What Search Republic does

Search Republic is a New Zealand-based digital marketing agency founded in 2013 in Auckland, operating as Search Republic Limited. The firm specialises in search engine optimisation (SEO), paid search and paid media (PPC across Google Ads, Google Shopping, Microsoft Advertising, Display and programmatic), paid social (Meta, LinkedIn, YouTube), analytics and tracking, and newer channels including Connected TV, AI SEO, and ChatGPT advertising. Its client base spans New Zealand SMBs through enterprise customers, with named logos including Air New Zealand, ASB, Mercury, Mitre 10, Comvita, Webjet, Sotheby's and Gallagher Insurance, alongside a long tail of mid-market and SMB accounts. The agency also serves international clients across Australia and other markets, underpinned by its status as the first Google International Growth Partner based in New Zealand.

The agency's core technology stack is built on Google's marketing platform (Google Ads, Google Analytics 4, Google Tag Manager, Google Tag Gateway, Google Search Console, YouTube) supplemented by Meta Ads, LinkedIn Ads, Microsoft Advertising, and programmatic/CTV inventory. Differentiated capabilities include a specialist single-focus SEO methodology (technical, on-page, off-page, local, international, mobile, migration, AI SEO), early-mover Google Tag Gateway deployment for first-party measurement durability, and emerging-channel expertise in CTV and ChatGPT advertising. The business is positioned within Google's Premier Partner ecosystem (top 3% in NZ in 2025) and is an approved supplier on the New Zealand Government Procurement panel, both of which are gated designations.

The revenue model is retainer-based managed services sold on a quote basis (no public pricing), comprising monthly SEO retainers, percentage-of-spend or fixed-fee PPC management fees, project-based strategy and analytics consulting, and media spend pass-through to ad platforms. Go-to-market is sales-led through direct outreach, inbound content marketing (a long-form blog), partner referrals, the Google Partner directory, and the NZ Government Procurement panel. Customer relationships are long-tenured (5+ years common), and the agency maintains founder-led delivery with co-founders Brad Guthrie and Karl Rooney as shareholders actively engaged in client work.

Name

Search Republic

Legal name

Search Republic Limited

Website

https://searchrepublic.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Search Republic is a New Zealand-based digital marketing agency founded in 2013, specialising in SEO, paid search, paid social, analytics, and emerging channels such as CTV and ChatGPT advertising for New Zealand enterprise, mid-market, SMB, and international clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Marketing Agency Services

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (541810)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Search Engine Marketing (SEM) / Paid Search (PPC) (BPAFACAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Search Engine Marketing (SEM) / Paid Search (PPC) Management (MPAAACAB)

Keywords

• Search engine optimisation
• Pay-per-click advertising
• Paid social media marketing
• Programmatic and CTV advertising
• Digital marketing analytics

Headquarters

HQ city

Auckland

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Agency management fees for SEO: Recurring monthly retainers for ongoing search engine optimisation services including technical SEO, content, local SEO, international SEO, AI SEO, and SEO copywriting. Long-term engagements are the norm — many client relationships have run for 5+ years.
2. Agency management fees for paid media (PPC): Recurring fees for managing Google Ads, Google Shopping, Microsoft Advertising (Bing Ads), Display, Programmatic, YouTube, Meta and LinkedIn ad campaigns. Typically percentage-of-spend or fixed-fee model layered on top of the client's media budget.
3. Digital marketing strategy and analytics consulting: Project-based and retainer consulting for digital marketing strategy, analytics & data tracking (GA4 setup, Google Tag Manager, Google Tag Gateway configuration), and digital transformation engagements.
4. Media spend pass-through: Client advertising budgets flowed through Search Republic to Google, Meta, LinkedIn, Microsoft and CTV/programmatic platforms. Generates revenue indirectly via management fees tied to spend levels.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Search Republic is a specialist digital marketing agency that delivers managed SEO, PPC (paid search and paid social), analytics, and digital strategy services to New Zealand and international businesses. Its core offering is organised as three service pillars - SEO, PPC, and Social Media - supplemented by an Analytics & Data Tracking practice (GA4, GTM, Google Tag Gateway) and a Digital Marketing Strategy practice, with newer channel offerings including AI SEO, Connected TV advertising, and ChatGPT advertising management.

