10 Best SEO Companies in 2023

(Ad) As you probably know, SEO is critical to your online success. But if you’ve previously worked with agencies or in-house teams who didn’t deliver the results you wanted, you realize how hard it is to find reliable partners, whether they’re SEO agencies or SEO professionals.

Ideally, you want to work with one of the best SEO companies, one that has the experience, skills, reputation, and track record to help you achieve your goals.

Where do you start—or restart?

Checking review sites or websites of different SEO agencies is a great start. However, it takes time to get a clear picture of the quality and reputation of different SEO firms. That’s why we’ve taken the time to analyze and rank the top SEO agencies in the US for you, based on their experience, team size, specialization, client portfolio, and industry achievements.

List of TOP 10 SEO agencies in the United States

Compare Search Optimization Companies

Name Services Key Niches Start Price Hourly Range Founded In Rating Employees Headquarters  
SeoProfy Managed SEO, SEO Audit, Technical SEO, Link Building, International SEO, Enterprise SEO iGaming, Legal, eCommerce, SaaS, Finance, Healthcare $2,500 $80 2012 Clutch – 5.0 (66 reviews) 150+ Miami, FL Learn More
WebFX Enterprise SEO, Local SEO, Google Local Services Ads Management, Digital Advertising, Ecommerce SEO, Website Design ECommerce, Consumer Goods, SaaS, Retail, Corporate Services, Equipment and Manufacturing $2,500 $100 to $149 1996 Clutch – 4.9 (336 reviews) 300+ Harrisburg, PA Learn More
Ignite Visibility International Search Marketing, Local Search Marketing, Pay Per Click Advertising, Social Media Marketing, Email Marketing, Public Relations, Website Design & Development, Amazon Marketing Services, Franchise Marketing Fintech, Financial Services, Health and Wellness, Portable Storage Solutions, Consumer Electronics $2,500 $100 to $149 2013 Clutch – 4.9 (120 reviews) 200+ San Diego, CA Learn More
Thrive Agency Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Pay-per-click (PPC) Ads, Amazon Store Optimization, Copywriting, Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO), Web Design and Development Services Education and Finance, Health/Medical, Home Services, Manufacturing $2,000 $100 to $149 2005 Clutch – 4.7 (87 reviews) 200+ Dallas, TX Learn More
Victorious SEO for Small Business, SEO for Local Services, Enterprise SEO, National SEO, International SEO, New Websites, White-label SEO, SEO Reseller, San Francisco SEO, Niche Sites, Ecommerce, Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, BigCommerce, SaaS, Travel, Real Estate, Luxury, SEO for News Publishers, Cannabis SEO SaaS, Travel, Real Estate, Luxury, SEO for News Publishers, Cannabis $1,000 $100 to $149 2014 Clutch – 4.9 (80 reviews) 25+ San Francisco, CA Learn More
Straight North Digital Marketing, SEO, Paid Advertising, Web Design & Development, Creative Services Manufacturing, Health, Fulfillment, SaaS, Automotive, Digital, Shipping $1,500 $100 to $149 2008 Clutch – 4.7 (123 reviews) 100+ Downers Grove, IL Learn More
HigherVisibility Local SEO Services, E-commerce SEO Services, Website Design Services, Link Building Services, Franchise SEO Services, PPC Management Services, Facebook Ads, Google Ads, PPC Management, Website Design Franchise Brands, Lawyers, ECommerce, Automotive Brands, Financial Services, Home Builders $1,000 $100 to $149 Not provided Clutch – 4.8 (14 reviews) 70+ Memphis, TN Learn More
Coalition Paid Advertising, Online Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Email Marketing, Reputation Management, E-commerce SEO, Lead Gen SEO, Local SEO, Amazon SEO, E-commerce Web Design, Lead Gen Web Design, Headless Web Design Autos & Vehicles, Home & Garden, Office Supplies & Equipment, Fashion, Internet & Telecommunications, Real Estate, Software, Shopping $1,000 $100 to $149 2009 Clutch – 4.8 (104 reviews) 100+ Culver City, CA Learn More
SEO Inc SEO, Local SEO, PPC, Social Media, Web Development, Web Accessibility, Link Detox, Mobile Optimization, Reputation Management, Structured Data Schema Markup Entertainment, Consumer Goods, Technology, Healthcare, Services $1,000 $150-$199 1997 Clutch – 4.5 (21 reviews) 100+ Nashville, TN Learn More
Siege Media Content Strategy, SEO Consulting, Digital PR, Content Marketing, Link Building, Copywriting, Content Creation, Blog Design, Graphic Design SaaS, Fintech, E-commerce $1,000 $100 – $149 2012 Clutch – 4.9 (40 reviews) 50+ Austin, TX Learn More

SeoProfy: Best SEO Agency

SeoProfy started out in 2012 as a Ukraine-based SEO agency working with offshoring clients, before expanding its presence to the US market and establishing its headquarters in Miami, Florida. It was founded by Victor Karpenko, a veteran SEO expert with over 15 years of experience in the field.

Victor started his SEO career by registering and selling domain names and then ranking his own website for relevant keywords. He learned the best practices and strategies of SEO through trial and error and applied them to his clients’ projects.

Some of the key services that SeoProfy provides are

  • Enterprise SEO
  • Niche research
  • Link building SEO service
  • International SEO
  • SEO audits
  • Google penalty recovery

The average hourly rate is $80, and the starting price for projects is $2,500.

A team of over 150 SEO experts currently work on different client projects, with each project receiving a fully dedicated team consisting of a project manager, SEO specialist, team lead, sales representative, and content manager.

