Success Story – DA Growth Through Collaboration and Partnerships

Growing Domain Authority (DA) doesn’t always require a massive content team or a high volume of backlinks. Sometimes, smart partnerships with other brands, creators, or communities can help you build credibility, earn relevant links, and grow your digital footprint in a more strategic way.

In this fictional guide, we show how a small SaaS company increased its DA from 19 to 38 over 10 months using collaboration-based link-building strategies-not outreach emails or paid placements. This model is especially useful for brands with limited resources or minimal online exposure.

Why Collaboration Matters for DA Growth

Link-building is hard when:

•   You have little brand recognition
•   You're in a crowded or low-interest niche
•   Your content hasn’t yet built authority

Partnerships give you borrowed credibility. They allow you to:

•   Tap into other brands’ audiences
•   Share content that earns contextual backlinks
•   Create co-branded materials that naturally attract links

As explored in The Role of Backlinks in DA, authority links from relevant sources are one of the most powerful ways to raise your DA.

The Scenario: SaaS Brand Builds DA Through Strategic Partners

Let’s consider a fictional productivity software called WorkNest. It's a startup offering AI-powered team task boards and project timelines.

Starting point:

•   DA: 19
•   Content: 20 blog posts with very little visibility
•   Backlinks: Primarily from startup listings and forums
•   SEO traffic: Under 800 visits per month
•   Outreach budget: Almost zero

Instead of going for mass outreach, WorkNest focused on collaboration and co-marketing to build links, trust, and exposure.

Step 1: Identify Value-Aligned Micro Partners

They created a short list of 15 potential partners including:

•   HR SaaS tools
•   Remote work podcasts
•   Industry newsletters
•   Startup incubators
•   Niche consulting firms

Each partner had moderate reach, but most were open to collaborations because they shared the same audience profile (remote teams, startups, SMBs).

Step 2: Create Co-Branded Content and Link Assets

Instead of asking for backlinks, WorkNest offered content partnerships:

•   Co-authored blog posts like “Top Tools for Distributed Teams”
•   Joint webinars titled “Work Management in Hybrid Environments”
•   PDF downloads and checklists hosted on partner blogs
•   Case studies where the partner used WorkNest and vice versa

These assets included backlinks pointing to WorkNest’s domain, often from DA 35+ websites that Google trusted.

Also see: Create Linkable Content for Better DA

Step 3: Share the Stage on Social and Search

To maximize reach and long-term SEO value:

•   Partners were encouraged to publish the content on their sites
•   WorkNest embedded links to partner resources as well (reciprocal without being spammy)
•   Each release was shared on both companies’ social handles
•   Email newsletters highlighted the partnerships

These efforts generated referral traffic, press mentions, and shares—strengthening trust signals for DA improvement, as explained in Using Social Media to Boost Domain Authority.

Step 4: Encourage Organic Backlinks from Community Resources

The most effective strategy came from community-focused partnerships. WorkNest collaborated with:

•   A startup mentorship group to publish a remote work toolkit
•   A student productivity app to produce a free project template
•   A research firm to launch a data-backed blog series

These were picked up naturally by other blogs and forums. Within six months, WorkNest had gained 31 referring domains, with many backlinks being do-follow and highly relevant.

See Advanced Link Building Techniques for DA for similar scalable approaches.

Hypothetical DA Growth Timeline

This is a fictional projection, used to show potential results through sustained partnership efforts.

Key Takeaways for DA Growth via Partnerships

Don’t Just Ask for Links—Offer Value

Outreach emails asking for backlinks are ignored. Offers to co-create content or share audiences are welcomed.

Start with Peers, Not Giants

Look for micro-influencers and brands at your level. They’re more open to mutually beneficial promotion and link exchange.

Publish with Purpose

Joint content should live on different domains, giving each party a reason to link back—and boosting visibility for both.

How You Can Use Collaboration for Your DA Strategy

•  List 10–15 potential partners with overlapping audiences
•  Pitch co-branded blog ideas or toolkits
•  Use webinars and social collabs to amplify reach
•  Repurpose assets into linkable formats like PDFs, checklists, and studies
•   Track backlinks earned using tools from Best Tools to Check DA

Not sure where to start? Our team can help identify collaboration opportunities based on your niche. Get in touch here or visit our SEO Services page.