Blue Compass
Blue Compass is a privately held, West Des Moines-based digital marketing and web development agency founded in 2007, serving Fortune 500, mid-market, and local clients with custom website design, SEO, GEO, paid media, and proprietary Slate CMS technology.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2007
- HeadquartersWest Des Moines, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Blue Compass does
Blue Compass is a privately held digital marketing and web development agency founded in 2007 by Drew Harden and headquartered in West Des Moines, Iowa. The firm provides a full-service digital offering spanning custom website design and development, SEO, Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), search engine marketing, content marketing, social media marketing, digital branding, UX design, intranet solutions, and media buying. Its anchor technology is Slate CMS, a proprietary content management system with quarterly feature releases, SEO-first metadata tooling, accessibility features, image optimization, and a $300/year add-on analytics product; an entry-level variant, ProSite Essentials, extends Slate CMS to smaller customers.
The company's go-to-market is sales-led and direct, targeting a horizontal mix of Fortune 500 enterprises (Chevron, Sammons Financial Group), mid-market firms (Colonial Group, Lindsay Corporation), local and regional businesses (Des Moines International Airport, Grand View University, DMOS), and adjacent operating subsidiaries (West48 event space). Revenue is generated through project-based engagements and retainer agreements; pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Distribution channels are direct sales and website-driven inbound, with no disclosed channel-partner program.
Blue Compass has expanded its product surface over time, launching ProSite Essentials, the U of Blue training program, GEO services, and integrations with OpenAI Ads Manager and Google Performance Max. The firm operates as an independent, bootstrapped company with no disclosed funding rounds, parent company, or external institutional investors, and is led by founder-CEO Drew Harden alongside a small management team including a Director of Digital Marketing and a Director of Business Development.
Blue Compass firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Blue Compass
- Legal name
- Blue Compass
- Website
- https://bluecompass.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2007
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Blue Compass is a privately held, West Des Moines-based digital marketing and web development agency founded in 2007, serving Fortune 500, mid-market, and local clients with custom website design, SEO, GEO, paid media, and proprietary Slate CMS technology.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Blue Compass industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Digital Marketing Services
- NAICS
- Advertising Agencies (541810), Graphic Design Services (541430)
- SIC
- Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Advertising (7310)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Customer Experience (CX) & Voice of Customer (NPS/CSAT, Journey Research) (MPAAALAH)
Keywords
Where Blue Compass is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- West Des Moines
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Blue Compass business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations
Revenue model
- Digital Marketing Services: Professional services model providing custom web design, development, SEO, and digital marketing strategies. Revenue is generated through project-based engagements and retainer agreements with clients.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels8 records
Blue Compass product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Blue Compass provides custom website design and development services integrated with digital marketing strategies including SEO, SEM, content marketing, social media marketing, digital branding, UX design, and media buying. The agency builds sites on its proprietary Slate CMS platform, which is SEO-first, ADA-compliant, and updated quarterly with new features. Services are delivered on a project or retainer basis to enterprise, mid-market, and local businesses.
Product overview
Blue Compass offers a portfolio of digital marketing services anchored by Slate CMS, their proprietary SEO-optimized content management system. The core offering combines website design and development services with integrated digital marketing solutions including SEO, SEM, content marketing, and social media marketing. Slate CMS serves as the foundational platform with add-on tiers like ProSite Essentials for entry-level needs. Additional services include intranet solutions, digital branding, UX design, media buying, and training programs, all designed to work together as a unified digital marketing ecosystem.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Slate CMS: SEO-first custom content management system built by Blue Compass for websites. Features include meta title/description editors, image optimization, WYSIWYG editor, auto-generated sitemaps, schema markup templates, and advanced security.
- ProSite Essentials
- West48
- U of Blue
Products and services
- Slate CMS
- ProSite Essentials
- Website Design and Development
- Intranet Solutions
- SEO Services
- SEM Services
- Content Marketing
- Social Media Marketing
- Digital Branding
- Digital Experience Design (UX)
- Media Buying
- U of Blue Training Programs
Quantifiable outcome
- 48% average increase in organic search traffic for clients
Companies that use Blue Compass
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Blue Compass technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
AI capability4 records
Feature1 record
Blue Compass partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Blue Compass competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Lessing-Flynn: Des Moines full-service advertising and digital agency serving enterprise and mid-market accounts. Comparable size and service mix with strong regional client base.
- Two Rivers Marketing: Des Moines-based, full-service digital marketing agency of similar size serving enterprise and mid-market clients across multiple verticals. Direct local competitor with comparable service stack (web, SEO, content, branding).
- Strategic America: West Des Moines-headquartered integrated marketing agency with similar mix of web development, digital marketing, and media services for enterprise clients. Closest geographic peer.
- LRXD: Des Moines-based digital marketing and creative agency of comparable size offering web, SEO, branding, and content services. Directly overlapping customer base and service portfolio in the Iowa market.
- WebFX: Harrisburg, PA-based digital marketing agency of similar size with comparable SEO, web design, and content marketing offerings for mid-market and enterprise clients. Direct peer in agency business model and scale.
- Thrive Internet Marketing Agency: San Antonio-based full-service digital marketing agency of comparable size specializing in SEO, web design, and social media for mid-market and enterprise clients. Direct peer in service model and customer profile.
- Disruptive Advertising: Lehi, Utah-based digital marketing agency of similar scale focused on PPC, SEO, and web design for mid-market and enterprise clients. Comparable service mix and revenue tier.
Broad incumbents
- VML: Kansas City-based global marketing agency with strong Midwest heritage offering enterprise-scale brand, digital, and commerce services. Larger incumbent that competes for the same Fortune 500 accounts Blue Compass serves.
- Bounteous: Denver/Chicago-based digital experience agency with similar full-service web, SEO, and digital marketing capabilities at larger scale. Mid-market/enterprise competitor with stronger geographic reach.
Regional players
- Ten Speed: Iowa-based creative and digital marketing agency serving similar enterprise and mid-market clients in the Midwest with web, branding, and content services. Comparable regional peer.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Blue Compass social profiles
Digital presenceBlue Compass financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Blue Compass leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Blue Compass subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Blue Compass funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Blue Compass M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Blue Compass
What does Blue Compass do?
Blue Compass provides custom website design and development services integrated with digital marketing strategies including SEO, SEM, content marketing, social media marketing, digital branding, UX design, and media buying. The agency builds sites on its proprietary Slate CMS platform, which is SEO-first, ADA-compliant, and updated quarterly with new features. Services are delivered on a project or retainer basis to enterprise, mid-market, and local businesses.
Is Blue Compass a public or private company?
Blue Compass is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Blue Compass founded?
Blue Compass was founded in 2007. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Blue Compass based?
Blue Compass is headquartered in West Des Moines, United States, in the North America region.
How does Blue Compass make money?
One revenue line is on record: digital Marketing Services.
Who are Blue Compass's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Lessing-Flynn, Two Rivers Marketing, Strategic America, LRXD, WebFX, Thrive Internet Marketing Agency and Disruptive Advertising. Broad incumbents are VML and Bounteous. Ten Speed is listed as a regional player.
Does Blue Compass have an API?
No public API is recorded for Blue Compass.
What industry is Blue Compass in?
Blue Compass's product category is Digital Marketing Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAAALAH, Customer Experience (CX) & Voice of Customer (NPS/CSAT, Journey Research). Its NAICS code is 541810 and its SIC code is 7311.