The significant value of B2B content marketing is paving the way for a new wave of content-first link building.
A targeted Google search will return lists of articles on topics like “lists of,” “alternative,” or simply “how to.” With the right search queries, you can find an endless list of prospective domains to pitch.
SaaS companies can target these prospects by producing a wide range of content types and topics, providing a unique opportunity to find link prospects across various niche topics.
This list offers methods to identify link opportunities based on the typical content for SaaS brands.
Identifying link opportunities for SaaS brands
While using Google search operators will yield the largest list of opportunities, the following link building tools will reduce the time required to organize and reach out to each prospect:
- BuzzStream: A low-cost list-building and outreach CRM. This is a fast way to get started.
- Pitchbox: A robust list-building and outreach campaign management tool. Use this tool for custom prospecting, outreach, and reporting features. The default campaigns can reduce the time for new link builders to build a list and start outreach.
Whether using Google or a tool, the type of content created on the software’s site will determine the success of a link building campaign. Note that some pages yield more links than others. Most of your focus will be on high-authority homepage links and deep links to blogs and informational articles.
1. Statistical roundup links for unique research
A “statistical roundup” article collects and presents statistical data from various sources relevant to a particular topic or field. These articles provide an informative, insightful, and potentially compelling overview of a topic from a data-centric perspective. Statistical roundup articles are often used in fields such as business and economics, sports, health and medicine, and science and education. They often present data in visually compelling formats, including charts, graphs, tables, and infographics.
Finding these links is a simple Google search away for “{keyword} statistics.” Or get more specific with a search operator:
- intitle:”statistics” intext:{keyword}
- inurl:blog intitle:”statistics” intext:{keyword}
2. Blogger outreach to hybrid commercial + informational pages
Bloggers and many publishers are likely to link to content that clarifies or enhances the concepts they are writing about. These pages are optimized to convert traffic to leads or demo requests with informational content that can be used to acquire links. For example, NordVPN has a great hybrid page in cyber security.
Use these pages to find bloggers who have written about the topic and request that they link to your hybrid page. Identify the bloggers by searching Google with the blogger search operator:
- inurl:blog intitle: {keyword}
Copy the top 100 URLs into a batch analysis tool, export the list, filter down by metrics, and repeat this process for each target keyword.
3. Product alternatives for the product page or homepage links
Find blog articles that list alternatives to a competitor. These articles list alternative direct competitors or processes that can yield the same results. Although this method isn’t scalable, it can yield high-quality traffic-driving links.
- Intitle:{competitor name} alternatives -{your company name}
4. Link insert requests to integration pages
Integration pages are fodder for articles about the integration partner, including features, usage, or even negative reviews. For instance, in the case of Zapier, articles about Slack or Google Drive might make sense to approach for backlinks.
To find link opportunities for an integration page, use the search operator:
- Intitle:{keyword} -{your domain} -{integration partner domain}
Example: intitle:automate slack -zapier.com -slack.com
5. Competitors mention links to product comparison content
Product or feature comparison pages are either blog articles or webpages that compare various features of your software to direct or indirect competitors. For instance, Monday.com, a project management software, has a single comparison page where users can select from a dropdown list of direct competitors. Creating a single page for each competitor is also common.
Use these article topics to build an outreach list. Create a variation of the following example of a search operator that a project management website could use:
- intext:asana intitle:project management -Monday.com -asana.com
6. Case study blog articles with social ads
Case studies are coveted because they have actionable takeaways from real-world learning. SaaS companies have access to unique data and case studies using their software to gather data. These assets can be used in social ads to attract readers and links. For example, an Ahrefs case study analyzing Linktree’s traffic drop used several reports in Ahrefs and ran ads on platforms like Facebook.
By plugging the case study URL into a tool like Ahrefs Site Explorer, you can find that such articles received links from numerous unique referring domains.
7. Listicle outreach for product and homepages
Content listing out companies or expert roundups in niche markets has become very popular. Listicles are easy to read and digest and are used in content marketing and journalism for presenting information concisely and engagingly. A cybersecurity digital marketer can build a campaign to find listicles around general or vertical-specific article searches.
Build a list of these opportunities with the “intitle:” search operator:
- intitle:”supply chain cybersecurity” intitle:top
- intitle:”cybersecurity” intitle:top
To expand opportunities, replace “top” with “best,” “tools,” or other generally descriptive terms for your niche.
8. Executive and team guest posting byline for high-authority sites
Securing a guest post on high-authority publications often means a valuable byline, complete with a branded link to your homepage. However, it’s important to note that earning a spot on these high-traffic platforms requires real expertise and considerable time commitment to develop quality content. These articles mainly serve to enhance brand visibility and establish thought leadership.
9. Passive PR request for homepage links
In public relations, a “passive journalist PR request” refers to situations where a journalist seeks information, quotes, or a story from PR professionals, companies, or individuals via social media or other public platforms. These requests present opportunities for their clients or organizations to gain exposure. Although passive PR isn’t specific to SaaS, creating content around various topics allows for many more placement opportunities.
Two methods to find these requests are Help a Reporter Out (HARO) or searching the hashtag #journorequest on Twitter.
10. Non-competing Informational links, Internal linking to commercial pages
This method entails building links to informational content and then placing internal links to the target ranking pages. The reasoning is that bloggers and publishers are more likely to link to informational articles than commercial pages, increasing the total volume of link opportunities in less time. The outreach will focus on related but non-competitive articles.
For example, an article about “Top 10 HR Management Software” may not easily link to another listicle about HR management software, but it might link to an article detailing the software’s features.
To find these types of articles, use this search operator template with your keywords:
- inurl:blog intitle:HR software -top
Content-first link building in B2B SaaS
SaaS websites have the unique ability to target a wide range of topics and content, which aligns well with the new wave of content-first link building. Tools like Buzzstream, Pitchbox, and Respona can streamline the prospecting and outreach process, but having the right content is crucial to a high response rate.
Use search operators to find these opportunities and test multiple queries to find as many sites to pitch as possible. Link building is critical in B2B SaaS traffic generation, and those companies that get it right will drive real growth.
