Why Most SaaS Companies Fail at Link Building — and How to Fix It
Over the past couple of years, the Software as a Service (SaaS) niche has gotten increasingly crowded. Hoping to beat down the competition and attract the users’ attention, many businesses started looking for SaaS link-building services, asking them to help boost their online visibility and make them stand out.
Alas, for most of them, the results turned out to be disappointing. Thousands of dollars spent, multiple partnerships built, and in the end, the websites still tanked, with their rankings shrinking.
Why did this happen, and is there a way to fix the problem and achieve your desired level of visibility? Sure there is. Just take a look below, and five minutes later, you’ll walk away with the answers you’ve been searching for.
The Most Common Reasons SaaS Link Building Fails
To solve a problem, you need to identify it first. That’s something most SaaS businesses struggle with, but the truth is, the answer floats right on the surface.
Here is a list of things most website owners do wrong:
- Thinking that quantity beats quality. Many companies prioritize quantity, so they get a ton of links with poor quality that Google ends up marking as spam.
- Not taking relevance into account. The articles with your links have to be relevant to your niche; the anchor and near-anchor text should also make sense — however, companies often don’t care about any of it.
- Choosing a random SaaS link-building agency. Cooperating with an unreliable agency means risking your reputation and paying for links that hold no value.
- Misunderstanding the point of link building. Some businesses think that link building is a one-time campaign; in reality, it’s important to keep investing in this part of SEO on a constant basis.
These are simple problems that many SaaS companies fail to consider.
Examples of What Goes Wrong
To give you a clearer picture of common link-building mistakes, let’s review some of them in more detail.
Paying for links with no traffic
The website might look great, the SaaS link building agency you hired might be guaranteeing that your ranking is going to skyrocket any time soon; however, in the end, all that awaits is a complete and utter failure. That’s because companies often don’t check whether their hosting platform has any real traffic.
Don’t just fall for empty promises. Use tools to verify what kind of traffic a website gets and how extensive it is before entrusting your links to it.
Getting listed on sites that also sell casino or crypto links
Many untrustworthy agencies make deals with websites specializing in casino and crypto services. Some SaaS businesses don’t mind this practice, but the problem is, Google does. It considers casino-related subjects shady, so even if a platform like this has plenty of traffic, it might sink anyway, taking your links down with it.
Outsourcing without reviewing where the links go
You’d be surprised to learn how many companies have no idea what SaaS link-building services entail. It’s easy to hire someone and get an excellent report showing that now your links are hosted on many websites, but is there any value in them? Most often, the answer is no, as the links end up on shady or irrelevant sites, such as private blogs.
How to Fix Your Link Building Approach
As you might have already figured out, the key to successful SaaS link building lies in making informed choices based on quality. These are the steps you should consider taking:
- Discover analysis tools. The market has many excellent tools, from Ahrefs to SEMrush, that can help you measure organic traffic, check how viable your links are, and assess a website’s credibility.
- Look for quality hosts. Whether you choose a SaaS link building agency or do everything on your own, it’s vital to look for reputable sites with real traffic and content that corresponds to strict editorial standards.
- Build actual relationships. Develop authentic professional bonds with companies, fellow SaaS providers, influencers, and others to increase your visibility in a natural way.
- Work on organic link building. Create content that will stimulate others to link to it; as a SaaS provider, you could post a bunch of noteworthy reports, market analysis, and tips for developers.
Follow these tips, and your link building will finally start paying off.
What a Healthy Link-Building Strategy Looks Like
Learn what a healthy link-building strategy should look like to build your own.
Links placed on relevant SaaS or tech websites
If you offer project management software, go for websites that specialize in this niche as well. Place your links on platforms offering CMS, tech advice, or training for project managers. Always put your focus on relevance and value, no matter what services you’re providing.
Pages getting real traffic and ranking
Look for pages that have been indexed by Google and that are getting active traffic. It is often a great idea to add your link to the already-existing content.
Mix of link types: guest posts, niche mentions, listicles
Creating link diversity is a sign of a healthy SEO strategy. The best SaaS link building agency will always pick different types of content for your links: this could be guest posts on various relevant websites, listicles offering SaaS-related information, and even niche mentions. Such diversity resembles organic patterns, and Google tends to appreciate them.
Steady growth, no sudden spikes
Invest in your links bit by bit; even if you want to increase their numbers, do it slowly. Depending on the scale and age of your site, buy from 3 to 8 links per month. If you do immediate heavy investments and your platform gets a hundred mentions in one week, it will look suspicious, and Google will penalize you.
Fix the Foundation, Then Scale
If you’ve been trying to improve your link building to no avail, the first thing you should do is take a step back and re-evaluate your approach. Fix its core by removing all the erroneous, shady, and quantity-based tactics you’ve been using. Once you’re done, apply the new tips you’ve learned.
Review the existing links, scrap the ones that are dragging you down, and get professional SaaS link-building services. Monitor what your chosen company is doing carefully: you must know which platforms they choose for your links, what traffic they have, and so on. Wait for improved results, and as soon as you see them, you can consider scaling and expanding your online visibility further.