A Downers Grove digital agency whose roots date to 1997, with current SEO and GEO retainers starting at $1,500 per month and a roster of more than 50 named specialists.
Link building companies
Link building is the most abused line item in SEO. The useful question is not how many links, but where they come from and whether you would be comfortable if the sourcing were made public.
144 companies listed with this capability
US companies compared
144
Evidence-filtered directory records
Median retainer floor
$1.5k/mo
$297/mo–$8k/mo
Median tenure
0 yrs
Oldest founded 1994
Hub Score range
26–84
Median 64
What the work covers
- Link-worthy asset creation: data studies, tools, original research
- Editorial outreach and relationship-based placement
- Resource, partnership and unlinked-mention recovery
- Competitive gap analysis
- Toxic profile review and disavow decisions where warranted
Questions to ask on the call
How are placements sourced, and is anything paid?
You are accountable for the profile, so you need the truth.
What is your monthly volume and average authority?
Sets expectations and exposes link-farm patterns.
Do you guarantee specific domains?
Guarantees usually imply purchased placements.
Side-by-side comparison
The 15 highest-scoring US companies with Link Building listed as an in-house capability.
| Company | Based in | Founded | Team | Retainer from | Pricing | Website visits | Hub Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Straight North | Downers Grove, IL | 1997 | 50-150 | $1.5k/mo | Monthly retainer | No public estimate | 84 |
| Digital Third Coast | Chicago, IL | 2007 | 20-50 | $5k/mo | Monthly retainer | No public estimate | 81 |
| Mediaboom | Guilford, CT | 2002 | 20-50 | $1.9k/mo | Monthly retainer | No public estimate | 81 |
| Siege Media | Austin, TX | Not published | 50-150 | $8k/mo | Monthly retainer | No public estimate | 81 |
| Obility | Portland, OR | 2011 | 20-50 | $5.5k/mo | Monthly retainer | No public estimate | 79 |
| Eastmoor Digital | Smyrna, DE | Not published | 20-50 | $1.8k/mo | Monthly retainer | No public estimate | 78 |
| JTech Communications | Bozeman, MT | 1997 | 10-20 | $579/mo | Monthly retainer | No public estimate | 78 |
| Online Optimism | New Orleans, LA | 2012 | 10-20 | $2k/mo | Monthly retainer | No public estimate | 78 |
| Ignite Visibility | San Diego, CA | 2013 | 500+ | Not published | Not published | No public estimate | 77 |
| OuterBox | Copley, OH | 2004 | 250-500 | Not published | Not published | No public estimate | 77 |
| SmartSites | Paramus, NJ | 2011 | 250-500 | Not published | Not published | No public estimate | 77 |
| Firestarter SEO | Denver, CO | 2009 | 2-10 | $1.5k/mo | Monthly retainer | No public estimate | 76 |
| Pure Visibility | Ann Arbor, MI | 2005 | 2-10 | $3k/mo | Monthly retainer | No public estimate | 76 |
| SEO Idaho | Boise, ID | 2012 | 2-10 | $1.5k/mo | Monthly retainer | No public estimate | 76 |
| Skyfield Digital | Meriden, CT | Not published | 10-20 | $1k/mo | Monthly retainer | No public estimate | 75 |
What retainers actually start at in Link Building
Median entry retainer is $1.5k/mo, with the range running $297/mo to $8k/mo. These are floors, not averages of what clients spend — scope, competitiveness and content volume move the real number well above them.
Floors shown in USD, as published or disclosed by each company.
Fast shortlist for Link Building
Picked mechanically from the data on this page, so you can start a shortlist without reading every profile.
Longest-running
Xynergy · 62Trading since 1994.
Lowest entry retainer
Oneirly Digital Marketing · 73Starts at $297/mo.
Boutique team
Digital Third Coast · 8120-50 people — senior time on the account.
Largest bench
Ignite Visibility · 77500+ people across disciplines.
How the Hub Score on this page is calculated
100 points across five factors, each computed from a fact you can check yourself. Nothing here is bought, voted on or averaged from review sites.
- 15 ptsOperating resilience — 3 points under 3 years; 6 at 3-5; 9 at 6-10; 11 at 11-15; 13 at 16-20; 15 at 21+ years.
