What Marcel Digital does

Marcel Digital is a Chicago-based, privately held B2B digital marketing and web development agency founded in 2003 and serving enterprise and mid-market clients primarily in the United States. The firm operates a sales-led, consultative go-to-market model targeting marketing and technology decision-makers across verticals including technology, associations, financial services, manufacturing, logistics, and telecommunications. Its stated value proposition is accelerating enterprise value through integrated marketing, measurement, and technology work, delivered by a single in-house Chicago team of 11-50 employees.

The company's technical core is Umbraco CMS, where it has held Platinum Partner status since 2013 — one of the longest-tenured Umbraco agencies in North America. The offering is organized along two pillars: Solutions (Demand Generation, Lead Generation, Measurement, Customer Experience, Technology Platforms, AI Automation, Sales Enablement) and Services (SEO, Answer Engine Optimization, Paid Media, Conversion Rate Optimization, Web Development on Umbraco and HubSpot CMS, Custom .NET/Azure Applications, UX, and Data & Insights). Underlying technology includes Umbraco CMS, uSkinned Site Builder, Umbraco Engage (personalization/A-B testing), ASP.NET Core, and Microsoft Azure hosting, complemented by certified partnerships with Google (Premier Partner, Top Rated Agency), Microsoft, HubSpot (Solutions Partner), and Hotjar (Founding Member).

Revenue is generated primarily through professional services engagements — project-based web development plus retainer-based digital marketing and Enterprise Development Support — supplemented by managed Azure/Umbraco Cloud hosting (99.9% uptime, hundreds of websites hosted), Umbraco Engage subscription resale starting at $900/year, and project-based custom integrations with CRM/ERP systems (HubSpot, SAP, NetSuite, Dynamics 365). Pricing is custom-quoted across most lines. The firm has executed hundreds of website migrations since 2003 and reports quantified case-study outcomes including 49% increases in new business inquiries, 108% paid-search conversion lifts, and 72% conversion rate improvements. Leadership comprises founder/CEO Ben Swartz, Chief Strategy Officer Kyle Brigham, and Director of Web Development Alex Vilmur.

Name

Marcel Digital

Legal name

Marcel Digital

Website

https://marceldigital.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Marcel Digital is a Chicago-based B2B digital marketing and web development agency serving enterprise and mid-market clients through Umbraco CMS development, HubSpot, SEO, paid media, and Azure-based custom web applications. The firm operates as an Umbraco Platinum Partner with 11-50 in-house employees and 20+ years of operation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Marketing Services

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (541810), Custom Computer Programming Services (541511)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Creative & Experience Design Agencies (Web/App/UX) (MPAAAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Customer Experience (CX) & Digital Experience (BPAHAEAC)

Keywords

• Digital marketing services
• Web development agency
• Search engine optimization
• Umrbaco development
• B2b marketing agency

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Services — Digital Marketing: Digital marketing services including SEO, AEO, Paid Media, and CRO delivered as ongoing retainer engagements or project-based engagements. Revenue is generated through monthly retainer contracts and one-time campaign/project fees. Services span full-funnel demand generation, lead generation, and measurement.
2. Professional Services — Web Development: Custom web development services including Umbraco development, HubSpot CMS development, ASP.NET custom applications, cloud application development, UX/design, and migration services. Delivered as project-based engagements or retainer-based ongoing development support.
3. Managed Services — Enterprise Development Support: Long-term retainer-based engagement model for enterprise digital platform maintenance and ongoing development. Support is tailored to organizational needs, operating as retainer-based, roadmap-driven, or hybrid models. Provides predictable recurring revenue from enterprise clients.
4. Umbraco Engage Subscription: Umbraco Engage is priced starting at $900 per year with multiple tiers: Analytics, Standard, Professional, Enterprise, and Custom Enterprise. Marcel Digital implements, customizes, and supports Umbraco Engage as a managed service, generating both implementation fees and ongoing retainer revenue.
5. Website Hosting and Maintenance: Ongoing website hosting on Microsoft Azure and Umbraco Cloud with maintenance services. Revenue is recurring from monthly/annual hosting fees combined with maintenance retainer charges.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels13 records

Core offering

Marcel Digital is a Chicago-based B2B digital marketing and web development agency that helps enterprise and mid-market companies accelerate growth through integrated digital marketing services (SEO, Answer Engine Optimization, Paid Media, Conversion Rate Optimization) and web development on Umbraco CMS, HubSpot CMS, and Microsoft Azure. The agency offers custom .NET web application development, SEO-friendly website migrations, Umbraco Cloud hosting, Umbraco Engage personalization implementation, and long-term Enterprise Development Support retainers delivered by an in-house Chicago team.

