How to build backlinks for your SaaS on a budget
Backlinks are the #1 ranking factor for SEO. Here's how to build them without spending $100–$500 per link or hiring an agency.
Why backlinks matter more than anything else
A study of 11.8 million Google search results found that the number of unique referring domains is the strongest link-related ranking factor — stronger than total backlink count, anchor text distribution, or link age. Unique domains matter more than link volume.
For a new SaaS domain, this means your #1 SEO priority is acquiring backlinks from unique, relevant domains. Not publishing more blog posts. Not optimizing meta tags. Not improving page speed. Backlinks.
The problem: building backlinks is expensive. Link-building agencies charge $100–$500 per link. SaaSHub charges $99/mo for a featured listing with a dofollow link. G2 and Capterra require enterprise plans. If you're a solo founder or early-stage SaaS, you're priced out of the backlink market.
Phase 1: No-outreach foundations (week 1–2, 25–30 links)
The fastest sources of backlinks require zero outreach. SaaS directories, startup listing sites, and community profiles deliver 20–30 links in the first two weeks with no outreach required.
Most directory listings are free. Some have paid tiers, but the backlink itself is usually available on the free tier. The key is submitting to directories that offer dofollow links — nofollow links don't pass link authority.
OnlyFoundrs — $5/mo for dofollow
The cheapest dofollow backlink on the internet. Free to submit, $5/mo for Pro with dofollow link.
Product Hunt — free, dofollow
DR 91. One-time launch. Great for a spike and a permanent dofollow link.
GitHub — free, dofollow
DR 96. If your SaaS has a repo, your org/repo profile is a dofollow link.
AlternativeTo — free, dofollow
DR 88. Submit your tool as an alternative to competitors. Ranks well for '[competitor] alternative' searches.
SaaSHub — free, dofollow
DR 71. But $99/mo for featured placement. And 44K+ dead products in their graveyard.
Key takeaway: Submit to 5–10 directories in week 1. Target: 25–30 referring domains. Cost: $0–$5/mo.
Phase 2: Community and profile links (week 3–4, 15–20 links)
After directories, build links from community profiles and startup profiles. These are lower DR but they're free and they add to your unique referring domain count.
Indie Hackers — free
DR 80. Create a company profile. Link to your SaaS.
Crunchbase — free
DR 91. Create a company profile. Nofollow but still valuable for discovery.
StackShare — free
DR 72. List your tool. Dofollow link.
Dev.to — free
DR 91. Write a technical post about your SaaS. Dofollow link in author bio.
Key takeaway: 15–20 more referring domains in week 3–4. Total so far: 40–50. Cost: $0.
Phase 3: Original data and content assets (week 5–10, 30–50 links)
Original data assets — surveys, statistics pages, benchmark reports — are the single highest-ROI link-building tactic for early-stage SaaS. One well-distributed page can earn 30–80 referring domains within 90 days.
The key is creating something that other people want to cite. 'The State of SaaS Pricing 2026.' 'How 500 SaaS Founders Got Their First 100 Users.' 'SaaS Churn Benchmarks by Industry.' These are the pages that get linked to by bloggers, journalists, and other founders.
Domain Rating matters less than link relevance at this stage. Ten backlinks from SaaS and tech blogs outperform 100 links from unrelated directories. Focus on creating content that SaaS founders and developers want to reference.
Key takeaway: One original data asset can replace months of outreach. Spend a week creating something worth linking to.
The cheapest dofollow backlink on the internet
Here's the reality: most SaaS founders don't have time for phases 2 and 3. You're building a product. You don't have time to write benchmark reports or create community profiles on 20 sites.
That's why we made OnlyFoundrs the cheapest dofollow backlink on the internet. $5/mo gets you a dofollow backlink from a growing SaaS directory. No outreach. No content creation. No $99/mo subscription. No $299 agency fee.
SaaSHub charges $99/mo for the same thing. LaunchLlama charges $99/mo. BetaList charges $1,499. We charge $5/mo because we'd rather have 100x more founders using the platform than price most people out.
As our domain rating grows, your backlink becomes more valuable. And you're locked in at $5/mo.
How OnlyFoundrs helps you build backlinks on a budget
OnlyFoundrs gives you a dofollow backlink for $5/mo — 20x cheaper than SaaSHub and 95% cheaper than link-building agencies. Here's what's included:
Your Pro listing includes a dofollow link to your website, structured data (JSON-LD) for search engines, featured placement at the top of the directory, a verified badge, and guaranteed Google indexing. Your listing page is a real, indexed page on a growing directory — not a spammy link farm.
Combine your OnlyFoundrs dofollow link with free directory submissions (Product Hunt, GitHub, AlternativeTo) and you can build 30+ referring domains for $5/mo total. That's enough to move your domain rating from 0 to 15–20 in your first 90 days.
Get your dofollow backlink for $5/mo
Submit your SaaS to OnlyFoundrs. Free to list. $5/mo for a dofollow backlink, featured placement, newsletter feature, social shoutout, and analytics. The cheapest high-DR backlink on the internet.