What Are The Top 10 SEO Agencies?
Overview
What it means to be an SEO Agency has changed over the years. Back in the day, so much of what drove SEO rankings was link building. The more quality inbound links that you could drive, the higher your rankings would soar, especially if those links had a high Page Rank.
With time link building because a major exploit and, much like YouTube, Google over the years has become much more concerned about favoring websites that produce a lot of high quality content over websites that keep their content stale and don’t produce content regularly.
One of the greatest lessons for me was actually become a small YouTuber. I’m a 6’6″ white guy from Texas that lived in Korea for several years as a teenager, minored in Korean in college, and decided to create a Korean focused YouTube channel where I do things like rap in Korean, debate other foreigners on geopolitical issues in Korean, etc.
What I learned by doing this is that content is king. If you can produce high quality content regularly that is engaging, YouTube (and Google) will send you a lot of free traffic.
I ended up applying these principles to my own Lead PPC website. The #1 mistake that I made was not writing a lot of content earlier for my business. For nearly a decade, I would spend about $3,000-$6,000 / mo. on my Google PPC ads to drive new customers, and it worked pretty well. My average Cost Per Sale was about $1,100 and I’ve driven about 55 customers over the years with this strategy.
But, in 2022, I set a goal to write 1 article per day and I came pretty close to reaching it. I ended up writing 300+ articles. And, this is what happened to my lead flow:
I went from driving 2-10 leads per month up to where I usually have between 30-50 leads per month that come through for free. To this day, I still only drive about 10 opportunities per month via Google Ads, but my SEO lead production and sales continues to climb beyond what I would feel comfortable spending on Google Ads, costing me nothing.
Going through this process helped me understand the value of consistently producing high quality content, focused on specific keywords (this article for instance is going after the keyword “SEO Agency”). And, since I was able to do all of this without ANY inbound links, I learned that you basically don’t need to do any link building, just write good content consistently.
Fast forward several years, and high quality SEO content production is something that we do for many of our ~100 clients. We’re primarily focused on the franchising space, and what’s interesting is that even though we’ve managed $35,000,000+ in ad spend on driving leads via Google Ads and Meta Ads, the leads that come through from SEO content creation have about a 2X higher contact rate (we can get about 66% of the leads on the phone from SEO leads versus about 33% from PPC leads). And, if you fast forward to sales stages like Meet The Founders, Discovery Day, and Franchise Sale…. those SEO leads convert about 4X higher than leads driven from PPC.
Our general strategy is to write the top part of the article by hand, and then fill in gaps toward the bottom by using AI to generate more content. We tend to use an AI tool call Jasper over tools like Chat GPT.
Here’s our take on who the Top 8 SEO Agencies are:
Top 10 SEO Agencies:
#1 – SEO.com
There are a lot of great SEO agencies out there, but one of them is different than the rest, and the name says it all. SEO.com is all about SEO. Regardless of what industry you are in, SEO.com has something for you. They are the authority on all things SEO, and even if you don’t go with them as an agency, it’s one to check out kind of like SemRush and Wordstream to help get your bearings on what matters and what doesn’t.
#2 – Disruptive Advertising
Disruptive is one of the greatest ad agencies in the United States. What started as a PPC only advertising firm has turned into a full-service agency that not only does a great job on results-based pay per click advertising but also now has a robust SEO service offering as well. These guys are legit and know their stuff when it comes to all things digital marketing.
#3 – Ignite Visibility
If you look online, many people will put Ignite Visibility as the #1 SEO agency. They are definitely a leading performance-marketing agency specializing in multichannel digital strategy, SEO, paid media, social media, creative, email, PR, CRO, and more. Ignite Visibility lists their top industries as Franchising and B2B, but to be honest here at Lead PPC we’re the dominate player in franchise development PPC and SEO lead generation, and we rarely if ever run into them (we’re more likely to compete against agencies like Top Fire Media, Hot Dish, or Scorpion).
#4 – WebFX
WebFX competes more directly with Ignite Visibility. They have driven over $3B in revenue for their clients. That number is absolutely nuts. They have a Revenue Acceleration Platform as well as a CRM Platform. They have generated around 8M leads and have 1,000+ client testimonials.
