What Sape does

Sape (LLC Sape) is a Russian digital marketing platform company founded in 2007 and headquartered in Moscow. It operates a multi-product ecosystem centered on a link-building marketplace (Links.Sape, branded internationally as Serpzilla) that connects SEO professionals buying backlinks with website publishers selling them, with a stated database of 1 billion pages, 140,000 websites, 20 million backlinks placed, and pricing starting from 1 cent per backlink. Sape reports serving more than 100,000 customers across 29 countries and claims a 65%+ share of the Russia and CIS linkbuilding market, with international placements (Europe, USA, Asia) currently above 15% and a stated target of 50%.

The technical foundation spans a self-service two-sided marketplace with automated link-exchange flow (three-click transaction), a programmatic advertising stack (RTBSape) combining DSP full- and self-service, SSP with direct and header bidding, and a proprietary DMP with targeting and anti-fraud capability, plus a SaaS SEO automation service (WizardSape) operating over a 500-million-keyword base. Adjacent modules include Advisor.Sape (Linkbuilder, Directly to the Top, Complex Promotion, Backlink Audit), SapeAgency (managed SEO services built on 15 years and 90,000+ projects), and additional ecosystem products for retargeting (OneRetarget), geo promotion (Repometr), content placement (Articles.Sape), traffic (Traffic.Sape), analytics (Salist.Sape), PR (PR.Sape), and lead/list management (LM.Sape, IQAD). The corporate group operates through three Moscow entities: LLC Sape as the operating company, LLC VM Vostok as the fiscal organization for SEO specialists, and LLC Softway as the fiscal organization for domestic publishers.

Sape monetizes through four streams: transactional commissions on the link marketplace, recurring SaaS subscriptions for SEO automation and analytics, programmatic advertising revenue via RTBSape, and agency service fees from SapeAgency. Distribution is primarily product-led and self-serve via direct online registration, supported by a content marketing footprint (Serpzilla blog, Sape.ru publications, glossary) targeting SEO intent. CEO Sergey Pankov, co-founders Evgeny Poshibalov (CTO) and Grigory Firsov, and CFO Maksim Artemenkov lead a reported 1–10-employee core organization; the platform's scale (1B+ backlinks processed/day per WizardSape metrics) reflects heavy automation and embedded partner/publisher supply rather than direct headcount-driven operations.

Name

Sape

Legal name

LLC Sape

Website

https://sape.ru

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sape is a Russian-founded, Moscow-headquartered digital marketing platform operating the Links.Sape/Serpzilla link-building marketplace (1B pages, 140,000 websites, 100,000+ customers across 29 countries) alongside the RTBSape programmatic ad stack, WizardSape SEO automation SaaS, and SapeAgency managed SEO services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

SEO & Link Building Platform

NAICS

Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418), Media Buying Agencies (54183)

SIC

Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Services (MPAAACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Enterprise SEO (Large Sites, Governance, Workflow) (BPAFAJAF), SEO Platform & Tooling Services (Implementations, Training, Enablement) (BPAFAJAJ), International & Multilingual SEO (Hreflang, Geo-Targeting) (BPAFAJAG)

Keywords

• Link building marketplace
• SEO automation
• Programmatic advertising
• Backlink exchange
• Search engine optimization

Headquarters

HQ city

Moscow

HQ country

Russia

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Operations

Revenue model

1. Link Marketplace Commission: Transaction-based revenue from buying and selling backlinks on the Links.Sape marketplace platform
2. WizardSape SaaS Subscription: Subscription-based revenue from SEO automation SaaS service for automated website promotion
3. RTBSape Programmatic Advertising: Revenue from programmatic advertising platform with DSP/SSP capabilities serving advertisers and publishers
4. Agency Services: Low-cost search promotion agency services including website promotion, reputation management, and complex promotion

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Sape operates an ecosystem of digital marketing platforms centered on link building and SEO promotion. Its core product, Links.Sape (branded Serpzilla internationally), is the largest link-building marketplace in Russia/CIS, connecting SEO professionals with website publishers to buy and sell backlinks across 1 billion pages and 140,000 websites. The ecosystem also includes WizardSape (automated SEO SaaS), RTBSape (programmatic DSP/SSP advertising platform with proprietary DMP), Advisor.Sape (linkbuilder and promotion tools), and SapeAgency (managed SEO services).

