In this case study we’ll share with you a story of an affiliate website that became very successful. It started with no visitors but grew to 40,000 visitors a month with the power of a used domain which they bought for $500.
Today we'll explore the strategies that made this website successful, particularly focusing on a special type of SEO called "off-page SEO".
Domain strategy
Dominating the search engine results pages (SERPs) in this particular niche requires overcoming fierce competition. Analysis revealed that even broad keyword terms faced a high difficulty score, demanding a robust strategy to stand out.
Rather than starting from scratch, the project leveraged the power of an aged domain. This offered a significant shortcut, potentially accelerating the ranking process. The chosen domain boasted several key advantages:
- Partial Match Domain: It incorporated a portion of the targeted keyword, providing a slight SEO edge;
- Brandable and Relevant: The domain name was both memorable and closely aligned with the niche;
- Rich History: Registered in 2001, the domain had previously hosted a successful e-commerce site in the same industry;
- Established Backlink Profile: The domain inherited over 500 referring domains from high-authority sources, including major news outlets, government websites, and educational institutions;
- Natural Anchor Text Distribution: The backlink profile featured a healthy mix of branded, generic, and "money" keywords, indicating a natural and trustworthy link acquisition history.
This exceptional domain, acquired for a mere $500 in 2016, proved to be an invaluable asset. In today's market, a similar domain could easily command a price five times higher.
Aggressive link building
The project adopted a bold link building strategy, aiming to generate a massive influx of backlinks within the first month. The goal was to acquire over 700 new referring domains, simulating a surge in online buzz and attention.
This ambitious approach, combined with the domain's existing authority and a wealth of high-quality content, aimed to propel the website up the SERPs. While seemingly risky, this strategy was carefully planned with long-term sustainability in mind.
Did it work?
Absolutely. The results speak for themselves, demonstrating the power of a well-executed off-page SEO strategy.
By the end of this initial phase, the website was already gaining the desired traction, setting the stage for explosive growth in the months to come. This momentum was fueled by a strategic link building campaign that mirrored natural link acquisition patterns while leveraging the power of a second aged domain.
Around 500 of the 700 links acquired in the first month originated from a second aged domain that was seamlessly integrated into the main website via a 301 redirect. This tactic mimicked a common occurrence in the online world: when one website acquires another, the acquiring site often inherits a significant portion of the acquired site's backlinks.
This approach, coupled with the simulation of press coverage surrounding a fictional merger, resulted in a natural-looking influx of over 1,000 backlinks.
Prioritizing authority and a natural link profile
While the initial link building campaign was aggressive in terms of volume, it remained conservative in its approach to anchor text and link placement. The vast majority of links targeted the homepage using naked URLs, branded terms, or generic keywords, avoiding any overt attempts to manipulate rankings with "money" keywords.
This strategy focused on building the website's overall authority and establishing a diverse link profile that resembled the organic link acquisition patterns of websites receiving genuine press attention.
Link diversity
The link building campaign encompassed a wide range of tactics, each contributing to a diverse and natural-looking backlink profile:
- Guest posts: A blend of high-authority and lower-quality guest posts were acquired, strategically placed on the homepage and relevant content hubs;
- Link packs: Several reputable link pack providers were utilized, focusing on naked URLs, branded terms, and generic anchors to maintain a natural link profile;
- Strategic PBN use: A small number of high-quality PBN links were carefully placed on the homepage, further diversifying the link profile;
- Social media and Web 2.0s: Active social media profiles and unique, non-spammy Web 2.0 properties were developed to enhance the website's online presence and attract natural links;
- Supporting tactics: Blog comments, social signals, citations, and other lower-quality backlinks were incorporated to create a truly diverse and natural-looking link profile.
This multi-faceted approach aimed to replicate the organic link acquisition patterns observed when a website garners significant media attention.
Reducing risk and protecting future success
While the initial link building campaign was aggressive in volume, it prioritized long-term sustainability and risk mitigation through:
- Homepage focus: Targeting the homepage with natural anchor text minimized the risk of algorithmic penalties associated with aggressive link building to inner pages with money keywords;
- Natural indexing: No forced indexing techniques were employed. Links were allowed to be indexed naturally by search engine crawlers, mimicking organic link acquisition patterns;
- Tiered link building: Lower-quality links were strategically used to boost the power and visibility of existing high-authority backlinks, maximizing their impact.
This aggressive yet calculated link building campaign was implemented on a website with a pre-existing foundation of authority and trust. The aged domain, with its established backlink profile and history of indexed content, provided a solid base for the campaign's success.
The strategic 301 redirect of a second aged domain further enhanced the website's authority and provided a compelling narrative for the sudden influx of backlinks.
Long-term perspective
The decision to rely on natural indexing meant that some links might take weeks or even months to be discovered and indexed by search engines. Some links might not be indexed at all, acting as "pillow links" that contribute to the overall authority of the website.
This patient approach, while potentially extending the timeline for achieving results, prioritized long-term sustainability and minimized the risk of algorithmic penalties.
This meticulously planned and executed link building campaign played a crucial role in driving the affiliate website towards its ambitious traffic and revenue goals, demonstrating the power of a strategic and holistic approach to off-page SEO.
