r/u_StrangerChemical7379

I've been reviewing link performance across several projects recently, and one trend keeps standing out.

A few years ago, many SEOs were comfortable prioritizing high-authority domains, even if the topical match wasn't perfect.

Now, I'm seeing the opposite produce more consistent results.

A contextual link from a genuinely relevant website even with lower authority often appears to have a stronger long-term impact than a generic placement on a much bigger publication.

I'm not saying authority doesn't matter. It absolutely does.

But if I had to rank the factors today, my list would probably look like this:

Topical relevance

Editorial placement within useful content

Natural anchor text

Real traffic and an engaged audience

Domain authority as a supporting signal rather than the primary one

I've also started paying much more attention to whether the page actually serves users instead of simply existing to host backlinks.

Curious to hear what others are seeing.

Have your results changed over the past year? Are you prioritizing topical relevance over traditional metrics like DR/DA, or are you still seeing authority-first strategies work best?

Looking forward to hearing real-world experiences rather than theory.

I've been working in link building for quite a while now, and one thing I've learned is that most outreach campaigns don't fail because of the email,they fail much earlier.

For a long time, I focused on writing better outreach messages. Over time, I realized the real bottleneck was prospect selection.

A few changes made a noticeable difference:

I stopped chasing websites based only on SEO metrics and started prioritizing topical relevance.

I spent more time understanding each site's audience before reaching out.

Instead of sending mass templates, I personalized the value proposition around why the collaboration made sense for their readers.

I also became much more selective with placements. A handful of contextually relevant editorial links consistently outperformed a much larger number of average placements.

Another lesson was that relationship-building compounds over time. Many publishers who initially declined ended up collaborating months later simply because the communication remained professional and respectful.

With Google's continued emphasis on content quality and relevance, it feels like sustainable link building is becoming more about trust than volume.

I'm curious what's one change in your outreach or link-building process that had the biggest impact on your results?

I'd love to hear different perspectives from people working across SaaS, eCommerce, agencies, and affiliate SEO.