Next Net Media
Next Net Media is a PE-backed digital marketing and AI discoverability platform company that operates seven SEO sub-brands and the NextNet AI platform, serving SMBs, agencies, and publishers with AI-driven search and brand visibility solutions.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersSt. Petersburg, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Next Net Media does
Next Net Media is a Florida-based, PE-backed digital marketing and AI discoverability platform company serving small and mid-sized businesses, agencies, and publishers worldwide. The company operates a portfolio of seven sub-brands spanning the full SEO workflow: The Hoth (SEO services), Authority and LinkBuilder.io (link acquisition), SEOJet (AI-backed link management), Copymatic (AI content generation), iWriter (human-written content at scale), and FreeUp (freelance talent marketplace). Its core 2025 product is NextNet AI, an AI discoverability platform that restructures websites into LLM-consumable formats and optimizes brand citation across traditional search and AI discovery channels including Google Gemini, Perplexity, and ChatGPT. The platform is built on NVIDIA GPU technologies (Triton Inference Server, NeMo, RAPIDS) and produces a proprietary AIR Score that measures brand authority across both legacy and AI search surfaces, with built-in protection against LLM hijacking.
The business operates on recurring subscription revenue across its sub-brands, supplemented by a quote-based enterprise sales motion for the AI discoverability platform. Distribution combines direct enterprise sales, the seven consumer-facing sub-brands as a demand-generation engine, and a flagship January 2026 channel partnership with Audacy that bundles NextNet AI with Audacy's 550+ media and marketing consultants to reach SMBs at scale nationwide. The company was founded in 2015, received a $150 million private equity investment from Clearview Capital Fund IV in September 2021, and has executed six acquisitions between 2018 and 2023 to build out its product portfolio and global footprint. It is led by CEO Marc Hardgrove and President David Martin.
Next Net Media firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Next Net Media
- Legal name
- Next Net Media
- Website
- https://nextnetmedia.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Next Net Media is a PE-backed digital marketing and AI discoverability platform company that operates seven SEO sub-brands and the NextNet AI platform, serving SMBs, agencies, and publishers with AI-driven search and brand visibility solutions.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Next Net Media industry classification
Industry- Product category
- AI-powered SEO and Generative Engine Optimization Software
- NAICS
- Web Search Portals and All Other Information Services (51929)
- SIC
- Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Enterprise AI Data & Knowledge Platforms (Vector Databases, Knowledge Graphs) (HDAEANAH)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Q&A and Knowledge Discovery Platforms (BPAMAAAF)
Keywords
Where Next Net Media is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- St. Petersburg
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Next Net Media business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- AI Discoverability Platform Subscription: SaaS subscription for AI-powered answer and generative engine optimization platform available to enterprise partners, agencies, and publishers worldwide.
- Digital Marketing Solutions: Digital marketing solutions sold to small and mid-sized businesses, including SEO and link-building services.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels3 records
Next Net Media product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Next Net Media operates NextNet AI, an AI-powered discoverability platform built on NVIDIA GPU technologies that helps brands and publishers optimize for citation and visibility in AI-driven search engines and large language models such as ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Perplexity. The company also operates a portfolio of sub-brands offering SEO services, backlink acquisition, content generation, and a freelance talent marketplace, serving SMBs, agencies, and enterprise publishers globally.
Product overview
Next Net Media operates as a digital marketing and AI visibility platform company with a portfolio of seven sub-brands and products. The core offering is NextNet AI, an AI-powered discoverability platform built on NVIDIA GPU technologies that optimizes brands for visibility in both traditional search and AI-driven discovery channels. The product ecosystem includes The Hoth (SEO and digital marketing simplification), Authority (backlink acquisition), LinkBuilder.io (acquired SEO link building), FreeUp (freelance talent marketplace), Copymatic (AI content generation), iWriter (human-powered content at scale), and SEOJet (AI-backed link management). These products work together to provide comprehensive digital marketing services covering SEO, content creation, link building, and AI discoverability optimization.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- The Hoth: SEO and Digital Marketing, Simplified
- Authority
- LinkBuilder
- FreeUp
- CopyMatic
- iWriter
- SEOJet
- NextNet AI
Products and services
- NextNet AI AI-powered discoverability platform that helps brands and publishers optimize for citation and visibility in AI-driven search engines and large language models. Built on NVIDIA GPU technologies, it provides a proprietary AIR Score to measure authority across traditional search and AI discovery channels, and includes protection against LLM hijacking.
- The Hoth SEO and digital marketing platform that simplifies search engine optimization and online visibility for businesses.
- Authority Backlink acquisition service that provides high-quality backlinks designed to improve search rankings and drive measurable results.
- LinkBuilder.io SEO-driven link building service that handles outreach and link acquisition for clients on their behalf by the Next Net team.
- FreeUp Platform connecting businesses with top freelance talent specialized in digital marketing and SEO services.
- Copymatic AI-powered content generation platform that creates marketing copy and content designed to convert website visitors into customers.
- iWriter Content creation platform providing human-written, SEO-optimized content produced at scale for various digital marketing needs.
- SEOJet AI-backed link management system that automates and optimizes link building campaigns for higher search engine rankings.
