13 SEO Services to Consider (+ What to Avoid)

Feeling lost in the vast sea of SEO service providers?

You’re not alone. With over 180,000 SEO agencies in the US, finding the right one can feel like searching for a needle in a digital haystack.

But here’s the good news: I’ve done the heavy lifting for you.

After a lot research, analysis, and vetting, I’ve distilled the essence of what makes an SEO service truly exceptional. In this comprehensive guide, you’ll discover the 13 best SEO services that are dominating the landscape in 2024.

These aren’t just random picks or paid promotions. They’re battle-tested agencies with proven track records, stellar reputations, and the ability to deliver real results in today’s ever-changing SEO environment.

TL;DR: Top SEO Services by Category

Pressed for time? Here’s a quick rundown of the best SEO services by category:

• On-Page SEO: Digital Commerce Partners and Green Lane Marketing
• Technical SEO: iPullRank
• Content Creation: Content by Peak and HawkSEM
• Local SEO: RicketyRoo and On The Map SEO
• Link Building: Digitaloft and Jolly SEO
• Ecommerce SEO: Searchbloom
• SaaS SEO: Omniscient Digital and Growth Plays
• International SEO: Webify

But don’t stop here! In the following sections, we’ll dive deep into:

1. What SEO services actually entail (and why it matters)
2. Red flags to watch out for when choosing an SEO provider
3. In-depth profiles of each top-rated service, highlighting what makes them stand out
4. How to choose the right SEO service for your specific needs

Let’s dive in!

Demystifying SEO Services: What You Need to Know

SEO services are the secret sauce that can propel your website to the top of search engine results. But what exactly do they include? Here’s a quick breakdown:

• On-page SEO: Optimizing your website’s content and structure
• Technical SEO: Enhancing your site’s backend for better crawling and indexing
• Content Creation: Developing high-quality, search-engine-friendly content
• Link Building: Acquiring high-quality backlinks to boost your site’s authority
• Local SEO: Optimizing for location-based searches
• Industry-Specific SEO: Tailored strategies for ecommerce, SaaS, and more

A top-tier SEO provider can:

• Skyrocket your search engine rankings and user experience
• Free up your time by handling complex SEO tasks
• Bring expert-level knowledge that’s hard to find in a single in-house hire
• Scale your SEO efforts to match your growth and budget

5 Red Flags in SEO Services (What to Avoid)

Be wary of the following SEO services:

• Guaranteed SEO services: Guaranteed top rankings or a significant increase in organic search traffic within a short period
• Cheap SEO services: SEO services that are offered at a cost significantly lower than the industry standard
• Services that implement shady SEO tactics: Shady SEO practices like cloaking and using Private Blog Networks (PBNs) to manipulate search rankings
• Service providers that can’t prove their results: No evidence or case studies that confirm their authority and the results achieved for other clients
• Services that focus on vanity metrics: Focusing solely on metrics that look good on paper but don’t translate into actual business success or revenue

1. Guaranteed SEO Services

Avoid working with SEO service providers that guarantee top rankings or a significant boost in organic search traffic in less than four months.

According to Google, it takes 4-12 months for a professional to implement changes to get results.

So, it’s best to avoid services with claims like this:

No SEO service can change search results at will. When it comes to SEO, there are multiple factors at play, including:

• Evolving search engine algorithms: Search engines like Google frequently update their algorithms to improve the quality of search results
• A high level of competition: With so many businesses eyeing the top spots in the search engine results pages (SERPs), competition for visibility is fiercer than ever.

Despite applying all the right tactics and strategies, your website is not guaranteed to rank in the top 10 search engine results for your desired keywords.

So, it’s best to steer clear of SEO service providers that guarantee results confidently.

On their “Do You Need an SEO?” page, Google clearly states that “no one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google.”

2. Cheap SEO Services

Stay away from cheap SEO services.

What’s considered cheap when it comes to SEO?

Anything below $500 (or even $1,000 nowadays) per month.

Because doing SEO right costs time and money.

So, anyone offering to do it for less than $500 or $1,000 per month is likely doing something wrong.

