Unfortunately, most ‘best SEO companies in America’ lists allow you to pay to be included! This goes against the very fabric of what SEO is about – which is the ability to get your site higher ORGANICALLY, rather than by paying. Well… when I saw our ‘best SEO companies’ list was ranking nationally – I knew I could create something more useful for people searching that term.
- I could just use this list to fluff my friend’s egos
- I could be super light on research, and just use who other lists say is awesome
- I could not give super specific reasons why each company made the list
Instead, I’ve decided to take a hard look at the actual metrics that would showcase SEO skill for themselves, evidence of serious effectiveness for clients, evaluating their niches, and reviews.
1. Ignite Visibility
SEO skill for themselves:
Serious effectiveness for clients:
On their homepage, featured case studies cite 106% increase in organic traffic increase because the name of the client was not shared we were unable to independently verify these dramatic results, but depending on the niche, that’s quite impressive!
Niche:
They do not have a clear, listed niche on their homepage, but by looking at Ahrefs rankings Local Lead Generation, Amazon Consulting, and Fitness marketing were three things they were trying to rank for that may be strong areas for them.
Reviews:
4.8 Stars – Rated by 21 People – According to Google
2. Webris
SEO skill for themselves:
The homepage of Webris featured a section of their top-performing clients, with their most impressive receiving a 230% increase in organic traffic over a 9 year period.
Niche:
There is not a specific niche that they list on their website, but after searching in Ahrefs, law firms and Crossfit were two things they were ranking for, so they may have seen success in those areas of work.
Reviews:
4.8 stars – Rated by 68 people – According to Facebook
3. Straight North
SEO skill for themselves:
Serious effectiveness for clients:
For their client Premiere Works, Straight North was able to increase organic traffic by 2,694%, and improve sales lead by 209%. Those are very impressive numbers.
Niche:
Is “just about everything” specified as a niche?? They have a list of markets they serve and it includes quite a bit.
Reviews:
4.6 stars – Rated by 11 people – According to Google
4. Blue Corona
SEO skill for themselves:
Serious effectiveness for clients:
A case study on the Blue Corona page for windows and doors showed an increase of 1,613% in organic traffic. These types of results typically take years of consistent work and do not happen overnight.
Niche:
Their niche is specific to business to consumer, but serve almost every industry in the area.
Reviews:
5.0 stars – Rated by 62 people – According to Google
5. Hook Agency
SEO skill for themselves:
Serious effectiveness for clients:
From the results of case studies done, Hook Agency has found that its clients receive an average increase of 130% in leads for their average client…… That’s a very high number to average. One of the most impressive case studies comes from a case study done on Northface Construction, where they increased website views by 458% in only one year!
Niche:
Reviews:
5.0 stars – Rated by 42 people – According to Google
6. Sure Oak SEO
SEO skill for themselves:
Serious effectiveness for clients:
Sure Oaks had a case study done where they received an increase of 538% in organic traffic in only two months. This was done by earning backlinks from .edu websites, as they are the most authoritative and trusted on the web. However, it is important to know that these types of results rarely happen, as these were the fastest results they have ever received.
Niche:
The Sure Oak website does not have a defined niche, but Ahrefs shows them as trying to rank for Solar, education, and B2B, so they may have found success in these areas.
Reviews:
5.0 stars – Rated by 7 people – According to Google
7. Scorpion
SEO skill for themselves:
Serious effectiveness for clients:
In their Success Stories, they list a legal client, The Hammer, and show they were able to get a 245% increase in overall leads over three years of working with this client and sticking with the process.
Niche:
The key industries that Scorpion works with are Legal, Healthcare, Franchise, Home Services, Small Business’, and Medical.
Reviews:
4.9 stars – Rated by 149 people – According to Google
8. OuterBox Design
SEO skill for themselves:
Serious effectiveness for clients:
In a case study they did for their client, Boat & RV Accessories, OuterBox was able to increase their organic search traffic by 244%, as well as increase their organic revenue by 196%. They did this by building a new website and making it as SEO friendly as possible.
Niche:
Although they said they work with many different industries, e-commerce is a defined target for them, and one of the three specialties they advertise.
