Link building for SaaS companies has changed significantly over the years. Today, marketers have access to everything from digital PR and expert mentions to guest posts and contextual links. Yet one older tactic still appears in many discussions: the blogroll.
Blogrolls originally served a simple purpose. Bloggers used their sidebars or footers to recommend websites, useful resources, and members of their online community. Over time, SEO marketers started using these recurring links as a way to gain large numbers of backlinks from a single website.
That history is exactly why blogroll links need to be approached carefully today. Blogroll backlinks for SaaS can still have value, but their usefulness depends heavily on the quality, relevance, and purpose of the placement.
What Are Blogroll Backlinks?
A blogroll backlink is a link that appears in a recurring area of a website, such as a sidebar, footer, or resource section. Because that area can appear across many pages, the same link may be visible throughout the website.
For example, a SaaS company might be listed under a partner’s “Recommended Tools” section. If that section appears throughout the partner’s blog, the SaaS website could receive links from multiple pages on the same domain.
The important point is that a large number of links from one website should not automatically be viewed as hundreds of independent endorsements. The placement itself matters more than the raw number of URLs containing the link.
Why Blogroll Links Can Still Make Sense for SaaS
There are situations where a blogroll placement can be useful, particularly when the relationship between the two websites is genuine.
Topical Relevance
A relevant website is usually a much better environment for a blogroll link than an unrelated domain.
For example, a project management SaaS platform appearing on a productivity or project management publication makes sense. The audience can understand why the product is being recommended, and the link has a clear connection to the site’s subject matter.
Website Quality
The quality of the referring website also matters. Look for sites with useful content, consistent publishing activity, real audiences, and a clear connection to the SaaS industry.
A placement on a genuine industry website can be considerably more valuable from a business perspective than dozens of links from websites created primarily to sell backlinks.
Referral Traffic
Blogroll links are not limited to SEO. A well-placed recommendation can introduce your SaaS product to people who are already interested in the subject.
If visitors regularly use the host website as a resource, even a single prominent recommendation can generate relevant referral traffic.
Blogroll vs. Contextual Links
Blogroll links and contextual links serve different purposes.
| Factor | Blogroll Link | Contextual Link |
|---|---|---|
| Placement | Sidebar, footer, or recurring section | Within article content |
| Repetition | May appear across many pages | Usually appears on one page |
| Context | Broader site-level context | Strong page-level context |
| Referral potential | Can be useful when prominent | Depends on article visibility |
| Best use | Relevant recommendations or partnerships | Specific editorial references |
Neither type should be judged purely by quantity. The surrounding content, website relevance, and reason for the link all matter.
When Blogroll Backlinks Become Risky
Problems usually arise when blogroll links are created primarily to manipulate search rankings.
Using the same commercial keyword across many sitewide placements can make a link profile look unnatural. The same applies to links from unrelated websites, low-quality networks, or domains that exist mainly for selling links.
Paid placements also need to be handled appropriately. If a link is paid or sponsored, the publisher should use the appropriate link attributes rather than presenting it as an independent editorial recommendation.
This is why chasing hundreds of sitewide links is rarely a sensible strategy for a SaaS brand. A smaller number of relevant, trustworthy placements can make more sense than large volumes from questionable sources.
Do Blogroll Backlinks Still Work for SaaS?
Yes, but they should be treated as one supporting tactic rather than a complete link-building strategy.
Blogroll backlinks for SaaS can still make sense when they come from relevant websites, support a genuine relationship, and provide value beyond simply creating another backlink.
For SaaS companies, the strongest approach is to build a varied backlink profile that includes contextual mentions, relevant publications, partnerships, digital PR, and other legitimate forms of editorial exposure.
In other words, blogroll links are not necessarily outdated. What has changed is the importance of why the link exists, where it appears, and whether the website behind it is genuinely worth being associated with.