What SmartRanking does

SmartRanking is a Netherlands-based specialized search engine optimization bureau founded in 2015, headquartered in Groningen with a second office in Mijdrecht. The firm operates with a deliberately narrow positioning — 100% SEO (and, since January 2025, Generative Engine Optimization) without adjacent generalist marketing services — and is staffed by approximately 20 specialist consultants covering technical SEO, on-page optimization, content, search quality, international SEO, GEO, programmatic SEO, E-E-A-T, and large-scale migrations. Its client roster spans e-commerce, B2B, platforms, healthcare, government, and consumer brands across the Netherlands, broader Europe, and the United States, with 60+ active optimization engagements and an average of four SEO migrations per month ranging from thousands to three million URLs.

The company's product surface combines professional SEO services with proprietary technology. Core service modules include Technical SEO, On-page SEO, E-commerce SEO, B2B SEO, International SEO, Enterprise SEO, Local SEO, SEO Migrations, Organic Shopping, Pinterest SEO, SEO Consultancy, SEO Audit, and Linkbuilding, delivered through a structured five-step engagement (contact request → online introduction → SEO presentation → SEO Blueprint → monthly optimization sprints). The proprietary SmartAI® platform integrates Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools, performs on-page analyses, and tracks visibility inside large language models and AI search engines (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews). The firm also publishes a suite of 20+ free SEO tools and Custom SEO GPTs hosted on OpenAI's ChatGPT platform covering topical authority, product description generation, meta data, GSC regex patterns, and Flemish translation.

SmartRanking commercializes through monthly retainer engagements with a stated minimum budget of €2,160, sold directly to enterprise, mid-market and SMB clients without channel partners and without long-term contracts. The business generates demand through organic search and content marketing on its own properties, an annual '301 Groningen Redirected' SEO event in Northern Netherlands, founder Jarik Oosting's published GEO methodology book, and a sustained record of independent industry recognition (FONK150 2023–2025, Emerce 100 2025–2026, FD Gazelle five times, FT1000 twice, Dutch Search Awards nomination 2025). It operates as part of the Loyals Group, a diversified digital marketing conglomerate that also includes Gravity, Nextly, Stmt and Huray, enabling intra-group referrals and bundled client offerings.

Name

SmartRanking

Legal name

SmartRanking

Website

https://smartranking.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SmartRanking is a Netherlands-based specialized SEO and Generative Engine Optimization bureau serving e-commerce, B2B, platform, healthcare, government and consumer-brand clients across the Netherlands, Europe and the United States through monthly retainer engagements, supported by its proprietary SmartAI platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Search Engine Optimization Services

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (541810), Software Publishers (5132)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

SEO Analytics, Reporting & Attribution (KPIs, Dashboards, Forecasting) (BPAFAJAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Technical SEO (Audits, Crawl/Indexing, Site Architecture) (BPAFAJAA), E-commerce SEO (Category/Product SEO, Merchant Feeds) (BPAFAJAE)

Keywords

• Search engine optimization services
• Generative engine optimization
• Technical SEO consulting
• E-commerce SEO agency
• Enterprise SEO services

Headquarters

HQ city

Groningen

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. SEO Consulting and Optimization Services: Monthly retainer-based SEO services with minimum budget of €2,160 per month. Services include technical SEO, on-page SEO, content optimization, authority building, international SEO, SEO migrations, GEO, and enterprise SEO. Work is performed in monthly optimization sprints with no long-term contracts.
2. Custom SEO Training: Customized SEO training programs offered to clients who want to develop internal SEO capabilities.
3. Maatwerk SEO Training: Custom SEO training services tailored to client needs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

SmartRanking is a specialized SEO bureau offering 100% focused search engine optimization and generative engine optimization (GEO) services. The company delivers monthly optimization sprints covering technical SEO, on-page SEO, content, linkbuilding and authority building for e-commerce, B2B and platform clients across the Netherlands, Europe and the United States. Its proprietary SmartAI software accelerates analysis, content planning and LLM visibility tracking, complemented by free SEO tools, Custom SEO GPTs and the SEO Blueprint methodology.

