CASE STUDY
One SEO, 240 Links, $1M in Monthly Revenue: How Strategy Won Exec Trust
Summary:
With limited support and internal doubt, our client (a solo SEO lead) moved key sales pages from page four to page one of Google with 240 unbranded new backlinks. The effort drove up to $1 million in monthly revenue and turned SEO into a strategic priority.
Results Snapshot
- 240+ links to sales pages
- 2x – 3x Increase in revenue (Up to $1M)
- Page-one rankings for high-intent keywords
- CEO recognition of SEO
Challenge
After a major wave of growth in 2020, the client saw SEO as a key opportunity to expand visibility across non-branded search. But with millions of URLs, limited internal expertise in link building, and no clear strategy in place, the team struggled to execute.
They had tested large, well-known link vendors. However, those platforms offered links, not strategy. Outreach wasn’t aligned with business goals, and internal teams didn’t have time to build a scalable approach from scratch.
The client needed more than fulfillment. They needed a partner who could define a program, educate the team, and deliver performance that earned trust internally.
OUR SOLUTION
Citation Labs led two strategic outreach initiatives to improve the client’s visibility across high-value, non-branded keywords—driving traffic directly to sales pages. We prioritized high-leverage category pages, mapped anchor strategies to search intent, and aligned each campaign to business goals.
With millions of URLs and limited in-house link expertise, the first win was clarity. We created a campaign structure that scaled, educated the team on link value and relevance, and adapted our outreach to their internal reporting cadence.
We also helped the SEO team articulate the value of link building internally, giving them the language and logic to champion SEO across the organization. Unlike leading link-selling platforms that deliver links without strategy, we owned execution end-to-end, freeing the internal team to focus on performance (not vendor management).
Every link was tied to performance instead of quotas and placed with vetted publishers through editorial content designed to resonate with audiences without sounding promotional.
OUR PROCESS
We built a custom process aligned with the client’s goals, internal cadence, and maturity level. It was a repeatable system the internal team could follow, refine, and eventually own.
- Identified high-impact target pages: Collaborated with the client to prioritize a small set of core commercial category pages with the highest potential to influence revenue.
- Ran link gap and competitive analysis: Delivered detailed reports showing where the client’s backlink profile fell short and how strategic link building could close the gap.
- Designed a non-branded campaign strategy: Focused exclusively on unbranded outreach to bypass internal red tape and avoid involving the brand or PR teams.
- Executed fully managed link outreach: Built over 240 links across two campaigns without requiring on-page changes, dev lift, or editorial intervention.
- Maintained clear communication and reporting: Provided weekly activity updates and regular progress reports to keep stakeholders informed and engaged.
- Helped secure executive buy-in: Participated in strategic calls with leadership to explain the value of the work and reinforce the case for continued investment.
ROADBLOCKS
The biggest challenge was education. The executive team had industry-standard assumptions about what made a “good” link (high DR/DA, traffic), but lacked a framework for evaluating relevance, authority, or impact. They also were uncertain about SEO as a major business driver, so our champion had a limited budget.
We had to reset expectations and show why placement, anchor context, and editorial fit mattered more than vanity metrics. Without that shift, the program risked being seen as another vendor-driven cost center—instead of a growth engine.
The team also didn’t have time to build a link strategy from scratch. We owned the structure, prioritization, and publisher vetting so they could stay focused on performance. By embedding education into delivery, we helped the team build confidence along with results.
On top of that, the site’s fragmented structure and long dev timelines meant we couldn’t rely on on-page fixes to support campaign performance. Links had to do the heavy lifting.
Behind the scenes, our internal champion navigated all of this: inviting us to educate stakeholders, pushing for investment, and translating early results into executive trust.
RESULTS
Key category pages moved from page four and five to page one of Google for high-intent, non-branded keywords—without a single on-page update.
This visibility shift drove a 4x increase in organic clicks and lifted monthly revenue from $350,000 to more than $750,000, with peak months approaching $1 million.
These gains were realized across two focused campaigns—delivered without internal dev support or long lead times. Citation Labs placed more than 240 unbranded links, each embedded in editorial content on vetted, non-promotional publishers.
But the bigger shift was internal.
The SEO lead received a company-wide shoutout from the CEO, gained executive trust, and earned a seat at the table in strategic planning.
SEO was no longer seen as a backlog—it became a credible growth driver. And the person behind it, our champion, was recognized as a strategic leader and invited to share expertise during high-level discussions.
Key Results
- 40+ non-branded links built to high-priority commercial pages
- 4x increase in organic clicks to targeted categories
- Page-one rankings achieved for core commercial keywords
- Revenue increased from ~$350K/month to $750K–$1M/month
- Campaign success led to company-wide recognition from leadership
- SEO champion earned CEO praise and a strategic seat at the table
THE CLIENT
A U.S.-based e-commerce company that sells customizable home goods to both consumers and creative professionals.
- Industry: E-commerce / Home goods
- Size: 200+ employees
- Location: United States