- 25 ptsDelivery capability — A monotonic diminishing-return curve: 1 service = 6, 2 = 10, 3 = 14, 4 = 17, 5 = 20, 6 = 22, 7+ = 25.
- 25 ptsSector evidence — Industry coverage contributes 10, 14, 16 or 18 points; 1, 2 or 3+ source-linked case studies add 3, 5 or 7 points.
- 20 ptsCommercial clarity — 4 for a live site + 6 for a disclosed entry floor + 5 for a stated pricing model + 5 for a specific best-fit client statement.
- 15 ptsDelivery capacity — Team bands map monotonically: 10-20 = 5, 20-50 = 8, 50-150 = 11, 150-250 = 13, 250-500 or 500+ = 15.
Companies offering link building
How the Hub Score works →A Chicago agency operating since 2007 with 22 named employees, SEO retainers typically ranging from $5,000 to $15,000 per month and an integrated digital PR practice.
A Guilford-headquartered agency led by founder Frank DePino since 2002, with a published 21-person roster and a hospitality-focused SEO and content offer starting at $1,950 per month.
An Austin-office organic-growth agency with 50-plus in-house marketers, specializing in search-led content, technical consulting, digital PR, design and off-site authority.
A Portland B2B technology and SaaS agency founded in early 2011, with twenty-one people on its current team page and a published $5,450+ monthly Summit plan spanning SEO, GEO and paid media.
A Delaware-headquartered remote ecommerce SEO and content agency that publishes a 25-plus team, technical-search capability and recurring content-led plans beginning at $1,797 per month.
A Bozeman web and digital-marketing company operating since 1997, with 13 named human team members and ongoing SEO plans starting at $579 per month.
A New Orleans-headquartered creative digital agency launched in 2012, combining technical and local SEO, content, digital PR, paid media and web execution.
A San Diego-headquartered agency founded in 2013 and now powered by Rallio AI, combining more than 700 marketing specialists with enterprise, franchise and multi-location SEO across 50,000 managed locations.
A Copley-headquartered performance marketing agency founded in 2004 with 300+ U.S.-based in-house specialists, combining enterprise and ecommerce SEO with paid media, CRO, analytics, email and web development.
A Paramus digital-marketing agency founded in 2011 with a large global delivery team and extensive current organic-search, web, paid-media and conversion capabilities.
A six-specialist Denver search firm founded in 2009, offering technical, on-page, content, link, local and AI-search work with public monthly packages starting at $1,500 on a twelve-month agreement.
An Ann Arbor search and paid-media consultancy founded in 2005, with a compact named team and data-led SEO, local search, content and AI-visibility programs.
A Boise agency serving Idaho since 2012 with six named team members, local SEO retainers from $1,500 per month and integrated technical, content, local-profile and paid-search delivery.
A Meriden-based SEO and generative-discovery agency with a current 14-person U.S. roster, local-to-global search programs and public month-to-month SEO bundles beginning at $1,000.
A Boston agency founded in 2001 and now focused on vertical SaaS growth through SEO, content, paid acquisition, HubSpot operations and pipeline measurement.
A Lehi agency founded in 2005 with 80 employees, delivering technical SEO, content, authority, AI-search visibility, paid media, design and CRO for complex brands.
A Lehi organic-growth agency founded in 2008, offering SEO, AI-search work, content, digital PR, paid acquisition, CRO and revenue-operations alignment.
A Mesa search agency operating since 2003 with a published $5,000 monthly retainer floor, dedicated technical, local, ecommerce and enterprise SEO scopes, and a sizeable archive of first-party search cases.
A Cuyahoga Falls-based boutique agency with eight current core team members, a founder active in digital marketing since 1996, and public month-to-month plans combining SEO, content and paid-search support.
An Atlanta-headquartered, founder-led agency established in 2013 with current local, growth and enterprise SEO tiers starting at $2,400, $4,800 and $10,000 per month.
An Ocean Springs operator-led local SEO business with public monthly plans and Mississippi cases tied to calls, rankings, leads and company-attributed revenue.
