Counterweight Media

What Counterweight Media does

Counterweight Media is a privately held, founder-operated digital marketing agency headquartered in Tacoma, Washington, with a mailing address in Puyallup. The firm was founded in 2015 as SocialKlicker by Stefanie and Michael McKellar and rebranded in 2018 to reflect its evolution into a full-service provider spanning website design and development, search engine optimization and pay-per-click management, content creation and strategy, video production, and corporate photography. The company serves primarily small and mid-sized businesses in the Pacific Northwest, with a portfolio that includes local services (pest control, electrical, home inspection, grease traps), consumer brands (lanyards, dog daycare, spa/salon), a nonprofit (Gig Harbor Film Festival), and select enterprise clients (Oak Harbor Freight Lines).

The underlying technology is a standard web and media production stack rather than a proprietary platform: HTML/CSS and JavaScript-based website builds hosted on conventional CMS infrastructure, integrated with third-party tools such as Google Analytics, Google My Business, ShipStation (e-commerce), and WolfNet IDX (real estate listings). Video and photography deliverables rely on industry-standard HD production equipment and post-production software. There is no disclosed SaaS product, API, or proprietary software offering; the company sells services rather than software.

Counterweight Media generates revenue through project-based professional services contracts governed by Statements of Work, with pricing quoted per engagement rather than published as tiers. Invoicing follows SOW schedules, payment terms net 15 days, and an early termination fee equal to 50% of the cancelled SOW fees. Go-to-market is direct sales via website contact forms, phone, and email, supported by content marketing (blog, portfolio case studies) and third-party directory recognition (Expertise.com Best of Tacoma). The company is entirely bootstrapped with no disclosed institutional investors, parent company, or subsidiary structure, and operates with a team of 1-10 employees.

Name

Counterweight Media

Legal name

Counterweight Media Inc.

Website

https://counterweightmedia.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Counterweight Media is a founder-operated, bootstrapped digital marketing agency in Tacoma, Washington that provides website design, SEO/PPC, content, video production, and photography services primarily to small and mid-sized businesses in the Pacific Northwest on a project-based SOW pricing model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Marketing Services

NAICS

Media Buying Agencies (54183), Media Buying Agencies (541830)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330), Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Content Studio & Creative Resourcing (In-house/Embedded Teams) (BPAFAIAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Paid Social Media Buying (BPAFABAD)

Keywords

• Digital marketing services
• Website design development
• Search engine optimization
• Video production services
• Content marketing strategy

Headquarters

HQ city

Tacoma

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Project-Based Professional Services: The company generates revenue through billable project work contracted via Statements of Work (SOW). Services are priced per project with invoicing on schedules described in each SOW. Work outside SOW scope is billed at then-current billable rates. Invoices are typically due within 15 days of receipt.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Counterweight Media is a full-service digital marketing agency that designs and builds custom websites (including hosting and maintenance), runs search engine optimization and pay-per-click campaigns with transparent reporting, creates strategic content for web/SEO/social/email, produces professional corporate videos (scriptwriting through post-production), and provides on-location corporate photography. Engagements are sold as project-based professional services contracted via Statements of Work to small businesses in the Pacific Northwest.

Product overview

Counterweight Media is a full-service digital marketing agency that offers five core services: Website Design & Development, Search Engine Optimization & Marketing (SEO & PPC), Content Creation & Strategy, Video Production, and Corporate Photography. These services are designed to work together as an integrated digital marketing solution, helping small businesses establish and maintain their online presence through custom websites, search engine visibility, professional content, video production, and photography.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Website Design & Development A four-phase website service covering Research & Development, Branding & Design, Front-End Development, and Final Staging & Launch, plus ongoing hosting and maintenance, sold on a project basis with clients retaining full ownership of the built site. Targeted at small and mid-sized businesses that need a professional, mobile-friendly, fast-loading website.
• Search Engine Optimization & Marketing (SEO & PPC) End-to-end search marketing including website audit, keyword research, content development, technical and off-site SEO, pay-per-click advertising, Google Analytics and Google My Business integration, and monthly transparent reporting. Sold to small and mid-sized businesses seeking organic and paid search visibility.
• Content Creation & Strategy Strategic written content development — research, writing, editing, and optimization — for websites, SEO, social media posts, and email marketing campaigns. Sold to small and mid-sized businesses that need consistent, strategic content without managing it in-house.
• Video Production End-to-end professional video production covering pre-production (script writing, storyboarding, scheduling), production (on-location HD video and crisp audio capture), and post-production (editing, color correction, animations, graphics, and sound design). Sold to businesses needing marketing, recruiting, or social video content.
• Corporate Photography On-location professional photography with high-resolution capture and expert photo editing, providing businesses with editorial-grade imagery for websites, marketing collateral, and social channels.

Quantifiable outcome

• Organic Facebook reach improved from nothing to 5,000-10,000 people per month for Gig Harbor Film Festival
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Blue Corona: Digital marketing agency focused on local service SMBs (home services, contractors) with web, SEO, and PPC, closely matching Counterweight's SMB verticals.
• LYFE Marketing: Small-business focused agency providing social media, PPC, SEO, and content, mirroring Counterweight's SMB-oriented digital marketing offering.
• Thrive Internet Marketing Agency: Full-service digital marketing agency offering web design, SEO, PPC, content, and video for SMBs; directly comparable service mix and customer base.

Others

• Squarespace: DIY website-building platform that substitutes for agency web design among cost-sensitive SMBs, representing a disruptive adjacent alternative.

Emerging players

• Sculpt: Niche social/content marketing agency producing video and creative for brands, comparable on the content and video production side.
• Lilo Social: Growth-stage agency blending creative content, video, and paid media, overlapping with Counterweight's content and video-plus-paid capabilities.

Broad incumbents

• Ignite Visibility: Established digital marketing agency with SEO, PPC, web, and content services; same category but larger, broader clientele.
• WebFX: Large full-service digital marketing agency offering web design, SEO, PPC, and content nationally; overlapping services at much larger scale.

Regional players

• Efelle Creative: Seattle-based web design and digital marketing agency serving Pacific Northwest businesses, competing in the same regional market as Counterweight.
• DEZINE by Kris Cody: Local Pacific Northwest web design and marketing shop serving SMBs, a regional competitor with a similar small-agency model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/counterweightwa

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 Counterweight Media