5846% Increase in Traffic & 3148% Increase in Keywords Ranked!
In this case study, we’ll discuss the remarkable growth of Budpop, a hemp products brand in the USA, through strategic link-building and affiliate marketing.
Google doesn’t allow cannabis ads, so roping in organic traffic through search engine rankings is the only way to beat the competition. Besides, cannabis is a super competitive niche. Hence, Budpop faced the challenge of establishing a significant online presence as a new brand with no digital footprint.
We started with a basic website with absolutely no organic traffic in 2021. There was no backlink profile, and the content was also not optimized. We ended up with a well-known hemp brand with a whopping 205,421 average monthly visitors in 2023 (According to Ahrefs and Google Analytics!).
This transformation resulted from carefully planned link building services orchestrated by the team of 747 Media House. This case study provides a data-driven and structured view of Budpop’s journey from being an idea to an industry-recognized brand currently ranking on 123,457 organic keywords!
We’ll share the details and specifics of our backlink analysis and strategy starting from scratch and provide clear guidance on progressing through each project phase. We delivered not just traffic and keyword improvements but also a substantial increase in annual revenue ($6,401,455 at its peak!).
We explain the process chronically to provide transparent insights into the tactics and tools instrumental in achieving these results.
What is Covered in the Case Study?
We’ve tried to be as thorough about the progress plan for Budpop as possible in this case study. Here are some of the aspects discussed:
- Budpop's Background
- Challenges Faced
- Solutions Proposed
- Quarterly Strategy and Results
- Final Thoughts
- Customer Feedback
Our data-driven approach ensured the brand’s growth was visible through solid figures instead of bold claims.
We used a combination of backlink analysis, keyword research, high-quality content, on-page SEO, off-page SEO, link-building strategies, monetization, and more to devise quarterly progress plans for Budpop that increased their yearly revenue tenfold. The case study ends with feedback directly from the client!
Brand Background
Budpop launched as a youth-centric brand for cannabis products in 2021 in the US with a clear vision- to provide customers with high-quality, innovative, and safe hemp-derived products. The brand offers the following broad categories of products-
- Gummies
- Disposable vapes
- Flowers
- Pre-rolls
- Tinctures
- Oils
- Vape carts
- Mushrooms
Budpop offers a range of cannabinoids in its products—Delta 8, Delta 9, CBD, HHC, THCa, THCp, etc. The brand also provides a selection of Amanita muscaria products. The brand was established among a huge demand for quality hemp products, and it has distinguished itself by committing to quality, transparency, and customer service.
Budpop was creating an impression with its product quality but faced a huge challenge in creating a formidable online presence. The brand’s DR had fallen to 25 in the third quarter of 2021 and had seen an average organic traffic of just 2,786 in the last quarter.
Let’s discuss the challenges Budpop confronted as a new entrant in the cannabis market and how identifying them helped us create a unique link building strategy that worked for them.
Challenges
Before starting their link building services with 747, Budpop encountered several challenges that needed to be tackled on priority to achieve its objective of becoming a well-known cannabis brand in the industry. The challenges were multifaceted and included issues about market saturation, brand visibility, and technical SEO. Here are the problems we identified during our initial analysis:
- Low Domain Rating & Online Authority
Despite having a strong product line and powerful online branding, Budpop had a low domain rating of 30, which reflected the need for incremental improvements in its online authority. The low DR indicated limited recognition from reputable sources in the industry and a less-than-ideal backlink profile. Both of these factors are crucial for better visibility and search engine rankings.
- Insufficient Organic Traffic
With an average monthly traffic of just 3,455, it was clear that Budpop’s site could not engage or capture its target audience effectively. The primary challenge was not just to draw in more visitors but to bring relevant traffic with the potential to convert into loyal customers. The brand also needed to buy high-quality backlinks.
- Market Saturation
The cannabis and hemp products market in the US is relatively crowded, with over 15,000 cannabis dispensaries and more than 2,600 brands operating online. Budpop had a huge challenge of distinguishing itself from a crowd of similar brands providing similar products, many of whom already had a solid online presence. That’s how we knew traditional marketing initiatives alone may not be effective.
- Dependence on In-House Marketing
Before the campaign, Budpop was mainly focused on creating blogs and social media content through an in-house team. However, our initial checks reported that the content and on-page SEO were not up to the mark. While somewhat effective in the short term, the inconsistency in posting and not targeting the right keywords was the reason it couldn’t bring long-term success.
Solution
Initially, Budpop only ranked on 3801 keywords. However, to become a popular brand in the niche, we needed a strong approach to cannabis SEO. Thus, we comprehensively analyzed Budpop’s digital presence, including its competitive positioning and SEO health, and decided to buy high-quality cannabis backlinks. Here’s how we progressed from quarter to quarter to help Budpop rank on 255,763 keywords!