A three-person Kailua-Kona SEO, paid-search and WordPress team publishing local SEO from $550 per month and full end-to-end SEO from $1,100 per month plus setup.
A downtown Miami performance agency serving businesses since 2011 with a company-published 50-plus team and recurring SEO programs for law firms, home services, healthcare and local brands.
A Sheridan-based search and paid-media agency operating since 2019 with flat-fee technical, local, content and advertising programs.
A family-owned Washougal agency publishing Washington-focused local SEO, web, paid-search and AI-search programs with competition-based monthly pricing.
A two-person Williamsburg web and SEO firm founded in 2014 with no subcontractors, Iowa-only positioning and a published $300-$800 monthly SEO range.
An Arlington-headquartered agency founded in 2005, combining local, technical, ecommerce, franchise and AI-search work with content, paid media, web and conversion support.
A fully distributed search agency founded in 2013 and headquartered in San Francisco, pairing technical and off-page SEO with content, AEO and web support while publishing a $5,000 monthly starting-budget recommendation.
A Madison-headquartered full-service agency operating since 2003 with more than 70 full-time team members and a recurring SEO practice spanning technical, content, authority, local, ecommerce and conversion work.
A Reston agency founded in 2013 with twelve named staff, building technical, local, national and AI-search programs around qualified-lead generation and attribution.
A 25-person Seattle SEO and web agency with extensive first-party case studies spanning local services, healthcare, ecommerce and enterprise search.
An Albuquerque agency focused on growth systems for HVAC, plumbing and other local-service businesses, with current local SEO, Google Business Profile, review, advertising and web capabilities.
A Sioux Falls organic-search specialist founded in 2009, with four named staff members, a published SEO and AI-optimization retainer, and local SEO case material.
A Dover-based full-service digital agency with public no-lock-in SEO plans from $1,100 per month and current case material across ecommerce, construction, manufacturing and local search.
A Burlington agency founded in 2010 with a current 20-plus-person roster, combining technical, local and content SEO with accessibility, web development, paid media and CRO.
A Webster Groves search-focused agency founded in 2010, with a large named team and current cases connecting organic visibility to leads, orders and pipeline.
An Ann Arbor ecommerce, web and digital-marketing agency founded in 2004, with technical and content SEO integrated into platform, analytics and conversion work.
A Billings women-owned agency founded in 2007 with a stated 25-person team and named SEO cases reporting six-month organic and technical gains.
A Portland-headquartered performance and creative agency founded in 2006, with twenty-one people on its current team page and a current partnership with acquired Portland agency Grady Britton.
A Chicago agency founded in 2003 with 31 named in-house employees spanning SEO and AEO, paid media, analytics, project management and software development.
A Houston-rooted integrated agency with more than four decades in Texas, offering SEO, content, paid media, branding, design and web development from Houston, Austin and DFW offices.
A New Orleans search-led agency founded in 2006, with deep higher-education and healthcare work spanning organic and AI visibility, paid acquisition, content and analytics.
A Northeast Ohio-headquartered agency founded in Columbus in 2010, with current Westlake, Cleveland and Columbus offices and a 21-person public team spanning SEO, PPC, content, web and account delivery.
A Seattle agency with twelve named staff delivering custom monthly plans across SEO, content, web development, paid media and conversion work.
A Memphis full-service agency with a current eleven-person roster and published SEO plans covering technical, local, content, authority and AI-search work.
A Wheeling-founded search agency operating since 2006, delivering technical, content, ecommerce and international SEO alongside paid media, analytics and conversion work.
A nine-person Oshkosh agency founded in 1998, delivering technical and content SEO within integrated advertising, social, email and website programs.
A Burlington firm launched in 2025 by two named senior operators, focused on technical and AI-search SEO, content strategy, local visibility, paid search and reputation management.
A Providence digital marketing and technology company whose first-party material traces work to 1999, with 12 current core team members and four separately labeled partners.
A Portland-rooted, fully remote B Corp agency founded in 2012, with fourteen people on its current team page and about half of the team based in Portland.
A St. Louis agency founded in 2006 with a 16-person public roster and detailed named cases spanning local, technical, content and conversion-focused SEO.
