How to Get Backlinks for a SaaS Startup in Year One: The Order to Do It In

The order that holds up for a new SaaS is: get a page worth linking to, list the product in a handful of directories, earn integration and partner pages, get into roundups and alternatives pages, publish or earn editorial articles, and only then build free tools and original data. Refuse private blog networks and unmarked paid link schemes at every stage. At each step you run the same three checks before you count a link: is the page indexed, what does the rel attribute say, and does the link sit in real body copy on a relevant page. Nothing here promises rankings, traffic or mentions in AI answers. It is a sequence a solo founder can follow, not a guarantee.

Last checked: November 12, 2026

Most backlink advice for SaaS is a list of tactics with no order. That is how founders end up writing guest posts for a product nobody can find. This guide is about the order of operations and the check you run after each step. You get the sequence, the honest limits of each stage (many early links are nofollow), and a 12-month plan that fits in a few hours a week.

Before link number one: a page worth linking to and a way to count

Google says it uses links as a signal when it works out what a page is about and as a way to find new pages to crawl, according to its link best practices. So a link has to point at something. Before you ask anyone for anything, set up four basics in the first two weeks:

• One clear homepage. A stranger should be able to say what the product does, and for whom, in one sentence after ten seconds on the page.

• A page for each thing people might link to. At minimum: homepage, pricing, one page per main use case, and a short "about" page with real names. These are your link targets.

• One short description you reuse. Write a 25-word and a 60-word description, and spell the product name the same way everywhere. Every directory and partner page will ask for them.

• Search Console verified, and a link sheet. Verify your domain in Search Console so you can see the Links report later. Start a sheet with columns for URL, date checked, indexed (yes or no), rel value, and where the link sits on the page. You will fill it all year.

One note on the Links report, since you will lean on it. Google's help page for it says the report is a sample, not a complete list, and that it does not specify whether a link is marked nofollow. It tells you who links, not what kind of link it is, which is why the checks later in this guide matter.

Why the order matters

Each stage in the sequence produces something the next stage needs. Directory listings give you a stable name and description. Integrations give you partners with a real reason to mention you. Roundup writers look for products that already exist in a few places. Editorial writers need a story, and by month five you will have customers. Data and tools only pay off if someone is already looking at you. The cheap, reversible work also comes first, so you learn what your listings really look like before you spend serious effort.

Step 1: Directories and launch platforms (months 1 and 2)

Start here because it is fast and you control it. Submit to a small number of directories and launch platforms where buyers in your category might actually look. Five to eight well-chosen ones beat forty random ones. For a starting list, including which ones gave a followed link when we checked, see our post on free startup directories that still give a followed link.

Many of these links are nofollow. As a small example: on November 12, 2026, the SaaSHub page for Notion linked to Notion's own website from its main button with rel="nofollow". That is one page on one day, not a rule about every directory, and these settings change, so check each live page yourself. A nofollow link can still send visitors, make the product easy to find by name, and give your name and description somewhere consistent to live. Google describes nofollow links as ones that will "generally not be followed," so do not count them as ranking links in your sheet.

Google also has a line you should keep in mind. Its spam policies on link spam list "low-quality directory or bookmark site links" as an example. A directory that accepts anything and lists thousands of unrelated products is the kind of place to skip.

Badges and reciprocal asks

Some directories ask you to put their badge on your site, or to link back, in return for a better listing. Read the ask before you accept it. One link to a directory from a relevant page on your site is an ordinary trade. A footer wall of badges for ten directories begins to look like what Google's policies describe as "excessive link exchanges" ("Link to me and I'll link to you"). The same page lists "requiring a link as part of a Terms of Service, contract, or similar arrangement" without giving the other site's owner a choice about how to qualify it.

Check before moving on: for each listing, open the live page, confirm it is indexed, read the rel value on your link, and note it with the date in your sheet. Do not move to step 2 until you have at least a few live, accurate listings and no reciprocal obligations you would not defend.

Step 2: Integration and partner pages (months 2 to 4)

Integrations are the first place a link can come with a reason attached. A page that says "works with" another tool is useful to that tool's users, so a link to you is not a favour, it is part of the page. Pick three to five tools your customers already use next to yours, such as the billing tool, the CRM or the chat app.