Product overview

Search Republic is a single-brand digital marketing agency (operating since 2013) rather than a multi-product SaaS platform. Its offering is organised as a core-service-plus-modules architecture: three core service pillars - SEO services, PPC services, and Social Media services - each broken out into sub-service modules (e.g., AI SEO, Local SEO, Google Ads, Google Shopping Ads, Microsoft Advertising, YouTube Video Ads, Meta Ads, LinkedIn Ads, Display Advertising, Programmatic Advertising). These are complemented by an Analytics & Data Tracking practice (including GA4, GTM, and Google Tag Gateway deployment) and a Digital Marketing Strategy practice that ties the channels together. Layered on top are newer, channel-specific offerings such as AI SEO, Connected TV (CTV) advertising, and ChatGPT advertising management. The agency's positioning is reinforced by partner-level credentials (Google Premier Partner 2025, first Google International Growth Partner in NZ, NZ Government Procurement preferred supplier), which gate access to betas (e.g., Google Image Extensions) and shape the deliverable mix.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SEO services End-to-end search engine optimisation including keyword research, on-page optimisation, technical SEO recommendations, and content strategy designed to get client pages ranking on the first page of Google, delivered as a managed service to NZ and international businesses.
• PPC services Pay-per-click campaign management across Google Ads, Bing/Microsoft Advertising, Google Shopping, Display, and programmatic channels, focused on lead generation and ROAS, delivered as a managed service.
• Social Media advertising services Paid social campaign management across Meta (Facebook and Instagram), YouTube, and LinkedIn, with retargeting and audience optimisation for B2C and B2B clients.
• Analytics & Data Tracking services Analytics, conversion tracking, and data strategy services including GA4 setup, Google Tag Manager configuration, and Google Tag Gateway deployment to improve measurement durability for advertisers.
• Digital Marketing Strategy services Custom digital marketing strategy development spanning SEO, PPC, paid social, CTV, and analytics aligned to client business goals, delivered as project-based or retainer consulting.
• AI SEO service Optimisation for AI-driven search surfaces including Google AI Overviews, AI Mode, and ChatGPT answers, treating generative AI engines as a new ranking channel beyond traditional SEO.
• Connected TV (CTV) advertising service CTV video ad campaigns on NZ streaming platforms (TVNZ+, ThreeNow, Sky Sport Now, NEON) and YouTube Select, with real-time data-driven targeting and audience-defined buying.
• ChatGPT advertising management service Planning and running paid ad campaigns inside ChatGPT, leveraging conversational-intent targeting for NZ businesses across the Free and Go tiers.
• Programmatic Advertising service Programmatic media buying including Connected TV (CTV) and digital out-of-home (DOOH) campaigns, with no minimum daily spend on programmatic buys.
• Google Ads management service Managed Google Ads (search, display, remarketing) campaigns with personalised strategies to optimise ad spend and conversions.
• Meta Ads (Facebook & Instagram) management service Paid campaign management on Facebook and Instagram, including retargeting via Meta Pixel and Audience Network.
• LinkedIn Ads management service B2B LinkedIn advertising campaigns targeting users by professional profile, industry, and content interactions.
• Local SEO service Local search optimisation including Google Business Profile setup, review strategy, and NAP consistency to rank in map/local pack results.
• International SEO service SEO strategy for businesses targeting multiple countries, including hreflang, multi-GEO targeting, and international keyword research.
• SEO Copywriting service Creation of keyword-optimised, search-intent-aligned website copy to support SEO campaigns.
• Mobile SEO service Mobile-first indexing optimisation including Core Web Vitals, page speed, and mobile-friendly test improvements.
• Website Migration SEO service SEO support for site migrations, URL changes, domain moves, and redirect mapping to preserve rankings.
• Google Shopping Ads service Management of Google Shopping / Merchant Center campaigns for e-commerce clients.
• Microsoft Advertising (Bing Ads) service Bing/Microsoft Advertising search campaign management as part of the PPC portfolio.
• YouTube Video Ads service YouTube advertising including YouTube Select premium CTV inventory and in-stream video ads.
• Display Advertising service Google Display Network campaign management for brand awareness and remarketing audiences.
• Google Tag Gateway deployment service Implementation and configuration of Google Tag Gateway to serve Google tags through a client's first-party domain rather than third-party Google domains, improving data durability for Google Ads conversion tracking and GA4 by reducing signal loss from ad blockers and tracking-prevention tools, without requiring a full server-side GTM rebuild.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2025 Google Premier Partner status (top 3% of Google Partners in New Zealand)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers40 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration14 records