Service providers offering this kind of pricing rely on automated software or implement outdated tactics, which might not work for you. And it’s likely to end up doing more harm than good for your website.

These types of providers often work with a large volume of clients to generate more revenue and stay profitable. Which means they might not have the time to focus specifically on your business’ unique needs and goals.

3. Services That Implement Shady SEO Tactics

Stay clear of SEO services that implement shady SEO practices, such as:

• Cloaking: This technique involves setting up a website so that it displays different content to search engines and users.Cloaking can take multiple forms, but the most common one involves redirecting users from a high-ranking page to another page (which usually doesn’t align with the user’s search intent but can generate revenue for the website).
• Private Blog Networks (PBNs): These are networks of websites created for the sole purpose of generating backlinks.They’re often created from expired domains with pre-existing domain authority or set up as completely new sites that have their authority artificially boosted through links from other sites within the network.

As mentioned in Google’s Search Essentials (formerly Webmaster Guidelines), Google uses automated systems and, when necessary, human review to identify content and behaviors that violate its policies.

If a site is found to be in breach of these policies, it may be demoted in search rankings or entirely removed from search results.

4. Service Providers That Can’t Prove Their Results

Avoid SEO service providers that can’t prove the results they’ve generated for their clients.

They don’t necessarily need to disclose everything (as they may have non-disclosure agreements in place), but they should be able to provide some form of evidence.

Here are a few things you can ask a provider for to verify the results they’re claiming to have helped their clients achieve:

• Get you in touch with their past clients who can vouch for them
• Share detailed case studies that dive into their client’s unique challenges, the strategies they’ve implemented, and the results they’ve generated. Even if they don’t share the client’s name.
• Showcase client testimonials and verify them

5. Services That Focus on Vanity Metrics

Vanity metrics are metrics that look good on paper but don’t necessarily correlate with your business’s success in meaningful ways. For example, organic search traffic, page views, clicks, and impressions.

Just think about it: What if your website is getting 100,000 organic search visits per month, yet you’re not generating any sales? What’s the point?

Some SEO services focus solely on vanity metrics. When asked how these metrics contributed to their client’s revenue goals, they don’t have an answer.

Look for SEO services that go beyond these metrics and can prove a tangible impact on business revenue.

13 SEO Agencies to Consider in 2024

In this section, we’ve put together a list of the top SEO services across the following categories:

• On-Page SEO
• Technical SEO
• Content Creation
• Local SEO
• Link building
• Ecommerce SEO
• SaaS SEO
• International SEO

These are just a small sampling of the many reputable SEO service providers out there.

Consider this list a jumping-off point as you begin your search for the right SEO partner.

Remember, the right provider will vary based on your specific circumstances, so carefully evaluate your options to find the optimal fit.

1. On-Page SEO

On-page SEO is the practice of optimizing web pages for search engines. It involves modifying elements such as the page title, meta description, URL, and more.

Here are our top on-page SEO service picks:

Digital Commerce Partners

Digital Commerce Partners (DCP) is a content marketing and SEO agency founded by Jonny Nastor and content marketing pioneer Copyblogger. DCP excels in tactical on-page SEO that drives organic growth in competitive markets.

Their on-page SEO services include:

• On-page optimization: From blog posts to product pages, content is carefully enhanced to rank, engage, and convert
• Keyword mapping: Mapping every keyword to the right piece of content
• Content strategy: What content to produce, at what frequency, and how each new piece fits into your customer’s journey

They helped ADD.org reach 114,548 more people per month. This led to a 233% surge in organic traffic, and 254 featured snippets won within ten months.

Greenlane Marketing

Greenlane Marketing is a data-driven marketing agency that offers a wide range of digital marketing services, such as SEO, paid search, paid social, and analytics.

Bill Sebald, the founder of Greenlane Marketing, has nearly three decades of SEO experience under his belt. His agency’s client roster includes companies like Cytiva, Optimizely, Zazzle, and Urban Outfitters.

