Prestigious University Achieves Unprecedented SEO Success with LinkGraph’s Authority-Building Strategy

The client is a prestigious university, renowned for its academic excellence and celebrated co-op and internship programs, holds a distinguished reputation across the nation, with its vibrant campus culture and educational values fostering both achievement and community spirit.

This case study delves into how LinkGraph’s strategic link-building approach transformed the university’s online presence, boosting its authority and positioning it as a top digital resource in the academic field.

Challenge

As a prominent institution, the university needed to amplify its digital authority to be recognized as a leading source of knowledge, not only for its audience but also by Google.

To achieve this, it required connections with top-tier sites and needed to rank for industry-specific keywords. Yet, with an innovative approach unique to its field, delivering the right message proved complex. To bridge this gap, they needed comprehensive keyword and topic mapping to pinpoint ideal subjects while also aligning with audience expectations.

Additionally, securing niche-specific, high-quality backlinks from authoritative sites was essential—not just for traffic, but to engage their audience meaningfully through a holistic SEO approach.

LinkGraph’s combination of custom managed services and link-building expertise aligned perfectly with the university’s focus on authority building.

Solution

LinkGraph provided a robust mix of Custom Managed Services and Custom Link Building, with a focus on authority.

High-quality backlinks from authoritative, niche-relevant websites were meticulously embedded within rich, well-researched content, following E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) best practices to maximize credibility.

LinkGraph’s team implemented sophisticated authority-building strategies, carefully selecting anchor text and linking domains to ensure relevance and variety while distributing links strategically across diverse sources to maintain a natural profile.

Rather than mass-dropping links or relying on quick, low-quality placements, they carefully curated a gradual and strategic linking process. They also identified and disavowed toxic backlinks, refining the university’s link profile for long-term authority.

To further enhance the profile’s authenticity, LinkGraph employed a mix of high-traffic domains, diverse content types (like guest blogs, industry reports, and educational resources). Each backlink was thoughtfully integrated within highly valuable, contextually relevant content, ensuring that links appeared as natural recommendations rather than forced insertions.

Beyond link-building, the client benefited from LinkGraph’s comprehensive Search Atlas SEO suite, a dedicated account manager, real-time tracking, and monthly SEO reports, providing a seamless and transparent experience.

Results

In just the first 10 months, the university saw an impressive surge in organic traffic, jumping from 691,570 to 929,881—a 34.43% increase that brought in 238,311 new visitors.

During this same period, the growth in organic keywords was even more striking, with rankings rising from 334,689 to 477,422, a 42.65% leap.

Over the full duration from March 2021 to October 2024, monthly organic traffic exploded from 691,570 to an impressive 1,086,809, marking a 57.13% overall increase.

Organic keywords also climbed dramatically, from 344,689 to 604,945, representing a 75.46% boost that reinforced their visibility.

By October 2024, the university’s top 3 keyword rankings had skyrocketed by 75.62%, growing from 8,727 to 15,326. The keywords rankings in positions 4-10 more than doubled with a 114.53% increase—from 16,871 to an incredible 36,194.

The following graphic vividly illustrates the skyrocketing results in top-ranking keywords. Just a few months after receiving our links, their top 10 keyword rankings exploded.

With an additional 10,507 referring domains linking back to their site, the university significantly enhanced its digital authority and credibility. Each of these domains represents a unique source that vouches for the university’s content, creating a diverse and robust backlink profile.

LinkGraph’s strategic link-building approach exceeded the university’s expectations. As a result of this success, the university is committed to continuing its partnership with LinkGraph to further enhance its digital presence and engage meaningfully with its audience.