What makes SeoProfy one of the top SEO companies?

Its philosophy is to trust data more than experience. The company uses data-driven methods to devise a tailored digital marketing strategy that maximizes online visibility and conversions. From its extensive experience building links, SeoProfy also has access to a large database of over 100,000 website owners and influencers.

SeoProfy operates on various channels, such as its own website, social media platforms, blogs, podcasts, webinars, and industry events. It maintains a strong presence on online directories and review sites like Clutch.

Through the years, SeoProfy has worked with clients from various industries and niches, ranging from startups to Fortune 500 companies. Some of the niches where they have a lot of expertise include SaaS, law, real estate, insurance, private equity, and crypto. Notable clients have included FXTM, AUTODOC, DMarket, Preply, Yolo, Vistacreate, and Jooble.

On average, clients have achieved a 780% return on investment. In one impressive case, SeoProfy helped a client increase their organic clicks from 11,000 per day to 63,000 per day.

Clutch recognized SeoProfy as the Top SEO company for the Gambling and Education niches in 2023.

The agency has also had side projects, such as developing internal tools. Some of these tools include LinkChecker.PRO, which monitors and analyzes backlinks; WatchDog, which tracks website and domain changes automatically; and Command Control, an internal tool for advanced SEO analytics, research, and workflow.

If you want to know what clients say about working with SeoProfy, you can check reviews on Clutch where there are more than 65 reviews, all with a perfect 5.0 rating.

Here are two featured reviews from clients who have realized their SEO goals:

“I was recommended to hire this company by my business partner, who worked with this company from 2017-2018. In the first two days, we had a meeting with a team. During the first week, we received the SEO strategy, and then we had all tasks done within the deadline. In 3 months, organic traffic increased by 47%. No delays, no misunderstanding of the service. I was aware of the statuses of all the tasks. I checked the results in GA and our CRM.”– Product manager for a software services company

“We were struggling with SEO rankings; we worked with an internal team and a few freelancers, but it wasn’t working out, so we brought in SeoProfy. We met the founder of SeoProfy at an event and started working together after that. We’ve seen success with our SEO rankings and have moved to the first page for the main page we’ve been targeting.”– CEO and founder of a product design agency

WebFX

WebFX was founded in 1996 by William Craig. The agency, headquartered in Harrisburg, PA, has over 300 employees who are experts in various fields of digital and content marketing.

You can get a wide range of services from WebFX, including SEO, PPC, web design and development, social media marketing, email marketing, content marketing, video production, and conversion rate optimization. The minimum project cost for the Silver Plan at WebFX is $2,500 and the hourly rate ranges from $100 to $149.

WebFX stands out from other SEO agencies because of its unique approach to digital marketing. The agency utilizes a proprietary software called MarketingCloudFX that leverages artificial intelligence and machine learning to deliver data-driven results. WebFX also offers a transparent pricing model that shows the breakdown of each service and the expected return on investment.

WebFX has completed over 1,000 projects for clients across various sectors such as healthcare, education, manufacturing, retail, finance, law, real estate, and travel, among others. On average, WebFX clients have experienced a 113% increase in their organic traffic, generated over 4.6 million leads, earned over $3.0 billion in revenue, and saved over $2.4 million in advertising costs.

Some of the notable projects that WebFX has completed are redesigning the website of Ocean City New Jersey (OCNJ), increasing the organic traffic of Reynolds Building Solutions by 43%, and boosting their quote requests by 60%.

Customers have left rave reviews praising the company’s professionalism, expertise, creativity, and results. For instance, on Clutch, they have a 4.9 out of 5 rating based on 336 reviews. WebFX was also named the #1 SEO agency in the world by Clutch, the #1 best place to work in Pennsylvania by Inc., and the #1 best digital agency by GoodFirms.

Here are some of the things that clients have said about working with WebFX:

“Their team is easy to work with, friendly, and incredibly creative.”– David Rainen, Owner of Merrimack Valley Psychological Associates, Massachusetts

“They definitely deliver on time and are very responsive to needs, especially reporting that was needed to adjust strategy.”– CMO, Education Company, Arizona

Ignite Visibility

Based in San Diego, CA, Ignite Visibility is a popular digital marketing agency founded in 2013 by John E. Lincoln and Krishnan W. Coughran, JD. The agency boasts over 30 years of combined industry experience and has been vetted by Clutch, Upcity, and Inc. 5000. It has 110 salaried employees and over 100 independent contractors.

Some of the key services that Ignite Visibility provides are

  • Search engine optimization
  • International search marketing
  • Local search marketing
  • Pay per click advertising
  • Social media marketing
  • Email marketing
  • Conversion rate optimization
  • Public relations
  • Website design & development
  • Amazon marketing services
  • Franchise marketing

Ignite Visibility has a minimum project cost of $2,500 and an hourly rate of $100–$149, but most of their projects range from $50,000 to $199,999. What makes Ignite Visibility stand out from other agencies is their thought leadership, which has earned them the reputation of being the most knowledgeable SEO company in the industry. They also have a proprietary digital marketing forecasting system called Certainty Tech, which gives their clients an edge over their competitors.

Ignite Visibility has worked with some of the biggest brands in the world, such as Tony Robbins, Davis Instruments, Accuride International, Army & Navy Academy, and SHARP. They have also achieved impressive results for their clients, such as a 122% increase in organic new users, a 22,707% increase in organic impressions, and a 250% increase in lead volume.

