Top 8 digital marketing agencies in the UK Digital marketing is vital to any businesses success, whether you're a plumber or a pastry shop owner. Read all about the best marketing agencies in the UK here. Written by Ross Darragh Updated on 31 January 2023 About us Startups was founded over 20 years ago by a multi-time entrepreneur. Today, our expert team of writers, researchers, and editors work to provide our 4 million readers with useful tips and information, as well as running award-winning campaigns. Our site is governed by the Startups editorial manifesto. Written and reviewed by: Ross Darragh Writer Robyn Summers-Emler Digital Growth Editor Startups.co.uk is reader supported – we may earn a commission from our recommendations, at no extra cost to you and without impacting our editorial impartiality. Swipe right to see more 0 out of 0 backward forward Provider Pearl Lemon Provider Loud Mouth Media Provider LocaliQ Provider Reload Digital Provider The Social Shepherd Provider ClickDo Provider Web Choice UK Provider Yell Best for Small businesses wanting to smash their SEO strategy out of the ballpark Best for A fully managed digital marketing service Best for Small, local businesses that need tailored, channel-specific marketing support Best for Mid-sized retail and ecommerce brands Best for Paid social campaigns and social media management Best for Pay-per-click (PPC) marketing Best for A customer-centric, supportive SEO and web design solution Best for Being connected and advertised across Yell’s online network Services offered SEOPPCContent writingInbound marketing Services offered SEOSocial Media MarketingPPCVideoPerformance Creative Services offered SEOContent marketingSocial media marketingCross media optimisationWebsite design Services offered Digital strategyContent marketingSEOPPCSocial media marketing Services offered Social media managementInfluencer marketingPaid socialVideo Services offered PPCSEOPR and distributionSocial mediaWeb design Services offered Social media marketingSEOCopywritingWeb design Services offered PPCVideoSocial media advertisingSEO Selecting the best digital marketing agency in the UK isn’t a simple walk in the park. What helps is breaking them down into categories depending on the type of services they specialise in. Our research concludes that the top three digital marketing agencies in the UK are: Pearl Lemon – best for SEO solutionsLoud Mouth Media – best for a fully managed digital marketing serviceLocaliQ – best for tailored, channel-specific marketing support From our research and expert digital marketing experience we’ve deduced that these three agencies are the cream of the crop in their respective specialisms. However, they are just three of over 7,000 agencies offering digital marketing services across the UK.It is an overwhelming and time-consuming task to research such a huge number of providers, let alone compare the costs of one agency to another – particularly when many fees aren’t readily available online.This is where our free cost comparison tool comes in handy. The tool is designed by our digital marketing industry experts and helps you pick the right agency for your business, by offering you quotes from a number of reputable UK providers.All you need to do is answer a couple of simple questions before we send you free, no-obligation quotes in a matter of minutes. It really is that easy.Or, if you’d like to learn more about the best digital marketing agencies in the UK for small businesses, read on. Get the best marketing support for your business today Have you used a digital marketing agency before? Yes No Request info - it only takes a minute and is a 100% free service Our top picks: Pearl Lemon Loud Mouth Media LocaliQ Reload Digital The Social Shepherd ClickDo Web Choice UK Yell FAQs Pearl Lemon: best for small businesses wanting to smash their SEO strategy out the ballparkPricing: £3,000 – 10,000 per month with paid packages ranging from 20-60 hours per month.When it comes to search engine optimisation, it doesn’t get much more efficient than Pearl Lemon.The provider is highly regarded as one of the best SEO agencies in the UK and has won countless awards to solidify this claim. It’s even been ranked as the best provider of ecommerce SEO services in the UK out of 70+ firms by the agency directory Design Rush.Pearl Lemon offers every SEO service under the sun, from local, technical, WordPress and mobile SEO, to other marketing services including PPC, content writing and inbound marketing. Pros: Full service SEO agency that covers all bases – including international SEO Offers a free SEO audit of your business Includes a customer discovery call to help you determine whether it’s right for your business Free SEO training courses Solid customer reviews – including a Trustpilot review score of 4.6 Cons: Doesn’t offer the full suite of marketing services – including organic and paid social media solutions Pricing is not transparent Case study of one of Pearl Lemon’s clients: Loud Mouth Media: best for a fully managed digital marketing servicePricing: Bespoke quotes onlyLoud Mouth Media has made a big name for itself in the digital marketing space. It is one of the few top-level