Product overview

Marcel Digital is a Chicago-based B2B digital marketing and web development agency offering a comprehensive portfolio of professional services. The company's offerings are organized around two main pillars: Solutions (Demand Generation, Lead Generation, Measurement, Customer Experience, Sales Enablement, AI Automation) and Services (SEO, Answer Engine Optimization, Paid Media, Conversion Rate Optimization, Web Development across multiple platforms, Data & Insights). The core technical platforms are Umbraco CMS (as an Umbraco Platinum Partner since 2013) and HubSpot CMS (as a Solutions Partner), with associated services including cloud development on Azure, custom web applications in ASP.NET/.NET, UX consulting, and specialized offerings like Uskinned Site Builder, Umbraco Engage, Umbraco Cloud Hosting, and comprehensive website migration/upgrade services. The portfolio is structured as a services-led approach rather than a unified SaaS product, with each offering addressing specific B2B digital marketing and technology needs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Ongoing search engine optimization services covering technical SEO, content for SEO, local SEO, link building, penalty recovery, SEO-friendly migrations, audits, and monthly SEO management for B2B companies seeking qualified organic demand.
• Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) AI-driven search optimization service that improves brand visibility in generative AI platforms including Google AI Overviews, Gemini, ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Microsoft Copilot by structuring content for AI citation.
• Paid Media Paid advertising services spanning Amazon Marketing, Display Advertising, Paid Search, Paid Social Media, Programmatic Advertising, YouTube Advertising, Answer Engine Advertising, and LLM Ad Services with ongoing optimization.
• Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) Data-driven conversion rate optimization service that analyzes user behavior to increase the impact of website traffic and turn visitors into customers more efficiently for B2B websites.
• Umbraco Web Development Enterprise Umbraco CMS website development service delivered by an Umbraco Platinum Partner since 2013, covering scalable enterprise website strategy, complex migrations, and Umbraco Cloud hosting.
• HubSpot Web Development Custom website development on HubSpot CMS including design, migration, and ongoing support, with integrated connectivity to HubSpot CRM and Marketing tools, delivered by a HubSpot Solutions Partner.
• Enterprise Development Support Long-term retainer-based partnership for maintaining, extending, and future-proofing enterprise digital platforms, covering maintenance, scalable architecture, feature enhancements, integrations, security, and governance delivered as retainer, roadmap-driven, or hybrid engagements.
• Website Hosting & Maintenance Proactive website hosting and maintenance on Microsoft Azure and Umbraco Cloud including CMS support, security updates, .NET programming, speed optimizations, backups, and 24/7 support with 99.9% uptime.
• Umbraco Engage Implementation Implementation, customization, training, and ongoing support for Umbraco Engage, the marketing and personalization suite for Umbraco CMS providing real-time analytics, segmentation, automated workflows, A/B testing, and personalization at scale.
• Cloud Application Development Cloud-native application development on Microsoft Azure delivering scalable, secure business applications, business process automation, and AI integrations for enterprise and mid-market B2B organizations.
• Website Migration Services SEO-friendly website migrations covering hosting migrations, CMS migrations, domain name migrations, and comprehensive URL redirect mapping, designed to preserve search rankings during platform transitions.
• AI Automation AI-powered business automation service that automates repetitive tasks and unlocks operational efficiencies using Azure Cognitive Services, Machine Learning, Azure Logic Apps, and Power Automate.
• Umbraco Cloud Hosting Website hosting on Umbraco Cloud with automatic minor patch upgrades, one-click updates, Umbraco Deploy for content transfer between environments, built-in CDN, automatic SSL, and Microsoft Azure backbone across West Europe, West US, and UK data centers.
• Custom Web Applications (.NET) Custom .NET/ASP.NET web application development service building client/customer/patient portals, workflow automation tools, e-commerce solutions, and API/ERP integrations tailored to specific business processes.
• UX and Usability Consulting Data-driven UX consulting service including UX audits, wireframes, user testing, and development, leveraging Hotjar for heat mapping, click/scroll mapping, session recording, and user surveys, delivered by a ConversionXL Certified team.