Reviews:
4.6 stars – Rated by 11 people – According to Google
9. BrightEdge
SEO skill for themselves:
Serious effectiveness for clients:
BrightEdge has a case study for an e-commerce retail company called Finish Line where they were able to generate a 258% increase in their organic traffic. This is very impressive, especially because Finish Line is already a big player in their market.
Niche:
I was not able to find a specific niche, even when looking through Ahrefs it was tough to find a specific area they target towards.
Reviews:
3.9 Stars – Rated by 7 People – According to Google
10. Seer Interactive
SEO skill for themselves:
Serious effectiveness for clients:
On their homepage, they have a case study for a SAAS client where they were able to use a strategy that increased their organic conversion rate by 31% and their organic traffic by 103%.
Niche:
They do not have a clear listed niche on their website. They have a wide variety of industries they work with and did not have a clear industry on the rankings in Ahrefs.
Reviews:
4.6 Stars – Rated by 11 People – According to Google
11. WebFX
SEO skill for themselves:
Serious effectiveness for clients:
WebFX has a very impressive client retention rate of 91%. They are able to average a 23% increase in traffic for mid-size businesses they work with.
Niche:
Their niche is pretty vague and non-specific. Their website says they do work with mid-large size companies.
Reviews:
4.8 Stars – Rated by 76 People – According to Google
12. Thrive Agency
SEO skill for themselves:
Serious effectiveness for clients:
Their homepage features a case study with 664% increase in organic traffic and 360% increase in online leads for their client, The Farah Kaw Firm, by using SEO and PPC to increase traffic to the website.
Niche:
Their website says they take on just about any industry. After looking at Ahrefs, they are trying to rank for Real Estate and Plumbing.
Reviews:
4.7 Stars – Rated by 9 People – According to Google
13. iPullRank
SEO skill for themselves:
Serious effectiveness for clients:
After searching their website, I was unable to find anything discussing previous work they have done for clients, or results they have had with their work.
Niche:
They do not have any specific niche on their website, although Ahrefs shows them trying to rank for Machine Learning, so they could be trying to work with companies who are developing artificial intelligence, and other areas within the scope automated analytical models.
Reviews:
I was unable to find any reviews for this company.
14. Boostability
SEO skill for themselves:
Serious effectiveness for clients:
A case study for their client Pacific Polish Pottery has seen an increase of 121% in the sites organic traffic and decrease the bounce rate by 7%.
Niche:
Their website states that they prefer working with small businesses
Reviews:
4.0 Stars – Rated by 57 People – According to Google
15. HigherVisibility
SEO skill for themselves:
Serious effectiveness for clients:
They were awarded the 2017/2018 Search Engine Land Award Winner for SEO Agency of the Year.
Niche:
They do not have a clear niche on their website and work with companies of all sizes. They were trying to rank for Franchise, so that may be an area that they see a lot of success with.
Reviews:
4.4 Stars – Rated by 75 People – According to Google
16. Lounge Lizard
SEO skill for themselves:
Serious effectiveness for clients:
They have a lot of case studies on their website to look over and see the results they have gotten for their clients, but what I found to be most impressive is their 99% client retention rate.
Niche:
They do not have a specific niche mentioned on their site and have covered just about every industry imaginable.
Reviews:
4.6 Stars – Rated by 14 People – According to Google
17. Bruce Clay, Inc.
SEO skill for themselves:
Serious effectiveness for clients:
They do not show the results they receive for clients, but a big differentiator for this company is the experience they have throughout the company. Every employee has a minimum of 10 years of experience within the industry. They were also named the nation’s top SEO firm for three straight years.
Niche:
There is no specific niche that they cater too and tailor their services to each of their client’s needs.
Reviews:
4.4 Stars – Rated by 12 People – According to Google
I think we can all agree that each of these SEO companies has its own unique specialty and process of getting their clients the best results possible.
Of course, no company is going to do everything the same as the other. Just like some companies have specific niches they work with, and some companies work with every industry and company size across the board.
It’s more of a preference thing and be sure that you and your potential SEO company/client are the right fit for each other. It’s important to find someone you can commit to working with long enough to see beneficial results.
I hope you found this article interesting and gave you a better idea of the great SEO companies out there. Also, remember that SEO is a process that you need to commit to in order to receive the best results no matter who you are working with. It is not something that magically happens overnight.
