Link building remains one of the most important ranking factors for SEO in 2024, but the techniques have evolved considerably from the early days of link exchanges and low-quality directory submissions. For SaaS companies trying to rank their websites, an effective link building strategy requires a nuanced, creative approach. Here are some of the most promising techniques for SaaS link building in 2024:
Leveraging Existing Networks
Many SaaS companies already have networks of customers, partners, and influencers they can tap for high-quality links. Identify people in your network who would be logical sources for a link, like customers who have achieved results with your platform or influencers who align with your brand values. Outreach to ask if they would be interested in featuring your SaaS tool in a blog post, resources page, or listicle. The key is relevance – their audience should overlap with your target users.
Contributing Guest Posts
Guest posting remains effective, but the focus is on quality over quantity. Identify a handful of high-authority websites in your space that accept contributor posts. Pitch them unique, useful content that provides value for their audience while organically linking back to your site. Avoid over-optimization and focus on insightful commentary their readers will appreciate.
Creating Linkworthy Assets
Develop resources like guides, ebooks, templates, and tools that naturally lead to links. Identify knowledge gaps and pain points for your audience and create something that solves those needs while aligning with your SaaS capabilities. Promote your assets through content marketing across channels to earn links. For example, an SEO agency could create a free keyword research tool that links back to their SaaS platform.
Cultivating Relationships
Link building is a long game that requires relationship cultivation with both influencers and potential partners. Use social media, events, email, and other channels to thoughtfully engage with industry leaders. Look for ways to provide value, insight, or entertainment without an obvious sales agenda. If you establish yourself as a trusted name, earned links will develop organically over time.
Sponsoring and Speaking
Look for relevant conferences, events, podcasts and other opportunities where you can participate as a sponsor or speaker. Avoid blatant product pitches – instead, provide valuable insights for the audience. This establishes your authority and often leads to links from the host platform after the event. Follow up with organizers to ensure your website is referenced.
Pursuing Strategic Partnerships
Partner with complementary businesses to expand your reach. Integrate their product into your platform or co-create a resource hub together. Joint webinars, co-branded content, and cross-promotions offer more value than two separate efforts. Partners are often happy to link back in exchange for the heightened visibility. Choose brands that share your values and have an overlapping audience.
Leveraging Your Own Content
Revamp old blog posts and resources by updating the content or expanding it into a fresh format like a video or podcast. The “new and improved” version can justify an outreach campaign to replace old links or earn new ones from publishers who missed it the first time. Repurposing content into different formats also provides more linking opportunities.
Overall, SaaS link building in 2024 requires creativity, persistence, and a focus on relationships over quick wins. The quantity and speed of tactics like link exchanges just aren’t effective anymore. Earning high-quality links takes time – but the long-term payoff for brand visibility and SEO success is immense. With a diverse, thoughtful approach, your SaaS website can build the links it needs to thrive.