Quantifiable outcome

• 49% increase in new business inquiries and 14% increase in engagement rate for SEKO Logistics web development project
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration16 records

AI capability11 records

Feature10 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Umbraco HQflagshipTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2013Marcel Digital has been an Umbraco Platinum Partner since 2013, recognized as one of North America's leading Umbraco agencies. The partnership involves certified expertise in Umbraco CMS development, hosting, migrations, upgrades, Umbraco Engage, and uSkinned. Marcel Digital is a Contributing Partner (2025) and Platinum Partner (2026), indicating elite status within the Umbraco partner ecosystem. The company actively contributes to the Umbraco community and attends Codegarden annually.
• MicrosoftcoreTechnology or IntegrationMicrosoft Partner status for 2025 and 2026, indicating certified expertise in Microsoft technologies including Azure cloud hosting, .NET development, and Microsoft 365 integrations. Marcel Digital hosts client websites on Microsoft Azure with 99.9% uptime and provides Azure migration services.
• GooglecoreTechnology or IntegrationGoogle Premier Partner (2025 and 2026), Google Top Rated Agency (2025 and 2026), and GAA26 Winner (Google Analytics Awards). Marcel Digital is certified in Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, and Google Marketing Platform. The partnership involves paid media campaign management, SEO, and analytics services.
• HubSpotcoreTechnology or IntegrationHubSpot Solutions Partner (2025), providing HubSpot CMS website development, HubSpot Web Development, marketing automation integration, and HubSpot CRM integration services. Marcel Digital builds custom HubSpot websites with integrated SEO, analytics, and marketing tools.
• HotjarcoreTechnology or IntegrationMarcel Digital is a Hotjar Founding Member, leveraging Hotjar's heat mapping, click/scroll mapping, session recordings, and user survey tools as part of their UX and usability consulting practice. Founding Member status indicates long-standing partnership and deep integration of Hotjar tools into the UX process.
• Umbraco CloudcoreTechnology or IntegrationUmbraco Cloud hosting partnership through Umbraco HQ. Marcel Digital hosts client websites on Umbraco Cloud, leveraging integrated hosting, Umbraco Deploy, staging/production environments, automatic SSL, and built-in CDN on Microsoft Azure data centers in West Europe (Netherlands), West US (California), and UK.
• Microsoft AzurecoreTechnology or IntegrationMicrosoft Azure cloud hosting partnership. Marcel Digital provides Azure application development, Azure migration services, and Azure-based web hosting maintaining 99.9% uptime. Azure data centers used include West Europe, West US, and UK locations.
• The Motion AgencyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBranding and design partner collaboration on client projects. Referenced in the Midwest Orthopedics at Rush (MOR) case study where Marcel Digital collaborated with The Motion Agency's branding and design team to create the new website strategy.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Orbit Media Studios: Chicago-based digital agency of comparable size (30-50+ people), offering web design, development, SEO, and content strategy for B2B and association clients. Strong overlap with Marcel Digital on integrated design + development + SEO positioning and Chicago footprint.
• Bounteous: Mid-sized digital experience agency focused on strategy, design, development, and analytics for enterprise and mid-market brands. Overlaps with Marcel Digital on Umbraco/CMS migration expertise, analytics implementations, and composable DXP services.
• Rightpoint: Digital experience consultancy (Genpact-owned) offering strategy, design, and engineering including .NET, Sitecore, and composable platforms. Comparable in targeting enterprise customers with full-funnel digital transformation engagements.
• TopRank Marketing: B2B-focused digital marketing agency specializing in SEO, content, and demand generation for enterprise technology clients. Direct competitor in the B2B SEO/content/AEO space Marcel Digital targets.
• Ironpaper: B2B growth marketing agency with strong SEO, web development, and demand-generation practices for technology, manufacturing, and industrial clients. Comparable vertical focus and integrated marketing + development service model.
• Bluehost Digital (Bluetus): Mid-sized B2B digital marketing and web development agency offering SEO, paid media, and HubSpot/Umbraco-style CMS services. Similar scope and customer profile in the mid-market and enterprise segments.
• Hexagon Digital / BluEdge: Digital agency offering web design, development, hosting, and marketing services with comparable Umbraco and CMS migration experience. Operates in a similar mid-market positioning with professional services engagements.

Broad incumbents

• DEPT Agency: Large global digital agency with marketing, technology, and commerce capabilities. Competes for the same enterprise B2B digital engagements but at materially greater scale and with proprietary tooling.
• Merkle (dentsu): Global performance marketing and customer experience agency (within dentsu) competing for the same enterprise B2B mandates. Significantly larger but serves overlapping buyer personas and overlapping analytics/CRM service lines.

Others

• Umbraco HQ (vendor): The CMS vendor whose Platinum Partner ecosystem Marcel Digital operates within. Not a direct competitor, but a strategic dependency — platform direction, pricing, and partner economics directly shape Marcel Digital's addressable market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/marceldigital
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/marcel-digital
• Instagraminstagram.com/officialmarceldigital
• Facebookfacebook.com/marceldigital

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

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 Marcel Digital