For the third consecutive year, the selection process in the Search Engine Land Awards became even more difficult, as the field of competition grew to nearly 300 worthy submissions from leading digital agencies, in-house marketing teams and individuals around the world.
Michelle Robbins, the newly appointed SVP of content and editor-in-chief of Search Engine Land, was incredibly impressed by the depth and scope of entries in this year’s competition. “As a first-time judge, having the opportunity to pull back the curtain and examine the campaigns executed by some of the top search marketers in the industry was inspiring. The work done, creativity expressed and results achieved demonstrate what a truly talented community it is that we serve.”
Robbins and Ginny Marvin, associate editor at Search Engine Land, will also co-host this year’s awards presentation.
Marvin, now in her third year of judging the growing field of applicants, added, “The consistently sophisticated, creative and inspiring quality of the campaigns submitted for the awards this year made judging a true honor. There is incredible work happening in search marketing, and the entries this year exemplify that.”
Independent research firm Clutch.co vetted the top candidates in the Agency of the Year categories for the second year in a row. Tim Clarke of Clutch noted the increasing quality of the work submitted. “We were especially impressed by the volume of metrics and quantifiable evidence of success from all the 2017 submissions. The dedication to client service, communication and innovation stood out from this year’s entries. The agencies that entered truly are cutting edge.”
And the finalists are …
In alphabetical order by category:
Best Retail Search Marketing Initiative — SEM
- Adtaxi for a pet retailer (client name withheld)
- Brainlabs for London Theatre Direct
- PMG for a luxury apparel retailer (client name withheld)
- Resolution Media Canada for Sport Chek
- Wolfgang Digital for Littlewoods Ireland
Best Retail Search Marketing Initiative — SEO
- Digital Third Coast for a home & garden retailer (client name withheld)
- Go Fish Digital for Bella Ella Boutique
- iCrossing for a pet retailer (client name withheld)
- Nebo for Buy-Rite
- Nina Hale, Inc. for Room and Board
Best Local Search Marketing Initiative — SEM
- DAC Group for Bridgestone Retail Operations
- Local Search Masters for child development programs (client name withheld)
- LSEO for Manhattan CryoBank
- Merkle | Periscopix (UK) for Housekeep
- Resolution Media Canada for Belron Canada
Best Local Search Marketing Initiative — SEO
- Blue Wheel Media for Monark Premium Appliance Co.
- Odd Dog Media for a Puget Sound Region Healthcare System (client name withheld)
- Single Interface for PizzaHut (India)
- Trimark Digital for Fairview Garden Center
- Workshop Digital for The Compass School
Best Mobile Search Marketing Initiative — SEM
- Elite SEM for American Home Shield
- Merkle (US) for Custom Ink
- Northern Commerce for Oxford Learning Center
- Precis Digital for Zmarta
- Pure Oxygen Labs for WEC Energy Group
Best Mobile Search Marketing Initiative — SEO
- 97th Floor for Lawn Doctor
- Back Azimuth for Absolut Drinks
- iProspect for TEN: The Enthusiast Network
- Wolfgang Digital for Zurich Life
Best B2B Search Marketing Initiative — SEM
- EliteSEM for Revel Systems
- Ledger Bennett for Linkedin
- Media Horizons for Lightning Labels
- Millipore Sigma
- Reprise Media for Stericycle
Best B2B Search Marketing Initiative — SEO
- BMC Software
- iCrossing for Republic Services
- inSegment (client name withheld)
- NICE inContact
- Overit (client name withheld)
Best Overall SEO Initiative — Small Business
- Chris Beck SEO Consulting for Highland Pharms
- Djital Search for Chicago Steak Company
- Power Digital Marketing for PlushCare
- Stone Temple Consulting for kimkim Travel
- Trimark Digital for Fairview Garden Center
Best Overall SEM Initiative — Small Business
- Hallam Internet for Brand Outlet
- Merkle | Periscopix (UK) for Housekeep
- Nina Hale, Inc. for Mazuri® Exotic Animal Nutrition
- Publicis North America for Doctors Without Borders
- Todd Silverstein for WipeRecord, a division of Eastman Meyler, PC.
