Sterling Sky

What Sterling Sky does

Sterling Sky is a privately held, specialized local SEO agency founded in 2017 by Joy Hawkins and headquartered in Uxbridge, Ontario, with a US operating entity (Sterling Sky USA Inc) in Claymont, Delaware. The firm focuses on Google Business Profile optimization, on-page and technical SEO, content writing, link building, GBP spam remediation, and Google Local Service Ads (LSA) and Pay-Per-Click (PPC) management. Its core customers are multi-location and service-area businesses — primarily in home services (garage door, plumbing, electrical, lawn care), law firms (personal injury, criminal defense, family law), dental and dermatology practices, and senior/home care franchise networks — served across Canada, the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom.

The agency monetizes through a sales-led motion: free consultation, a one-time comprehensive Local SEO Audit ($2,100 USD), and conversion into monthly retainers priced at $3,000–$5,000 USD for local SEO (higher for legal), $920 USD/month for LSA management, $690 USD/month for LSA consulting, and $1,150 USD/month for managed PPC, with an outcome-based GBP Suspension Reinstatement service at $800 per location. Distribution is driven by a content-and-community moat: 100,000+ YouTube subscribers, 8,000+ newsletter subscribers, a podcast ('Local SEO: The Expert's Guide'), and three owned/co-owned sub-brands (LocalU co-owned with Mike Blumenthal and Mary Bowling, Local Search Forum, and Ranking Academy). The team of 40+ employees across four countries includes five Google Product Experts and nine LocalU faculty members, and the firm made one disclosed acquisition (Classy Brain, June 2022) in the home services SEO vertical.

Name

Sterling Sky

Legal name

Sterling Sky Inc

Website

https://sterlingsky.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sterling Sky is a specialized local SEO agency serving multi-location and service-area businesses across North America, Australia, and the UK with Google Business Profile optimization, LSA/PPC management, audits, and GBP reinstatement services on monthly retainers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local SEO and Digital Marketing Services

NAICS

Web Search Portals and All Other Information Services (51929)

akta.pro primary industry

Vertical/Specialty Search (e.g., jobs, real estate, travel, products) (BPAMAAAD)

Keywords

• Local SEO services
• Google Business Profile optimization
• Local search marketing
• Pay-per-click management
• SEO audit services

Headquarters

HQ city

Uxbridge

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Monthly Local SEO Retainers: Ongoing monthly retainer services for local SEO management, typically structured as subscription-based recurring revenue
2. Local SEO Audits: One-time audit services priced at $2,100 USD providing comprehensive analysis and custom reports
3. LSA Management Services: Monthly management of Google Local Service Ads at $920/month plus $460 setup, including ongoing optimization and reporting
4. PPC Management: Fully-managed pay-per-click services starting at $1,150/month for small businesses
5. GBP Suspension Reinstatement: Performance-based reinstatement service at $800 per location, only charged upon successful reinstatement

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Sterling Sky is a local SEO agency that helps small and mid-sized businesses increase visibility in Google Maps and local organic search. Core offerings include ongoing local SEO retainers, custom Local SEO Audits, Google Business Profile optimization and suspension reinstatement, Google Local Service Ads (LSA) management and consulting, and fully managed Pay-Per-Click (PPC) campaigns across Google and Bing Ads.

Product overview

Sterling Sky is a local SEO agency founded in 2017 by Joy Hawkins, offering a suite of digital marketing services centered on local search optimization. The core product portfolio includes Local SEO Services, Local SEO Audit, Google Business Profile Suspension Help, Google Local Service Ads Management & Consulting, and Pay-Per-Click services. Supporting content products include a weekly Newsletter with 8,000+ subscribers and the 'Local SEO: The Expert's Guide' podcast. The company also operates sub-brands including Local Search Forum, LocalU (education/conferences), and Ranking Academy. Sterling Sky serves home service businesses, law firms, dentists, dermatologists, and other local businesses across Canada, the United States, Australia, and the UK.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• LocalU: Local University - brings together top minds in the local search space through conferences and webinars. Sterling Sky has 9 faculty members & speakers at LocalU.
• Local Search Forum
• Ranking Academy

