worthy content. Link building is an entirely another-level game. The best links for your business are the ones that can’t be purchased.

You should have a content strategy, a funnel optimized for sales, and sales pages optimized for conversions. Your product is a pain killer and not a supplement.

With this in mind, here’s how you should actually build links

Option 1: Niche edits

Niche edits are a strategic link-building technique where SaaS brands insert backlinks into existing, high-authority content already ranking in search engines.

The core advantage is leveraging pre-established content with proven search performance to boost domain authority and organic visibility quickly.

By identifying relevant articles in their industry and negotiating contextual link placements, SaaS companies can gain immediate SEO value without creating entirely new content.

To execute niche edits effectively, you can use tools like Semrush to identify top-ranking articles for your target keywords.

The goal is to find content with strong domain authority that naturally aligns with their product's value proposition.

Then, reach out to website owners/authors, offering additional value or insights that enhance the existing content.

Be proactive and write the copy with the link to your product pages, this increases the likelihood of securing a link placement.

The key is ensuring link relevance and natural integration. A successful niche edit should feel seamless within the existing content, providing genuine value to readers while strategically positioning the SaaS brand's link.

This approach differs from traditional guest posting by saving time and capitalizing on already-indexed, high-performing content, making it a more efficient link-building strategy for growth-focused SaaS companies.

Notes:

1. Find indirectly relevant pages to the core topic. For example, if your product is about LinkedIn analytics, find pages targeting various keywords under the “social media marketing” category.

2. Find listicles/roundups & write a copy for that article. Make sure you follow the format and writing style as in the post.

Option 2: Content updates

This step involves a bit of research & requires identifying the core categories you want to dominate on SERPs. Then, look for outdated page rankings for your target search queries in that category.

Now, you have many relevant pages from which you can get backlinks.

For example, you own a MarTech SaaS and want to get in front of an audience who need help with their marketing. Blog commenting is one keyword from which you can find link opportunities.

Today, blog commenting is a strategy as effective as pigeons for communication.

You should be targeting the top-ranking pages.

Use Semrush or Ubersuggest to find backlink reports of those pages.

Get ready to be blown away. Follow these steps:

Step 1: Fetch backlinks report for top-ranking pages. In this example, this blog post.

Step 2: Filter DoFollow links & find high DR sites linking to the outdated post.

Step 3: Find pages that have low spam scores, decently high DA & PA like this

Step 4: Get in touch with the publisher/author and inform them that they’re linking to outdated posts & you have better content for their audience. Offer to write a paragraph to replace the old link.

Done.

Rinse & repeat this for all the outdated content you find to build relevant links forever.

Option 3: Unlinked mentions

Google (or any major search engine, for that matter) is a gold mine for finding links that are bound to be relevant to your business. Unlinked mentions are the easiest to execute out of several ways to find link-worthy pages.

You can find unlinked mentions in several ways (& combination of advanced search operators), but I’ve listed the most effective ones below.

1. “[your brand name]” -site:yourdomain.com -inurl:yourbrand

2. “[founder name]” AND “software” -site:yourdomain.com

3. “[product feature]” AND “[brand name]” -site:yourdomain.com

4. intitle:”[brand name]” -site:yourdomain.com after:2023

5. “[brand name]” AND “review” -site:yourdomain.com

Next steps:

• Find unlinked mentions using any of the above mentioned advanced search operators. Don’t be surprised if you find relevant links.

• Find outdated page rankings for your target keywords.

How can I help you?

I put a lot of effort into developing a single edition of this newsletter. I want to help you in every possible way. But I can do only so much by myself. I want you to tell me what you need help with. You can contact me on LinkedIn, Twitter, or email to share your thoughts & questions that you want to be addressed. I’d be more than happy to help.

Whenever you’re ready to dominate SERPs, here’s how I can help:

1. Sit with you 1-on-1 & create a content marketing strategy for your startup. Hire me for consulting

2. Write blogs, social posts, and emails for you. Get in touch here with queries (Please mention you found this email in the newsletter to get noticed quickly)

3. Join my tribe on Twitter & LinkedIn where I share SEO tips (every single day) & teaser of the next issue of Letters ByDavey