Ignite Visibility has received good reviews from their clients on Clutch, where they have an average rating of 4.9 out of 5 stars. Here are some of the testimonials from their satisfied customers:

“With Ignite you truly feel the passion in your brand from their team and they avoid the approach of just sending another invoice to better themselves.”– Vice President, CAMO Holding dba CAMO Energy

“Since partnering with Ignite Visibility, they have increased our lead volume by 400%—their work is the heart of what produces our revenue.”– Digital Media Manager, Tony Robbins

Thrive Agency

Thrive Internet Marketing Agency is a full-service digital marketing agency, now based in Arlington, TX, that was founded by Matt Bowman in 2005. It has 200 employees in 35 states and 11 countries and has been recognized with awards from several platforms such as Clutch, The Manifest, and Find the Best SEO. Thrive is also certified by Google, Shopify, and Microsoft.

Thrive offers a variety of online marketing services, such as SEO, PPC, Amazon store optimization, copywriting, and CRO. The agency also provides web design and development services for both e-commerce and B2B companies, as well as video production, content writing, and social media marketing.

Thrive’s minimum project cost is $2,000 and its hourly rate is $100–$149. The most common project size is $10,000 to $49,000.

The agency’s uniqueness lies in its focus on client relationships and results. Thrive’s team also works closely with its clients to understand their goals and needs and deliver customized solutions that drive traffic, conversions, and revenue.

Over the years, they have completed many successful projects for clients across various industries, such as education, finance, healthcare, home services, and manufacturing. Some of their notable clients include Farah Law Firm, Nationwide Construction, Moody Neurorehabilitation Institute, and The Bug Master.

For instance, they helped Farah Law Firm increase their website traffic by 664% and their online leads by 360% through SEO and PPC campaigns. Through a website audit and optimization initiative, they also helped Nationwide Construction boost their site’s visitors by 21.47%, search traffic by 126.50%, online leads by 800%, and conversion rate by 640.92%.

Thrive Agency has an average review rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars from 86 total reviews on Clutch. Here are some of the testimonials from their satisfied clients:

“They have been excellent in their service and providing exactly what we have asked for. Our website is seeing more visits and driving more traffic.”– Business Development Coordinator, Moody Neurorehabilitation Institute

“Their commitment to customer service is impressive.”– Operations Manager, Full Service Moving Company

Victorious

Victorious was founded in 2014 by Michael Transon, who still serves as the CEO. They are based in San Francisco and have about 25 to 50 employees and contractors. Clients enjoy a range of SEO services, including on-page SEO and off-page optimization, keyword research, SEO audit, and link building. Some of the sectors that Victorious specializes in are eCommerce, SaaS, travel, real estate, luxury, SEO for news publishers, and cannabis SEO.

The agency has won several awards and accolades from reputable organizations. They were named Agency of the Year by both the US Search Awards and Search Engine Land, as well as Enterprise SEO Agency of the Year by Clutch. Victorious has similarly featured on the INC 5000 list of fastest-growing SEO companies in America.

What sets Victorious apart from other SEO service providers is their unique methodology, which combines human expertise and technology to deliver fast and effective results. The agency has completed many successful projects for its clients, delivering impressive results such as a 780% return on investment, 26,740 ranking keywords, and 104,457 annual organic traffic.

One of their most recent and notable projects was for Eden Health, a healthcare company that wanted to attract new customers through SEO. Victorious helped Eden Health rank for 55 new, unbranded keywords in the top three SERPs, boosting their online visibility and conversions. Victorious has worked with other well-known brands, such as Flipboard, AngelList, Wayfair, TopGolf, Stitchlabs, HEAP, FastSpring, ENPLUG, Klipfolio, BlinkHealth, and Groupon.

Victorious has also received positive feedback from its past clients, who have praised the agency’s customer service, account management, tools, and results. On Clutch, a platform that reviews B2B service providers, Victorious has a 4.9-star rating from 80 reviews. Some of the testimonials from clients include

“I’m most impressed with their incredible customer service and hands-on account management paired with high-quality tools and provable results!”– Senior Content & Marketing Manager, Tenstreet, Tulsa, OK

“Started at 500 ranking keywords, now at over 2,000. With the help of Victorious, we have been able to expand our SEO knowledge to the wider university system web dev team.”– Communications Manager, University of Miami

Straight North

Straight North is a well-known digital marketing agency located in Downers Grove, IL. It was founded in 2008 by Duffy and David Duerr, who combined their skills in graphic design, marketing, and executive management to create a full-service firm. In 2013, Straight North expanded its national presence by acquiring Ephricon Web Marketing, the largest SEO firm in Charlotte.

Straight North has been recognized as one of the best web design firms in the industry. The agency has over 100 professionals working on various aspects of digital marketing, from an SEO strategy to execution. Some of the key services that Straight North provides are

  • Digital marketing
  • SEO
  • Paid advertising
  • Web design & development
  • Creative services

The agency has been in business for over 15 years and provides the following benefits for its clients: transparent and collaborative business style; superior account management system; focus on the end result, and a full-time team of highly skilled and experienced professionals.

Prices for SEO services at Straight North start at $1,500 per month, with most of their clients investing $4,000 to $8,000 per month on SEO services.

Straight North has worked with clients from various industries, such as manufacturing, healthcare, education, and finance. They have been proud to serve established brands and organizations like Beers, Conduent, The Joint Commission, Naf Naf, Clover, and DFIN. The agency has also developed some innovative tools that are available for free online, including the Header Check Tool, Bulk Hosting Check Tool, and SEO Site Audit Tool.

