Client / business context
A European B2B SaaS company was expanding commercial focus toward Belgian organisations. Product pages and English-language documentation were strong, but referring domains lacked Belgian and regional business relevance.
Challenge
Category keywords were contested by established vendors with deeper industry and local citation profiles. The company needed authority support for solution pages and educational content without resorting to low-quality guest post networks.
Strategic priorities
- Map Belgian and Benelux referring domains already supporting category competitors
- Prioritise business media, vertical trade sites, and partnership ecosystems
- Build citable explainers that editors could reference without promotional tone
- Balance English B2B coverage with selective Dutch- and French-language opportunities
How the work ran
Programme phases
Explore each stage of the engagement. Execution notes sit inside the active phase rather than as a flat checklist.
Programme phases
Phase 01
Map the Belgian authority gap
Understand which publishers already shape category conversations for Belgian buyers.
- Competitor referring-domain and topic overlap analysis
- Belgian and Benelux publisher universe by vertical
- Priority URL clusters for solution and education pages
Execution notes
- Publisher shortlists scored for topical fit and brand safety
- Expert commentary pitched around workflow and compliance-adjacent themes relevant to the product category
- Guest contributions reserved for higher-standard industry sites only
- Monthly quality reviews on live placements and target URL distribution
Acquisition mix
Link acquisition approach
The mix emphasised editorial mentions and selective guest contribution over high-volume insertions. Partnership and integration narratives were used where commercially authentic.
Link mix explorer
Relative emphasis across acquisition lanes — not a volume quota.
Interactive
Editorial mentions
40%Commentary and expert quotes in relevant Belgian and industry coverage.
Topical relevance
Targets were limited to software, operations, and Belgian business contexts aligned with the product’s buyer persona.
Authority considerations
Authority work focused on solution and guide URLs rather than concentrating every link on the homepage.
Outcomes
Results framework
Specific ranking and traffic figures are not published here. In comparable programmes, success is evaluated through qualified referring domain growth, coverage of priority URL clusters, and organic movement on supported terms over successive quarters.
Evaluation framework
Toggle criteria to see how this programme type is reviewed.
4/4 active
Lessons learned
- Belgian relevance often matters more than chasing larger but unrelated international domains
- Citable educational assets unlock better editorial conversations than product-only pitches
- Language-market planning should be explicit from the first shortlist
Clarifications
Frequently asked questions
Client outcomes stay confidential. These pages show programme structure, decision logic, and evaluation criteria rather than fabricated performance claims.
English remained the commercial core, with selective Dutch- and French-language opportunities where publisher audience and buyer intent justified the extra production cost.
Low-quality guest post networks, homepage-only link concentration, and targets that looked authoritative on paper but had weak Belgian buyer relevance.
These programme examples show how our Belgian-focused link building practice approaches sector-specific work. For methodology detail, see our methodology.