Many companies, even those with proficient in-house marketing teams, frequently discover that they need additional support when building and executing an SEO campaign. Although most SEO services can be performed remotely, the opportunity to meet in-person with a local SEO agency provides many benefits, particularly for location-based businesses such as home services providers.
Our team has compiled a list of the top SEO agencies in San Francisco, each of which excels in a specialized area of SEO marketing. The companies are ranked in order, based on their notable clients, principal experience score (a numerical evaluation of their leadership’s marketing experience), years in business, and company size.
The Top SEO Agencies in San Francisco – 2024
| Rank | Company | Notable Clients | Principal Experience Score | Company Size | Years in Business | Specialty |
| 1 | First Page Sage | Cadence, Verizon, US Bank | 5.0 | 51-250 | 14 | Combining thought leadership & SEO to create sustainable lead generation systems |
| 2 | Metric Theory | Carvana, GoFundMe, Personal Capital | 4.6 | 51-250 | 11 | Combining paid channels with SEO for rapid lead generation |
| 3 | Jives Media | Oracle, Poshmark, Thumbtack | 4.3 | 11-50 | 11 | Combining video marketing and social media marketing with SEO |
| 4 | Clay Agency | Amazon, Google, Coca-Cola | 4.2 | 11-50 | 7 | UI/UX and conversion rate optimization |
| 6 | Motava | San Francisco Circuits, Modern Ceramics, Arasan Chip Systems | 3.9 | 1-10 | 14 | SEO-focused web design and development |
| 5 | Search Nurture | Jergens, New Relic, John Frieda | 4.0 | 11-50 | 6 | SEO and paid search for retail businesses |
| 7 | Upgrow | Assa Abloy, Talkdesk, Materialize | 3.7 | 11-50 | 5 | Technical SEO |
First Page Sage
First Page Sage emphasizes Thought Leadership in their approach to SEO. This strategy not only drives traffic to a client’s site, but also strives to establish the company as an expert in their industry. This growth marketing approach provides a foundation for long-term lead generation lowered CACs, and increased ROI.
- Principal Experience Score: 5.0
- Years in Business: 14
- Employees: 100-250
- Specialty: Combining thought leadership & SEO to create sustainable lead generation systems
| Summary of Client Reviews |
| First Page Sage is known to its clients for marketing “intelligence, experience, and expertise” and for being an industry leader that offers “excellent ROI”. |
Metric Theory
Metric Theory specializes in combining paid channels like advertising and PPC with their SEO services. They work best with mid-market retail and ecommerce companies, where the rapid results afforded by these paid channels allows companies with short sales cycles to better capitalize on seasonal fluctuations in demand.
- Principal Experience Score: 4.6
- Years in Business: 11
- Employees: 100-250
- Specialty: Combining paid channels with SEO
| Summary of Client Reviews |
| Metric Theory has been described as being “on the forefront of innovation” and having “very strong strategic and tactical knowledge”. |
Jives Media
Jives Media specializes in combining social media and video marketing services with SEO, as well as improving overall brand awareness for their clients. As with Metric Theory, this produces faster results than pure SEO at the cost of lower ROI. Their emphasis on video and branding makes Jives a good fit for companies seeking to solidify their brand identity.
- Principal Experience Score: 4.3
- Years in Business: 11
- Employees: 11-50
- Specialty: Combining video marketing and social media marketing with SEO
| Summary of Client Reviews |
| Jives “made us feel like their number one project” is how one client described working with the company. They are also known for being “easy to work with” and “accessible”. |
Clay Agency
UX and conversion are key aspects of SEO, and these are where Clay Agency places their focus. They have extensive experience with high profile startups and consumer brands, and their approach makes them a good choice for companies that have strong existing organic traffic, but struggle to convert that traffic into leads or sales.
- Principal Experience Score: 4.2
- Years in Business: 7
- Employees: 11-50
- Specialty: UI/UX and conversion rate optimization
| Summary of Client Reviews |
| The Clay Agency is known for translating “complex concepts” into “a good user experience and user interface.” The company is also called “tech-savvy” and offers “valuable insights”. |
Motava
While small, Motava is a small company with significant experience in SEO. The company’s primary area of expertise is website development and design, making them a good choice for companies with outdated websites in need of a refresh. While they do provide other SEO services such as developing content marketing strategy, their smaller size means they may not have the resources to handle larger midsized or enterprise accounts.
- Principal Experience Score: 3.9
- Years in Business: 14
- Employees: 1-10
- Specialty: SEO-focused web design and development
| Summary of Client Reviews |
| Motava is known for having “extensive SEO and web design knowledge” and producing “consistent growth in organic traffic, leads and opportunities”. |
Search Nurture
Search Nurture focuses on providing SEO and paid search services to retail businesses, particularly those in ecommerce. They provide companies with a single vendor who can handle both Google and Amazon advertising, while also optimizing their clients’ websites for increased search visibility.
- Principal Experience Score: 4.0
- Years in Business: 6
- Employees: 10-50
- Specialty: SEO and paid search for retail businesses
| Summary of Client Reviews |
| Search Nurture’s ability to “get results quickly” has been described as “remarkable”. They are also known for their “open communication” with clients. |
Upgrow
Upgrow’s specialty is technical SEO, helping clients ensure that no issues prevent their sites from ranking more highly. They work best with companies that have strong existing in-house content teams, but need additional support implementing backend changes.
- Principal Experience Score: 3.7
- Years in Business: 5
- Employees: 11-50
- Specialty: Technical SEO
| Summary of Client Reviews |
| Upgrow has been cited for their “expertise” in “SEO and PPC”. Additionally, they are known for being “capable of learning and adapting”. |