agencies to offer a fully managed service that includes performance creative capabilities to ensure your digital assets are fit for purpose.The agency specialises in producing creative content to optimise your pay per click (PPC) campaigns. It also offers SEO and social media marketing services.It has won countless awards, including the title of best small PPC agency in the UK, and is among the top 3% of agencies in the UK according to Google.For a fully managed service, and PPC campaigns in particular, Loud Mouth Media is your best option. Pros: Proven track record in PPC campaigns – with a 2,559% increase in PPC revenue in one month Strong biddable capabilities for Facebook and Instagram – recording a 281% increase YoY in total purchases from Facebook Ads Custom designed digital strategy tailored to your brand – based on data, market insight, and conversion rate optimization (CRO) Great case studies available on the website that demonstrate methodology and campaign results Cons: Pricing can be steep for businesses not looking to splurge Primary industry focuses are ecommerce and information technology – expertise elsewhere could be lacking You may have noticed our top digital marketing agency choices only offer bespoke pricing. This is typical of the industry, so if you’d like us to make choosing a provider easier for you, why not use our cost comparison tool to compare quotes for free.Simply spend one minute of your time answering a few questions, and we will do the rest! LocaliQ: best for small, local businesses that need tailored, channel-specific marketing supportPricing: Bespoke quotes onlyLocaliQ has a unique selling point in its cross media optimisation solution.The technology uses AI to determine where your marketing budget would best be spent. This helps you to invest in the right channels, whether that be social media, SEO or content marketing, all of which are services offered by LocaliQ.The agency is another in the top 3% of all Google Partners, and is a certified Meta and Microsoft business partner, highlighting its authority in the digital marketing space. Pros: Unique cross media optimisation technology helps you invest in the marketing channels that are right for you Free website grader allows you to compare your online presence with your competitors so you can see actionable areas for improvement Free webinars are available to help support you with your marketing strategy Focus on local, small businesses means a more tailored service that includes print advertising Serves a wide range of industries so isn’t limited by specialisms Cons: Pricing is not available without contacting LocaliQ directly Not a specialist in PPC campaigns Reload Digital: best for mid-sized retail and ecommerce brandsPricing: Bespoke quotes onlyReload doesn’t cut corners when it comes to its marketing services. Focusing primarily on your brand’s digital strategy, it will ensure you achieve results and hit your sales targets in no time.Offering the whole suite of services, including content and email marketing, this experienced multi-award winning agency specialises in growing retail businesses, with its unique tried-and-tested ecommerce growth framework.Anyone looking to grow their ecommerce business should look no further than Reload Digital. Pros: Excellent reviews and customer satisfaction Combines digital marketing strategy with consultancy services, helping you get the most out of your brand even before you begin marketing online Dedicated account management for your brand means you can collaborate more closely Real-time, 24/7 access to metrics and campaign reports Great communication with clients via Slack, Trello and monday.com Cons: Pricing isn’t the most transparent, but industry websites confirm that Reload’s services are expensive compared to its competitors Only a small pool of clients are small businesses – services are more tailored to midmarket or enterprise Only works with clients in the ecommerce and retail space – limiting for other businesses Is your business based in London? There are hundreds of brilliant digital marketing agencies in the UK’s capital. To find out our top picks visit our review of the top digital marketing agencies in London. The Social Shepherd: best for paid social campaigns and social media managementPricing: Bespoke quotes onlyBath-based business The Social Shepherd prides itself on being one of the most innovative, results-driven social media marketing agencies in the UK.Focusing on curating content, engaging with audiences in-platform and analysing ad insights, the agency has a great reputation in the field of social media management.And unlike other agencies, you’ll have access to a dedicated team of creatives that include videographers, photographers, and animators – all at hand to help you put together engaging social-first video content.Despite being a relatively new agency compared to others on our list, The Social Shepherd has already made a big name for itself, winning the ‘Paid Social Campaign of the Year’ at the Biddable Media Awards. Pros: Brilliant video team that will help you create engaging content across all platforms Access to a variety of influencers to help propel your paid