SEO for hr software. The searches that buy, and what links cost.
Buyers search by function (hiring, onboarding, reviews) more than by 'HR software'. Each function is its own market.
Searches: DataForSEO, United States, English. Link prices: Placement API Backlink Price Index, September 2026. Collected 2026-09-28.
Ship· Page improvements
The searches that buy.
Buying and comparing searches with at least 100 a month, ranked by volume times what advertisers pay per click. These are the pages worth improving first.
- Policy and template searches are learning traffic; link from them to the product pages.
- Company-size modifiers (for small business, for startups) mark buying searches.
| Search | Kind | Searches/mo | Ads CPC |
|---|---|---|---|
| hr software | Comparing | 9,900 | $91.59 |
| applicant tracking system softwares | Comparing | 12,100 | $55.35 |
| cloud based hr management software | Comparing | 9,900 | $40.83 |
| hr software for small companies | Comparing | 1,300 | $188 |
| hris hr software | Comparing | 4,400 | $55.44 |
| performance management software | Comparing | 1,300 | $160 |
| hris system for small companies | Comparing | 590 | $276 |
| best hr software | Comparing | 880 | $141 |
| best hr software for small business | Comparing | 590 | $200 |
| best hr and payroll software for small business | Comparing | 210 | $503 |
| human resources hr software | Comparing | 880 | $108 |
| hr software onboarding | Comparing | 390 | $233 |
| hr automation software | Comparing | 390 | $221 |
| top rated hris systems | Comparing | 320 | $222 |
| applicant tracking system for small business | Comparing | 390 | $166 |
| best hris for small business | Comparing | 260 | $248 |
| online hr software | Comparing | 320 | $170 |
| hr software cloud | Comparing | 210 | $258 |
| hr & payroll software | Comparing | 720 | $74.86 |
| hr software as a service | Comparing | 1,600 | $30.78 |
- Lower quartile
- $85.50
- Median
- $169
- Upper quartile
- $337
| Claimed DR, all subjects | Websites | Middle half | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| DR 20–29 | 48,775 | $81–$332 | $174 |
| DR 30–39 | 42,432 | $86–$357 | $171 |
| DR 40–49 | 20,524 | $111–$506 | $232 |
| DR 50–59 | 14,530 | $124–$641 | $260 |
| DR 60–69 | 6,135 | $213–$1,042 | $483 |
| DR 70–79 | 5,108 | $342–$1,647 | $726 |
| DR 80–89 | 834 | $506–$4,148 | $1,399 |
| DR 90–99 | 115 | $383–$3,651 | $1,062 |
Scale· Backlinks
What links cost here.
What websites in business ask for a link: the cheapest price for each website across every marketplace, suspect websites left out. Higher-rated websites cost more, as the table shows; these are asking prices, not what was paid.
Your numbers
Would links pay back for you? Enter what a customer is worth.
Each search is modelled moving from #7 to #4 into the top four. That takes 20 to 50 links depending on how well linked the results above are, priced from the table above: the business median, or a higher DR band where the competition is stronger. Half the modelled gain is counted, as a hedge against rankings that don't move as planned.
Starting assumptions for a typical hr software business, not data: replace them with yours. At these, each visitor from a buying search is worth $50.
15 of 20 buying searches pay back within 12 months; 3 more within 18.
$19,300/month for 3 months
A link budget that funds all of them at a natural pace, expected to bring in $49,800 a month once the links are live (risk-adjusted).
- Searches a month
- 720
- Extra clicks, #7 → #4
- about 32
- Value per visitor
- $50
- Extra revenue a month
- $1,600
- × 50% confidence
- $800/mo
- 30 links at $232 (DR 40–49)
- $6,968
- Payback
- 8.7 months
| Search | Extra revenue/mo | Payback | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| hr software | $10,900 | under a month | Worth it |
| cloud based hr management software | $10,900 | under a month | Worth it |
| applicant tracking system softwares | $13,300 | under a month | Worth it |
| hris hr software | $4,850 | under a month | Worth it |
| hr software as a service | $1,750 | 1.9 months | Worth it |
| hr software for small companies | $1,425 | 2.4 months | Worth it |
| performance management software | $1,425 | 2.4 months | Worth it |
| best hr software | $975 | 3.5 months | Worth it |
| human resources hr software | $975 | 3.5 months | Worth it |
| hris system for small companies | $650 | 5.2 months | Worth it |
| best hr software for small business | $650 | 5.2 months | Worth it |
| hr software onboarding | $425 | 7.9 months | Worth it |
| applicant tracking system for small business | $425 | 7.9 months | Worth it |
| hr & payroll software | $800 | 8.7 months | Worth it |
| top rated hris systems | $350 | 9.6 months | Worth it |
| best hris for small business | $275 | 12.3 months | Slow |
| hr software cloud | $225 | 15.0 months | Slow |
| hr automation software | $425 | 16.4 months | Slow |
| online hr software | $350 | 29.7 months | Not yet |
| best hr and payroll software for small business | $225 | 31.0 months | Not yet |
Extra revenue is risk-adjusted: 50% of the modelled gain.
Big, but not for links
Searches to answer, not to buy links for.
The biggest learning searches in this industry. Worth good content and internal links to the pages that sell; rarely worth link money.
| Search | Kind | Searches/mo |
|---|---|---|
| hris | Learning | 18,100 |
| applicant tracking system | Learning | 14,800 |
| what is an hris | Learning | 5,400 |
| hris definition | Learning | 4,400 |
| hris system | Learning | 2,900 |
| what is applicant tracking system | Learning | 2,900 |
| hris courses online | Learning | 1,900 |
| hris information system | Learning | 1,600 |
Run this on your own site. With your real numbers.
Ship/Scale replaces the guesses on this page with your Search Console and analytics data, then shows which of your hr software pages would pay back.
Pro is $99/month. Free has no subscription fee: you pay your own AI and data providers. Backlinks cost extra on both plans.