Qualtrics

From Startup to SERP Leader — How Link.Build Helped Delighted.com Scale SEO from Zero

A Qualtrics Brand’s Journey to Organic Growth Through Strategic Link Building

Client Overview

Name: Delighted.com
Parent Company: Qualtrics (Acquired in 2018)
Industry: SaaS – Customer Experience & NPS Survey Software
Founded: 2013
Challenge: Starting from zero domain authority with ambitious growth goals in a competitive SaaS category

The Challenge

When Delighted first came to Link.Build, it was a lean SaaS startup with no link profile and minimal organic visibility—yet operating in a space saturated with billion-dollar incumbents like SurveyMonkey, Typeform, and Google Forms.

Their organic goals were clear:

• Rank for high-intent keywords like “NPS software,” “customer satisfaction survey,” and “employee feedback tool”
• Build authority from the ground up without black-hat shortcuts
• Use content and backlinks to power sustainable, compounding growth over time

But there was a major obstacle: Delighted was brand new. No history. No backlinks. No traction. In short—they had to earn Google's trust from scratch.

Our Approach

Link.Build designed a foundational link building strategy tailored specifically for early-stage SaaS companies:

1. Trust-First Link Profile Development

We began by establishing domain-level trust signals through:

• Clean brand mentions from SaaS review sites
• Inclusion in startup roundups and B2B resource pages
• Links from small business tech blogs, entrepreneur communities, and customer experience thought leaders

This “link scaffolding” helped Google recognize Delighted as a credible SaaS brand—not just another churn-and-burn tool.

2. Vertical-Specific Publisher Outreach

Next, we executed manual, personalized outreach to publishers covering:

• Customer success and CX strategy
• HR and employee engagement
• eCommerce feedback tools
• Remote work and internal communications

Each piece of content was mapped to a keyword theme (e.g., “NPS,” “customer loyalty,” “employee feedback”) and pitched to publishers with aligned audiences. These weren’t promotional posts—they were topical deep-dives that earned their links.

3. Authority Acceleration with Thought Leadership

As Delighted’s domain authority grew, we leveled up link quality—targeting:

• Marketing SaaS roundups
• Martech and startup podcasts
• Long-form editorial features on customer feedback trends

We also integrated Delighted’s founders and executives into authorship opportunities, building both brand and personal authority across third-party sites.

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The Results

Within the first 12 months, Delighted.com experienced:

• +700% increase in referring domains
• Dozens of backlinks from DR 60–90 sites, including SaaS and startup authorities
• 5+ first-page rankings for high-converting keywords like “NPS software,” “customer survey tool,” and “customer feedback platform”
• Organic traffic scaled from near-zero to tens of thousands of monthly visits
• Strengthened SEO signals contributed to increased product signups and top-funnel demand

These foundational efforts ultimately supported Delighted’s successful acquisition by Qualtrics and its ongoing visibility as part of a multi-billion-dollar enterprise.

Why It Worked

Many link vendors only know how to optimize for big brands. But at Link.Build, we know how to build authority from zero—strategically, ethically, and sustainably.

Our work with Delighted combined:

• Early-stage trust building
• Keyword-aligned editorial outreach
• White-hat, manual placement
• Adaptation to a fast-scaling startup environment

As Delighted matured, their link profile matured with them—supporting long-term organic success without shortcuts or future clean-up.

Client Feedback

“Link.Build helped us go from zero to a credible SaaS brand in Google’s eyes. Their links didn’t just help us rank—they helped us scale. We wouldn’t have grown our organic channel this fast without them.”
— Growth Lead, Delighted (a subsidiary of Qualtrics)

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