social campaigns through influencer marketing Multi-platform focus to help you achieve results across a variety of channels including TikTok and Facebook 93% of its clients to date have increased their return on ad spend within two months Capacity and experience to work with brands across a variety of industries Cons: Pricing is not transparent No industry niches so amount of experience will be capped at a certain level of expertise Does not offer SEO solutions Does not offer an overall audit of your digital marketing strategy We get it, there are plenty of agencies offering similar services, and it can be time-consuming reading through reviews and analysing comparison tables… So why not save time and effort by using our digital marketing service comparison tool?Simply answer four to five questions about what you need and you’ll receive bespoke pricing and service information to make it easier to select your best-fit provider. It only takes a minute and there are zero obligations. ClickDo: best for pay-per-click (PPC) marketingPricing from: Bespoke quotesOffering tailored and results-driven PPC consultancy, ClickDo is easily one of the most efficient and reputable digital marketing agencies when it comes to PPC campaigns.To set up and maintain your campaign, ClickDo focuses primarily on Google AdWords and combines this with strategy consultancy, all at an incredibly affordable cost of £200 per month.Whilst the agency specialises in PPC, it also offers award-winning solutions in SEO that help its clients rank on Google’s SERPs across some of the most highly competitive industries.ClickDo caters to niche industries and is the ideal marketing agency for dentists, orthodontists, law firms and waste collectors. Pros: A one-hour free expert consultancy to help you assess your current marketing model Responsive web design, web hosting and web property management solutions to optimise your website to rank higher on search engines Integrated marketing service that covers not only SEO and PPC but also email marketing and PR all in one campaign Press release writing and distribution services available PPC pricing is transparent Cons: Provides services to niche industries so experience in other sectors is limited Not all pricing is transparent Get the best marketing support for your business today Have you used a digital marketing agency before? Yes No Request info - it only takes a minute and us a 100% free service Web Choice UK: best for a customer-centric, supportive SEO and web design solutionHourly rate: from £55 per hourWith over 10 years of experience building websites and helping brands enhance their SEO strategy, Web Choice UK is one of the most highly regarded and reputable digital marketing agencies in the UK.Its team of expert web designers and developers provide tailored, results-driven SEO support that has been consistently rated five stars by clients.The agency’s SEO professionals have been in the industry for many years, perfecting their techniques so you don’t have to worry about the quality of your SEO campaigns.Web Choice also offers a full range of digital marketing services, including social media marketing and copywriting.The agency’s pricing is also the most transparent we have seen so far online, which sets it apart from a lot of its competitors. Pros: Transparent pricing Full-service digital marketing agency Offers free guides, podcasts and blog articles to help you develop your strategy Over 200 excellent reviews and references to its great customer service and support Can align your business’ web design with your digital marketing solution Free 30-minute, no-obligation consultation Cons: Although a full service agency, its specialisms are primarily in programming, web development and SEO – other solutions may be less adept Want specific social media support? Although most digital marketing agencies offer social media marketing support, there are companies dedicated to ensuring your brand is a success on social.To find out more, visit our review of the top social media marketing agencies in the UK. Yell: best for being connected and advertised across Yell’s online networkRates: Yell.com listing £1-10+ per month, Website £399-3,499+, Starter Advert £10 per month, Smart Performance from £300Easily the best thing about choosing Yell as your digital marketing agency is that you have the benefit of getting found and contacted across the Yell.com network. This includes Apple Maps, Amazon Alexa and Microsoft (Bing and Yahoo).Yell is a great way to stay ahead of your competitors because you’ll already have the added bonus of increased visibility online.Along with this great benefit, Yell also offers its clients the choice of either a free website checker or a reputation report. The website checker is a great way to analyse your website’s current performance and action any recommended changes.The reputation report will provide you with information about how accurately your business details are displayed, along with the ratings and reviews your business has received across a network of 40+ websites. Pros: Increased visibility and potential for new customers as a result of being advertised on Yell.com’s online network Offers