Success Story – Domain Authority Growth Through Authority Roundups and Recognition Lists

When you highlight others, they often return the favor—especially in the digital world. “Top 10” roundups, industry spotlights, and award-style blog posts are some of the most consistent ways to earn backlinks, amplify your visibility, and improve Domain Authority (DA).

In this fictional guide, we explore how a mid-sized HR tech company increased its DA from 36 to 55 over 10 months by publishing recognition-based content that featured experts, tools, and organizations in their ecosystem.

Why Recognition Lists Work for Domain Authority

“Top X” or “Best of” roundups help build DA because they:

•  Attract backlinks from those featured in the list
•  Get reshared widely across LinkedIn, newsletters, and Slack communities
•  Position your brand as a content curator and industry insider
•  Earn trust and engagement—two key SEO signals

This approach ties in directly with Create Linkable Content for Better DA , and Content Marketing Strategies to Improve DA.

The Scenario: HR Tech Brand Uses Roundups to Build DA

A fictional company, PeopleHive, provided employee feedback and culture analytics software.

Initial position:

•  DA: 36
•   A well-maintained blog, but few natural backlinks
•  Difficulty ranking for terms like “best employee feedback tools”
•  No presence in curated or industry media content

They decided to flip the model: instead of trying to get listed, they started creating their own recognition content.

Step 1: Launch a Recurring “Top Tools” Blog Series

PeopleHive began with a monthly roundup titled “Tools That Build Better Workplaces”, starting with posts like:

•  “10 Best Employee Wellness Apps in 2025”
•  “Top 15 Culture Assessment Tools for Modern Teams”
•  “7 Tools Helping Startups Retain Talent Remotely”

Each post:

•  Included a description, pros/cons, and ideal use case
•  Linked out to the featured brand’s homepage or tool page
•  Used SEO-optimized titles and structured headings
•  Allowed brands to request updates or corrections via a submission form

Step 2: Notify and Engage Featured Companies and Experts

Once a list was live, the team:

•  Emailed every brand featured with the link and a thank-you
•  Provided branded “Featured In PeopleHive” badges
•  Suggested ways to share (e.g., blog posts, social mentions, press pages)
•  Encouraged brands to link back to the article for visibility

Results: Within 2 months, they had earned 35 backlinks—many from DA 50–70 homepages, blog posts, and press kits.

Step 3: Expand to Recognition-Based People Spotlights

They then launched a quarterly spotlight titled “Culture Leaders to Follow”, where they:

•  Interviewed HR influencers and DEI leaders
•  Summarized their views and linked to their platforms
•  Included a follow section with social and blog links
•  Embedded quotes and audio clips for interactivity

These contributors often linked back from their personal websites, bios, and newsletters.

Also see Guest Blogging for DA Growth for complementary outreach opportunities.

Step 4: Build Topical Authority with Supporting Content

To strengthen these roundups:

•  They created supporting blog posts (e.g., “How We Selected the Top 10 Wellness Tools”)
•  Added internal links to service pages and comparison guides
•  Optimized “Top X” pages for year-specific keywords (e.g., “best tools for 2025”)
•  Used breadcrumbs, schema markup, and meta descriptions for search visibility

This aligned the roundup content with their overall site structure—covered in Technical SEO and Internal Linking Strategy.

Hypothetical DA Growth Timeline from Authority Roundups

This timeline is fictional but reflects a realistic pace of DA growth from authority-based outreach.

Why This Strategy Worked

It Delivered Value to Others, Not Just Themselves

The content promoted others first—naturally earning gratitude, links, and reshares in return.

It Created Evergreen, Share-Worthy Assets

“Top X” lists continue earning backlinks months (or even years) after publishing, especially when updated regularly.

It Multiplied Through Recurrence

By repeating the strategy monthly and quarterly, the brand scaled link-building without extra cold outreach.

How to Use Roundups and Recognition Lists to Improve DA

•  Choose a theme where your audience values expert input or tool reviews
•  Create structured posts using consistent criteria and SEO best practices
•  Reach out to every person or brand you mention—add value first
•  Offer badges, shareable links, and co-promotion ideas
•  Add internal links and update the content quarterly or yearly
•  Track DA growth and backlink sources using the best tools

Need help building roundup content or developing recognition-based link strategies? Contact Ideas to Reach or check our SEO services for content-led DA growth solutions.