Building backlinks for saas - where to even start?

I've got 50 email domains and a semrush subscription. So far I've only been paying for listings on saas platforms which turned out good.

I'd like to invest some time into getting actual credibility in the industry.

Are there any scripts to put a desired search query, extract articles and just email those people " Hey {name} I saw your {url article} and wanted to see if our software could find a place there" or something like that

faddy1000 said:

I'd like to invest some time into getting actual credibility in the industry.

Click to expand...

this comes with time and usage of your software, I don't think you can buy your way into this

faddy1000 said:

Are there any scripts to put a desired search query, extract articles and just email those people " Hey {name} I saw your {url article} and wanted to see if our software could find a place there" or something like that

Click to expand...

sounds like you're looking for cold emailing services, try googling for them hopefully there are still some around that are good...

Also, you could try offering your software into marketplaces like JVZoo, AppSumo, even Clickbank I think would be good if you can be bothered to have an affiliate program and manage this aspect. And actually, you're part of one of the biggest IM / SEO / ecommerce marketplaces on Earth, so why not sell in BHW too? You never know how it performs until you try, there are millions of people here... and probably as many bots too, but we ignore them for now

Last but not least, a warm recommendation: replace the names of the 2 competitors (in the comparison chart at the bottom of your salespage) to "competitor 1" and "competitor 2" instead of displaying their names. I've heard stories before (albeit over 15 years ago, but still) of cases where someone was doing the same and 1 of their competitors have sued them for "defamation / image damaging claims" or something...

I know that being specific is better than being generic in these times, but I also know that being safe is better than being sorry, so you might want to make that change before you grow big enough to draw attention. Just my 2 cents

Make an affiliate program and you'll earn a ton of backlinks and authority.

I would focus more on personalized outreach instead of mass emailing. Build useful content, target relevant SaaS blogs resource pages and comparison articles Automated scripts can help with research but real relationships usually bring better backlinks and long term credibility

Scrape Google results for keywords like “best X software” or “X alternatives” and such, pull author emails with something like Apollo.io or Clay, and then you can send emails asking if your tool could fit in the article.

You an automate outreach like that with tools such as Apollo, Clay, Instantly or Smartlead , and many SaaS companies do it. But generic please add our tool emails usually get ignored now. A better strategy is reaching out out with something useful like case studies,stats,free tool or updated content that actually help their article.That's what usually earns stronger SaaS backlinks long term.

You can automate finding backlink targets (SERPs for “best X”, “alternatives”, competitor mentions, etc.) and even build a pipeline that extracts pages and contacts, but fully auto-sending generic “I saw your article” emails usually kills deliverability and gets ignored, so the better approach is using scripts for discovery + filtering and then doing slightly personalized outreach with a real reason to be included.

faddy1000 said:

I've got 50 email domains and a semrush subscription. So far I've only been paying for listings on saas platforms which turned out good.
I'd like to invest some time into getting actual credibility in the industry.
Are there any scripts to put a desired search query, extract articles and just email those people " Hey {name} I saw your {url article} and wanted to see if our software could find a place there" or something like that

Click to expand...

as others have mention buying your way in can save time
depends if you wanna go that route
https://www.blackhatworld.com/forums/seo-link-building.43/

kick it off with good content, guest posts, and outreach in an online niche.

faddy1000 said:

I've got 50 email domains and a semrush subscription. So far I've only been paying for listings on saas platforms which turned out good.

I'd like to invest some time into getting actual credibility in the industry.

Are there any scripts to put a desired search query, extract articles and just email those people " Hey {name} I saw your {url article} and wanted to see if our software could find a place there" or something like that

Click to expand...

tazarbm said:

this comes with time and usage of your software, I don't think you can buy your way into this


sounds like you're looking for cold emailing services, try googling for them hopefully there are still some around that are good...

Also, you could try offering your software into marketplaces like JVZoo, AppSumo, even Clickbank I think would be good if you can be bothered to have an affiliate program and manage this aspect. And actually, you're part of one of the biggest IM / SEO / ecommerce marketplaces on Earth, so why not sell in BHW too? You never know how it performs until you try, there are millions of people here... and probably as many bots too, but we ignore them for now

Last but not least, a warm recommendation: replace the names of the 2 competitors (in the comparison chart at the bottom of your salespage) to "competitor 1" and "competitor 2" instead of displaying their names. I've heard stories before (albeit over 15 years ago, but still) of cases where someone was doing the same and 1 of their competitors have sued them for "defamation / image damaging claims" or something...

I know that being specific is better than being generic in these times, but I also know that being safe is better than being sorry, so you might want to make that change before you grow big enough to draw attention. Just my 2 cents

Click to expand...

let me Contribute

I’ve been working on a SaaS marketing/off-page plan and wanted feedback from people who have done this at scale.

So far, paid SaaS listings have worked well for me, but I don’t want to rely only on directory submissions. I want to build real credibility around the SaaS brand.

The plan I’m thinking about:

1. Entity & trust setup
Build the basic brand entity across LinkedIn, Crunchbase, social profiles, Wikidata/Knowledge Graph sources where possible, and other high-trust business profiles.

2. Review & SaaS platforms
Push the product across platforms like G2, Trustpilot, Product Hunt, AppSumo-type sites, StackSocial, Dealify, PitchGround, DealMirror, SaaSPirate, DealFuel, RocketHub, and relevant software directories.

3. Skills/software marketplaces
Submit the SaaS or related tools to AI skills marketplaces, software directories, and niche tool marketplaces where the audience is already looking for products.

4. Content distribution
Create videos, infographics, how-to tutorials, YouTube content, and even a free course around how to use the software. Then distribute that on platforms like Udemy, Skillshare, YouTube, forums, and communities.

5. Community marketing
Regular value-based posting on Reddit, Quora, LinkedIn, Facebook groups, Pinterest, and niche SaaS/marketing communities.

6. Free tool strategy
Create a small free Chrome extension, Firefox add-on, or freeware version related to the SaaS. Use that to get traffic, backlinks, mentions, and users from extension marketplaces and forums.

7. Outreach to existing articles
Use Semrush to find ranking articles like “best [category] software,” “[competitor] alternatives,” and “top tools for [use case].” Then manually reach out to authors/editors and ask if our tool could be considered for inclusion.

I do have email domains and Semrush, but I don’t want to run this like a spam campaign. I want to use outreach only for highly relevant pages and focus more on credibility, product visibility, AI/search visibility, referral traffic, and real brand trust.

Does this approach make sense for SaaS, or would you prioritize one channel first?

One more - Make video course and spread on Online Learning Platform
Tools like
How I Built an Online Course with AI in Minutes (Step-by-Step)
https://www.teachable.com/

we used... this one is the past

I hope it helps

thanks

I would start with a small number of highly relevant websites instead of sending a large volume of emails. A personalized message that explains why your tool fits a specific article usually gets a better response than a generic template. It takes more time but the links and relationships tend to be much more valuable.

Korovka said:

Make an affiliate program and you'll earn a ton of backlinks and authority.

Click to expand...

100% agree, an affiliate program can give a huge boost in the promotion of a SaaS service and if done right and the service is good you'll have repeat customers/subscribers.