#5 – Boostability
Similar to us here at Lead PPC and Disruptive, Boostability is a Utah based company that has a slightly different model than the other SEO agencies listed here. While you can go directly and work with Boostability, it’s more of a white label agency that other agencies go to for fulfillment so that they can provide SEO services without having to do it themselves. Some of their approaches are a bit more link building focused and on-page optimization based instead of content focused, but they still know what they’re doing.
#6 – Lead PPC
I’m going to pencil us in here at #6 for SEO agencies. The main reason I have us ranked lower than some of the other SEO agencies isn’t because we’re not good at what we do (we definitely are). It’s because we’re smaller than some of these other agencies, and we’re more of a niche agency that prefers to work with franchisors instead of working with all types of businesses.
#7 – Scorpion
Scorpion is an agency that started in specific niches such as Law Firms and Dental Offices and over the years has expended into Home Services, Multi-Location Brands, and Franchising. Their art work and branding is perhaps the best out there. Everything we have seen them produce looks fantastic. If your business is in any of these 5 major markets, then Scorpion would be one to look at for sure. I don’t know any of the executive team at Scorpion, but I do know some of the leadership in agencies they have acquired, all of which are solid.
#8 – 97th Floor
97th Floor has been in the digital marketing game long before most PPC agencies were even conceptualized. I don’t think of them as merely a PPC agency but more as an overall advertising agency that happens to also be great at PPC. Their Founder Chris Bennett is a friend, serial entrepreneur, and in general an extremely innovative and creative person with all things tech. He’s also done some cool things in the web 3 space.
#9 – Neil Patel Digital
I’ve been following and reading Neil’s marketing content for over a decade. The dude really knows his stuff. They have 500+ employees, have made the Inc 500 list for America’s fastest growing private companies, and work with some of the largest international brands out there. Much respect for them.
#10 – Thrive
Thrive is another agency out of Utah’s Silicon Slopes (similar to Disruptive and 97th Floor). They continue to win many awards such as Clutch Top Digital Marketing Agencies as well as many awards around SEO marketing. If you need help with not only SEM but also with SEO, Thrive might be a good one to look at.
What to Look for When Hiring an SEO Agency
In today’s digital age, having a solid online presence is crucial for the success of any business. As such, choosing the right SEO agency can significantly influence your company’s growth and visibility. When hiring an SEO agency, it’s essential to consider several factors to ensure your investment leads to effective and sustainable results.
Firstly, evaluate the agency’s experience and expertise. Look for a firm with a proven track record of success across various industries. This can often be assessed through case studies, client testimonials, or references. An experienced agency will possess up-to-date knowledge of the latest SEO trends and best practices, enabling them to navigate the ever-changing landscape of search engine algorithms efficiently.
Next, transparency and communication should be a priority. A reliable SEO agency will provide clear communication channels and regular updates on the progress of your campaigns. This includes reporting on key metrics such as organic traffic, conversion rates, and keyword rankings. Open communication allows you to understand the strategies being implemented and their effectiveness, ensuring alignment with your business goals.
Additionally, ensure the agency employs ethical and sustainable SEO practices. Avoid agencies that promise quick results through black-hat techniques, as these can lead to penalties from search engines and long-term damage to your site’s reputation. Instead, focus on finding an agency that prioritizes white-hat SEO methods, which involves creating valuable content, optimizing on-page elements, and building quality backlinks.
Finally, consider the agency’s ability to customize their services to fit your specific needs. A good SEO agency will take the time to understand your business, target audience, and industry landscape before devising a tailored strategy. This personalized approach is key to achieving optimal results and ensuring a positive return on investment.
In conclusion, hiring the right SEO agency requires careful consideration of their experience, transparency, commitment to ethical practices, and ability to tailor services. By selecting a reputable agency that aligns with your business goals, you can enhance your online presence and successfully navigate the competitive digital marketplace.
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Entrepreneur with a focus on Lead Generation, Google Adwords, Bing Ads, and Conversion.
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