Success Story – Increasing Domain Authority Through Co-Branded Guides and Resources

When two brands create something together, they don’t just share expertise—they also share visibility, audiences, and backlink opportunities. Co-branded guides and downloadable resources are excellent tools for increasing Domain Authority (DA), especially in B2B industries where credibility matters most.

In this fictional guide, we explore how a marketing automation company grew its DA from 42 to 61 in 11 months by launching a series of co-branded guides with industry influencers, technology partners, and complementary service providers.

Why Co-Branded Content Supports Domain Authority Growth

Co-branded resources tend to:

•  Attract backlinks from both collaborators and their networks
•  Earn editorial mentions in roundups and community forums
•  Signal trust and authority through third-party validation
•  Get shared more widely than solo-authored content

This strategy aligns well with others such as Guest Blogging for DA ,Create Linkable Content, and Evergreen Content.

The Scenario: Marketing Tech Company Scales DA with Partnerships

A fictional SaaS company, ConvertEdge, offered lead generation tools for small businesses. Their challenges:

•  DA: 42
•   Decent blog traffic, but mostly from branded queries
•  Few backlinks from authoritative industry publications
•  Minimal engagement with peers in the martech space

Instead of relying on cold outreach, they launched a co-branded content initiative to build connections, trust, and links.

Step 1: Identify Partners with Shared Audiences

ConvertEdge looked for collaborators with:

•  Complementary services (e.g., CRM software, email delivery platforms)
•  Overlapping customer bases (freelancers, SMB marketers, agencies)
•  Similar brand values and non-competing product lines

Examples of early partners included:

•  A customer onboarding platform
•  A freelance marketplace
•  A digital agency focused on landing page optimization

Step 2: Co-Create High-Value, Linkable Guides

Each co-branded asset was built around a problem both brands helped solve. Examples:

•  “The 2025 Small Business Marketing Toolkit”
•  “Lead Nurturing From Click to Conversion: A Joint Playbook”
•  “Freelancer’s Guide to Building a Conversion Funnel”

Each guide included:

•  Joint branding and author bios
•  Links to each partner’s blog or landing page
•  Statistics, visuals, and original frameworks
•  SEO-optimized blog posts and landing pages for hosting

Step 3: Share Launch Responsibilities and Backlink Distribution

Before publishing, both parties agreed to:

•  Publish the content on their respective blogs or resource hubs
•  Include backlinks to each other’s service pages
•  Share the guide via email, LinkedIn, and Twitter
•  Pitch the guide to relevant blogs, newsletters, and podcast hosts

This mutual effort gave the guide double the visibility, and earned backlinks from both direct promotions and third-party references.

Step 4: Turn Each Guide into a Cluster of DA-Building Assets

To maximize ROI from each guide, ConvertEdge:

•  Created summary blog posts with backlinks to the full guide
•  Recorded audio excerpts and shared as mini-podcast episodes
•  Offered contributors “Featured In” badges
•  Embedded visual snippets in guest articles and webinar presentations
•  Linked each guide internally to product and service pages

See Internal Linking Strategy and Content Marketing to Improve DA for best practices used here.

Hypothetical DA Growth Timeline via Co-Branded Content

Fictional but realistic growth pattern based on collaborative content and steady backlink acquisition.

Why This Strategy Worked

It Turned Outreach into Collaboration

Instead of asking for backlinks, ConvertEdge created value first, which made sharing and linking natural for partners.

Content Was Purpose-Built for SEO

Each guide lived on a dedicated page, with optimized headers, internal links, and schema markup—making it easy for Google to index and rank.

Everyone Had a Reason to Share

Collaborators felt invested, featured, and empowered—leading to blog mentions, newsletter links, and organic word-of-mouth.

How to Use Co-Branded Content for Domain Authority Growth

•  List 5–10 brands with similar audience but non-overlapping offers
•  Pitch a joint guide idea that solves a shared customer problem
•  Design the guide for SEO, shareability, and backlink inclusion
•  Plan joint promotion across blogs, newsletters, and LinkedIn
•  Repurpose into audio, slides, infographics, and blog spinoffs
•  Monitor DA using best SEO tools

Need help organizing a co-branded content strategy that actually earns backlinks and visibility? Contact Ideas to Reach or explore our SEO services for collaborative content planning.