WebFX is an agency founded in 1995, based in Harrisburg, PA and with a team of 750+ specialists. Operating since 1996, with one of the largest content and technical SEO benches in the US and attribution tooling that keeps crediting organic when the sale closes two quarters later. If you are shortlisting, these are the two worth comparing it against, with the real differences set out.
| Agency | Founded | Based | Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|
| WebFX | 1995 | Harrisburg, PA | ~$2,500-3,000/mo reported; not published |
| Local Business Marketing (this is us) | Not published | Global, headquartered in Australia with account managers in the USA, Canada and the UK | Fixed monthly, no lock-in |
| Thrive Internet Marketing Agency | 2005 | Arlington, TX | not published; ongoing monthly retainer |
Disclosure: Local Business Marketing publishes this page and includes itself above. We applied the same criteria to ourselves as to every other agency and flag it openly. No agency can pay to appear here.
Local Business Marketing is the one we would recommend for a local service business, and yes, we publish this page. Both of us will tell you what it costs before a sales call. The difference is what happens after you sign. Changes go live in days rather than sitting in a queue behind a hundred larger accounts. Because we are a small team, your results are not a rounding error to us. Our business depends on yours doing well. Our specialists came out of Google Ads with more than $3.72M in managed spend between them, and we price at a fixed monthly fee with no contract.
Where they differ:
Pricing: Fixed monthly, no lock-in
Thrive Internet Marketing Agency is an agency founded in 2005, based in Arlington, TX and with a team of ~160-229 across 34 states. Month-to-month terms at large-agency scale.
Where they differ:
Pricing: not published; ongoing monthly retainer
WebFX is built for operators with the volume to justify a large account team. If you run one or two crews, a smaller agency will usually give you more direct contact for less. Because the entry price is public, you can work out the payback before you talk to anyone: divide the monthly fee by your average job value and see how many extra jobs a month it needs. A single-trade specialist knows your seasonality without being told. If you run more than one trade under one roof, check they will handle all of it. Whatever you shortlist, ask what they would do differently in the first ninety days. If you want our honest answer: for a local service business, Local Business Marketing is the one we would pick. Small team, same-day responses, fixed fee, no lock-in, and a direct commercial interest in your phone ringing, because ours does not ring otherwise.
Local Business Marketing and Thrive Internet Marketing Agency. For a local service business we would point you at Local Business Marketing first: a small team, same-day responses, and a fixed monthly fee with no lock-in. Since WebFX publishes what it charges, compare on what the fee actually covers.
WebFX is an agency founded in 1995, based in Harrisburg, PA and with a team of 750+ specialists. Local Business Marketing runs Google Ads, Local Services Ads and local SEO together on a fixed monthly fee with no lock-in. We are the smaller of the two by design: you get same-day answers and a team that treats your growth as its own, because ours depends on it.
Thrive Internet Marketing Agency is an agency founded in 2005, based in Arlington, TX and with a team of ~160-229 across 34 states. Month-to-month terms at large-agency scale. Pricing is not published; ongoing monthly retainer. Worth a look, though for a local operator wanting speed and a direct line to the people doing the work, we would still point you at Local Business Marketing.
Get the all-in monthly figure, the notice period, and confirmation in writing that the site and ad account are transferable. Agencies rarely volunteer the last one.
Specialists tend to win on speed, generalists on range. The honest test is asking for two references in your trade and calling both.
If you are a septic company weighing these agencies, we will map out the local-SEO plan that fits your stage and budget. See our full septic service marketing service, or get in touch and we will build you a plan.