The digital agency has received positive feedback from its clients on Clutch, where it has a 4.7-star rating from 123 reviews. Here are two excerpts of featured reviews:

“The process was smooth, and the team was flexible and responsive. When we had any issues, Straight North was able to solve them.”– Client Representative, Distributors Choice, Inc.

“Straight North has met every monthly goal each month; the quality of their work is top-notch. All their suggestions have been awesome. We were very impressed with their initial presentation.”– Accounting & Office Manager, Industrial Equipment Supplier

HigherVisibility

HigherVisibility was founded in 2008 by Adam Heitzman and David McElveen and has been delivering high-quality results to its clients since 2009. The agency has won several awards, including being named the Best Full-Service SEO and SEM Agency by Forbes, and the SEO Agency of the Year four times.

Based in Memphis, TN, it has about 72 employees tasked with offering a wide range of services, including

  • Local SEO
  • E-commerce SEO
  • Website design
  • Link building
  • Franchise SEO
  • PPC management
  • Facebook ads
  • Google ads
  • SEO auditing
  • Conversion optimization
  • Reseller program management
  • Website maintenance

The minimum project cost is $1,000, with an hourly rate of $100–$149.

HigherVisibility’s specialty is tailoring their SEO strategies to the specific needs and goals of each client. Some of the companies that HigherVisibility has worked with before include

  • Franchise brands: Orangetheory, Ziebart, Hotworx, Lawn Doctor
  • Law firms: Mandfredlaw.com, Alverson + O’Brien, Law Office of Kenneth W.Brashier
  • E-commerce: Brilliant Earth, ScripHessco
  • Automotive brands: Caliber Collision, HONDA O’Brien, Newroads, Online Auto Loans
  • Financial services: Evolve Bank & Trust, Title Max
  • Home builders: Restoration Roofing, Magnolia Homes, Eclipse Shading Systems

HigherVisibility has achieved impressive results for its clients, such as

  • For Allied Van Lines – 58% year-over-year increase in organic traffic
  • For Brilliant Earth – 36% year-over-year increase in organic traffic
  • For Orangetheory – 146% year-over-year increase in organic leads

HigherVisibility has received positive ratings and reviews on various platforms, such as

  • G2 – 4.5/5 from 12 reviews
  • Clutch – 4.8/5 from 14 reviews
  • BrightLocal – 4.5/5 from 123 reviews

Here are some featured reviews from HigherVisibility clients:

“The current website is much better than what we had before. It’s more streamlined and looks more professional. HigherVisibility was fast and did a lot of the work for us, enabling our team to focus on the business. The site was launched online very fast.”– Office Manager, Insurance Company, FL

“They are better prepared and more professional than all other SEO agencies I worked with before.”– Former CEO, Credit Marketing Company, New York City

Coalition Technologies

Founded in 2009 by Joel Gross, Coalition Technologies offers a wide range of digital marketing services, including paid advertising, social media marketing, email marketing, and reputation management. The company is based in Culver City, CA, and has over 100 employees across Los Angeles, Seattle, and globally.

The agency specializes in SEO for e-commerce, lead generation, local businesses, and Amazon sellers. Additionally, Coalition Technologies provides web design services with a specialty in working with different CMS and e-commerce platforms, such as WordPress, Shopify, Magento, and BigCommerce.

The minimum project cost at Coalition Technologies is $1,000 per month, and the hourly rate ranges from $100 to $149.

So, what sets Coalition Technologies apart from other players? Instead of guesswork, Coalition Technologies bases its SEO strategies on over a decade of research and scientifically proven data, so clients get real results and the highest ROI possible. Moreover, Coalition Technologies is confident in its work and does not require inflexible 12- or 24-month contracts.

Coalition Technologies has worked on over 780 projects, and many of its case studies can be accessed from its main website. In one of their most recent projects for Starfire Direct, the agency’s recommendations increased the company’s overall revenue by 75% in the first year. The home design products company also saw improvements in its transactions, conversion rate, and organic revenue.

Coalition Technologies continues to maintain positive ratings across various review sites for its dedication to offering great services:

  • Google: 4.7 from 119 reviews
  • Facebook: 4.8 from 54 reviews
  • Clutch.co: 4.8 from 104 reviews

Here are some featured reviews from Coalition Technologies clients:

“Before Coalition SEO, Eighty Six Brand averaged about $1,000/day in gross retail sales. Now we are averaging about $3,200–$3,500/day. About 65% of that comes from Google organic search”– Marketing Director, Eighty Six Brand, South El Monte, CA

“Coalition Technologies has helped us build our website in WordPress from scratch, and they now provide us with SEO services for it. They’ve also helped us manage our Google My Business account, and they’ve used Cloudways for hosting.”– CEO, Lofi Delivery, Oakland, CA

SEO Inc

SEO Inc got its start in 1997 as the brainchild of Garry Grant, a renowned SEO expert who now has over 25 years of experience in the field. It has its headquarters in Nashville, TN, and a team of about 100 employees. While it mainly focuses on SEO, the agency offers other services, including social media marketing, web development, link detoxing, mobile optimization, reputation management, and structured data schema markup.

SEO Inc. charges $150–$199 per hour and has a minimum project size of $1,000.

Some of the companies that SEO Inc has had the privilege to work with include

  • Entertainment: 20th Century Fox, MacWorld
  • Consumer Goods: SC Johnson, PAUL Mitchell, Sandals, Boats.com, Bug-A-Salt
  • Technology: McAfee, Foxit, Jotform
  • Healthcare: Medicare.com, OX Fresh
  • Services: WeddingWire, Teleflora

SEO Inc has a proven track record of delivering results for its clients. For instance, SEO Inc helped Boats.com, a leading online marketplace for boats, to achieve top 10 rankings on Google for four important keywords (boat loans, boat insurance, boat warranty, and boat shipping) without losing their #1 ranking for the keyword “boats.”