Two honest limits. First, many platforms have requirements before they list you. Zapier's integration publishing requirements say your app must be fully launched to the public and not an invite-only or "beta" app, and that the homepage URL you enter should be your marketing site, not the app or the login page. Build the page before you submit, and send the marketing URL. Second, the link may be nofollow. On November 12, 2026, the Slack page in Zapier's app directory linked to slack.com with rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer". The value of the listing is that people who already use Zapier can find you, not a ranking signal.

Beyond marketplaces, ask partner tools for a help article or an integrations page that explains the connection in words. A logo grid in a footer is not what you want. A page that says what the integration does and who it is for is. Google names "partner pages exclusively for the sake of cross-linking" as link spam, so only ask for a page when the integration works and a customer could use it today.

Check before moving on: for each integration page, confirm it is live and indexed, read the rel value, and check that your link sits in a sentence about the integration.

Step 3: Roundups and alternatives pages (months 3 to 6)

By now your product exists in a few places and has a few real customers. That is the point to ask to be included in "best tools for X" roundups and "alternatives to Y" pages. Buyers read these pages when they compare options, so a mention can matter even without a ranking link.

How to do it without wasting everyone's time: search the buyer queries for your category, write down the pages that rank, and sort them into "updated in the last year" and "abandoned." Ask only the first group. Keep the message short and make it easy to say yes: one line on what the product does, who it is for, the one fact that separates it from the others, and the exact pricing and plan details so the writer does not have to guess. Do not ask for a specific anchor, and do not offer money or free accounts in exchange for a link. The full process, with a tracking sheet and wording, is in how to get your SaaS into "best tools" lists without paying for spam.

Put an accurate comparison page on your own site as well, so list authors have a correct page to read. It does not guarantee a mention.

Check before moving on: for each roundup that includes you, check that the page is indexed, read the rel value, check the facts about your product are right, and ask for a correction if they are not.

Step 4: Editorial articles (months 5 to 9)

An editorial link is one that someone put in a written page about a topic, with your product named in context, in a place a reader could find without knowing you. It is the link type most founders mean when they say "real backlink," and it is the hardest to get, which is why it comes fourth. By month five you have customers, some proof, and something to say. That is when a pitch has a chance.

There are four routes, in rough order of effort:

1. Your own customers and partners. A customer writes a post about how they use you. A partner writes up the integration. You do not script it.

2. Newsletters and blogs in your niche. Offer a useful piece, not a pitch for your product. Our guide to getting a news-style feature article about your startup covers how to make a story an editor can use.

3. Guest articles. Write something for another site's readers. Google's spam policies list "links with optimized anchor text in articles, guest posts, or press releases distributed on other sites" as an example of link spam, so keep anchors plain and the content genuinely useful. The trade-offs between a guest post, an editorial link and a niche edit are in our SideHunt comparison, guest post vs editorial link vs niche edit.

4. Small publishing sites that write about products. A few exist for exactly this. One example is a long explainer built around one buying decision on Piece Press, which publishes a long explainer around one decision with one product link in it. Per its own pricing page on November 12, 2026, it is free if your site credits Piece Press (the product link is dofollow), free with a nofollow link and no credit, or $29 per published page with a dofollow link. In the interest of full disclosure, the same team runs Piece Press and IndieHunt. Piece Press says on its own page that a ranking and a citation are not guaranteed, and nor do I.

Whichever route you use, ask one question: would the page be worth reading if your link were removed? If the page exists only to carry the link, it is not editorial.

Check before moving on: for each article, check that the page is indexed, read the rel value, check the link sits in body copy, and read the sentence around it. If the anchor is your product name or a descriptive phrase, that is fine. If it is a string of keywords, ask the editor to change it. Google's own advice is that good anchor text is "descriptive, reasonably concise, and relevant."

Step 5: Free tools and original data (months 6 to 12)

This is last on purpose. A free tool or data report only earns links when people can find it, and they find it through the work in steps 1 to 4. It takes the most time and has the least predictable return.

Both are about the same idea: give people a thing they would link to without being asked.

• A free tool for the job just before your product. If you sell invoicing software, the tool could be a late-fee calculator. Build one small thing that solves one problem in a minute, with no signup.

• One data question your own product can answer. Use aggregated, anonymous numbers and publish the method with them. If you have very few customers, the numbers will be too small to say anything, so wait. The guide to publishing an original data report from your product's data shows how to check whether you have enough.

Whichever you choose, when it is live, tell the people who already follow you, the partners from step 2 and the writers from step 3 who cover the topic. Some will link and most will not, so go in expecting that.