2022 Yearly Highlights:
- Number of links ordered- 6,900
- Total keywords- 42,006
2022 First Quarter [January to March]
In the first quarter, we identified the gaps between Budpop’s current standing and its objectives. Then, we created a unique SEO link building strategy to get them off the ground.
Link building Strategy
After checking competitors' backlinks and finding potential link-building targets, our initial strategy involved aggressively pursuing link acquisition.
We directed most links toward the homepage with general, brand-centric, and naked anchors. This method protected the brand against possible penalties while improving its authority.
We needed to get as much attention as possible for the homepage, so we had to buy high-quality backlinks (both Tier 1 and Tier 2) without risking the DR.
How many links ordered?
- Total links ordered- 1500
- Blogger outreach- 40%
- Niche edits- 30%
- Media placement- 20%
- Tier 2- 10%
Result in 1st Quarter
Increase in traffic
We started seeing a positive response from the first month. Average organic traffic increased from 2,786 hits in 2021 Q4 to 6,020 in 2022 Q1.
Increase in Keywords Ranking
Total organic keywords ranking in top 3 increased from 26 to 50
Total organic keywords ranking from 4th to 10th position rose from 46 to 112
Total keywords went from 2,943 to 4,913
Increase in DA, DR
The domain rating/authority went from 30 in 2021 to 48 in the first quarter of 2022, showing decent growth.
Boost in Revenue
The company went from no profit and no loss to revenue of $383,762 in the first quarter, which was a huge win.
2022 Second Quarter [April to June]
With a solid foundation in place, we shifted our attention to boosting Budpop’s backlink profile and strengthening our relationship with authoritative blogs in the hemp and wellness sectors.
Link building Strategy
This quarter, we planned to focus more on authority backlinks while consistently creating quality content.
We continued with the branded, generic, and URL anchors and secured opportunities for niche edits in existing high-quality content.
On the other hand, we didn’t rush into targeting internal pages fast; instead, we patiently focused on long-tail keywords related to hemp products and their usage with meaningful, relevant, and quality content through blogs and guest posts.
How many links ordered?
- Total links ordered- 1500
- Blogger outreach- 35%
- Niche edits- 35%
- Media placement- 15%
- Tier 2- 15%
Result in 2nd Quarter
Increase in traffic
The average organic traffic increased from 6,020 in Q1 to 14,397 unique visits in Q2, making more space for buyers with intent.
Increase in Keywords Ranking
Total organic keywords ranking in top 3 went from 50 to 85
Total organic keywords ranking from 4th to 10th position grew from 112 to 598
Total keywords increased from 4,913 to 11,013
Increase in DA, DR
The growth in DR went from 48 in the first quarter to 53 in the second quarter, which we expect will reflect in keyword rankings.
Boost in Revenue
The brand’s total revenue from our link building services went from $383,762 in the first quarter to $874,650 in the second quarter.
2022 Third Quarter [July to September]
Now that we were slowly creating high-quality backlinks for Budpop, it was time to focus more on content and expand to more competitive keywords.
Link building Strategy
Instead of focusing on random blasts of constant links, we directed our budget and concentrated on a steady supply of links from higher authority sites. We continued getting media placements and building tier-2 backlinks.
One part of the plan emphasized SERP rankings of mid-tail keywords around hemp product reviews and guides. This quarter's link-building strategy revolved around creating backlinks through high-quality niche edits and guest posts from sites with strong authority online.
The links we made in the previous and this quarter would help us push Budpop further up the search engine rankings.
How many links ordered?
- Total links ordered- 1,700
- Blogger outreach- 45%
- Niche edits- 35%
- Media placement- 10%
- Tier 2- 10%
Result in 3rd Quarter
Increase in traffic
The average organic traffic went from 14,397 visits in Q2 to 20,489 hits in Q3. The brand was also receiving more orders than in 2021.
Increase in Keywords Ranking
Total organic keywords ranking in top 3 increased from 85 to 118
Total organic keywords ranking from 4th to 10th position went from 598 to 693
Total keywords rose from 11,013 to 12,400
Increase in DA, DR
Budpop’s DR, which was 53 in the previous quarter, increased to 56 this quarter, creating scope for further better rankings.
Boost in Revenue
The brand was slowly but surely increasing its revenue, from $874,650 in the second quarter to $894,562 in this one.
2022 Fourth Quarter [October to December]
Our attempts at building Budpop’s authority online are clearly working by now. The brand also expanded its product line, so we accommodated our strategy accordingly.
Link building Strategy
We were seeing concrete results from our consistent link-building efforts over the last three quarters. The articles ranked quicker, the traffic was converting better, and we even scored some featured snippets for the brand.
So, for this quarter, we decided to end the year strong while diversifying our focus on pumping relevant, high-quality content from the brand website and building more links from higher authority sources.