Products and services

• Local SEO Services Ongoing local SEO retainer for businesses to increase visibility in Google's Local Pack and local organic search. Includes Google Business Profile optimization, on-page SEO, link building, and competitor analysis. Sold to home service businesses, law firms, dental/medical practices, and multi-location franchises. Pricing starts at $3,000 USD/month for most home service industries and $5,000 USD/month for law firms.
• Local SEO Audit One-time comprehensive technical audit of a business's local search performance. Includes a custom 15-50 page report covering website SEO, GBP, backlinks, reviews, social media, and competitors, plus a one-hour review call. Sold to SMBs and franchises; priced at $2,100 USD.
• Google Business Profile Suspension Help Service that diagnoses root causes of GBP suspensions and handles the appeal process on a pay-for-performance basis: $0 upfront, $800 USD per location only charged upon successful reinstatement. For businesses and agencies with suspended GBP listings.
• Google Local Service Ads (LSA) Management & Consulting Two LSA offerings for Google Local Service Ads: full management at $920 USD/month (with $460 setup) including dedicated expert, call monitoring, lead rating, monthly reporting, and ongoing optimization; and consulting at $690 USD/month (with $460 setup) providing in-house expert guidance, tracking, recommendations, and account optimizations. For SMBs running Google LSAs.
• Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Fully-managed PPC service across Google Ads and Bing Ads for small businesses. Includes campaign setup, optimization, bid management, certified Google Ads experts, monitoring, and budget management. Starting at $1,150 USD/month.

Quantifiable outcome

• A1 Garage Door Service: 1000% increase in unbranded clicks from Maps, 900%+ increase in organic traffic (2024 vs 2023)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Classy BraincoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 June 2022Acquired Classy Brain, an SEO company specializing in home service businesses including plumbers and electricians. The acquisition was driven by alignment in standards and reputation. Classy Brain continues as a separate brand.
• LocalUcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocalU is a premier local search education organization. Sterling Sky team members serve as 9 faculty members and speakers. Joy Hawkins is an owner alongside Mike Blumenthal and Mary Bowling.
• Local Search ForumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSterling Sky is the owner and operator of the Local Search Forum, a forum for search professionals, consultants, and business owners to learn about the local SEO community.
• Ranking AcademyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRanking Academy is owned by Sterling Sky and provides local SEO education and training resources.
• LeadfernominorGTM or Marketing PartnerLeadferno Partner - Sterling Sky is listed as a partner of Leadferno, a text messaging platform for local businesses.
• WhitesparkminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSterling Sky team members contribute to Whitespark's Local Search Ranking Factors study. Whitespark also features Sterling Sky expertise in their blog content.
• MozminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMoz lists Sterling Sky as a recommended SEO company. Multiple team members (Joy, Colan, Noah) are writers for Moz. Sterling Sky is listed as a recommended company to work with.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• BrightLocal: BrightLocal is a SaaS platform focused on local SEO — citation building, reputation management, GBP auditing, and local search reporting. Sterling Sky is a direct peer in the local SEO domain, with BrightLocal also publishing industry research that Sterling Sky team members contribute to.
• Whitespark: Whitespark provides local search software, services, and the well-known Local Search Ranking Factors study, with Sterling Sky team members as contributors and Joy Hawkins regularly featured. Both companies serve the same local SEO practitioner community with overlapping tools, content, and agency-grade services.
• Rio SEO: Rio SEO is an enterprise local marketing platform offering listings management, GBP optimization, and local SEO services. Comparable to Sterling Sky in serving multi-location brands and franchise systems with local search optimization.
• Classy Brain: Classy Brain is an SEO agency specializing in home service businesses (plumbers, electricians). It was acquired by Sterling Sky in June 2022 but continues to operate as a separate brand, making it the most direct comparable in the home-services local SEO vertical.

Broad incumbents

• Moz: Moz is an established SEO software platform with a broader general-SEO footprint. Sterling Sky is listed as a 'Moz recommended SEO company' and has multiple team members (Joy, Colan, Noah) writing for Moz, marking it as an authoritative partner rather than direct service competitor.
• Vendasta: Vendasta is a large end-to-end SMB digital marketing platform that bundles local SEO, reputation, listings, and advertising tools for agencies and resellers. It competes indirectly by enabling agencies and SMBs to self-serve many of the same tasks Sterling Sky performs as a managed service.
• Yext: Yext provides enterprise digital presence platforms covering listings, GBP, reputation, and pages. It is a broader incumbent serving similar business needs at the multi-location/enterprise end, where Sterling Sky also operates.
• SEMrush: SEMrush is a leading full-suite SEO/SEM software platform. Sterling Sky competes in the same search marketing services market but more narrowly in local SEO, where it offers managed execution that SEMrush customers can self-serve.
• Ahrefs: Ahrefs is a major SEO toolset for backlinks, keywords, and competitor research. While product overlap is limited, Ahrefs is a key indirect competitor in the SEO services ecosystem where Sterling Sky competes for SMB and mid-market attention.

Emerging players

• LocalU: LocalU is a local search education organization co-owned by Joy Hawkins alongside Mike Blumenthal and Mary Bowling. Sterling Sky has 9 faculty members at LocalU; it sits adjacent to Sterling Sky as a closely affiliated community/education brand rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/SterlingSkyInc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/SterlingSkyInc
• Facebookfacebook.com/sterlingskyinc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sterlingskyinc
• Instagraminstagram.com/sterlingskyinc
• TikToktiktok.com/@sterlingskyseo

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A1 record

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Sterling Sky