Clients who have worked with SEO Inc have praised their professionalism, expertise, communication, and results. On Clutch, SEO Inc has a 4.5/5 rating based on 21 reviews. Additionally, on Featured Customers, another review site gives SEO Inc a 4.7/5 rating based on 1,723 reviews. SEO Inc. has been also recognized as one of the top SEO companies by Clutch, Inc. 500, and the Landy Awards.

Here are some of the testimonials from Clutch clients:

“They do an excellent job collaborating with us and explaining the analytics. The project provided us with the tools to successfully manage our business, giving us a very cost-effective roadmap moving forward.”– Vice President, The Levy Group

“Our Organic sessions have increased by 124% since working with SEO Inc. and our organic e-commerce revenue has increased by 63%. In fact, in July we spent 76% less on Google than we did last year and our e-commerce conversion rate.”– President, Bug-A-Salt

Siege Media

Siege Media focuses on content marketing by helping clients create engaging and SEO-optimized articles that rank well on Google. Ross Hudgens, who has a background in building and ranking websites in competitive niches, founded the company in 2012. Since then, the agency has been recognized as one of the fastest-growing private SEO companies in the US and one of the best places to work in San Diego.

Siege Media is based in Austin, Texas, but they also have offices in San Diego and New York. They have over 75 employees who work on various aspects of content marketing, such as content strategy, SEO consulting, digital PR, link building, copywriting, content creation, blog design, and graphic design.

Top brands have come calling for quality content, including Airbnb, Audible, Chime, Asana, Zapier, Quicken Loans, Adidas, Norton, The Zebra, and Casper. Siege Media’s minimum project cost is $100 per hour, and they require a minimum of 10 hours per month for their services.

Siege Media’s unique specialty is its ability to utilize a combination of data-driven insights, storytelling skills, and design expertise to produce content that stands out and attracts attention from both users and search engines. They also have a strong network of relationships with influencers and journalists who can help amplify their content and generate more exposure and traffic for their clients.

Their content accounts for approximately $12,387,175/mo in client traffic value, which translates to $148,646,100 per year. One of their success stories is working for The Zebra, an insurance comparison website, for which they created fresh, new content in the competitive insurance niche. As a result, they helped The Zebra earn 1,580+ links to their resources page and increased their organic traffic by 354%.

Siege Media’s clients mainly laud the agency’s expertise, creativity, and professionalism. Here are some of the testimonials from their clients:

“In terms of content marketing, they help us execute our ideas through their knowledge. Siege Media’s team supports us in writing informational content for our products to lead potential customers to the product pages.”– Executive, SaaS Company, Los Angeles, CA

“The content of Siege Media produced the highest quality content I’ve ever seen from an agency. They were on par with the best content I’ve received from any freelancer.”– Managing Editor, SaaS Blog, Hartford, CT

How to Choose an SEO Company

Choosing an SEO company is not an easy decision. It’s akin to recruiting and onboarding a whole new team to work with you on your SEO goals. Given the sizable investment, you want to make sure that they are reliable, trustworthy, and competent.

How do you find the right fit? There are three main factors that you need to consider when choosing an SEO company: capacity, capability, and compatibility. Capacity refers to whether they have the resources and time to handle your project. Capability refers to whether they have the skills and experience to deliver the results you want. Compatibility refers to whether they fit your budget, your working style, and your expectations.

In this section, we’ll provide some tips on how to evaluate these factors so you can find the best SEO companies for your needs, budget, and challenges.

What is SEO? A dive into search engine optimization

SEO stands for search engine optimization, the practice of improving the quality and quantity of traffic to your website from search engine results pages. The essence of SEO is getting your pages to be selected and ranked for particular keywords that the users have naturally entered into the search engine as they look for information, services, products, directions, etc. It’s important to get more visitors to your page, where their iterative interactions can end up bringing more revenue to your business.

But SEO is not only about ranking higher on search engines—it’s also about understanding your audience and providing them with the best possible experience on your site. So, the goal throughout the process is to adequately meet the user’s needs. This means thinking about who they are, what they need, their main pain points, and how they learn about their environment and explore the world. Then it’s your mission to provide the things they are looking for.

This type of user-centric thinking is fundamental, but sometimes overlooked when developing an SEO campaign, which may only focus on short-term gains. For example, the team might work to boost rankings for service pages, while neglecting to create a full inbound digital strategy designed to interact with customers at all stages of their buyer’s journey, from awareness to consideration.

Grasping the essence of SEO and its business significance is crucial for any online marketer who wants to succeed in the competitive digital landscape. SEO is not a one-time project, but a continuous process that requires constant monitoring, analysis, and optimization.

Why you need SEO

SEO is essential for growing your organic traffic, which is more lasting and reliable than paid media. By ranking naturally for relevant keywords, you can attract the right visitors, the ones who are likely to become your customers. SEO can also help you establish your authority and credibility in your niche by ensuring your pages are highly visible.

What are SEO services?