Their on-page SEO services include:

• Keyword research: Identifying the most effective keywords for your business
• Content ideation: Brainstorming content ideas that align with your target keywords
• Featured snippet optimization: Optimize your website’s content to give it a better chance of ranking for featured snippets
• On-page SEO elements: Creating on-page SEO elements like metadata, URL structure, and header tags for your website

After collaborating with Greenlane Marketing, an Australian-based local florist saw a 125% increase in their year-over-year (YoY) revenue.

2. Technical SEO

Technical SEO is the process of optimizing your website so that search engines can effectively crawl and index it.

It involves working on the following:

• Website security improvements: Increasing your website’s security by implementing protocols such as Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) and Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)
• Duplicate content analysis: Finding and addressing duplicate content issues. Having the same content across multiple web pages can confuse search engines as to which page to display in search results.
• Mobile optimization: Optimizing a website in such a way as to ensure that it displays and works as intended on mobile devices
• Robots.txt analysis: Reviewing your robots.txt file to make sure you’re not blocking access to important pages for search engine crawlers
• Structured data implementation: Implementing structured data to help Google better understand your web pages

iPullRank

iPullRank adopts a unique approach for each project. They don’t stick to an outdated playbook. Instead, they have a diverse team that keeps an eye on the latest trends and collaborates with industry experts to help their clients achieve their desired results.

They work exclusively with enterprise brands, helping them fix their website’s technical issues after performing a thorough site audit.

Michael King, the founder of iPullRank, was featured in USA Today’s “The 10 Most Influential SEO Experts of 2022” article. He has a strong online presence and has worked with a lot of enterprise brands.

The results of iPullRank’s collaboration with an anonymous enterprise client in the music service industry are something to aspire to. After fixing the website’s technical issues, the agency managed to scale their client’s organic search traffic from 4M to 5M visits year-over-year.

3. Content Creation

Content creation services include ideating, strategizing, and creating high-quality website content.

Content By Peak

Content By Peak is a results-focused content marketing agency run by Michael Keenan, a freelance content marketer who has worked with brands like Descript, Shopify, UScreen, and HelpScout.

They offer the following services:

• Content production
• Content strategy
• Content refreshing

We reached out to Mike to better understand what their unique selling proposition is.

To which he replied:

HawkSEM

HawkSEM is a holistic digital marketing agency that is well-known for its high-quality content production. They’ve worked with some of the largest brands in the world, including Verizon, Microsoft, Honda, and Nike.

They have a diverse team of professionals with years of experience in their respective roles. They focus on creating engaging, informative, and relevant content to meet the specific needs of their clients’ target audiences.

HawkSEM offers the following content marketing services:

• Content strategy
• Editing
• Content distribution
• SEO

They can create content in a variety of formats, including blog posts, whitepapers, press releases, and case studies.

Here’s what a client said about their services:

4. Local SEO

Local SEO is the practice of improving search engine visibility for local businesses. This helps local businesses increase their website traffic, drive more calls and in-person visits, and increase brand awareness.

Some common local SEO practices include:

• Google Business Profile management: Creating, managing, and optimizing a business’ Google Business profile.
• Local keyword research: Finding and targeting local keywords to improve a website’s local rankings.
• Local directory management: Establishing an online presence across different local directories

RicketyRoo

RicketyRoo is an Oregon-based digital marketing agency that has been working with small and medium-sized businesses since 2009. The company is led by Blake Denman, who has more than 17 years of hands-on SEO experience.

Their local SEO process involves thoroughly reviewing the winning strategies of their clients’ competitors to see what has worked for them and what hasn’t. Based on their initial research, the agency puts together an actionable strategy focused on helping their clients’s websites rank high in search results.

After partnering with RicketyRoo, Blue Mountain Plumbing, Heating, and Cooling increased their annual revenue by $200,000.

On The Map Marketing

On The Map Marketing is an award-winning digital marketing agency that has been helping local businesses get noticed online since 2009.

They’re headquartered in Miami but work with clients all over the world.

Their process starts with deep research into what’s working for their clients’ competitors and then continues with crafting a tailored strategy to achieve local SEO success.

The Law Offices of Scott J. Senft Law, a Florida-based personal injury firm, witnessed transformative SEO results after collaborating with On The Map Marketing. Their visibility on Google surged from ranking for only three keywords in the top 10 SERP results to over 20.