Check before moving on: for each link a tool or report earns, run the same indexed, rel and context checks. Keep the tool working, because broken tools quietly lose links.

Step 6: What to refuse at every stage

This is not a stage. It is a standing rule that runs across all of them. Refuse these, even when a seller shows a convincing report:

• Private blog networks (PBNs). A set of sites built or bought to link to each other and to customers, with no readers. The links exist to manipulate rankings, and Google's policy opens with that: link spam is "creating links to or from a site primarily for the purpose of manipulating search rankings."

• Unmarked paid link schemes. Google lists "exchanging money for links, or posts that contain links," "exchanging goods or services for links," and "sending someone a product in exchange for them writing about it and including a link" under buying or selling links for ranking purposes. If a seller is vague about where the link will appear or who runs the site, treat that as your answer.

• Automated link creation. The same policy names "using automated programs or services to create links to your site."

• Anything that guarantees a ranking. No one can promise one. A guarantee is a reason to walk away.

A simple test: if you would not be comfortable explaining the placement to a customer who asked how you got it, do not take it.

How to check a link yourself

Run these three checks on every link before it goes in your sheet as a win. Each takes about two minutes.

1. Is the page indexed? Search Google for site: followed by the exact URL of the page that links to you. Google's documentation for the site: operator says a URL that is indexed can show up for a site: query, though it's not guaranteed, and the list is not always exhaustive. If it does not appear, that is a prompt to look further, not proof. For your own pages, the URL Inspection tool in Search Console shows Google's index status for the page, and Google notes that "URL is on Google" still does not guarantee the page will appear in results.

2. What does the rel attribute say? Open the page, right-click, choose View Page Source (or Inspect), and search for your domain. Find the <a href=...> that points to you and read its rel. There is no rel="dofollow". A normal link has no rel, or only noopener. nofollow, sponsored and ugc are the values to look for. Google's outbound link guidance explains each. If you would rather not read HTML, Aura++ has a free dofollow link checker that reads the server HTML and shows the rel value and anchor text. A link added only by JavaScript will not show in it, which is itself worth knowing.

3. Is it in context? Is the link in the body copy of a page about a related topic, written by a person, with an anchor that says what you are? Or is it in a footer, a sidebar, a list of 200 other sites, or a comment? Google's link guidance says good anchor text gives readers context for the link. If the surrounding sentence would confuse a reader, the link is probably not doing much.

Recheck each live link once a month, because a link that was followed in November may carry a different rel in January.

The 12-month plan

This is a suggested pace for one person with a few hours a week. It is a plan, not a benchmark. Move a step later if the check at the end of the previous one is not done.

An illustrative example

This is made up, to show what the sheet looks like. "Fernquay" is an invented invoicing tool for freelance designers. These rows are not real results.

The last column is the point. It forces you to decide, with evidence, what each link actually is.

Common mistakes

• Going straight to editorial. Writers visit your site first. If it is thin, the pitch dies there.

• Counting every link equally. A nofollow listing and a body-copy article are different things. Keep them in different columns.

• Buying a package because the report looked good. Run the three checks and the refuse list first.

FAQ

How many backlinks does a new SaaS need in its first year?

There is no honest number I can give you. Counts without context mislead. A better goal for year one is a short list of links you can defend: a few good listings, a few relevant partner or integration pages, and one or two articles written by someone who had a reason to mention you.

Do nofollow links help at all?

They are not a ranking signal you should count on. Google's guidance says links marked this way will "generally not be followed." They can still bring visitors, help people find your product by name, and put your description in a consistent place, which is why steps 1 and 2 are still worth doing.

Should I pay for backlinks?

I would not buy links for the sake of rankings. Google's spam policies name "exchanging money for links, or posts that contain links" under buying or selling links for ranking purposes, and nobody can promise a result. If you want help getting editorial articles written and published rather than doing the outreach yourself, Posting Dude is one such service: Launch is $249 a month for one project, Studio is $399 a month for up to three projects, and each project gets ten editorial articles a month across a ten-site publishing network. It says on its own site that it does not promise rankings, AI citations, traffic or revenue. For disclosure, the same team behind IndieHunt runs Posting Dude, so read it as one option among the ones in this guide and decide for yourself.

Do backlinks help a SaaS get mentioned in AI answers?

Nobody can promise that, and I am not going to. What you can do is make sure the pages that describe your product are public, accurate and consistent across the places you listed it.