AI capability12 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

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

• GoogleflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerSearch Republic is a 2025 Google Premier Partner (top 3% of Google Partners in New Zealand) and the first Google International Growth Partner based in NZ. Listed in Google's partner directory (google.com/partners/agency?id=7223894279). Co-marketing, beta trials (e.g. Google Image Extensions beta in NZ and offshore), and access to Google's partner support and training programs.
• New Zealand Government ProcurementcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSearch Republic is on the New Zealand Government Procurement preferred supplier panel (procurement.govt.nz/supplier/show/1867), enabling the agency to bid on and deliver digital marketing services to NZ government agencies. Listed as a verified supplier under 'Creative Digital' style categories.
• Google (Image Extensions Beta)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSearch Republic was selected for Google's Image Extensions closed-beta trial in New Zealand and offshore, giving the agency early access to new ad formats and a close working relationship with Google's product team.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Wpromote: Performance-marketing agency with deep expertise in paid search, paid social, SEO and digital analytics. Comparable in being a multi-channel digital marketing agency that pairs Google Premier Partner-level execution with a consultative sales model.
• KlientBoost: PPC and conversion-rate-optimisation specialist agency. Highly comparable to Search Republic's paid-search, paid-social and analytics offerings, with a similar mid-market positioning and reliance on Google Ads, Meta Ads and LinkedIn Ads.
• WebFX: Full-service digital marketing agency offering SEO, PPC, social media advertising, web design and analytics — directly comparable service mix to Search Republic. Operates at a larger scale but targets the same mid-market and enterprise performance-marketing buyer.
• First Digital: Auckland-headquartered digital marketing agency offering SEO, PPC, social and web development services — a direct local-market peer competing for the same NZ mid-market and enterprise clients as Search Republic.
• Straight North: Mid-sized US digital marketing agency providing SEO, PPC, email marketing and web design services. Overlaps closely with Search Republic's service portfolio and mid-market client focus.
• Thrive Internet Marketing Agency: Digital marketing agency offering SEO, PPC, social media, web design and reputation management. Comparable full-service digital offering to Search Republic, serving a similar SMB-to-enterprise client mix.
• Ignite Visibility: US-based digital marketing agency specialising in SEO, PPC, social media advertising and analytics — a near-mirror of Search Republic's core service pillars. Comparable in being a specialist, mid-sized performance-marketing agency with deep Google Ads and SEO execution focus.
• NP Digital: Performance marketing agency founded by Neil Patel with a strong SEO and content-driven paid-search focus. Comparable to Search Republic on search-led acquisition strategy and analytics integration.

Broad incumbents

• Dentsu: Global advertising network with significant New Zealand presence (Dentsu New Zealand). Competes for the same enterprise digital marketing budgets as Search Republic but offers a much broader portfolio (media, creative, CX) at significantly larger scale.
• OMD (Omnicom Media Group): Large global media agency with New Zealand operations, competing with Search Republic for paid-media budgets of major NZ brands such as Air New Zealand, ASB and Mercury. Overlaps on paid search, paid social and programmatic buying, but within a far broader media portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/searchrepublic
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/search-republic

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Search Republic