When traffic to my online store suddenly dropped after another search engine update, I was genuinely worried. Until then, everything had been running like clockwork, but as AI began reshaping search, the old SEO playbook stopped delivering the same results.
I needed an experienced AI SEO company that doesn’t just show me polished dashboards, but really understands how to adapt an online business to AI-driven search. Finding such a partner turned out to be an extremely difficult task: there are hundreds of agencies out there that promise explosive growth, but in reality rely on outdated playbooks. I spent months interviewing agencies, comparing approaches, and reviewing case studies to find a team that could actually turn things around, and decided to share my experience.
5 SEO Agencies I Considered
Today, the SEO market feels chaotic right now. It seemed like every freelancer and agency suddenly claimed to be an expert in AI search, while in reality they kept churning out low-quality content and buying low-quality backlinks. I realized I would have to vet each agency carefully before trusting them with what was left of my budget.
In this list, I have collected the agencies that stood out while I was researching the market. This isn’t a definitive ranking, but my personal assessment, based on the data, case studies, and conversations I reviewed. Some of the candidates turned out to be too expensive or focused on completely different niches, but one company was able to meet all of my technical SEO needs.
1. Equinox
Equinox is a Portugal-based agency that works with clients internationally and takes a data-driven approach to modern SEO. They optimize e-commerce sites for both traditional and AI-generated search results. Their philosophy is very simple and effective: help clients rely less on paid traffic and build lasting organic visibility in their niche.
Pros:
- Perform an in-depth technical SEO audit, eliminating technical issues that quietly hurt search rankings.
- Focus on building a strong backlink profile, prioritizing the authority and relevance of referring domains over sheer link volume.
- Create a powerful content strategy designed to turn organic visitors into customers.
- Know how to help scale organic revenue for complex e-commerce stores, including custom platforms and Shopify.
- Communicate clearly, avoid unnecessary jargon, and provide clear, transparent reporting.
Cons:
- Refuse to cooperate with projects with very limited or unrealistic budgets.
- Require developers to implement technical recommendations quickly for the process to work best.
- Focus only on organic growth, so you’ll need a separate provider for PPC or paid search.
Why I Ranked Them #1: They are the only ones who showed me a realistic path to ROI and growth and explained clearly how modern search works and where the growth opportunities were. If you’re looking for an AI SEO agency, here’s their website: https://equinox.company/ - you can evaluate their approach yourself and request a free audit.
2. Searchbloom
This is an established U.S.-based agency that focuses on building long-term, sustainable SEO strategies. They have solid experience in promoting local businesses and tend to build detailed roadmaps for clients.
Pros:
- Provide polished, detailed reports at every stage of cooperation.
- Have strong experience in traditional digital marketing and SEO for Western markets.
- Maintain a good level of communication and stay in regular contact with clients.
Cons:
- The cost of their services may be too high for medium or small businesses.
- Their approach to content can feel somewhat conservative and formulaic.
- A significant difference in time zones sometimes makes it difficult to promptly resolve urgent issues.
Why I Ranked Them #2: This is a strong AI-focused digital marketing agency with a strong track record, but their pace was slower than my fast-moving project required.
3. Percepture
This company clearly positions itself as a full-service digital PR agency with a broad range of services. They are excellent at creating buzz around a brand and often work with large, established brands.
Pros:
- Have strong experience in online reputation management and reviews.
- Have a large team that can handle a wide range of specialized projects.
- Offer large-scale multi-channel promotion to maximize reach across channels.
Cons:
- SEO can feel secondary to their broader PR and marketing services.
- The approval process can feel bureaucratic and slow.
- Advanced technical SEO appears to receive less emphasis.
Why third place: An excellent choice for those who need comprehensive PR. But if you need an LLM SEO agency to do highly detailed work on your store’s technical architecture, this may not be the best fit.
4. Go Fish Digital
They are a well-known agency in the digital marketing space, known for their creative approach to link building. They create viral content and often publish useful research on their own blog.
Pros:
- Use creative and unconventional methods of obtaining high-quality backlinks.
- Publish a substantial amount of educational content and industry research.
- Know how to create content that grabs attention.
Cons:
- Public positioning appears to place less emphasis on generative search than some AI-first agencies.
- Entry-level engagements can be relatively expensive.
- Some technical recommendations can feel somewhat standardized.
Why fourth place: The team is talented, but AI-focused search does not appear to be as central to their positioning as it is for some newer AI-first firms, so they felt less AI-focused than what I was looking for.
5. Minuttia
A specialized agency that mostly focuses on content marketing for B2B and SaaS companies. They are excellent at creating in-depth content designed to rank for informational queries.
Pros:
- Create detailed, authoritative content for complex niches.
- Understand the SaaS and startup landscape well.
- Have a structured workflow for managing and tracking projects.
Cons:
- The core offering appears to be less suited to traditional e-commerce businesses.
- Offering appears more content-focused than technical-SEO-heavy.
- It may be harder to tie their content work directly to e-commerce revenue forecasts.
Why fifth place: Their texts work great for software companies, but a content-first approach wasn’t the best fit for the revenue goals of my store.
How I Made My Final Choice
When choosing a contractor, it’s easy to be swayed by slick presentations and big promises. My store was losing money every day, so I tried to make the decision based on data rather than emotion. I focused on whether each agency understood the mechanics of search and could back its strategy with numbers. I was looking for partners who were able to think in terms of revenue and ROI, rather than simply checking tasks off a project-management board.
Why did Equinox end up as my top choice? Because they backed their recommendations with specific data: they shared performance data from previous projects, including an average CTR of 1.7% and more than 180,000 clicks, and showed me exactly where the site was losing potential customers. They didn't try to sell me another bundle of backlinks I didn’t need, but laid out a clear strategy for improving our visibility and competing more effectively in the niche.
This is my subjective opinion, based on months of research, but if you’re comparing AI-focused SEO agencies, Equinox is one of the teams I’d consider speaking with.