Best Overall SEO Initiative — Enterprise
- Edible (a division of Edelman Digital) for the Florida Department of Citrus
- iCrossing for DirectTV
- Reprise Media for a fortune 100 insurance company (client name withheld)
- SapientRazorfish for H&R Block
- Wolfgang Digital for Zurich Life
Best Overall SEM Initiative — Enterprise
- Cloudflare
- Jellyfish (client name withheld)
- Nebo for Brookdale
- Nebo for Mobile World Congress 2017
- Point-It for PEMCO
Best Enterprise SEM Initiative — Travel & Lifestyle
- Mediahub for Royal Caribbean
- Smarter Ecommerce for Eventim
- Travel Tripper for ROW NYC Hotel
- Trimark Digital for Pinehurst Resort
- Wolfgang Digital for Dublin Airport
Best Enterprise SEM Initiative — Financial Services
- Eden Advertising for The National Benefit Authority
- Merkle (US) for Metlife
- Precis Digital for Zmarta
- Spark Foundry for Morgan Stanley
Best Enterprise SEM Initiative — B2B
- iCrossing for Qlik
- Mediative for Ruby Receptionists
- Mediative for Shortel
- Metric Theory for Servicemax
- Optum, a division of United Healthcare Group
Best Enterprise SEM Initiative — B2C
- Beeby, Clark + Meyler for Marriott
- Brainlabs for Domino’s EuroPizza
- Horizon Media for Safelite Autoglass
- Merkle (US) for HBO Now
- Point-It for PEMCON
Best Integration Of Search Into Cross-Channel Marketing
- LSEO for Manhattan CryoBank
- Power Digital Marketing for CannaPet
- Precis Digital for Daniel Wellington
- Spark Foundry for Morgan Stanley
- Wolfgang Digital for Littlewoods Ireland
Best Overall Search Marketing Initiative — SEO & SEM
- AARP
- HiveMinds (client name withheld)
- Nebo for Gas South
- Web Full Circle (client name withheld)
- Wolfgang Digital for Littlewoods Ireland
Search Marketer Of The Year — Female
- Chelsea Ashe, Merkle (US)
- Kerry Curran, Catalyst / GroupM
- Genevieve Head-Gordon, Metric Theory
- Laetitia Kieffer, Catalyst/GroupM
- Lily Ray, Women’s Marketing
Search Marketer Of The Year — Male
- Dan Gilbert, Brainlabs
- Aaron Levy, EliteSEM
- John Lincoln, Ignite Visibility
- Manny Rivas, AimClear
- John Shehata, Conde Nast
In-House Team Of The Year — SEM
- Comcast
- Flight Centre Travel Group Australia
- Macy’s
- Millipore Sigma
- UPMC Health Plan
In-House Team Of The Year — SEO
- Comcast Xfinity
- Conde Nast
- Millipore Sigma
- Thermo Fisher Scientific
Agency Of The Year — SEM
- iProspect
- Kubix Digital
- Merkle (US)
- Metric Theory
- wPromote
Agency Of The Year — SEO
- HigherVisibility
- Merkle (US)
- VML
- Wolfgang Digital
- Workshop Digital
Winners will be announced during an evening awards ceremony and celebratory gala held on October 25, 2017, in New York City. The gala takes place during the week of Search Engine Land’s annual SMX Conference, where the search industry gathers for continuing education on best practices in SEO and search advertising.
The Search Engine Land Awards Gala is produced by Third Door Media, with the support of Marquee Sponsor Google. A portion of proceeds from the event benefit charity, with Third Door Media guaranteeing a minimum donation of $5,000 this year’s selected organization, Women Who Code.
Some opinions expressed in this article may be those of a guest author and not necessarily Search Engine Land. Staff authors are listed here.