An Oklahoma City-headquartered creative and digital studio operating full-time since 2014, with eleven people on its current team page and SEO delivery dating to 2016.
A Tulsa-based agency founded in 2015 with ten people named on its current team page, offering local and national SEO alongside content, paid media, conversion, analytics, web and creative services.
A Westlake Village and Los Angeles agency founded in 2010, with a published in-house roster and a recurring SEO practice focused on technical, content, authority and local work, including sensitive behavioral-health markets.
A Little Rock company founded in 2006 that combines technical, content, authority and local SEO with web delivery, publishes a detailed implementation process and supports its offer with attributable Arkansas cases.
A New York City search agency operating since 2002 with organic, technical, local and AI-search work plus reputation, paid media and content services from a published monthly floor.
An Indianapolis-headquartered performance agency founded in 2017 with 38 named team members and a current focus on measurable search and lead systems for contractors.
An Atlanta agency founded in 1997 whose current search practice combines technical, local and enterprise SEO with AI visibility, content, authority, paid media and conversion measurement.
A Jacksonville search and performance agency founded in 2011 with five current named leaders and a recurring SEO practice spanning technical, content, links, local visibility and conversion optimization.
A Wailuku, Maui agency founded in 2016 with four named senior operators delivering local and technical SEO, content, websites, paid media and conversion reporting across Hawaii's four major islands.
An Indianapolis-rooted agency operating since 2009 with five named team members, custom local and national SEO programs and click-to-call lead tracking.
A Burley-headquartered legal marketing agency started in 2009, offering custom law-firm SEO from a stated $1,500 monthly minimum alongside content, websites and paid acquisition.
A Louisville agency founded in 2011 that builds local-search, website, content, reputation and paid-acquisition systems primarily for home-service businesses.
A six-person Wilmington web and search team operating since 2013, with flexible month-to-month SEO plans covering technical, content, authority, local and measurement work.
A seven-person Tupelo agency founded in 2019, offering local, content and technical SEO alongside in-house design, development and broader marketing.
A Birmingham SEO-led agency with named search specialists, technical and local optimisation, ecommerce support and campaign reporting alongside website and paid-media work.
A Billings SEO and digital-marketing provider launched in 2015, with local and national plans covering technical work, content, links and reporting.
A Gilbert search-marketing company founded by Christy Olsen and Kevin McLauchlin, with a broad named specialist roster, month-to-month engagements and unusually detailed technical, ecommerce and B2B case studies.
A Belmar growth agency with 11 named current team members and an active SEO and generative-engine offer covering technical foundations, content, authority and AI visibility.
A Charleston-based full-service search and digital agency offering SEO, SEM, content, paid advertising, lead generation, email and conversion-oriented websites.
A Huntsville strategy-led agency combining technical SEO, content, authority building and paid acquisition for B2B and professional-service organisations.
A founder-led Glen Allen practice offering technical, local, ecommerce and content SEO, web work, links and paid search for Richmond-area and remote clients.
A Cheyenne search agency offering organic SEO, local search, content, paid media, video marketing and conversion-focused campaign management.
A Houston search and content agency with more than 26 years of stated experience, serving regulated B2B industries across SEO, AI visibility, PPC, web and strategy.
A Charleston agency founded in 2010, focused on organic and local SEO, AI answer-engine visibility, content and conversion-oriented web work alongside paid media.
A Golden-based search agency founded as Colorado SEO Pros in 2012, specializing in business-aligned technical, content, link, digital-PR and AI-search programs for B2B, ecommerce and enterprise organizations.
A Baltimore digital marketing agency founded as Dragonfly SEO in 2007, offering organic, local, ecommerce and SaaS SEO alongside content, paid media, social, email and analytics.
A founder-led Tucson SEO company for home-service businesses, publishing a $750 monthly local-search floor, generally month-to-month terms and a lead-focused scope spanning websites, map visibility, content, links and tracking.
A Memphis search-led growth agency founded in 2009, serving local, franchise, ecommerce and enterprise programs across SEO, GEO, content, links, paid media, web and CRO.
An Omaha full-service agency founded in 2010 with a stated 100-200 employees and a large current library of technical, local and content SEO experiments.
