Encharge Case Study
2,785,614%
Organic Traffic Growth
Oct 2021 — Nov 2024 · Organic traffic growth · Data from Ahrefs
Objective
What we set out to achieve
Increase organic traffic and domain authority for Encharge, a marketing automation platform, to compete with established players like HubSpot, ActiveCampaign, and Mailchimp. The focus was on building high-quality backlinks to product pages, comparison content, and blog articles to drive qualified organic traffic.
Starting Point
Where Encharge started
Encharge was generating just 0.7K monthly organic visitors when we started the campaign. Despite having a strong product and solid content strategy, the site struggled to rank for competitive keywords in the crowded marketing automation space. The backlink profile was thin compared to established competitors, creating a significant authority gap that needed to be bridged.
Our Approach
Our playbook for outranking HubSpot and ActiveCampaign
We deployed a comprehensive strategy designed to close the authority gap with established competitors.
Editorial Link Insertions
We secured contextual link placements within existing high-authority articles across the marketing automation and email marketing niches. By targeting content already ranking well for relevant terms, each insertion maximized the flow of link equity to Encharge's most important pages.
Guest Posting
Our team placed expert-authored guest posts on top-tier marketing publications, including HubSpot. These posts positioned Encharge as a thought leader in the marketing automation space while delivering powerful backlinks from domains their target audience already trusted.
High-Authority Domain Links
We acquired backlinks from some of the most authoritative domains in the SaaS and marketing ecosystem, including G2, HubSpot, Debutify, and Venngage. These DR 80+ links dramatically accelerated Encharge's domain authority growth and ranking trajectory.
Listicle Placements
We secured placements in high-ranking listicle articles targeting competitive keywords like "Marketing Automation Tools" and "Email Marketing Tools." These placements drove qualified referral traffic while building topical relevance signals for Encharge's core product pages.
Bottom-of-Funnel Targeting
We strategically targeted "HubSpot alternatives" pages and similar bottom-of-funnel content where buyers actively compare solutions. By securing placements on these high-intent pages, we drove traffic from prospects ready to switch or adopt a new marketing automation platform.
Challenges
Obstacles we overcame
Highly Competitive Niche
The marketing automation space is dominated by well-funded incumbents with massive backlink profiles. Breaking through required a disciplined, long-term approach focused on acquiring links that competitors couldn't easily replicate.
Building Authority From Low Traffic
Starting at just 0.7K monthly organic visitors meant Encharge needed to build credibility from a relatively low baseline. We focused on acquiring high-DR links early in the campaign to accelerate the trust signals Google needed to rank Encharge's content.
Results
Key takeaways
Oct 2021 — Nov 2024 · Organic traffic growth · Data from Ahrefs
Consistency Compounds Over Time
The most dramatic growth came in the later months of the campaign, as the cumulative effect of 215+ quality links created a compounding flywheel of organic traffic growth.
Bottom-of-Funnel Content Drives Conversions
Targeting alternative and comparison pages delivered outsized business value, driving visitors with high purchase intent directly to Encharge's product pages.
Diverse Link Strategies Reduce Risk
By combining editorial insertions, guest posting, listicle placements, and high-authority links, we built a natural-looking backlink profile that withstands algorithm updates.