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Brian Dean launched Backlinko in 2012 after several failed attempts at building online businesses.
A personal finance site had given him some momentum, but most of his projects had fizzled.
With Backlinko, he focused on SEO and content marketing strategies he had picked up through trial and error.
He decided not to compete directly with big players like HubSpot, which churned out short blog posts every day.
Instead, Dean wrote long-form “Power Pages” once a month.
While competitors leaned on podcasts and social media, he invested in a YouTube channel and an email newsletter.
Email First
That email list became Backlinko’s engine.
By 2022, it had 175,000 subscribers, including marketers from Apple, Disney, IBM, and Amazon.
Dean has said that the list drove 99 percent of Backlinko’s revenue.
This is why I always bang on about email. It’s so important.
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By 2021, the site was pulling in more than 500,000 monthly visits, almost entirely from organic search.
The operation was lean: just seven contractors, no full-time employees.
The Email from Semrush
In early 2021, Dean received an email from Max Roslyakov, SVP of Marketing at Semrush.
The company wanted to expand its educational platform. Backlinko’s library of SEO content was the right match.
Dean later tweeted:
“The email was from Max Roslyakov, SVP of marketing at Semrush. I’d received my fair share of acquisition offers in the past. But I always turned them down. Backlinko was my baby. So I was super reluctant to sell it. But I took the call anyway. I’m sure glad I did.”
What changed his mind was the fit.
“Right away I could tell that Semrush was a perfect fit. Semrush is focusing on building up their marketing education. And I have a huge library of SEO and content marketing material.”
Within days, they had the outline of a deal.
In January 2022, Semrush announced the acquisition of Backlinko for a mid 7-figure sum.
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Dean stayed on part-time as part of the agreement.
“As part of my agreement with Semrush, I’ll still be working on Backlinko for the foreseeable future on a part-time basis. (You weren’t going to get rid of me that easy 😉).”
That left him time to grow Exploding Topics, a new startup focused on identifying emerging business trends.
Dean described the due diligence process as intense, but the sale itself as smooth.
The bigger challenge, he said, was adjusting to not being fully in charge.
The Numbers
- Founded: 2012
- Sold: 2022
- Price: Mid 7-figure acquisition
- Buyer: Semrush (NYSE: SEMR)
- Team: Seven contractors
- Traffic: 500,000 monthly visitors
- Email list: 175,000 subscribers
Key Lessons
- Differentiate from the competition. Dean went deep where others went broad, publishing long guides instead of daily posts.
- Email is everything. Nearly all revenue came from Backlinko’s newsletter.
- Lean can scale. Seven contractors supported half a million monthly visitors.
- Right buyer, right time. Dean only sold when he found a partner that could expand Backlinko beyond what he could do solo.
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Closing Thoughts…
Brain Dean’s Backlinko exit was the result of 10 years of consistency, a clear differentiation strategy, and an email list that delivered predictable revenue.
For Semrush, the deal expanded its education platform.
For Dean, it opened the door to his next company while allowing him to keep contributing to the brand he built.
“Growing Backlinko has been one of the proudest achievements of my life. And it wouldn’t have been possible without your support. Thank you for that 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻!!!”
— Brian Dean
