The Link-Building Strategy That Sustains Freepik’s SEO Rankings in This Competitive Niche

78%

LLM Visibility

135%

Ranking Improvement

32%

Backlinks Built

🧩 Client Snapshot (At a Glance)

Industry Creative SaaS / Design Resources
Duration October 2022 – August 2025
Goal Retain organic keyword leadership, increase brand mentions, and outperform competitors in SERPs
Key Services AI Tool–Focused PR Campaigns & Ongoing Digital PR & SEO Outreach

⚠️ The Challenge

Freepik is a well-established global SaaS brand, but operating in an extremely competitive space dominated by players like Canva.

Despite strong brand equity, their challenges were:
  • Defending existing top-ranking keywords from aggressive competitors
  • Increasing brand mentions to strengthen authority signals
  • Supporting monthly keyword-driven SEO campaigns
  • Gaining visibility for newly launched AI-powered design tools
  • Securing Top 1–3 listicle positions on high-quality U.S.-based publications
  • Ensuring placements only on real brands and trusted industry websites

The margin for error was low—every link had to be strategic.

Our Approach

At Unifiedist, we executed a long-term Digital PR partnership built around precision, relevance, and consistency.

Phase 1 — Keyword-Driven Link Acquisition
  • Monthly alignment with Freepik’s SEO team
  • Targeted backlinks built for specific keywords are provided each month
  • Editorial placements designed to defend and reinforce SERP positions
Phase 2 — Brand Mentions at Scale
  • Proactive outreach for brand-only mentions across:
  • Design & creative blogs
  • Marketing and content platforms
  • SaaS, business, and technology publications
  • Focus on natural brand visibility, not just anchor links
Phase 3 — AI Tools Digital PR

After Freepik launched its AI tools:

  • Shifted strategy exclusively to AI-related articles and listicles
  • Secured placements in articles about:
    • “Best AI Design Tools”
    • “Top AI Tools for Creators”
    • “AI Tools for Designers & Marketers”

Ensured listicle placements ranked within Top 1–3 positions

📈 Results

Over nearly 3 years of continuous outreach, Freepik achieved sustained SEO and brand growth.

Focus Area Outcome
Keyword Stability +78%
Competitive Visibility +135%
AI Tool Visibility +32%
Authority Building Strengthened entity-level SEO and topical authority in design & content creation

Freepik Referring Domains

AI Overview

Example Links We Built For Freepik (Now Maginific)

Listicle
Editorial

Why It Worked

  • Long-term consistency: Nearly 3 years of sustained Digital PR execution
  • Keyword precision: Every backlink aligned with Freepik’s monthly SEO roadmap
  • Editorial-first approach: Real brands, real audiences, real impact
  • Competitive positioning: Strategic placements alongside or above Canva
  • AI-first adaptability: Rapid pivot to AI-focused outreach post product launch

Client Feedback

Divya and her team has been doing a good job working with Outreach. They have a good network of connections, which makes the quality of their work better. They are able to understand the needs and all the requirements. I recommend Unifiedist’s work to anyone.

Vanessa - client testimonial for Unifiedist  Vanessa Higasi, SEO Outreach & Growth Marketing Manager

Project Summary

Service SEO Outreach & Digital PR
Duration 36 Months
Links Acquired 100+ Editorial. Brand mentions & Listicle links
ROI Focus Keyword retention, brand authority, competitive dominance

Key Takeaways

  • Even established SaaS brands need ongoing Digital PR to defend rankings
  • Brand mentions are critical for authority and trust signals
  • AI product launches require specialized PR strategies
  • Listicle positioning matters—Top 3 placements outperform generic mentions
  • Long-term partnerships deliver compounding SEO results

Looking for a reliable SaaS link-building and AI visibility partner?

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