SEO services are designed to help your website rank higher on search engines, such as Google, Bing, or Yahoo. The service you need will vary depending on your business, target audience, location, industry, and goals. Here are some common types of SEO services, and how they can benefit your site:

  • International SEO: This service helps you optimize your site for different countries and languages. If you have a global audience or want to expand your reach to new markets, international SEO can help you create a user-friendly, culturally relevant site for each region.
  • ILocal search marketing: Tailored for local businesses with in-person visits, this service helps you rank higher for local searches, such as “pizza near me” or “dentist in Seattle.” If you have a physical location or serve a specific area, local search marketing can help you attract more local customers and increase your visibility on maps and directories.
  • IFranchise SEO: This service helps you optimize your site for multiple locations or franchises. If you have a chain of businesses or offer services in different areas, franchise SEO can help you create a consistent and effective online presence for each location.
  • IEnterprise SEO: Targeting big players in highly competitive industries, this service helps large businesses rank higher for competitive and high-volume keywords, such as “insurance” or “travel.” If you have a large, complex website or operate in a highly competitive industry, enterprise SEO can help you achieve your business goals and outrank your competitors.
  • INiche research: If you have a specialized product or service, or want to reach a specific audience, niche research can help you find the best opportunities and gaps in the market. It may entail finding and targeting the most profitable keywords and topics for your niche.
  • ILink building SEO service: Building links is at the heart of establishing your website’s trust and building its authority. So, with link building, you get help acquiring high-quality and relevant links from other websites to your site, using strategies such as broken link building, niche edits, guest posting, and creating link magnets, among others.
  • ISEO audits: Technical site issues such as slow-loading pages or duplicate content can hurt your site’s ranking. SEO audits help reveal major issues impacting your site’s performance. Once they are discovered, the service can implement the recommended fixes to improve your site’s performance, usability, and compliance with SEO best practices.
  • IGoogle penalty recovery: This service helps you recover from a Google penalty, which is a drop in ranking or traffic due to a violation of Google’s guidelines. If you have been hit by a penalty, such as Panda or Penguin, Google penalty recovery can help you restore your site’s ranking and reputation by removing any harmful links or content.
  • ITechnical SEO: The service is designed to optimize your site’s structure, speed, security, and coding for search engines. Technical SEO is the foundation of any successful SEO strategy, as it ensures that your site is crawlable, indexable, fast, and secure.

Now let’s take a look at some things to consider when choosing the best SEO company for your needs.

Short-term and long-term goals

When you are looking for SEO services, it is important to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve in the short term and the long term. Short-term goals are tasks that can be done quickly and easily, such as fixing technical issues on your website that may affect your ranking. For example, you may want to improve your site speed, fix broken links, optimize your meta tags, or update your sitemap. These are things that can be completed in the first weeks or months of working with an SEO agency.

Long-term goals take more time and effort to achieve, such as building backlinks, creating high-quality content, increasing your organic traffic, or ranking for competitive keywords. With these projects, it may take months or even years to see results. For example, you may want to increase your organic traffic by 25% in six months or rank on the first page of Google for a specific keyword.

Before you approach an SEO agency, you should discuss these goals with your team and make sure they are realistic and measurable. You should also communicate them clearly to the agency during your initial consultation. A good SEO agency will be honest with you about what they can and cannot do for you, and how long it will take. They will also help you adjust your expectations and set realistic milestones along the way.

Expertise matters: Evaluating experience

One of the factors to consider when choosing an SEO agency is their depth and length of experience, as it reflects the level of skill and knowledge that the agency will bring to performing your tasks. Experience working on large projects can be useful if your website needs a lot of improvement. Familiarity with backlinking means that the agency has a wide network of partners that they can collaborate with to create links for your website.

Moreover, experience working in your niche is also beneficial, because an SEO agency needs to have a deep understanding of your business, your main competitors, how your customers engage with your content, and other aspects of your market. Hiring an agency that has worked with similar clients before can help save you time and help you achieve your goals.

To find out if they have that experience, you can ask them directly: a good agency should be honest. Or you can look at their previous reviews, where their company or role is mentioned.

Structure of an SEO agency team

When you want to hire a digital marketing agency, you should check its structure and expertise. A good team should have competent, fully-involved leadership that oversees client projects and offers support and guidance. You should also find out who will be in charge of your project and what roles they have. For example, you may work with a Project Manager, an SEO Specialist, a Content Strategist, and so on. You should meet them and see how they communicate and solve problems. The team will be your main contact and they will help deliver the results, so choose wisely. A call that includes the whole team may be helpful to discuss your project needs.

Case studies and client reviews

Looking at an agency’s previous projects and seeing how they helped their clients achieve their goals can help you judge whether the agency is good at what it does. You can start by visiting their website and reading their case studies if they have any. Case studies are detailed reports that show you the problem that the client presented, the solution that the agency provided, and the results that they achieved. They can give you a clear idea of the agency’s skills, strategies, and methods.

Another way to evaluate an SEO agency is to check its customer reviews on independent platforms. Review sites collect feedback from customers who have worked with different SEO agencies and rate them based on various criteria. Some of the most popular platforms are Google Reviews, Clutch, Featured Customers, and Upcity.

Clutch happens to be quite good for detailed reviews because they have representatives who call and interview customers and verify their information. Their customer interviews can tell you important things like how many people were involved in the project, the scope of work, and the areas of improvement.

How much does SEO cost?

Before you hire an agency to help you with your digital marketing needs, you should have a clear idea of how much their services will cost. The price of an agency’s work depends on how much time and effort they will put into it, which they usually calculate by multiplying their hourly rate by the number of hours they estimate. Some SEO companies may also give you a ballpark figure based on their previous experience with similar clients. However, you should also be aware of the average rates and project sizes of most US-based digital marketing agencies, so you can compare and negotiate better.