A Fort Lauderdale legal-marketing agency founded by attorney Peter Boyd in 2001, now a 30-plus team delivering exclusive-area SEO, attorney-written content, websites, PPC and conversion programs.
A Boca Raton-headquartered full-service agency founded in 2006, combining technical, enterprise, ecommerce, local and AI search with content, links, media, development and conversion work.
A nine-person Greenville B2B growth agency connecting SEO and AEO, content, HubSpot, conversion work, buyer-intent campaigns and outsourced sales development.
A Las Vegas agency established in 2017, combining technical and local SEO with bilingual paid media, social, public relations, community outreach and cross-cultural marketing.
A Phoenix-headquartered digital agency operating since 2013, with organic and local SEO delivery at multi-location scale, a named leadership team and first-party cases across healthcare, legal and home services.
A Richmond agency formed in 2015, combining technical, local, enterprise and AI-search SEO with paid media, content, CRO and advanced measurement.
A New Mexico digital agency operating since 1994, now part of Consumer51, with current Santa Fe and Albuquerque offices and an ongoing technical, content, local-search and analytics offer.
A Huntsville agency founded in 2012 with documented local, technical and authority-building SEO work, Google Business Profile optimisation, web development and paid media.
A Mesa website and search agency with named delivery roles and a public menu of monthly SEO packages, supported by WordPress design and maintenance.
A Fort Lauderdale full-service digital agency founded in 2008, combining technical and local SEO with content, paid media, email, social and web work.
An Indianapolis small-business agency with five named human team members, combining local and technical SEO with content, links, paid media and custom websites.
A Downers Grove full-service agency with two decades of operating experience and five named leaders across SEO, generative search, paid media and client delivery.
A Wilmington web and SEO agency founded in 2016, offering custom technical, local, ecommerce and international search programs with web development.
A Miami agency operating since 2020 with a local-search-led offer spanning Google Business Profile, technical SEO, content, web, paid media and automation.
An Albuquerque web and digital-marketing company offering local and enterprise SEO, audits, content, links, rank reporting, paid media and development under a published minimum contract term.
A Manhattan-headquartered data-led growth agency with seven U.S. locations, combining SEO and performance content with media, direct marketing, creative, web technology and audience intelligence.
A Lehi full-service marketing agency with more than 20 years in Utah, pairing SEO with fractional leadership, creative, paid media, PR, web, automation and analytics as part of Amplēo.
A Seattle and Phoenix contractor-marketing agency founded in 2010, integrating local SEO, websites, advertising, reviews, automation and attribution.
An Overland Park search and content consultancy led by founder Kim Schmutzler, with detailed technical migration, ecommerce, local SEO and AEO evidence.
An Overland Park agency focused on local service businesses, with site rebuilds, local SEO, content, paid media and unusually specific Search Console case documentation.
A Columbia digital studio providing SEO, GEO and AEO with strategy, UX, web and app development, maintenance and conversion-oriented implementation.
A Boise agency established in 2010 that combines relevance-first manual link acquisition with keyword content, technical SEO and digital PR for competitive national campaigns.
A Kaimuki-based Honolulu SEO practice where one senior strategist handles audits, implementation and reporting across local, technical, content, ecommerce and AI-search work.
A Basking Ridge local-search agency offering SEO, content, digital PR, paid media and web work from a published $697 monthly starting point.
A Phoenix-headquartered agency operating since 2000, with recurring SEO packages, local listings management and named website-and-search cases.
A Bismarck-based digital agency powered by the KFYR-TV station group, combining organic and AI search with paid media, websites, targeting and reporting.
The Boca Raton marketing arm of Media Components, delivering technical, local, content, link and AI-search programs from a published downtown office.
A Lehi-headquartered small-business and white-label SEO provider founded in 2009, combining in-house fulfillment with proprietary campaign workflow and reporting technology.
A Jacksonville office of CMG Local Solutions offering research-led on-page, off-page and local SEO alongside listings, paid media and broader digital marketing.
A Boise SEO office delivering technical, local, on-page, off-page and content work with paid media, web implementation and written monthly reporting.
