Olga Mykhoparkina
Founder, CEO
If you’re a founder or marketer at a product company, chances are you’ve hit that wall:
How do we get high-quality SaaS backlinks when we don’t have a huge blog or a pile of content to trade?
I’ve been there – and I’ve got good news. You don’t need a massive content operation to build great links. What you do need is a smart strategy that works with the resources you have.
That’s exactly what this guide is about: ABC link exchanges. I’ll show you how we’ve used this approach to help product companies land backlinks from big-name SaaS sites like Monday.com, HubSpot, Toggl, SurferSEO, Writesonic, and SocialPilot. And I’ll break down the whole process, step by step, so you can try it too.
What are ABC link exchanges (and why should you care?)
Let’s keep it simple.
In an ABC link exchange:
- You link to Site B.
- Site B links to Site C.
- Site C links back to you, Site A.
It’s a clean, smart way to build links when you own a good website to get other SaaS brands links from. Google doesn’t like direct A-B exchanges but ABC works quite well.
And yes – you can stretch it even further with ABCD or even ABCDE exchanges (more on that later).
This works especially well for product startups. Mainly because product companies often don’t have a big blog or tons of traffic so the usual “guest post swap” model doesn’t get you far. So let’s dive in:
The ABC link exchange step-by-step process
Here’s exactly how we’ve done this for SaaS clients:
1. Start with competitor research
Fire up Ahrefs.
- Go to Referring Domains.
- Plug in your competitor’s website (in our case, we used Hotjar).
- Filter by traffic (e.g., 5K+) and Domain Rating (DR) (I usually go for DR 50–90).
- Why cap DR at 90? Because you’re unlikely to get a response from giants like Google or Microsoft for an exchange.
Related: SaaS Link Building: What Really Works in 2025?
2. Export and clean your list
Export the filtered domains. Then (and this is important), remove any sites that already link to you. A simple Excel filter or Google Sheets formula does the trick.
3. Check for relevance
Let’s say you’re targeting the English-speaking market. Filter out domains in other regions like .fr, .es, .de. Focus on .com and other relevant domains that match your audience.
4. Find emails
Upload your list of domains to Apollo or Instantly.
- Apollo is great, but I find Instantly a bit more convenient for outreach campaigns.
- Let it work its magic and pull email addresses for you.
5. Write a simple, friendly outreach email
You might want to consider using another domain (or domains) for the outreach as well as the cold outreach and deliverability best practices which means:
- setting up your DKIM, DMARC records
- Use 2-3 inbox per domains for outreach
- Don’t send more than 50 emails/inbox/day
- Verify all emails before sending
- Add variants of texts so you don’t send same email to everyone
Read about: 12 SaaS Link Building Strategies That Work in 2025
ABC link exchange outreach sequence template I’ve used:
Subject: Let’s swap links!
Hi {{firstName}},
Olga here, founder at Quoleady.
I’d like to see if there’s an opportunity for a link collaboration:
I could include my link to your blog post in exchange for one from a top-notch site I manage.
Does this work for you?
Best,
Olga
Follow-up 1 (in 2 days):
Hi {{firstName}},
Just wanted to follow up on my message from a few days ago about the link placement.
Let me know if this is something you’d consider. I can send more details if helpful.
Best,
Olga
Follow-up 2 (in 3 days):
Hi {{firstName}},
Reaching out again to see if you’ve had a chance to consider link placement opportunities. We’re flexible: open to both link exchanges or paid insertions, whatever works best for you.
Would love to hear your thoughts when you get a moment.
Thanks,
Olga
Follow-up 3 (in 3 days):
Hi {{firstName}}!
Not sure if now’s a good time on your end, but if you’re still open to potential collaborations, I’d love to discuss link options further.
Happy to make it as easy as possible. Just let me know.
Cheers,
Olga
6. Negotiate and close the deal
Once you start getting replies, it’s all about communication. Some deals happen fast, others take a few back-and-forths. Be patient and flexible.
You might be interested in: Effective SaaS Link Building Tips: Proven Strategies to Boost Your SEO in 2025
What if you don’t have a site to offer for a link back?
No problem. You’ve got options:
✅ ABC, ABCD, even ABCDE exchanges – build a longer chain where you find partners willing to swap across multiple sites. For example, A links to B, B links to C, C links to D, and D links back to A.
✅ Paid placements – sometimes you can offer payment, but keep in mind many link managers can’t accept money for blog links, so it’s hit or miss.
✅ Partner with an agency – agencies like Quoleady (yep, that’s us!) specialize in these kinds of link-building strategies. We’ve been doing this for SaaS companies for over five years, and our network is what makes it work. We’ve helped clients land links from:
- hubspot.com
- monday.com
- surferseo.com
- writesonic.com
- socialpilot.co
- userpilot.com
…and more sites that are tough to get on your own.
Dig deeper: The Power of Internal Linking for a Quick Ranking Boost of Your SaaS Blog
Real results from ABC link building
Here’s a glimpse at what this approach can do:
✅ 6 links → ranking jump from 4th to 7th for BambooHR competitors
✅ 3 links → #2 for electronic pitch calling system
✅ 3 links → from 8th to 5th for a key lead gen keyword
The bottom line
If you’re a product company looking to build links without a huge content budget, ABC link exchanges are worth exploring.
You can DIY it using the steps above – or, if you’d rather skip the manual work, we’re happy to help.
At Quoleady, we focus on helping SaaS brands build high-quality, sustainable links that get real results. If you’re curious how we could help your brand, let’s talk!
