How do you get backlinks for a SaaS with no budget?

Buying backlinks is against Google's guidelines and the risk-reward isn't worth it when free alternatives work. The founders who've built strong organic rankings for their SaaS products have done so through methods that cost time, not money.

Here's the complete list of free backlink acquisition methods that consistently work.

Quick answer: Get free SaaS backlinks by submitting to 20–30 directories (Product Hunt, SaaSHub, AlternativeTo, LaunchBuff — all free), displaying every winner badge you earn, and doing 15 minutes of HARO daily. A single link from Forbes or TechCrunch via HARO outweighs 50 directory links.

1. Directory Submissions

The most accessible and systematic source of free backlinks. Product Hunt, SaaSHub, AlternativeTo, G2, Capterra, Uneed, MicroLaunch, DevHunt, and dozens of smaller directories each provide a dofollow link back to your site.

A thorough directory campaign — 20–30 quality submissions — can build your initial backlink profile from zero to a meaningful foundation in 2–3 weeks. This is the most time-efficient start.

LaunchBuff provides a permanent listing with a dofollow backlink on submission. If you win a tournament bracket, you also get homepage placement. Free at launchbuff.com/submit.

2. Winner Badges

Every platform you win or rank highly on typically offers a badge. LaunchBuff winner badges, Product Hunt top product badges, and similar awards are designed for display on your homepage — which means they link back to your listing, and your listing links to your site.

More importantly: when other websites feature your product in roundups or reviews and include your badge image, each display is another link opportunity. A badge on your homepage is passive link bait.

Display every badge you legitimately earn. The SEO value compounds as you appear in more places.

3. Resource Pages and "Best Of" Lists

Search for curated resource pages in your niche: "best tools for [category]" site:blog.example.com, or "resources" + "[your user's role]". These pages link to tools their audience finds valuable.

Reach out to the author with a brief note explaining what your product does and why it belongs on their list. Be specific about the type of user it's best for — this makes it easy for the author to decide where it fits.

Expect 10–20% conversion on genuine outreach to actively maintained pages. Higher if your product genuinely fills a gap in their existing list.

4. Blog Swaps (Guest Posts and Mentions)

Writing for blogs in your audience's niche generates backlinks and brand awareness simultaneously. A guest post that actually helps readers — not thinly veiled promotional content — will be published by most blogs that accept contributions.

Partner with complementary (not competing) SaaS founders for mention swaps: you include them in a relevant roundup, they do the same. This is faster to arrange than full guest posts and can generate links quickly.

5. Tool Integrations and Partner Badges

If your product integrates with other tools (Notion, Slack, Zapier, etc.), get listed in their integration directories. Zapier's app directory, for instance, receives significant organic traffic and provides a high-DA backlink.

If you add a "powered by" or "built with" attribution in a free tier of your product, every user who displays it on their site is a potential backlink.

6. HARO and Qwoted

Help A Reporter Out (HARO) and Qwoted aggregate journalist requests for expert sources. When your response is used, you typically receive a mention in a publication with real domain authority.

The quality of a single link from Forbes or TechCrunch exceeds 50 directory links. The hit rate is low (5–10% of responses used), but the consistent daily effort is worth it.

Budget 15 minutes each morning. Prioritise requests that match your actual expertise — your quote quality matters for placement.

7. Competitor Gap Analysis

Find sites that link to your competitors but not to you. Use Ahrefs (free tier gives you limited data), Moz, or Semrush. Export your competitor's backlink list, filter for sites with real traffic, and check if they mention your product.

Where they don't, reach out: "I noticed you featured [competitor] in your article about X. I thought [your product] might be worth including as an alternative since it [specific differentiator]."

These are warm outreach targets — they've already decided to link to similar products.

Building a Sustainable Backlink Strategy

New links: directory submissions + HARO (ongoing, 30 minutes/day) Growing links: resource page outreach + guest posts (2 per month) Passive links: badges + integrations (one-time setup) High-value targets: competitor gap analysis (quarterly review)

The result after 6 months of consistent execution: a link profile that reflects your real presence in the ecosystem rather than artificial link building.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many free directory submissions should you complete before moving to other backlink tactics?

Complete your top 20–30 directory submissions first — this is the highest ROI use of your first week of backlink work. These submissions take about 20–30 minutes each with a prepared asset kit, and the resulting backlinks from sites like Product Hunt (DR 90+), G2 (DR 90+), SaaSHub (DR 75+), and AlternativeTo (DR 80+) form a real foundation. Once you've done the top-tier directories, shift to HARO for ongoing high-quality link acquisition. Directories have diminishing returns after the first 30; HARO and resource page outreach don't.

What makes a HARO response actually get published?

Speed (respond within 2 hours — journalists take the first good response that meets their deadline), specificity (answer their exact question in 3–5 quotable sentences, not a general essay), and credibility (state your name, title, and company upfront). Don't pitch your product — pitch your expertise on the topic they're covering. Your company gets mentioned as attribution for your quote. Responses that try to include product links or promotional content get filtered out quickly by experienced journalists.

Do "nofollow" backlinks from directories provide any SEO value?

Yes, though less than dofollow links. Google has stated that nofollow links are treated as "hints" rather than being fully ignored — they contribute to your brand's entity recognition and the overall signal that your product is a legitimate, real business. More practically: most users don't think about link attributes when clicking through from a directory, so nofollow links still drive real referral traffic. Always prioritise dofollow links when there's a choice, but don't skip high-traffic directories because they're nofollow.

How do you find resource pages in your niche to target for outreach?

Use Google search operators: "best tools for [your category]", "[your user's role] tools" inurl:resources, or "recommended [your category] software" -site:amazon.com. Filter results for pages that are actively maintained (published or updated in the last 12 months) and that list multiple tools rather than just one. Check the domain's traffic with a free tool like Ahrefs or Semrush's free tier to make sure the page gets real visitors. Then craft a short, direct outreach email explaining what your product does and why it fits their existing list.

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Submit your product to LaunchBuff → — free listing + fortnightly tournament.