A Charlottesville-headquartered digital agency providing ongoing local and multi-location SEO, content, websites, Google Ads, listings and reporting.
A Honolulu lead-generation agency offering local and technical SEO, Google Business Profile work, content, links, ads and automated lead follow-up on month-to-month terms.
A Kansas City web and SEO firm providing local and national optimization, links, citations, Search Console management and custom WordPress delivery.
A Minneapolis brand, web and digital-marketing agency offering technical SEO, content, links, analytics and implementation.
A Portland agency with more than two decades of web and marketing experience, offering ongoing organic and local SEO, content, paid search, web and software development.
A Fort Lauderdale search specialist offering local, technical, content and authority work with conversion and revenue-oriented reporting for Broward County businesses.
A Webster Groves owner-led SEO practice focused on technical, local and content work for service businesses and growth-stage companies.
A Reston-location digital agency offering technical and local SEO, content, links, paid media, social marketing and conversion support.
A Reston-headquartered digital agency covering technical, local and ecommerce SEO, content, links, paid media, web design and analytics.
A Paramus agency operating since 2017 with local and enterprise SEO, links, content, web design, paid media and reporting.
A Tulsa agency founded in 2015, delivering technical and local SEO, search-ready websites, content, social media and advertising for small businesses and startups.
A Columbia healthcare and nonprofit marketing agency delivering SEO, content, links, websites, paid acquisition and conversion programs.
A Burlington search and digital-marketing company offering SEO, content, guest posting, social and application marketing.
A Bristol and Philadelphia web company operating since 2012, combining technical and local SEO, content, authority building, conversion-focused WordPress sites and maintenance.
A Tupelo internet-marketing provider focused on national and local SEO, search marketing, content, links, citations, reviews and lead generation.
A Santa Fe search and web company formed in 2000, offering organic and local SEO, links, paid search, reporting, ecommerce and development.
A Minneapolis agency specializing in SEO, content, links, paid media and websites for home-service contractors.
An Irving-headquartered technology and marketing provider delivering enterprise and ecommerce SEO, content, links, paid media, analytics and development.
An East Providence web and digital-marketing company combining technical and local SEO, content, links, paid search, social media, analytics and web development.
An Arlington-location search and digital-advertising provider offering technical and local SEO, content, links, web work, paid media and conversion support.
A Cuyahoga Falls Nettl studio offering SEO packages, keyword and backlink work, content, web design, hosting, social media, print and campaign support for small businesses.
A Texas agency with an Irving office offering technical and local SEO, content, links, paid media, websites, conversion and analytics.
A founder-led Billings brand and marketing agency combining technical, local and content SEO with web, paid media and conversion work.
A Philadelphia-based SEO firm serving small and mid-sized businesses with technical and local search, content, paid media, web development, conversion and analytics.
A multi-office New York agency with a Syracuse office, offering technical and local SEO, links, content, paid media, analytics, conversion and web development.
A Richmond agency founded in 2009 that specializes in local and small-business SEO, Google Ads and white-label search delivery using a United States-based team.
A Charleston-headquartered legal marketing agency combining technical and local SEO, AI-search visibility, links, content, paid media, websites, video and intake conversion.
A Copley-area local marketing practice using Google Business Profile work, authority websites, content, citations, backlinks, paid media and conversion tracking to generate local demand.
An Austin search consultancy focused on local SEO, WordPress, content, links and web analytics for local and broader-market visibility.
A Richmond agency launched in 2020 for verified locksmith companies, providing local SEO, maps optimization, content, websites, PPC and directory visibility.
A Gilbert digital marketing company offering local SEO, on-page optimisation, content and website delivery, with a company-reported 2011 start.
A Phoenix search agency founded by Randy Soderman in 2006, offering founder-led organic and business-profile campaigns.
A Fayetteville-based search and content consultancy offering audits, editorial strategy, promotion and analytics setup.
Frequently asked questions
- How many links do I need?
- It depends entirely on the competitive gap for your target queries. Any agency quoting a universal number is selling inventory.
- Are paid links risky?
- Yes, and they violate Google's spam policies. Some agencies still use them; you carry the risk, so ask directly.