Here’s what one client said about On The Map Marketing:

5. Link Building

Link building is the practice of building backlinks to a website. And backlinks are links that one website gets from another.

The top link building services we recommend include:

Digitaloft

Digitaloft is an SEO and PR agency that specializes in building high-quality editorial backlinks.

Through their collaboration with Digitaloft, Finn, a car subscription service company, achieved remarkable results that showed the effectiveness of a well-executed digital PR strategy.

The campaign centered around a comprehensive study of car insurance costs across the US, a topic of broad interest and relevance.

This campaign helped Finn get 116 high-quality backlinks from 72 referring domains. And coverage by top-tier publications like USA Today, Fox Business, and Consumer Reports.

Jolly SEO

Jolly SEO is an SEO and digital PR agency known for its expertise in securing high-quality editorial backlinks through its Journalist Outreach program.

They collaborate with journalists and writers looking for quotes and pitches on their clients’ behalf.

Their clients have been featured in top publications like Forbes, Business Insider, and HuffPost.

Jolly SEO ran a link-building campaign for a client that helped build more than 85 backlinks from top publications. Which resulted in a 1,200% increase in organic search traffic.

6. Ecommerce SEO

Ecommerce SEO service providers specialize in helping ecommerce businesses improve their search engine rankings as part of the overall ecommerce marketing strategy.

Our top recommendations for ecommerce SEO services include:

Searchbloom

Searchbloom is a digital marketing agency for small-to-medium-sized businesses. They work with ecommerce brands like Nordstrom, Shirtspace, and Nature’s Seed.

Their ecommerce SEO services include keyword research, competitive SEO analysis, on-page optimization, and link building.

Within two years of partnering with Searchbloom, one brand experienced a significant increase in its organic search performance, achieving a 429% improvement in the number of keywords ranking in the top three positions in search engine results.

This growth saw their rankings jump from 73 keywords in December 2020 to an impressive 309 keywords by December 2022. Which contributed to an 189% increase in revenue.

Here’s what one client said about their experience with Searchbloom:

7. SaaS SEO

SaaS SEO is the practice of optimizing a Software-as-a-Service website for search engines.

Here are our recommendations for SEO services that specialize in SaaS:

Omniscient Digital

Omniscient Digital is a high-growth B2B marketing agency that works with top SaaS companies like Adobe, Hotjar, Loom, and Jasper.

The company was founded by Allie Decker (ex-Shopify), Alex Birkett (ex-HubSpot), and David Ly Khim (ex-HubSpot).

Their collaboration with Jasper, a generative AI platform for enterprise marketing teams, resulted in an 810% increase in organic traffic and a 400x improvement in blog-attributed product signups.

Growth Plays

Growth Plays is a B2B marketing agency that focuses on building a comprehensive full-funnel strategy.

This helps them make sure that every aspect of marketing efforts is aligned with the overarching goal of driving business growth.

Their service includes building an SEO and content strategy that focuses heavily on how their clients can rank for important customer, brand, and product-related search terms.

Growth Plays’ client roster includes brands like Calendly, Heap, Cortex, and Podia.

8. International SEO

International SEO services are aimed at optimizing a business’s website for global audiences and search engines across different countries and languages.

This approach helps businesses expand their reach beyond their domestic market and tap into new international markets.

Webify SEO

Webify is a NYC-based boutique SEO agency specializing in international expansion for US companies.

Led by Igal Stolpner, former VP of Growth at Investing.com, Webify focuses on true localization beyond mere translation.

They offer comprehensive services including multilingual keyword research, content strategy, and technical SEO roadmaps.

Webify’s process helps English-first companies identify and prioritize international opportunities quickly. They serve global brands across SaaS, eCommerce, Sports, Marketplace, and Finance industries.

Choose the Right SEO Service for Your Business

Pick an SEO service that specializes in your niche and has worked with brands similar to yours.

Pay special attention to their client roster and how they’ve helped their clients reach their revenue goals.

Most importantly, look for an SEO service that aligns with your specific needs and budget.

Read our comprehensive guide on SEO pricing to better understand how much you can expect to pay for SEO services.