Quantifiable outcome
- 200,000+ businesses served through its platform ecosystem
Companies that use Next Net Media
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Next Net Media technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability8 records
Feature3 records
Next Net Media partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.
- AudacyflagshipNext Net and Audacy partnered to launch NextNet AI, an AI-powered discoverability solution for local and regional businesses. The solution leverages Audacy's network of over 550 media and marketing consultants to deliver enterprise-grade AI capabilities to SMBs nationwide.
- AudacyflagshipBundles AI discoverability capabilities with Audacy's 550+ media and marketing consultants to help brands overcome cost and technical barriers to being cited in LLM responses and AI search engines.
- NvidiacoreNvidia partnered with Next Net to co-develop answer engine optimization and generative engine optimization services. The partnership uses Nvidia GPU technologies including Triton Inference Server, NeMo, and RAPIDS to help publishers adapt to AI-driven content discovery. This marks Nvidia's first meaningful move into the open web's advertising and publishing stack.
- LinkBuilder.iocoreNext Net Media acquired LinkBuilder.io, a key player in SEO and link-building, to strengthen its digital marketing capabilities and expand its global presence. LinkBuilder.io operates as a brand under Next Net Media's portfolio.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Next Net Media competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Ahrefs: Ahrefs is one of the most established SEO software platforms globally, offering keyword research, backlink analysis, content tools, and increasingly AI-related features. It directly competes with Next Net Media's portfolio of SEO tools (The Hoth, Authority, SEOJet) and was named alongside Next Net in the Top 50 SEO Software Companies 2025 ranking.
- Semrush: Semrush is a publicly-traded, comprehensive digital marketing SaaS platform covering SEO, content, advertising, and social. It competes directly with Next Net Media's SEO portfolio and has begun introducing AI search visibility features, making it a direct competitor to NextNet AI as well.
- BrightEdge: BrightEdge is an enterprise SEO and content performance platform. Named alongside Next Net in the Top 50 SEO Software Companies 2025 ranking, it competes for the same enterprise partners, agencies, and publishers that NextNet AI targets.
- WebFX: WebFX is a full-service digital marketing agency offering SEO, content, and link-building services with proprietary technology. It was named alongside Next Net in the Top 50 SEO Software Companies 2025 ranking and competes for the same SMB and mid-market customer base.
- Conductor: Conductor is an enterprise SEO and content intelligence platform. It targets the same enterprise and agency segment as Next Net Media's platform offering, with comparable feature sets around search performance and content optimization.
Emerging players
- Profound: Profound is an emerging AI search visibility and analytics platform focused on brand presence in generative AI engines. It is the most direct emerging competitor to NextNet AI's GEO/AEO proposition, targeting the same enterprise and agency buyer.
- Otterly.AI: Otterly.AI is an emerging AI search monitoring and optimization tool that helps brands track and improve their visibility in LLM-powered search engines. It is an emerging competitor in the same GEO/AEO category that NextNet AI addresses.
- Frase: Frase is an AI-powered content optimization platform that helps marketers create SEO-optimized content. It competes with Next Net Media's CopyMatic and iWriter sub-brands and overlaps with the content layer of the NextNet AI platform.
- Writesonic: Writesonic is an AI content generation platform with SEO optimization features. It competes with CopyMatic and iWriter and overlaps with the AI content capabilities embedded in Next Net Media's platform portfolio.
Broad incumbents
- Yext: Yext is a digital presence platform managing brand information across search engines, maps, voice assistants, and AI services. It is a broader incumbent in the brand-discoverability space and increasingly overlaps with NextNet AI's value proposition as AI search becomes a primary discovery channel.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Next Net Media social profiles
Digital presenceNext Net Media financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Next Net Media leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Next Net Media subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries7 records
Next Net Media funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Next Net Media M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A6 records
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Next Net Media
What does Next Net Media do?
Next Net Media operates NextNet AI, an AI-powered discoverability platform built on NVIDIA GPU technologies that helps brands and publishers optimize for citation and visibility in AI-driven search engines and large language models such as ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Perplexity. The company also operates a portfolio of sub-brands offering SEO services, backlink acquisition, content generation, and a freelance talent marketplace, serving SMBs, agencies, and enterprise publishers globally.
Is Next Net Media a public or private company?
Next Net Media is a private company. It is classified as private equity controlled and is currently operating.
When was Next Net Media founded?
Next Net Media was founded in 2015. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Next Net Media based?
Next Net Media is headquartered in St. Petersburg, United States, in the North America region.
How does Next Net Media make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. AI Discoverability Platform Subscription is the primary driver. The others are digital Marketing Solutions.
Who are Next Net Media's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Ahrefs, Semrush, BrightEdge, WebFX and Conductor. Emerging players are Profound, Otterly.AI, Frase and Writesonic. Yext is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Next Net Media have an API?
No public API is recorded for Next Net Media.
What industry is Next Net Media in?
Next Net Media's product category is AI-powered SEO and Generative Engine Optimization Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAEANAH, Enterprise AI Data & Knowledge Platforms (Vector Databases, Knowledge Graphs), with a secondary code of BPAMAAAF, Q&A and Knowledge Discovery Platforms. Its NAICS code is 51929 and its SIC code is 7311.