What Works Marketing

Digital Marketing Serviceswhatworks.marketing

What Works Marketing is a Victoria, BC-based digital marketing agency that provides managed Google Ads, SEO, websites, WordPress hosting, and free DIY marketing education for small service businesses across verticals including dental, legal, and health and wellness.

Company typePrivate
Founded2022
HeadquartersVictoria, Canada
Headcount1–10
GTM typeB2B
OfferingServices

What What Works Marketing does

What Works Marketing Inc. is a privately held, independent digital marketing agency incorporated in British Columbia, Canada, founded in September 2022 by Rob Cooper out of the JumpStart Web division of PlusROI Online Marketing Inc. The firm is headquartered in Victoria, BC, operates with 1-10 employees, and holds Google Premier Partner status with a top 3% national agency ranking. It delivers managed Google Search Ads, SEO, display and social advertising, and WordPress-based website development for owner-run small service businesses in verticals including dental, legal, health and wellness, tourism, automotive, and trades.

The core technology stack is conventional and partner-leveraged rather than proprietary: WordPress websites, Flywheel managed hosting with CDN/SSL/malware monitoring, Google Ads and Google Display Network, Meta (Facebook/Instagram) social ads, plus Shopify e-commerce and HubSpot CRM integrations. Service delivery is performed by certified specialists, including VP Operations Carmen Herdzik, a Google Certified ads strategist with eight years of search marketing experience. A differentiating non-billable product, What Works Academy, is a free educational platform offering video lessons, SEO checklists, keyword research tools, and vertical-specific resources (e.g., Google Search for Lawyers eBook).

The business model is a mix of recurring managed-service subscriptions and one-off professional services. Recurring revenue streams include Google Search Ads management (from $400/month), SEO retainers (from $300/month for profile management, $400-$800/month for proactive/custom SEO), social and display advertising, and tiered WordPress hosting/maintenance ($25-$300/month). One-time revenue includes the $600 SEO assessment report and website development projects. The go-to-market is sales-led and inside-sales-led via the whatworks.marketing website, supplemented by a community-led content motion through What Works Academy; the firm maintains no disclosed funding, no parent-company investment, and no enterprise customer concentration.

What Works Marketing firmographics

Firmographics

Name: What Works Marketing
Legal name: What Works Marketing Inc.
Website: https://whatworks.marketing
Company type: Private
Founded year: 2022
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 1–10 employees
Short description: What Works Marketing is a Victoria, BC-based digital marketing agency that provides managed Google Ads, SEO, websites, WordPress hosting, and free DIY marketing education for small service businesses across verticals including dental, legal, and health and wellness.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

What Works Marketing industry classification

Industry

Product category: Digital Marketing Services
NAICS: Advertising Agencies (54181), Advertising Agencies (541810), Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418), Marketing Consulting Services (541613)
SIC: Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Advertising (7310)
akta.pro primary industry: Digital Performance Marketing (SEM, Paid Social, Programmatic) (BPAFAAAD)

Keywords

Digital marketing services
Search engine optimization
Google Ads management
Website development services
WordPress hosting services

Where What Works Marketing is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Victoria
HQ country: Canada
HQ region: North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

What Works Marketing business model

Business model

GTM type: B2B
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

Google Search Advertising Management: Management of Google Search ad campaigns including account setup, monitoring, optimization, and monthly reporting. Revenue from management fees plus pass-through Google click fees.
Search Engine Optimization Services: SEO services including web presence review, profile management, ongoing proactive SEO, and custom SEO packages. Monthly recurring revenue model.
Display and Social Advertising: Social media and display ad management across Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Google Display Network.
Website Development: Custom website creation and development services for small businesses.
WordPress Hosting & Maintenance: Tiered hosting and maintenance services: basic hosting ($25/month), concierge hosting ($50/month), and full maintenance ($300/month). Recurring revenue from hosting fees.

Pricing tiers

Model	Billing	Price
Subscription	Monthly	No Setup Fees - Rent an Account
One time/ perpetual license	Monthly	Own Your Account
One time/ perpetual license	Pay-as-you-go	Search Engine Optimization and Web Presence Review
Subscription	Monthly	Profile Management and Maintenance
Subscription	Monthly	SEO Best Practices Plus: Ongoing Proactive SEO
Subscription	Monthly	Custom SEO Package
Subscription	Annual	Basic Hosting
Subscription	Monthly	Concierge Hosting
Subscription	Monthly	Concierge Hosting & WordPress Maintenance

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

What Works Marketing product offering

Product offering

Core offering

What Works Marketing is a digital marketing agency that helps small service businesses compete and win online. The company delivers managed Google Search advertising, search engine optimization, display and social advertising, WordPress website development, and tiered hosting/maintenance services. It also runs the What Works Academy, a free educational platform offering marketing lessons and DIY tools for service professionals.