According to our research, the average hourly rate ranges from $100 to $149, and the minimum project size starts from $1,000. The average project size can vary from $10,000 to $100,000, depending on how long and complex the project is. Some projects may require continuous work for months or even years, as new content or pages are created and optimized. Therefore, when you talk to an agency after choosing them, make sure you ask them about any extra fees or hidden costs that they may charge you, such as content creation fees, signup fees, or setup fees. This way, you can plan your budget accordingly and make sure that SEO is a sustainable investment for your business.

Communication and reporting

Communication and reporting are at the heart of a successful collaboration with an SEO agency. The reports provide follow-up metrics after the agency completes their work for your website and show the effect on your ranking, traffic, and conversions. Some of the most important reports to get from an SEO agency include

  • Keyword ranking report: Showing how your target keywords are performing, along with changes in ranking over time.
  • Link building report: Cataloging the number and quality of backlinks that the agency has acquired for your website.
  • Technical SEO audit report: Outlining technical issues and errors that affect your website’s crawlability and indexability.
  • Content marketing report: Detailing the content creation and promotion activities that the agency has executed.

Some agencies take the extra step of providing you access to their custom dashboards and forecasting software, which display real-time data and insights on your SEO performance.

However, it is not enough for the agency to provide reports that are exported from SEO service tools such as Ahrefs. Beyond just providing raw data, the agency should also provide custom reports reflecting their analysis of your data. They should explain the meaning, implications, and recommendations of each report in a clear and concise manner.

Moreover, it is important for the agency to provide regular communication and feedback throughout the engagement. For instance, it may be important to have weekly check-ups to discuss the progress, issues, and expectations with the agency.

Contract duration

The contract duration depends on your specific needs and budget, but generally speaking, SEO is a long-term investment that requires at least 6 to 12 months of consistent work before you see noticeable results. If you sign a contract for a shorter period, you may not give the agency enough time to implement their strategies and optimize your website. On the other hand, if you sign a contract for a longer period, you may pay more than necessary or become locked into a relationship that is not working for you.

Therefore, it is important to set clear and realistic expectations with the SEO agency before signing the contract. You should discuss your goals, budget, timeline, and performance indicators with them and make sure they are aligned with your vision. You should also establish the conditions for renewal or termination of the contract, such as what happens if you are not satisfied with the results or if you want to switch to another agency.

Being limited to a specific contract duration is not necessarily a bad thing, as it shows that the SEO agency is committed to your project and has allocated the necessary resources and staff to work on it. However, you should always be careful and read the fine print before signing anything. A good SEO agency will be transparent and flexible with you and won’t pressure you into a long-term contract that does not suit your needs.

SEO tools and technologies

One of the factors that can affect the quality and effectiveness of SEO services is the choice of tools and technologies used by the SEO agency. As a client, you should be aware of the tools the agency uses, how they use them, and the benefits they bring to your project.

An upfront agency will be transparent about its tools and explain how they help solve your specific problems. It will also show you how it adapts to new technologies and uses advanced features such as analytics, AI, or machine learning to optimize its workflows and deliver more value.

Some of the SEO tools that are commonly used by SEO agencies include

  • Majestic: One of the most commonly used tools for analyzing the backlink profile of a website, Majestic can gauge the quality and quantity of links pointing to a website. It provides metrics such as trust flow and citation flow.
  • Ahrefs: With the second-most active crawler after Google, Ahrefs stands out from other SEO tools for providing the most comprehensive data on keywords, rankings, traffic, competitors, content, and other factors. Most SEO providers use it to perform keyword research, competitor analysis, content analysis, site audit, and rank tracking.
  • ScreamingFrog: This spider crawler crawls a website with the aim of detecting technical issues such as inaccessible URLs, broken links, or orphaned pages. By using crawlers like ScreamingFrog, agencies detect crawlability issues that other crawlers experience.
  • Google Analytics: Provided for free by Google, this tool can track all the interactions that take place on your site, and provides powerful reports that tell you who is visiting your site, their intent, and their behaviors. Most agencies offer GA tracking as part of their package and it can effectively indicate whether their efforts are having an impact.
  • LinkChecker Pro: Though not as common, LinkChecker Pro is built for agencies that undertake link building on scale. It can help with real-time monitoring of links, checking for errors, and poor domain quality, among other things.
The Top SaaS & Software SEO Agencies
Name Clients
SEOProfy Preply, AUTODOC, Jooble, Softplicity
Siege Media AirBnB, Audible, Zaiper, Zendesk
Victorious FlipBoard, Stichlabs, Klifolio
Foxit McAfee, Foxit, Jotform
Coalition Technologies Laserfiche, Fifth Vantage, Jasper PIM
The Top Financial & Business SEO Agencies
Name Clients
SEOProfy Loan Affiliate Network Program, 3commas, Freedom Finance EU, FXTM
Thrive Internet Marketing Agency Wilcox Investment Bankers, Affiliated Bank
Ignite Visibility Restaurant Accounting Services, Inc. (RASI), The Maids International
HigherVisibility DexStrats, Financial Services Group
Victorious Jetpack Workflow
The Top Home Services SEO Agencies
Names Clients
Straight North Gene May Heating & Cooling
HigherVisibility Presto Cleaning, Home Contractor
Coalition Technologies Tayse, The London Brow Company
WebFX Boiler Rentals & Services Company, Lane Southern Orchards, Cornett Roofing Systems
The Top Real Estate & Legal SEO Agencies
Names Clients
Thrive Internet Marketing Agency Lifetime HOA Management, Real Estate Investor
SEOProfy Tranio, Hometown Hero
Coalition Technologies Rent Spree, Nielas, Inc.
Siege Media Caliber Real Estate
Victorious PropertyForce, Lawyer Exchange, Valiente Mott Injury Attorneys
The Top SEO Agencies for Manufacturers & Construction
Names Clients
Ignite Visibility Accuride International, Davis Instruments
Straight North Current Midwest, Industrial Service Solutions, DuroVac
Thrive Internet Marketing Agency VESSEL Tools USA, Inc., Grow Strong Industries, Noble International
Victorious A&G Electric, Norseman Structures, Imprint.com
The Top Healthcare & Wellness SEO Agencies
Names Clients
SEOProfy Licensing & Credentialing Company, ASKGrowers
Straight North Legacy Recovery Center, UnityPoint Solutions
WebFX Merrimack Valley Psychological Associates, Bookimed
Coalition Technologies Salameh Plastic Surgery, Intimate Body Care
Thrive Internet Marketing Agency Florida Center for Hormones and Wellness

