This is what makes working in the industry so interesting – you constantly have to adapt your tactics and mindset in constantly shifting market conditions.
Many people that work in search feel that the industry is on the precipice of a big change. With many black / grey hat tactics now consigned to the annals of history, there is an increasing demand for an ethical, holistic and content-led approach to online marketing.
Here at Browser Media, we have been banging that drum for a very long time indeed…
If everything Google has said about its recent updates is even half true, then this could be pivotal for all involved in online marketing. Spammers may finally be forced to remove their black hat and get a job ruining another digital medium, and content may finally actually be king.
We love all things search related, which is why we decided to document one of our beloved industry’s most exciting points in time, in the form of a delightful infographic.
Desktop research was undertaken to look at 101 UK SEO agencies that were sourced from Econsultancy’s supplier directory. All the data is based on information taken directly from the agencies’ websites.
Our infographic summarises the current state of our industry, highlighting the services agencies offer, how they describe themselves, their content output and social media media use in an attempt to capture the current state of search at this exciting point for the industry.
There are some interesting revelations to be found;
- Nearly 40% of agencies haven’t bothered to set up a Google+ account, despite pretty much every big name in the industry banging on about the potential of the platform?
- You’ve probably been reading the phrase “inbound marketing” on nearly a daily basis, in recent times. However, we couldn’t find a single agency who brand themselves in this way
- 20% haven’t even bothered to set up a blog!?
- More than half of the agencies published less than 6 blog posts in December 2011
- 40% of agencies tweeted fewer than 10 times in December 2011
- 1 of the agencies doesn’t even offer search engine optimisation – something amiss with Econsultancy’s directory?
Please click on the thumbnail image above to view the infographic in all its glory.
What do you think? Leave a comment below if you have any questions about the data, or thought on how this information reflects on the search marketing industry.
A few people have asked which agencies were researched. As noted above, we took 101 agencies from Econsultancy’s SEO supplier directory (filtered to show just UK based SEO agencies). The agencies we looked at were (in no particular order):
Criteo
Media Contacts
Steak Digital
1st Page Prophets
Crafted Media
Dilligent Commerce
ivantage
indium online
Graphic Alliance
Why Communicate
myclicks
Market Appeal SEO
tictoc Family Ltd
Zen Web Solutions
WRSconvert
Broadplace Advertising Limited
Logan Tod
QueryClick Search Engine Marketing
seoinnovators
Store Machine
Quba
MMK Media
Obsessive Web Limited
Kameleon Digital
ABSEM Limited
Docnet
Ayima Ltd
Essence
TradeDoubler
Pod1
whole9yards.co.uk Ltd
I-COM International Ltd
ISM – Search & Social
MAD Productions (Sales) Ltd
Blowfish Digital
Wendy Chamier eConsulting
Praeparo Ltd
MediaCo (uk) Ltd
Summit
Acxiom Ltd
Make It Rain
Barracuda Digital
iCrossing
Fresh Egg
VCCP Search
McCormack & Morrison
Search Laboratory
Sticky eyes
dotSearch
koozai
Epiphany Solutions Ltd
Just Search Ltd
ClickThrough Marketing
SiteVisibility
Greenlight
Guava UK
SEOptimise Ltd
Bigmouth Media
Willoughby
Propellor Net
I Spy
Further
Bullseye
Strategy Internet Marketing
Vertical Leap
Jelly Fish
Lightmaker
LeapFrog
Bravr
hallam
COntent & Motion
GPMD
Found
Go Optimisation
Unique Digital
theMediaFlow
Alienation Digital
escherman
Creative SEO UK
Zoocha Limited
Liberty Marketing Ltd
Peak Demand Ltd.
Indus Net Technologies
SEOgadget LTD
Ben Norman
Red Ant
Latitude Digital Marketing
Upstream Connections
Mediarun Search Limited
Micrositez
Verve Search Ltd
DBD Media
White Hat Media
Equi Media Ltd
Direct Traffic Media
Mediaworks Online Marketing
e-Strategy
Pierce Communications
Igentics Ltd
SEO Positive Limited
Receptional
We don’t feel that it is appropriate to publish the ‘scores’ for each agency as it is not intended as a naming and shaming exercise and we can all be guilty of not always practicing what we preach!
We have had a good response to the research and plan to do it again in the future to chart the progress of our wonderful industry.
