5 SaaS Sites That Got Link-Building Right (2024 Review)
Natalia Toth
You’ve read dozens of articles about efficient link-building tactics, things to avoid, and stuff.
In this post, we want to inspire you with best examples of how websites in the SaaS industry mastered link-building and saw their rankings (and business) take off. You’ll get actionable link-building tips you can apply to your job right away.
Without further ado, let’s see five SaaS sites that cracked the link-building code and won.
Example 1: Trustmary
What it is: a platform for seamless review management and integration
# of backlinks: 178K from 5.6K referring domains (Ahrefs)
# of new backlinks in the last 30 days: 6.7K (Ahrefs)
Prominent referrers: Hubspot, Mailerlite
Page with the most backlinks:
- Add Reviews to Your Website (8.4K)
Most linked resources:
- 50+ Sites Where You Can Find Online Reviews for Businesses (26 backlinks)
- 4 Best Examples of Testimonials in Advertising (23 backlinks)
- Customer Review vs Customer Testimonial Definitions (20 backlinks)
Why they’re on our list: Trustmary’s example teaches us the craft of link-building for when you sell a SaaS product to other websites. In this case, the backlink to Trustmary with the ‘review widget’ anchor text is embedded in every single site that uses the tool.
Besides, Trustmary demonstrates the power of useful, original blog posts for link-building. Note how the pages that got the most backlinks either provide examples that users can apply in their work, are curated resource pages, or clarify possible questions that users might have such as ‘What’s the difference between a Customer Review and a Customer Testimonial?’ An amazing example to follow!
Example 2: Tagembed
What it is: a free social media aggregator for website
# of backlinks: 59.1K from 7.3K referring domains (Ahrefs)
# of new backlinks in the last 30 days: 13.1K (Ahrefs)
Prominent referrers: Hubspot, Shopify, Tidio, Dialpad, Socialpilot
Page with the most backlinks:
- Embed LinkedIn Widget on Website (1.7K backlinks)
Most linked resources:
- How To Embed Google Reviews On Website For Free (429 backlinks)
- The Ultimate Guide To Facebook Reels – All You Need To Know (38 backlinks)
Why they’re on our list: Similarly to Trustmary, Tagembed gets a lot of backlinks when customers place their widget on their own website.But let’s talk about Tagembed’s content because it serves as inspiration for a stunning blog that attracts natural backlinks.
Their most-linked content is a comprehensive, step-by-step guide on embedding Google reviews to sites built on various platforms. The guide secured backlinks from such authoritative SaaS sites as Tidio, Dialpad, and SocialPilot.
Just like Trustmary, Tagembed enriched the guide with a few real-world examples which made it even more valuable to readers.To leverage their interest, the company smartly placed banners and internal backlinks to different product pages, inviting users to start their free Tagembed trial.
As the cherry on top, the article includes an FAQ section that answers 9 questions users might have about Google reviews. Tagembed’s content team did a great job which bears fruit to this day in the form of powerful backlinks. Hats off!
Read more: Master White Hat Link-Building: 8 Proven Techniques for Growth
Example 3: Custify
What it is: customer success software for SaaS businesses
# of backlinks: 6.3K from 1.8K referring domains (Ahrefs)
# of new backlinks in the last 30 days: 340 (Ahrefs)
Prominent referrers: Yahoo, Zendesk, Dribble, Hubspot
Most linked resources:
- The Outstanding Guide to Customer Success Strategy (152 backlinks)
- SaaS Customer Onboarding Guide (72 backlinks)
- How to Build a Churn Prediction Model that Works (45 backlinks)
- SaaS Churn Calculator (20 backlinks)
Why they’re on our list: Custify is a great illustration of the most efficient SaaS link-building tactics. They have it all: in-depth guides targeting long-tail keywords, and clear infographics (making way for image link-building). They even built a custom tool - a SaaS Churn Calculator - that also attracted a handful of backlinks.
Custify’s guide to customer success strategy received a great deal ofstrong links from authoritative sites in the niche, such as Retently or Userguiding.
At the same time, their post on building a churn prediction model got 45 backlinks within 5 months and guaranteed them the #1 spot in rankings for such keywords as ‘churn modeling’ and ‘what is a churn model’. With ChatGPT prompts for predictive modeling as a bonus, the article is super relevant to users.
As a finishing touch, the team added thought leaders’ quotes on churn prediction and linked them to contributors’ profiles. This way, they maximized the potential for the blog post to be reshared and seen by potential customers.
Isn’t that brilliant?
Example 4: Little Hotelier
What it is: all-in-one property management software for small businesses
# of backlinks: 67K from 2.1K referring domains (Ahrefs)
# of new backlinks in the last 30 days: 3.2K (Ahrefs)
Prominent referrers: Zendesk, Moz, Vercel, Practical Commerce
Most linked resources:
- What are Airbnb fees? Full guide for hosts (120 backlinks)
- Hotel check-in: Process and policy guide (55 backlinks)
- 15 types of hotels and hotel classifications (22 backlinks)
Why they’re on our list: Little Hotelier nailed it with content that generates natural backlinks because it provides real value.
Take their Hotel check-in guide for example. It was linked to sites from all over the world. Why? The article does a great job of explaining the hotel check-in processes and policies, why self-check-in is a must-have, and gives benchmarks - you feel like an expert on hotel check-in after reading the guide.
Their ‘What are Airbnb fees?’ guide is shorter, but nonetheless all-encompassing. Infographics and comparison tables stand out and demonstrate that the author did solid research. The article got 120 backlinks from travel blogs and forums for a reason.
Internal links are another strength of Little Hotelier’s articles - after (or while) going through the guides, the readers glimpse the invite to download an eBook or watch a product demo.
Example 5: Recruit CRM
What it is: recruitment software for agencies
# of backlinks: 53.9K from 5.5K referring domains (Ahrefs)
# of new backlinks in the last 30 days: 4.7K (Ahrefs)
Prominent referrers: Hubspot, Tidio, Wikipedia
Most linked resources:
- What is an applicant tracking system? Your one-stop guide (1K backlinks)
- 10 of the best hiring platforms to choose from (129 backlinks)
- Diversity hiring 101: A quintessential guide for recruiters (35 backlinks)
Why they’re on our list: Recruit CRM clearly cracked the code to create link magnets. Their most-linked article, the guide on the applicant tracking system, got 189 backlinks within just two months from the publication date - and organic traffic followed suit, going from 0 to over 2000 visitors in three months. The guide was even featured in a Wikipedia article as the first reference.
Plus, you can help loving their branded visuals that reflect buyer persona's concerns.
Like for other sites in our selection, the other best-performing articles are either guides for Recruit CRM’s buyer persona or honest, 360 degrees comparison articles. Way to go!
Conclusion
These five SaaS websites didn't just *dabble* in link-building—they mastered it, turning strategy into results.
Whether it's through educational content or data-driven insights, they've shown that with the right approach, you can earn high-quality backlinks that drive traffic and boost your rankings. And link-building tools like Ranking Raccoon are there to make your job even easier. Ready to take action?
Natalia Toth
Head of Marketing