Conclusion

The agency you choose will have a direct impact on the results you get, as SEO relies heavily on experience, expertise, and execution. For instance, hiring a slow agency, or one that produces sub-par content or fails to fix all technical issues will lead to Google ignoring your site in search engine rankings. There are no two ways about it, and there are no shortcuts!

So, as you search for an SEO company, be prepared to adequately review each agency to make sure they meet all your requirements. They should have an experienced team, strong leadership, some familiarity with your niche, and reasonable pricing and terms.

That’s why we’ve placed SeoProfy at the top of our list as the all-around best choice for SEO needs. SeoProfy is not just another SEO company that promises quick keyword jumps. It uses a data-driven process that analyzes over 300 data points of your website and SEO, so they know exactly where you stand and what you need to improve.

The agency has also created its own tools to fill in the gaps that other SEO companies miss. For example, LinkChecker.PRO is used to monitor and analyze your backlinks, as well as identify and remove any links that are hurting your traffic. WatchDog is used to track website and domain changes automatically, so you can respond rapidly if a domain becomes available or a competitor makes a move.

SeoProfy is not a one-size-fits-all SEO company. It has taken time to focus on SEO exclusively, starting with the experts it hires. The team of over 200 SEO specialists has experience working across international markets, so the agency can handle any challenge or opportunity that comes its way.

Its reviews speak for themselves. The agency has maintained a 5-star rating on average, something other agencies have struggled with, even reputable names with many years in the game.

Don’t settle for less than the best when it comes to your SEO. If you want to work with an SEO company that is confident, transparent, and tailored to your project, book a free consultation with SeoProfy today. They will only take on your project if they are sure they can deliver the results you are after.

Frequently Asked Questions About SEO Companies

What does an SEO company do?

An SEO company is a business that helps other companies improve their online visibility and ranking on search engines like Google, Bing, or Yahoo. The main activity revolves around optimizing a website to match the keywords and queries that users are searching for. An SEO company can provide various services, such as keyword research, content creation, link building, technical SEO, and local SEO. By hiring the right SEO company, you can benefit from their expertise, experience, and tools.

Can I do SEO myself?

Doing SEO by yourself is totally possible and can be rewarding. We have seen many clients who successfully managed their own SEO projects, either by working with freelancers or by leading in-house teams. Some sought help when they needed some guidance on tricky SEO aspects like technical optimization and link building. You need to learn the basics, choose the right tools, allocate the proper resources, and track your progress.

Which SEO company is best?

There is no definitive answer to the question of which SEO company is best, as different agencies may suit different clients depending on their goals, budget, industry, and preferences. For example, if you are looking for a specialized SEO agency that can handle complex aspects of SEO such as link building, you may want to check out SeoProfy. On the other hand, if you are looking for a comprehensive digital marketing solution that includes paid media, you may want to consider Ignite Visibility.

How long does SEO take?

SEO takes between 6 and 12 months on average, depending on the industry, competition, and goals. One of the main reasons why SEO takes so long is the way search engines crawl and index web pages. Google, for example, uses complex algorithms and bots to scan billions of pages and determine their relevance and authority for different queries. The process can take days, weeks, or even months before new or updated pages appear in the search results.

How much does an agency charge for SEO?

The cost of SEO services varies depending on the type and scope of the project. Some agencies may offer flat-rate pricing for projects that have clear and measurable outcomes, such as link building, where the price per link can be calculated. Likewise, agencies may charge an hourly rate for projects that involve more complex and customized tasks, such as technical audits and fixes. The pricing cost will then depend on how many hours are spent optimizing the website.

How can I improve my website’s search ranking?

We recommend following the best practices suggested by Google Search Essentials. They include creating useful, trustworthy, and people-oriented content. You also need to deliver a high-quality page experience, which involves a fast loading speed and a responsive, engaging design. You can measure your page experience by checking the Core Web Vitals of your pages, which are a set of metrics that Google uses to evaluate user satisfaction. However, keep in mind that Google considers many other factors that indicate a positive user experience.

What are the benefits of hiring an SEO agency?

An SEO agency has a team of experts who can optimize your site for the keywords that matter to your audience and your goals. They can handle all aspects of SEO, from content creation to technical audits, without being distracted by other issues in your company that you manage. You also save time and money by outsourcing SEO to a reliable partner. And you don’t have to worry about finding and managing freelancers, as the agency will take care of everything for you.

How do I choose a reliable SEO company?

To find a reliable SEO company, you need to evaluate different aspects of their service and performance. Some of the factors you should look at are their experience in your niche, level of expertise, communication strategy, systems and technologies, and team members. You should also have a personal consultation with the team, and if possible, meet them face to face. This will help you to establish trust and rapport with the company you choose.