A few people have asked which agencies were researched. As noted above, we took 101 agencies from Econsultancy’s SEO supplier directory (filtered to show just UK based SEO agencies). The agencies we looked at were (in no particular order):
Criteo
Media Contacts
Steak Digital
1st Page Prophets
Crafted Media
Dilligent Commerce
ivantage
indium online
Graphic Alliance
Why Communicate
myclicks
Market Appeal SEO
tictoc Family Ltd
Zen Web Solutions
WRSconvert
Broadplace Advertising Limited
Logan Tod
QueryClick Search Engine Marketing
seoinnovators
Store Machine
Quba
MMK Media
Obsessive Web Limited
Kameleon Digital
ABSEM Limited
Docnet
Ayima Ltd
Essence
TradeDoubler
Pod1
whole9yards.co.uk Ltd
I-COM International Ltd
ISM – Search & Social
MAD Productions (Sales) Ltd
Blowfish Digital
Wendy Chamier eConsulting
Praeparo Ltd
MediaCo (uk) Ltd
Summit
Acxiom Ltd
Make It Rain
Barracuda Digital
iCrossing
Fresh Egg
VCCP Search
McCormack & Morrison
Search Laboratory
Sticky eyes
dotSearch
koozai
Epiphany Solutions Ltd
Just Search Ltd
ClickThrough Marketing
SiteVisibility
Greenlight
Guava UK
SEOptimise Ltd
Bigmouth Media
Willoughby
Propellor Net
I Spy
Further
Bullseye
Strategy Internet Marketing
Vertical Leap
Jelly Fish
Lightmaker
LeapFrog
Bravr
hallam
COntent & Motion
GPMD
Found
Go Optimisation
Unique Digital
theMediaFlow
Alienation Digital
escherman
Creative SEO UK
Zoocha Limited
Liberty Marketing Ltd
Peak Demand Ltd.
Indus Net Technologies
SEOgadget LTD
Ben Norman
Red Ant
Latitude Digital Marketing
Upstream Connections
Mediarun Search Limited
Micrositez
Verve Search Ltd
DBD Media
White Hat Media
Equi Media Ltd
Direct Traffic Media
Mediaworks Online Marketing
e-Strategy
Pierce Communications
Igentics Ltd
SEO Positive Limited
Receptional
We don’t feel that it is appropriate to publish the ‘scores’ for each agency as it is not intended as a naming and shaming exercise and we can all be guilty of not always practicing what we preach!
We have had a good response to the research and plan to do it again in the future to chart the progress of our wonderful industry.
Hey guys, really interesting material and great infographic. May I ask what criteria the 100 agencies were selected by? I only ask because we would consider ourselves on par or competitive with this list and wondered for our own marketing department whether there was some PR opps we were missing out on. Many thanks, Mike
Hi Mike,
Thanks for your comment – please don’t be offended that you weren’t on the list! We simply used the Econsultancy supplier directory and chose a random 101 agencies. There was no science behind the selection (although we had filtered the list to suppliers to only include UK based agencies).
It really is intended to be a reasonably ‘faceless’ exercise and one that looks at the industry as a whole rather than focusing on individual agencies and not being in the list above is no relection of perceived quality, nor a sign that your own marketing is failing.
Hey guys, really interesting material and great infographic. May I ask what criteria the 100 agencies were selected by? I only ask because we would consider ourselves on par or competitive with this list and wondered for our own marketing department whether there was some PR opps we were missing out on. Many thanks, Mike
Hi Mike,
Thanks for your comment – please don’t be offended that you weren’t on the list! We simply used the Econsultancy supplier directory and chose a random 101 agencies. There was no science behind the selection (although we had filtered the list to suppliers to only include UK based agencies).
It really is intended to be a reasonably ‘faceless’ exercise and one that looks at the industry as a whole rather than focusing on individual agencies and not being in the list above is no relection of perceived quality, nor a sign that your own marketing is failing.
I'm pretty pleased about the Inbound Marketing result. I like the notion – it's a marketing wonder. However, let's not forget it's a phrase coined by HubSpot as part of that agency's own marketing campaign.
I'm pretty pleased about the Inbound Marketing result. I like the notion – it's a marketing wonder. However, let's not forget it's a phrase coined by HubSpot as part of that agency's own marketing campaign.
Thanks for sharing information about SEO and the related agencies of SEO.Its pretty good sharing for reading to better understand about the agencies of SEO and their functions.Keep sharing further detailed information.
Thanks for sharing information about SEO and the related agencies of SEO.Its pretty good sharing for reading to better understand about the agencies of SEO and their functions.Keep sharing further detailed information.
Shocking, how can they sell this Ito others when the don’t even do it for their own business, clearly they don’t think it is really worth the investment of time.
Hi Paul,
Thanks for your comments. I agree with you in principle but, speaking from experience, it is all too easy to get so involved with client work that agencies don’t have the time to do their own stuff.
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Origin_of_the_phrase_the_cobbler's_children_have_no_shoes
It isn’t right, but it is a reality.
Shocking, how can they sell this Ito others when the don’t even do it for their own business, clearly they don’t think it is really worth the investment of time.
Hi Paul,
Thanks for your comments. I agree with you in principle but, speaking from experience, it is all too easy to get so involved with client work that agencies don’t have the time to do their own stuff.
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Origin_of_the_phrase_the_cobbler's_children_have_no_shoes
It isn’t right, but it is a reality.