Smart Performance – a fully managed blended advertising solution that enables advert creation across multiple channels in minutes Pricing is transparent for certain products Cons: No community engagement or influencer marketing Limited social media offering as you miss out on content creation and video production Get the best marketing support for your business today Have you used a digital marketing agency before? Yes No Request info - it only takes a minute and us a 100% free service Choosing the right digital marketing agency for youWhen making an executive decision about which digital marketing agency you want to work with, it’s important to consider the following…What makes a good agency and what is it I’m looking for?Competitive, affordable pricing – this is hard to find online, but our cost comparison tool can helpProven track record of results – be sure to check the agency’s website for real-life case studies that showcase positive resultsAwards – with over 7,000 digital marketing agencies operating in the UK, a great way to identify the best of the bunch is through any prestigious and reputable awards they’ve wonExperience and specialism in a particular industry – think about the industry you operate in and find an agency that is focused on growing businesses in that industryServices – check what services the agency offers. Does it cater to all of the channels you need? Is it well-versed in a particular solution that your business needs support with, such as SEO or paid social media?Reliable, transparent data and insights – an agency is only as good as its reporting. Make sure you have constant access to insights and reports so you know how the agency is performing and can monitor the success of any marketing campaignsCollaboration and communication – the most highly regarded and successful agencies have open and honest working relationships with their clientsAs well as the above points, also consider asking the following questions during your initial consultation with any agencies:“Can I see some previous campaign examples?”(This will indicate what the agency is able to produce).“Will you provide a dedicated account manager?”(Knowing you will have someone handling your account will ensure you have constant contact and support from the agency).“How long do clients typically stay with you?”(A marketing agency that has long-term loyal clients shows it’s doing something right).Next steps: compare digital marketing agenciesTo summarise, the best digital marketing agencies available in the UK are:Pearl LemonLoud Mouth MediaLocaliQReload DigitalThe Social ShepherdClickDoWeb Choice UKYellEach agency has its own unique selling points, but any business looking to grow through SEO needn’t look further than Pearl Lemon.As for an all round digital marketing service, Loud Mouth Media offers everything you need and more.LocaliQ is ideal for small, local businesses in niche industries like dentistry or waste management.The problem is there are so many agencies to choose from, and as is clear from our review, the majority of them keep their cards close to their chest when it comes to their fees.The easiest way to get over these hurdles is to use our free cost comparison tool.By using the tool, you will receive direct pricing quotes from some of the UK’s top digital marketing agencies, saving yourself time and money.Simply spend a minute answering four to five easy questions and we will do the rest. Frequently Asked Questions Which marketing company is best? It really depends on what you're looking for but, based on our independent research, we know that Pearl Lemon is best for SEO solutions. Loud Mouth Media is best for a fully managed digital marketing service, and ClickDo is best for pay-per-click (PPC) marketing. How much does a marketing company charge in the UK? For most agencies, you'll need to request a bespoke quote as every project will need a different budget. However, based on the agencies that disclose their prices, you can pay anywhere from £125 per month up until a minimum budget of £25,000. How many marketing agencies are in the UK? You're spoilt for choice, thankfully! There's plenty but, in our research, we've identified the top eight you can check out. Startups.co.uk is reader-supported. If you make a purchase through the links on our site, we may earn a commission from the retailers of the products we have reviewed. This helps Startups.co.uk to provide free reviews for our readers. It has no additional cost to you, and never affects the editorial independence of our reviews. Share this post facebook twitter linkedin Tags digital marketing News and Features Written by: Ross Darragh Writer Ross has been writing for Startups since 2021, specialising in telephone systems, digital marketing, payroll, and sustainable business. He also runs the successful entrepreneur section of the website. Having graduated with a Masters in Journalism, Ross went on to write for Condé Nast Traveller and the NME, before moving in to the world of business journalism. Ross has been involved in startups from a young age, and has a keen eye for exciting, innovative new businesses. Follow him on his Twitter - @startupsross for helpful business tips.