Product overview

What Works Marketing operates as a digital marketing agency offering a suite of managed online marketing services designed for small service businesses. The core service portfolio includes four main pillars: Google Search Advertising (managed paid search with certified specialists), Search Engine Optimization (local SEO, profile management, and ongoing optimization), Display Advertising (Google Display Network and social media ads), and Website Development (WordPress-based conversion-focused sites). These core services are complemented by tiered WordPress Hosting & Maintenance packages (from $25/month basic to $300/month concierge level) and the What Works Academy—an educational platform offering free DIY marketing lessons and resources. The company specializes in industry verticals including dental practices, law firms, health & wellness, tourism, automotive, trades, accounting, fitness, real estate, and retail. The offering is a service-based model rather than a software product, with all services delivered by their team of certified specialists.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

Google Search Advertising Managed paid search campaigns run by certified Google Ads specialists, including account setup, ongoing optimization, and monthly reporting to position small service businesses at the top of Google search results.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Local SEO services including Google Business Profile optimization, citation management, baseline SEO implementation, and ongoing proactive SEO strategies tailored to small service businesses.
Display & Social Advertising Targeted advertising placements across the Google Display Network, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn for audience targeting and retargeting small service businesses' potential customers.
Website Development Custom, SEO-friendly WordPress website creation for small service businesses with emphasis on clean design, conversion optimization, and strong search presence.
WordPress Hosting & Maintenance Managed WordPress hosting and maintenance packages built on the Flywheel platform, including SSL, CDN, staging, daily backups, malware monitoring, theme and plugin updates, content edits, and priority support.
What Works Academy Free educational platform offering DIY marketing video lessons, tutorials, checklists, and resources covering SEO, search ads, display ads, social media, content, email marketing, analytics, and website presentation.

Quantifiable outcome

First client from ads within 6 weeks
+2 more outcomes

Companies that use What Works Marketing

Customer profile

Named customers6 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

What Works Marketing technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

What Works Marketing partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

PlusROI Online MarketingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated company through founder Rob Cooper. PlusROI Online Marketing is the parent organization that previously housed the JumpStart Web division, which evolved into What Works Marketing. Rob Cooper also founded PlusROI.
GooglecoreTechnology or IntegrationGoogle Premier Partner status with certification in Google Ads management. Agency ranked in top 3% of Google Agencies nationally. Certified specialists work on client accounts.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

What Works Marketing competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Direct peers

Coalition Technologies: Coalition Technologies is a full-service digital marketing agency offering SEO, PPC, web design, and conversion optimization. Comparable service portfolio targeting SMB and mid-market clients with a Google Premier Partner status similar to What Works Marketing.
KlientBoost: KlientBoost is a digital marketing agency focused on PPC, CRO, and SEO for SaaS and SMB clients. Similar agency model with subscription-based service delivery and a comparable customer profile of small to mid-sized businesses seeking measurable performance marketing results.
Disruptive Advertising: Disruptive Advertising is a digital marketing agency specializing in PPC management, SEO, and website optimization for mid-market and SMB clients. Similar positioning with strong Google Ads expertise and a focus on measurable ROI, making it a comparable mid-sized agency peer.
OuterBox: OuterBox is a digital marketing agency specializing in SEO, PPC, and website design for e-commerce and B2B/SMB clients. Comparable service mix with a focus on measurable performance and recurring engagement models similar to What Works Marketing.
Ignite Digital: Ignite Digital is a Canadian digital marketing agency offering SEO, PPC, web design, and social media marketing. Directly comparable as a Canadian-headquartered agency targeting SMBs with similar service offerings, despite operating at a larger scale.
PlusROI Online Marketing: PlusROI Online Marketing is the parent-affiliated company founded by What Works' founder Rob Cooper. It is a full-service digital marketing agency in the top 3% of Google Agencies nationally, providing managed Google Ads, SEO, and digital strategy. Direct comparison due to same founder, overlapping services, and shared client base.

Others

HubSpot: HubSpot is a marketing automation and CRM platform. What Works is a HubSpot partner, but HubSpot also competes indirectly by enabling SMBs to execute inbound marketing, CRM, and email automation in-house, reducing demand for agency services.

Broad incumbents

WebFX: WebFX is a large, established digital marketing agency offering SEO, PPC, web design, and content marketing for SMB and mid-market clients. Directly comparable in service mix (Google Ads, SEO, websites) but operates at significantly larger scale across North America. Strong incumbent comparator.
Thrive Internet Marketing Agency: Thrive is a full-service digital marketing agency offering SEO, PPC, social media marketing, and web design for SMBs. Directly comparable service portfolio and target customer (small to mid-sized businesses), though it operates at a much larger scale across multiple geographies.

Regional players

BlueHat Marketing: BlueHat Marketing is a Canadian digital marketing agency offering SEO, PPC, and web design services. Comparable as a Canadian regional agency with similar SMB focus, although its primary market is Eastern Canada (Toronto/Montreal) rather than Western Canada.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

What Works Marketing financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

What Works Marketing leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

What Works Marketing funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

What Works Marketing M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about What Works Marketing

What does What Works Marketing do?

Is What Works Marketing a public or private company?

What Works Marketing is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.

When was What Works Marketing founded?

What Works Marketing was founded in 2022. It employs 1 to 10 people.

Where is What Works Marketing based?

What Works Marketing is headquartered in Victoria, Canada, in the North America region.

How does What Works Marketing make money?

Five revenue lines are on record. Google Search Advertising Management is the primary driver. The others are search Engine Optimization Services, display and Social Advertising, website Development and wordPress Hosting & Maintenance.

Who are What Works Marketing's main competitors?

Direct peers on record are Coalition Technologies, KlientBoost, Disruptive Advertising, OuterBox, Ignite Digital and PlusROI Online Marketing. HubSpot is listed as an others. Broad incumbents are WebFX and Thrive Internet Marketing Agency. BlueHat Marketing is listed as a regional player.

Does What Works Marketing have an API?

No public API is recorded for What Works Marketing.

What industry is What Works Marketing in?

What Works Marketing's product category is Digital Marketing Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAFAAAD, Digital Performance Marketing (SEM, Paid Social, Programmatic). Its NAICS code is 54181 and its SIC code is 7311.