Product overview

SmartRanking is a specialized SEO bureau offering a comprehensive suite of services centered around organic search optimization and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO). The core offering combines professional SEO services (Technical SEO, On-page SEO, Content, Linkbuilding, Authority) with proprietary software (SmartAI®). GEO services, launched January 2025 as the first in Benelux, address AI search engine visibility. Additional products include free SEO tools (PageSpeed, SERP preview, heading checker, canonical URL checker, etc.) and Custom SEO GPTs available via ChatGPT. The company also offers specialized modules for E-commerce SEO, B2B SEO, International SEO, Enterprise SEO, Local SEO, SEO Migrations, Organic Shopping, and Pinterest SEO. SmartAI® serves as the central technology platform integrating with Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools, featuring LLM tracking for AI visibility monitoring.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SmartAI: Proprietary AI-powered SEO software tool developed in-house by SmartRanking, offering features including Google Search Console integration, Bing Webmaster Tools, on-page analyses, and LLM tracking.

Products and services

• SmartAI Proprietary AI-powered SEO software platform that provides analyses, content planning and LLM tracking for monitoring visibility within AI search engines, with integrations into Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools.
• SEO Services (SEO-traject) Full-service monthly SEO consulting and optimization covering technical SEO, on-page SEO, content optimization, linkbuilding and authority building for sustainable organic growth. Tailored for e-commerce, B2B and platform clients with a minimum monthly budget of €2,160 and no annual contracts.
• Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) Optimization service for AI-powered search engines including ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google's AI Overviews, supported by SmartAI's LLM tracking to make AI visibility measurable for clients.
• SEO Migration (SEO Migratie) Specialized SEO migration services for website platform changes, URL restructuring and international rollouts, handling projects ranging from thousands to 3 million URLs with an average of 4 migrations per month.
• Custom SEO Training (Maatwerk SEO Training) Customized SEO training programs delivered to clients who want to develop internal SEO capabilities, tailored to the specific needs and skill levels of each organization.
• Free SEO Tools Suite (Gratis SEO Tools) Publicly available suite of 20+ free SEO tools including PageSpeed analysis, SERP snippet preview, HTTP/2 checker, heading tags checker, internal link checker, alt-tags checker, canonical URL checker, keyword density checker and bulk utilities.
• Custom SEO GPTs Publicly available custom GPTs for ChatGPT covering Topical Authority Builder, Product Description Generator, Meta Title and Meta Description Generator, Google Search Console Regular Expression Builder and Dutch/Flemish Content Translator.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 2x more organic traffic within 6 months
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers28 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability4 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Loyals GroepparentOthersSmartRanking is part of the Loyals Group, a collection of digital marketing companies including Gravity, Nextly, Stmt, and Huray. The group provides a network for referrals and enables broader service offerings to clients.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Semrush: Global SEO and digital marketing SaaS platform offering tools for keyword research, technical audits, content optimization, and AI-driven SEO. Comparable to SmartRanking's SmartAI platform capabilities and an indirect competitor as it enables in-house teams to displace agency work.
• Dept Agency: Large Dutch-headquartered global digital agency with a sizable SEO practice alongside broader creative, technology, and media services. Comparable as a competitor for enterprise SEO mandates in the Benelux, but operating at much larger scale and broader scope.
• Ahrefs: Global SEO SaaS platform with leading backlink, keyword, and content tools. Comparable to SmartRanking's free SEO tools suite and SmartAI in functionality, and a structural threat to agency service demand by enabling in-house SEO teams.

Direct peers

• Builtvisible: UK specialist SEO and content marketing agency with a similar pure-play organic search focus. Comparable to SmartRanking in team size (~30 specialists), enterprise client mix, and emphasis on technical SEO plus content strategy.
• Aira: UK-based specialist SEO agency with strong technical SEO and digital PR capabilities. Comparable to SmartRanking through dedicated SEO focus, content-led methodology, and work with mid-market and enterprise clients across Europe.
• Re:signal: UK-based specialist SEO agency focused exclusively on organic search and digital PR. Comparable to SmartRanking through its pure-play SEO positioning, technical depth, and enterprise/mid-market client base, though UK-focused rather than Benelux.
• The SEO Works: UK specialist SEO agency offering technical, on-page, content, and linkbuilding services. Comparable to SmartRanking through pure-play SEO focus, retainer-based engagements, and similar service modules including migrations and international SEO.

Regional players

• Adwise: Dutch digital agency with strong SEO, SEA, and performance marketing practices. Comparable to SmartRanking as a Dutch agency competing for the same enterprise and mid-market SEO budgets in the Benelux.
• OrangeValley: Dutch digital marketing agency with established SEO, data, and marketing technology practices. Comparable to SmartRanking as a Benelux-based agency competing for SEO-led organic growth mandates.
• Online Marketing Group (OMG): Dutch digital marketing agency offering SEO among broader services including SEA, content, and data. Comparable to SmartRanking as a Dutch-headquartered competitor for mid-market and enterprise SEO mandates, though broader in scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 SmartRanking