Product overview

Sape operates as a multi-product ecosystem centered around link-building and SEO promotion. The core platform consists of Links.Sape (Serpzilla internationally), the largest link-building marketplace in Russia and CIS with automated link exchange and a database of over 1 billion pages; RTB.Sape, a full-stack programmatic advertising platform combining DSP, SSP, DMP, and anti-fraud capabilities; and WizardSape, a SaaS SEO automation tool. These are augmented by Advisor.Sape (Linkbuilder, Directly to the Top, Complex Promotion modules) and SapeAgency, a low-cost promotion agency. The broader ecosystem includes supporting products for analytics (Salist.Sape), advertising (IQAD, Traffic.Sape, OneRetarget, LM.Sape), PR (PR.Sape), content (Articles.Sape), geo-promotion (Repometr), and publications/glossary resources. The ecosystem serves over 100,000 customers across 29 countries and processes over 20 million placed backlinks.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Links.Sape (Serpzilla) The largest link-building platform in Russia/CIS (also branded Serpzilla for international markets), uniting SEO professionals and publishers in a marketplace where backlinks can be bought and sold via automated 3-click exchange. Includes over 1 billion pages, 140,000 websites, 20 million placed backlinks, with prices starting from 1 cent per backlink.
• RTBSape Programmatic advertising platform combining DSP with full- and self-service, SSP with direct and header bidding ad placement, plus a proprietary DMP with unique targeting and anti-fraud solutions. Serves advertisers and publishers with monthly campaign volume exceeding 1,000 campaigns.
• WizardSape Automated SEO promotion SaaS that analyzes websites, delivers optimization recommendations, and tracks search engine position growth dynamics without requiring professional SEO skills. Backed by 500 million keyword base and a daily throughput of 1 billion backlinks placed.
• Advisor.Sape Suite of additional services increasing effectiveness of automated SEO promotion. Includes Linkbuilder (competitor analysis-based link-building strategy), Directly to the Top (SEO with success guarantee — 10% of keywords in top within 39 days), Complex Promotion (algorithm-aware keyword optimization), and Backlink Audit services.
• SapeAgency Managed SEO promotion agency offering Website Promotion, Reputation Management, and Complex Promotion services at low cost. Leverages 15 years of Sape ecosystem automation and 90,000+ completed projects to deliver affordable outsourced SEO.
• Salist.Sape Analytics tool for SEO data analysis, part of the Sape ecosystem's SEO promotion product line.
• PR.Sape Public relations service within the Sape ecosystem for managing online reputation and PR activities.
• Articles.Sape Article placement service enabling content publishing within the Sape link-building ecosystem.
• Traffic.Sape Traffic generation platform within the Sape ecosystem for media advertising.
• OneRetarget Targeted advertising platform integrated within the Sape ecosystem for retargeting campaigns.
• IQAD Advertising platform listed as part of the Sape ecosystem's SEO promotion product line.
• Repometr

Quantifiable outcome

• 10% of keywords at top within 39 days with guaranteed promotion
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• LinksManagement: One of the closest direct competitors to Sape — a marketplace where website owners sell backlinks and SEO professionals buy them. Like Sape, it operates globally, charges per-placement, and targets the same two-sided SEO/publisher audience.
• Majestic: Specialist backlink intelligence provider (Site Explorer, Trust Flow). Highly comparable to Sape's Linkbuilder and Backlink Audit modules and frequently used by the same SEO professional buyer persona.
• SERPstat: All-in-one SEO platform with strong presence in CIS/Russia and similar positioning to WizardSape across keyword research, competitor analysis, and backlink auditing; competes for the same regional and international SMB SEO buyers.

Broad incumbents

• Ahrefs: Leading SEO SaaS platform offering backlink analysis, keyword research, and competitor research. Overlaps with Sape's WizardSape/AdvisorSape tools and indirectly competes for the SEO professional's tooling budget.
• SEMrush: Broad digital marketing SaaS suite that competes directly with WizardSape/AdvisorSape on SEO automation, keyword tracking, and backlink audits. Also a meaningful competitor in programmatic SEO tooling.
• Moz (Moz Pro): Established SEO platform offering link-explorer databases, keyword research, and rank tracking. Competes head-on with WizardSape's SaaS analytics and has a mature backlink index that overlaps with Sape's Linkbuilder/Salist.Sape offerings.
• AdSense / Yandex Ads: Dominant ad networks RTBSape competes with for publisher monetization. As a publisher-side SSP, RTBSape's inventory must compete for ad spend against these incumbents.
• Yandex: Russian search and advertising platform; relevant context for WizardSape/AdvisorSape which optimize for Yandex SERPs and for the broader Russian/CIS SEO market where Sape holds 65%+ share.

Emerging players

• Pitchbox: Outreach and link-building automation platform aimed at agency SEOs. Competes with Sape's Linkbuilder and the broader SEO promotion workflow, targeting professional users with higher-priced tooling.
• BuzzStream: Link-building and outreach management tool used by content marketers and SEOs. Comparable in workflow/category to Sape's Linkbuilder and AdvisorSape modules for strategy and outreach.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/sape.ru
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sape-sapient-solutions

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sape