Case Studies
Real link building campaigns from Rank Shifters: the pages we supported, the placements earned, and the growth that followed.
Link building campaigns, documented end to end
Every campaign below follows the same reporting format we use with clients: where the site started, which pages we chose to support, the publishers we earned placements on, and the movement that followed. Client names are withheld under NDA in most cases, so we describe the vertical, the market, and the numbers our reporting can back up.
B2B SaaS
Scheduling platform: comparison pages taken into the top five
The situation. The product pages ranked well for brand terms, but every “best scheduling software” and “alternatives” query was owned by review sites. The client had published strong comparison content and it sat between positions 14 and 28 with almost no referring domains behind it.
What we did. We mapped three comparison URLs as priority targets and built a publisher list across software, productivity, and remote-work publications with verified organic traffic. Over four months we earned 22 contextual placements: guest features written by SaaS writers, plus niche edits into existing round-ups where the client genuinely belonged. Anchor text was split roughly 40% partial match, 35% branded, 25% generic to keep the profile natural.
| Metric | Month 0 | Month 6 |
|---|---|---|
| Referring domains (target pages) | 9 | 34 |
| Average position, 3 comparison URLs | 21.4 | 4.2 |
| Non-brand organic sessions | 6,100/mo | 15,800/mo |
| Demo requests from organic | 41/mo | 112/mo |
“The reports were the first ones we could forward to our CEO without editing. Every link was a page we were happy to be on.”
Head of Growth, B2B SaaS client
E-commerce
Outdoor equipment retailer: category depth instead of one head term
The situation. The retailer was competing with large marketplaces on a single high-volume category term and getting nowhere. Sub-category pages, where buying intent was strongest, had almost no external links.
What we did. We stepped away from the head term and supported six sub-category pages instead. The mix was buying-guide placements on outdoor and travel publications, product mentions from independent reviewers, and a small digital PR push around a seasonal gear survey the client already had data for. Internal links from blog content were pointed into the same six pages so authority stayed where we sent it.
| Metric | Quarter 1 | Quarter 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Placements earned | 14 | 39 total |
| Keywords ranking top 10 | 63 | 248 |
| Category organic revenue | Baseline | +118% |
| Cost per earned link vs previous vendor | – | 21% lower |
Why it worked. Sub-category pages had far less competition and far higher conversion rates, so the same link budget produced revenue instead of impressions.
Professional services
Multi-office legal firm: local authority across five cities
The situation. Five office locations, one strong domain, and very little that told Google each office was a credible local entity. Practice-area pages competed with each other for the same city terms.
What we did. We combined regional press commentary, where the firm’s partners contributed genuine legal insight to local publications, with bar association and legitimate directory listings per city. On-site, we separated the practice-area pages by location and rebuilt the internal linking between them so each office page had a clear hub.
| Metric | Before | After one quarter |
|---|---|---|
| Cities with map-pack visibility | 1 of 5 | 4 of 5 |
| Local referring domains | 11 | 47 |
| Organic consultation enquiries | 28/mo | 71/mo |
Finance
Fintech comparison site: authority links in a high-trust niche
The situation. A personal-finance comparison site had good content written by qualified authors, but competitors held far stronger link profiles on the money pages that produced affiliate revenue.
What we did. Finance placements only work when the writing holds up, so every article was produced by writers with finance backgrounds and reviewed against the publisher’s editorial standards before pitching. Over six months we earned 31 placements across business, fintech, and personal-finance publications in the DR 50-78 range, weighted toward four revenue pages, and paced links steadily rather than in bursts.
| Metric | Month 0 | Month 8 |
|---|---|---|
| Domain Rating | 38 | 57 |
| Top-3 rankings on money pages | 2 | 17 |
| Organic clicks | 19,400/mo | 52,600/mo |
| Affiliate revenue from organic | Baseline | +164% |
“They said no to two publishers we suggested and explained exactly why. That is when we trusted the process.”
Founder, personal finance comparison site
White label
UK agency partner: fulfilment for 18 client accounts
The situation. A six-person agency was winning SEO retainers faster than it could deliver link building, and freelance outreach was inconsistent in quality and timing.
What we did. We started with one account so the agency could inspect the standard at low risk. Prospect lists went to them for approval before any outreach, and reporting arrived unbranded so it could be forwarded directly to their clients. After the second month they reserved fixed monthly capacity, which let them sell link building ahead of delivery with confidence.
| Metric | Month 1 | Month 12 |
|---|---|---|
| Client accounts fulfilled | 1 | 18 |
| Placements per month | 6 | 64 |
| On-time delivery rate | – | 98% |
| Client retention on their SEO retainers | – | Up 2.4 months average |
Health
Health and wellness brand: earning trust signals the right way
The situation. A supplement brand needed authority for informational content in a niche where Google is rightly cautious about who it ranks.
What we did. We prioritised placements where a qualified reviewer was credited, worked only with health publications that had real editorial oversight, and paired each placement with an author bio the client could stand behind. Twenty-six placements across eight months supported nine guide pages, and we advised the client to strengthen medical review on-site before scaling volume further.
| Metric | Month 0 | Month 8 |
|---|---|---|
| Guide pages ranking top 10 | 4 | 29 |
| Referring domains | 74 | 146 |
| Organic sessions | 11,200/mo | 34,900/mo |
| Email signups from organic | 190/mo | 640/mo |
What every campaign has in common
- You approve the publishers. Nothing is contacted before you have seen the list, the traffic trend, and the topical fit.
- Writers who know the subject. Finance, health, legal, and SaaS content is written by people who use the vocabulary correctly.
- Full disclosure reporting. Live URL, anchor text, target page, DR, and organic traffic for every placement.
- Twelve-month replacement guarantee. If a link is removed, we place a like-for-like replacement at no cost.
- Steady pacing. Links land at a rate that matches how a growing brand naturally earns coverage.
Want the detailed version?
We can share the full placement list for any campaign above, including live URLs and metrics, during your proposal call. Send us your target pages and keywords and we will show you the closest match to your own situation.
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