We identified high-performing content in the cannabis niche and created superior versions to promote link acquisition.
How many links ordered?
- Total links ordered- 2,200
- Blogger outreach- 50%
- Niche edits- 20%
- Media placement- 15%
- Tier 2- 15%
Result in 4th Quarter
Increase in traffic
The average organic traffic surged from 20,489 visits in the last quarter to 28,024 in this one, making a huge difference from Q1.
Increase in Keywords Ranking
Total organic keywords ranking in top 3 rose from 118 to 143
Total organic keywords ranking from 4th to 10th position decreased from 693 to 735
Total keywords went from 12,400 to 13,680
- Increase in DA, DR
Budpop’s domain authority increased from 56 in the last quarter to 62 in the current one, and the posts were ranking much higher.
Boost in Revenue
The brand had seen its highest revenue in its first year with us, from $894,562 in the last quarter to $935,453 by 2022’s Q4.
2023 Yearly Highlights:
- Number of links ordered- 11,900
- Total keywords- 123,457
2023 First Quarter [January to March]
Things were already looking pretty good when we started with the new year. Budpop was doing spectacularly well in terms of traffic increase.
Link building Strategy
In the first quarter of 2023, we kept pushing the site with a decent amount of content tailored to certain SERPs using keyword research.
We also worked towards maintaining a strong portfolio of high-authority backlinks. We kept analyzing our old backlinks and replacing any broken links with fresh ones.
Thus, link-building efforts continued but shifted towards a more consistent and strategic distribution of links, with a focus on higher authority sites instead of a huge volume of bulk links.
How many links ordered?
- Total links ordered- 2,400
- Blogger outreach- 50%
- Niche edits- 30%
- Media placement- 10%
- Tier 2- 10%
Result in 1st Quarter
Increase in traffic
From 28,024 hits in the last quarter of 2022, we observed a jump in organic traffic to 40,962 in this quarter.
Increase in Keywords Ranking
Total organic keywords ranking in top 3 went from 143 to 187
Total organic keywords ranking from 4th to 10th position rose from 735 to 890
Total keywords increased from 13,680 to 17,895
Increase in DA, DR
The domain rating was seeing small but consistent improvements, from 61 in Q4 2022 to 63 in Q1 2023.
Boost in Revenue
Budpop was reaching new records in its revenue from quarter to quarter, going from $935,453 in Q4 2022 to a whopping $1,254,897!
2023 Second Quarter [April to June]
By this time, Budpop’s site was looking nice and healthy. It had increased its traffic over 10 times since before the campaign. Now, we targeted our outreach to webmasters to replace broken links.
Link building Strategy
The site performed better and ranked for over 20% more related keywords. However, some backlinks from the last quarter didn’t perform as well as we expected, which led to a two-point fall in Budpop’s DR this quarter.
To undo the damage and exceed our previous best, we decided to buy high-quality backlinks and tier 2 links and aggressively pursued niche edits.
This created a nice balance of authority and relevance while still keeping the link profile diverse. We also identified broken links on relevant sites and offered Budpop’s content as a replacement.
How many links ordered?
- Total links ordered- 2,800
- Blogger outreach- 40%
- Niche edits- 35%
- Media placement- 10%
- Tier 2- 15%
Result in 2nd Quarter
Increase in traffic
Fortunately, the average monthly traffic continued to grow from 40.962 visits last quarter to 46,009 this quarter.
Increase in Keywords Ranking
Total organic keywords ranking in top 3 jumped from 187 to 202
Total organic keywords ranking from 4th to 10th position increased from 890 to 910
Total keywords grew from 17,895 to 20,660
Increase in DA, DR
Sadly, the domain rating fell this quarter to 61 from 63 in Q1. However, we’d already adapted our strategy for better performance in the upcoming quarter.
Boost in Revenue
The slight setback did not impact Budpop’s revenue, which increased from $1,254,897 in Q1 2023 to $1,560,462 this quarter.
2023 Third Quarter [July to September]
This quarter, we made slow but steady progress toward restoring Budpop’s DR and diversifying its backlink profile. We also secured links with superior content on sites linked to original high-performing pieces.
Link building Strategy
Budpop was doing well, but the competitors were also optimizing their cannabis SEO methods. To stand a fighting chance and restore the DR, we kept our efforts focused on pushing authority to the homepage and some of the top-selling product pages.
We did this to make the backlink profile look more natural and avoid further falls. We decided to focus more on niche edits than guest posts this quarter because they are cost-effective in boosting authority.
We also aimed to climb into the top 10 SERP positions for select high-competition keywords.
How many links ordered?
