Case Study: How We Earned 1,000+ Backlinks and Exploded Our SEO Visibility Across Google & AI Overviews

The Beginning

In 2023, our website was a well-kept secret. It had good content and some authority, but it was hard to find in the search results. We had tried guest posts, sharing on social media, and making numerous small changes, but something was still missing.

“Backlinks are the currency of trust,” every SEO expert said over and over.

It seemed obvious at first, but then we found out that most of our links came from random, unrelated blogs that never sent us any visitors. That’s when we decided to start over, with no shortcuts, no bought links, and no spam directories, just real connections.

We created a plan to acquire 1,000 high-quality backlinks within six months, and we would do it fairly and transparently.

Step 1: Laying the Groundwork

We laid the groundwork before sending out any emails.

We got together as a group and made a list of the things we really needed links for. The harsh truth is that you can’t get backlinks if you don’t have content that people want to link to.

We made five main assets as a result:

1. A report on SEO trends backed by data.
2. A PDF with a simple checklist for checking the quality of backlinks.
3. A tool that lets you classify keywords based on their intent.
4. Roundups of experts from Indian marketers.
5. And some real success stories, including some of our own mistakes.

The site finally had something to offer, not just ask for, when we uploaded these.

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Step 2: The Hard Way to Reach Out

We didn’t use any tools that automate things. All of the pitches were written by hand. I still remember those late nights when I had to rewrite subject lines for the hundredth time because “Quick collab?” didn’t sound right.

We got in touch with journalists, bloggers, and founders who were real experts in marketing, SaaS, and local business. We didn’t beg for backlinks; instead, we gave value by saying things like “Here’s some new data your readers might like” or “We used your quote in our report.”

Only 23 of the first 200 emails were responded to. But 15 of them linked to us, and that small start changed everything.

Step 3: Credibility and Digital PR

We also contacted digital magazines such as YourStory, TimesNext, and Inc42 to share new insights from our SEO tests.

Two news organizations picked up our story. That week, we acquired 120 backlinks naturally, all of which were from high-authority sites.

No changing anchor text or swapping guest posts, just telling stories based on data. You could see the change in our analytics. Referral traffic increased, bounce rates decreased, and people began quoting us on LinkedIn.

Step 4: Making Resources That Can Move

We stopped thinking of backlinks as a “campaign” and started thinking of them as a by-product of good assets. This was the turning point.

We made a list of the “Top 100 SEO Blogs in India.” It was a simple idea, but we wrote about each blog, including working links and short bios.

It was almost funny what happened next: the blogs we listed started sharing our post because they were mentioned in it. In just two months, that one page got more than 300 backlinks.

What I learned: recognition leads to giving back.

Step 5: Guest posting based on relationships

We didn’t write guest posts to get links; we wrote to start conversations.

The guest post “How Indian Startups Misunderstand SEO” went semi-viral because it was so brutally honest. A well-known SaaS founder shared it again, and three other sites picked it up.

People listen and link when you stop trying to be perfect in SEO and start sounding like a real person.

Step 6: The AI Part

When Google released its AI Overviews and SGE, we saw something unexpected. AI summaries were using some of our pages as examples. We weren’t in first place, but our facts and ideas were in those short blurbs.

It was clear that Google’s AI still gets information from reliable, connected sources.

The more real people linked to our content, the more it appeared in these AI-generated answers. Backlinks weren’t just good for SEO anymore; they were also good for AI to trust us.

Step 7: The Results

When we checked Search Console six months later, we couldn’t believe it:

• 1,043 total backlinks from 312 referring domains.
• Traffic from organic sources has increased by 187%.
• AI Overviews are 60% more visible.

The average keyword positions improved in all major groups.

But this was the real win: our traffic felt alive for the first time. People were spending time on our pages, reading them, signing up for them, and even emailing us to work together.

That’s when we figured out that backlinks aren’t just numbers; they’re signals of trust from the internet’s living network.

Step 8: Things We’ll Always Remember

Three things stand out when I look back:

• Real stories get real links. Data is good, but emotion is better.
• Follow-ups are important. After the third polite reminder, half of our links came in.
• Be seen outside of your website. Join discussions, leave comments on industry forums, and share your thoughts on LinkedIn.

Someone will eventually put the pieces together and link back every time you show up as yourself.

Step 9: What We Would Do Differently

We would restart this campaign at a slower pace.

We would put more effort into building relationships first, such as getting to know small creators who later became big names. Backlinks improve with age, so the ones you acquire today may be worth a lot more next year.

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Last Thoughts

It sounds technical, but a backlink is a link from one website to another. Someone is saying, “Hey, your work helped me.” I’ll tell other people about it.

So, yes, SEO tools and metrics are important, but what really makes a difference is a real connection. You can’t fake that.

Google’s algorithms are improving at understanding how people feel, but people remain the most trusted source on the web. And if you can get them to trust you, you’ll win every algorithm that comes after.