Smart use of poor-quality links
Many SEOs shy away from incorporating what they deem "spammy" links into their backlink profiles. However, a nuanced understanding of how search engine crawlers operate reveals that low-quality links can play a valuable role in diversifying a website's backlink profile and enhancing its overall authority.
Building links naturally
When analyzing the backlink profiles of websites that have experienced viral content or significant press coverage, a recurring pattern emerges: a diverse mix of link types, anchor text, and authority levels. This diversity is a natural byproduct of widespread online attention, as various websites, blogs, and social media users link to the content in their own unique ways.
A truly natural backlink profile rarely features a high concentration of "money" keywords or a uniform distribution of link types. Instead, it reflects the organic and often chaotic nature of online link sharing.
Strategic integration of lower-quality links
By understanding these natural link acquisition patterns, SEOs can strategically incorporate lower-quality links into their backlink profiles to enhance diversity and mimic organic growth. This doesn't mean indiscriminately blasting a website with spammy links, but rather carefully injecting a small percentage of lower-quality links into a well-rounded backlink profile.
This approach can improve crawlability, diversify the link profile, and contribute to a more natural-looking backlink landscape.
Month 1: A calculated blend of link types
In the first month of the project, a diverse range of link types were strategically employed, including:
- Guest posts: A mix of high-authority and lower-quality guest posts were acquired, targeting both the homepage and relevant content hubs;
- Link packs: Several reputable link pack providers were utilized, focusing on naked URLs, branded terms, and generic anchors to maintain a natural link profile;
- Strategic PBN use: A small number of high-quality PBN links were carefully placed on the homepage, further diversifying the link profile;
- Social media and Web 2.0s: Active social media profiles and unique, non-spammy Web 2.0 properties were developed to enhance the website's online presence and attract natural links;
- Supporting tactics: Blog comments, social signals, citations, and other lower-quality backlinks were incorporated to create a truly diverse and natural-looking link profile.
This approach, while aggressive in terms of volume, remained conservative in its anchor text strategy and link placement, prioritizing long-term sustainability and minimizing the risk of algorithmic penalties.
Months 2-3: Maintaining momentum with authority and diversity
In the subsequent months, the focus shifted towards building authority through high-quality backlinks while maintaining a diverse link profile. The majority of links continued to target the homepage with natural anchor text, but a small number of links were strategically placed on inner pages starting in month 3.
The link building strategy during this period included:
- Guest posts: Continued acquisition of high-quality guest posts with a focus on natural anchor text.
- Link packs: Continued use of reputable link pack providers with a focus on diversity and natural anchor text distribution.
- Social signals: Consistent social media engagement and promotion to enhance the website's online presence and attract natural links.
- Tiered link building: Strategic use of lower-quality links to boost the power and visibility of existing high-authority backlinks.
This approach aimed to maintain the momentum generated in the first month while gradually shifting towards a more targeted link building strategy as the website gained authority and visibility.
Results: Traffic growth and early monetization
By the end of November, just three months into the project, the website had experienced exponential traffic growth, increasing from around 400 monthly visitors to over 4,300. This surge in traffic translated into early monetization through Amazon Affiliate earnings, demonstrating the effectiveness of the link building strategy.
The project, while not yet profitable, was in a strong position for continued growth and monetization, showcasing the power of a strategic and nuanced approach to link building.
Months 4-6: Shifting focus — content takes center stage as authority grows
From month four onward, the project's focus shifted towards content creation, while maintaining a steady stream of high-authority backlinks. The initial burst of link building activity had successfully established a strong foundation of authority, allowing the website to leverage its newfound influence to propel content up the search engine rankings.
Refining the link building strategy
While link building remained an integral part of the strategy, the approach evolved to prioritize quality over quantity. Instead of a constant influx of diverse link types, the focus shifted towards acquiring high-authority backlinks primarily through guest posts and niche edits.
This refined approach aimed to solidify the website's authority and build a strong reputation within the niche, rather than simply chasing a high volume of backlinks.
Experimenting with content and money keywords
With a solid foundation of authority in place, the project began experimenting with new content strategies and cautiously introducing money keywords into the anchor text mix.
While the majority of links still targeted the homepage with naked URLs, branded terms, and generic keywords, a small percentage of links (roughly 20%) began incorporating money keywords to strategically boost the rankings of specific inner pages.
Targeting inner pages strategically
The decision to target inner pages with money keywords was based on careful analysis of their performance in the SERPs. Pages that were already gaining traction and lacked existing money keyword anchors were prioritized for targeted link building.
For inner pages that already possessed a significant number of money keyword anchors from historical referring domains, the focus shifted towards diversifying their backlink profiles with long-tail or generic anchors.
Maintaining a steady flow of authority links
Throughout this period, a consistent stream of high-authority backlinks was maintained, primarily through:
- Guest posts: Acquisition of guest posts from websites with Domain Ratings (DR) of 36 and above, targeting both the homepage and strategically selected inner pages.
- Link packs: Continued use of reputable link pack providers, focusing on high-authority links with a blend of natural and money keywords.