- Total links ordered- 3,100
- Blogger outreach- 30%
- Niche edits- 45%
- Media placement- 5%
- Tier 2- 20%
Result in 3rd Quarter
Increase in traffic
The average organic traffic was still seeing an uptick from 46,009 hits last quarter to 55,845 in the current one.
Increase in Keywords Ranking
Total organic keywords ranking in top 3 went from 202 to 316
Total organic keywords ranking from 4th to 10th position jumped from 910 to 1,018
Total keywords increased from 20,660 to 39,071
Increase in DA, DR
Our strategy of link diversification and focusing on more high-authority domains was working, taking the DR from 61 in the last quarter to 62 this quarter.
Boost in Revenue
Our steady progress in restoring the DR was reflected in an increase in revenue, which rose from $1,560,462 in the previous quarter to $1,600,780.
2023 Fourth Quarter [October to December]
In the last quarter of 2023, we wanted to raise Budpop’s DR while substantially increasing their organic traffic. We also amended our strategy according to user behavior analytics.
Link building Strategy
Budpop’s traffic grew by over 5,100% from 2021 until the last quarter of 2023. The brand was already well-recognized and highly talked about in public forums. The products were also actively featured in renowned national publications.
To give a final push to their DR and increase the authority of their homepage and select products, we decided to switch up the types of links used and close any gaps. We created strong anchors and went full-throttle with niche edits, guest posts, and tier 2 backlinks.
We also included geographically relevant keywords in our portfolio and optimized the existing spectrum of keywords for sustained growth.
How many links ordered?
- Total links ordered- 3,600
- Blogger outreach- 35%
- Niche edits- 40%
- Media placement- 10%
- Tier 2- 15%
Result in 4th Quarter
Increase in traffic
The average organic traffic surged from 55,845 in the previous quarter to 62,605 in the final quarter of 2023.
Increase in Keywords Ranking
Total organic keywords ranking in top 3 increased from 316 to 412
Total organic keywords ranking from 4th to 10th position went from 1,018 to 1,690
Total keywords rose from 39,071 to 45,831
- Increase in DA, DR
Our consistent efforts towards strengthening Budpop’s DR bore fruit, and it went from 62 in the last quarter to 65 in this one, surpassing our previous best.
Boost in Revenue
The revenue hit another all-time high in the final quarter of 2023, from $1,600,780 in the previous quarter to $1,985,316 before year-end.
Final Thoughts
Our link building services for Budpop have continued for two years, and it holds the number one position in all branded keywords and a vast number of related keywords. We gained several strategic insights from our backlink strategy for the brand. Here are some of them:
Keyword Stability
Achieving and maintaining stable keyword rankings proved crucial for sustaining Budpop’s organic visibility. We regularly analyzed and adjusted our SEO link building strategy to ensure the brand remained visible to its target audience while tackling the volatility often observed in search engine rankings. This stability brought a fertile ground for growth, taking the year-on-year Total keywords from 1,005% in 2021 to 3,148% in 2023.
Optimizing Target Keywords
We went aggressively on high-value and specific keywords so that Budpop could attract a more engaged and targeted audience. We created high-quality content that resonated deeply with the target audience and increased traffic and engagement. We made optimization a continuous process by using user behavior and search data to adapt to changing trends. As a result, the brand’s Total organic keywords ranking in top 3 jumped from 182% in 2022 to 3,889% in 2023.
Increase in Organic Traffic
The combination of sustained keyword stability and target keyword optimization led to a visible uptick in organic traffic. Not just the numbers, the quality of incoming traffic improved with every quarter, bringing visitors with a higher intent to buy from Budpop. This shift marked a major turn in the brand’s online presence, moving from visibility to better conversions. After Q4 in 2023, the Total organic traffic rose to 5,846% from 1,895% in 2021.
Increase in Revenue
Finally, the increase in organic traffic translated into a substantial boost in revenue. Our strategically layered approach of attracting the right audience with the intention to buy was crucial in helping them make Budpop’s online presence profitable. Our unique SEO link building brought their yearly revenue from $0 in 2021 to $3,012,305 in 2022 and $6,401,455 in 2023!
Client Testimonial
“We partnered with 747 Media House to improve our digital standing and solidify our position in the cannabis market. The team was very supportive and strategic from day one, providing detailed insights into our situation before their campaign. They discussed our budget and objectives and suggested quarterly strategies that have proven nothing short of transformative for Budpop. We went from a relatively unknown hemp brand online to achieving remarkable keyword rankings, domain authority, organic traffic, and even revenue increases! The 747 team brings exceptional cannabis SEO knowledge and unique link building strategies to the table, which are crucial for brands in this space to flourish online. The consistent growth in our digital presence quarterly and even yearly reflects the quality and impact of work done by the team. Our partnership with 747 has played a huge role in our success story, and we’d like to remain associated with the team for a long time.”
- Ms. Heather Smith, Vice President (Marketing) at Budpop
