The most visible SEO agencies, October 2026

October 2026 · 15 questions asked in English, worldwide · ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Gemini and Google AI Mode · 60 answers read

Leader

OuterBox

32Heralded Score, range 15–41

Most cited source

google.com

33citations

From Gemini and ChatGPT

Where engines disagree most

SmartSites

1/4engines put it in their top three

Top three on ChatGPT, not on Google AI Mode, Gemini and Google AI Overviews

Brands

Search is not measured for this board yet, so it ranks on AI answers.

Rank Brand Rank change Heralded Score All AI Score trend Mentioned Recommended By engine Mentioned by Change
– Skale US Unranked Too few answers Not measured
–
  • : Unranked
1% 0% None First reading
– Straight North US Unranked Too few answers Not measured
–
  • : Unranked
2% 0% First reading
– STS Digital Solutions Unranked Too few answers Not measured
–
  • : Unranked
2% 0% None First reading
– Supple Digital AU Unranked Too few answers Not measured
–
  • : Unranked
2% 0% None First reading
– Third Marble Marketing US Unranked Too few answers Not measured
–
  • : Unranked
2% 0% None First reading
– tiptop SEARCH + MARKETING Unranked Too few answers Not measured
–
  • : Unranked
2% 2% None First reading
– TripleDart IN Unranked Too few answers Not measured
–
  • : Unranked
0% 0% First reading
– Uncommon Logic US Unranked Too few answers Not measured
–
  • : Unranked
2% 0% None First reading
– Uproer US Unranked Too few answers Not measured
–
  • : Unranked
1% 0% None First reading
– VIA Marketing s.r.o. CZ Unranked Too few answers Not measured
–
  • : Unranked
0% 0% None First reading

“=” marks brands whose score ranges overlap, so the test cannot separate them. Every brand named in at least three answers is ranked. AI gives each brand’s score and rank from the engines’ answers; Search is not measured for this board yet. By engine has one dot per engine (ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Gemini and Google AI Mode), darker the more often it names the brand.

Most cited sources

Rank Source Type Cited in Engines Pages cited Brands its pages mention
1 google.com Vendor site 16.7% 2 of 4 23 Not read
2 reddit.com Community 21.7% 3 of 4 13 10
3 clutch.co Directory 21.7% 3 of 4 9 10
4 outerboxdesign.com Consultancy 18.3% 4 of 4 5 1
5 searchengineland.com Media 8.3% 3 of 4 8 3
6 designrush.com Directory 10.0% 2 of 4 6 5
7 youtube.com Social 8.3% 1 of 4 8 Not read
8 goodfirms.co Review site 5.0% 2 of 4 5 Not read
9 brandleapagency.com Consultancy 3.3% 1 of 4 4 Not read
10 commercepundit.com Consultancy 6.7% 2 of 4 1 7

Questions asked

QuestionLanguageMost recommended
seo agency for ecommerce websites English Coalition Technologies, OuterBox, Searchbloom and SmartSites, tied
how to choose an seo agency English No brand recommended
how much do seo services cost per month English No brand recommended
seo agency vs seo freelancer English No brand recommended
I lead marketing at a company and need an agency for technical SEO and content. Can you recommend one? English Directive, iPullRank, Omniscient Digital and Seer Interactive, tied

Each engine's top three

Google AI Mode

No brand named in at least three answers.

Method

Each leaderboard ranks brands on two sides. AI is how ChatGPT, Gemini, Google AI Overviews and Google AI Mode answer the board's buyer questions. Search is Google's top 10 results for the keywords behind those questions. All combines the two, where Search is measured.

For the AI side, each month Heralded asks every engine the same buyer questions, twice each, and reads every answer. An answer counts 0 for a brand it leaves out, 50 for a brand it names and 100 for a brand it recommends, and the Heralded Score is built from those. A brand named in at least three answers gets a score and a place.

How the leaderboards are measured