- Social signals: Ongoing social media engagement and promotion to enhance brand visibility and attract natural links.
While the volume of links acquired during this period was lower compared to the initial months, the focus on quality and strategic placement ensured continued growth and authority building.
Traffic doubles, sales increase
This refined approach yielded impressive results. From December through February, the website's traffic doubled, further boosting its visibility and attracting more potential customers. This increased traffic translated into higher sales, demonstrating the effectiveness of the content-focused strategy and the strategic use of money keywords.
The project was steadily progressing towards profitability, showcasing the power of a holistic SEO strategy that combines authority building, content creation, and targeted link building.
Months 7-8: Traffic growth and new challenges
By this point, the project had successfully established itself as an authority within its niche. The website was experiencing remarkable growth, with content ranking quickly, featured snippets appearing in search results, and traffic translating into a positive return on investment.
Had the project remained solely focused on affiliate marketing and e-commerce, this period would have marked a significant milestone of success. However, the introduction of physical partnerships and the expansion into product manufacturing began to stretch the project's resources and focus, potentially creating challenges down the line.
Despite the evolving business landscape, the core strategy for the website remained consistent: producing high-quality content tailored to specific search queries and maintaining a steady flow of high-authority backlinks.
This approach fueled exponential traffic growth, with the website achieving over four times its previous monthly traffic according to Ahrefs.
Expanding link building to product pages
To support the launch of new product pages, the link building strategy was expanded to include targeted efforts for these pages. Approximately 40% of the link building budget during this period was allocated to acquiring backlinks for these new pages.
Links to the new product pages focused on naked URLs, branded terms, and generic keywords, as these pages lacked any historical backlinks. For existing pages, the focus remained on acquiring high-authority backlinks with a balanced mix of money keywords and natural anchor text (approximately 20/80).
A conservative approach to link building
Despite the introduction of new product pages and a slightly larger link building budget, the overall approach remained conservative and focused on long-term sustainability.
The link building tactics employed during this period included:
- Guest posts: Continued acquisition of high-authority guest posts with a focus on natural anchor text.
- Link packs: Continued use of reputable link pack providers, targeting both the homepage and strategically selected inner pages.
- PBN links: Introduction of a small number of high-quality PBN links to the homepage, using branded and generic anchor text.
- Tiered link building: Strategic use of lower-quality links to boost the power and visibility of existing high-authority backlinks.
- Social signals: Ongoing social media engagement and promotion to enhance brand visibility and attract natural links.
Sustaining growth and building authority
While the initial period of rapid growth had subsided, the focus shifted towards maintaining momentum and solidifying the website's authority within the niche. This involved a consistent effort to acquire high-quality backlinks, primarily targeting the homepage with natural anchor text.
The strategic use of PBN links further enhanced the website's authority, while the continued diversification of the backlink profile ensured a natural and sustainable growth trajectory.
Traffic surges, revenue soars
This period marked a significant turning point for the project. By the end of this phase, the website was attracting nearly 30,000 monthly visitors, more than doubling its traffic and achieving exponential growth in revenue.
The website had become a dominant force within its niche, demonstrating the power of a consistent and strategic approach to SEO.
Months 9-10: Staying on track despite difficulties
While the website continued to thrive, challenges emerged on the real-world side of the business. Despite these difficulties, the project persevered, maintaining a focus on content creation and authority building.
Adapting to budget constraints
Due to the challenges faced by the real-world aspects of the business, the budget for link building was significantly reduced during this period. The strategy adapted accordingly, prioritizing overall authority building through high-quality backlinks to the homepage, primarily using branded, generic, or naked URLs.
The link building tactics employed during this period included:
- Guest posts: Continued acquisition of high-authority guest posts, focusing exclusively on homepage links with natural anchor text.
- Link packs: Limited use of reputable link pack providers, targeting the homepage with natural anchor text.
- Social signals: Ongoing social media engagement and promotion to maintain brand visibility and attract natural links.
Reduced budget
Despite the reduced budget, the website continued to experience impressive traffic growth, reaching over 40,000 monthly visitors by the end of this period. This demonstrated the website's resilience and the effectiveness of the long-term SEO strategy that had been implemented.
The project, while facing uncertainty on the real-world side of the business, remained optimistic about the website's future, recognizing the power of its established authority and the ongoing content creation efforts.
Conclusion
This case study highlights several crucial lessons for aspiring SEOs and online entrepreneurs:
- Develop a compelling narrative: Create a story that makes sense for your website's growth and resonates with search engines;
- Emulate natural link acquisition patterns: Analyze the backlink profiles of successful websites and strive to replicate their diversity and natural appearance;
- Diversify your link profile: Utilize a variety of link building tactics to create a well-rounded and robust backlink profile;
- Integrate on-page and off-page SEO: Combine content optimization with strategic link building for a holistic and effective SEO strategy;
- Be patient and consistent: SEO is a long-term game. Be prepared to invest time and resources consistently to achieve sustainable results.
By implementing these principles, you can build a successful online presence that drives traffic, generates leads, and achieves your business goals.
