More readers. More subscribers. More qualified inquiries from advertisers and partners. We help media and publishing brands build the SEO, PPC and websites that grow an audience, and we've been doing it since 2011.
“My experience with SmartSites was everything I wished my Google Ads adviser had been. They actually listened to me and really worked hard to understand what my business was and what I needed. They followed through and executed on everything they said they would.”
Brad Parks Books GOOGLE
Brad Parks Books
“So glad I found SmartSites! Katie and the entire team have been a game changer for my website! They have provided outstanding SEO and project management services. Katie provides constant updates and is very responsive to any questions or issues I have.”
AmeriDisability GOOGLE
AmeriDisability
“Ash and SmartSites over delivered and keep working even after the project was closed. More than helpful at every angle! Pleasure to work with.”
“Since we launched the new website, we've had a dramatic increase in sales and user traffic… Whenever we need to hop on a call, she schedules a meeting to go over suggestions and recommendations… Anyone who is interested in developing a new website or launching a marketing campaign should utilize…”
“I sought out a company to help with PPC advertising on Google, and SmartSites stood out as one of the few firms that could listen well to what I needed for my business — rather than attempting to sell me on other services I wasn't interested in. My account reps were understanding, and constantly…”
Fits & Stops Photography GOOGLE
Fits & Stops Photography
“They are excellent in replying to any concerns I may have… We're about 3 months into our project and we've seen progress, albeit slight progress… Based on our interactions with everyone at SmartSites, we're confident that interest in our company, our SEO and ultimately, our sales, will continue to…”
“Great AdWords company. Julian really helped me step by step and really appreciate his patience with me. Highly recommend.”
JIG Reel Studios GOOGLE
JIG Reel Studios, LLC
“We have been happy with the service. We would not have been able to effectively market our show in the early stages without their guides and expertise.”
More readers and more advertising inquiries for media and publishing brands, from one team running SEO, ads, your website, social and email.
Englewood Cliffs Blog is a local news site based in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. It publishes real estate content for property buyers and sellers along with local news…
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123%Organic site traffic93%Site trafficPeak Visuals is a professional services company committed to delivering results for their clients. Their focus on quality and customer satisfaction has driven consistent…
Read the case study →Meta Digital Athletics is a gaming company based in Old Tappan, New Jersey. It provides esports athletes, gamers and gaming professionals with a wide range of gaming…
Read the case study →Peter Leto is a director based in New York City. His work sits in the arts and entertainment space, and his website serves as a simple introduction to it.
Read the case study →
“Ash and SmartSites over delivered and keep working even after the project was closed.”— Healthcare360 Media, LLC (Capterra review)
From the first search for a story or a topic to the moment they subscribe or follow, SmartSites makes sure they find your publication, trust it, and come back for more.
She's researching a story and searches “what's happening in my neighborhood this week.” Being visible across search and AI results makes sure your publication is one of the first she finds.
Media & Publishing SEO →
Now she's engaged: “subscribe to local news newsletter.” Your publication owns the top of the results page, with tracking on every subscription and advertiser inquiry.
Media & Publishing PPC →
That night she sees your latest piece shared again: a clip, a quote card, a behind-the-scenes look at the newsroom. By the time she clicks through, she already trusts your byline.
Social media for media & publishing →
One click. A fast site that loads instantly and makes subscribing simple. She signs up in seconds.
Media & Publishing websites →
A daily newsletter and breaking-news texts keep her coming back every morning. A year later, she's a paying subscriber.
Email & SMS marketing →Professional service firms get 44% higher Google Ads conversion rates and 68% of calls from first-time callers than our other clients.
Professional services Google Ads clicks turn into leads 44% more often than our other clients' clicks: 6.0% vs 4.2%.
of calls to professional service firms come from people who have never called that business before.
Leads from Google Ads cost professional service firms 17% less than our other clients: $67 vs $80 a lead.
of visits to professional services websites come from phones, so the mobile site is the storefront.
median cost per Google Ads click across the professional service firms we work with.
genuine website form leads a month for the typical professional services business, with spam and junk removed.
Run by its two founders, with a director over every service line and named specialists on your account.
Websites, campaigns and content for small and medium businesses across America.
One of America’s fastest-growing private companies, growing right alongside our clients.
AI speeds up the work, a human strategist checks every piece of it. You own everything we make.
We’ll find where your next readers are coming from, and build the plan to bring them in.
On a free call, we’ll:
Get a free proposal from the team behind $2.1 billion+ in client revenue.
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We reply within one business day.
Straight answers for media and publishing companies, from the team that runs the work.
It depends on your content model (subscriptions, advertising, or both), your market and your goals. Most publishers run an SEO campaign as the long-term foundation, paired with paid search and social to grow subscribers faster.
We'll right-size a plan to your publication, your competitive space and your growth goals. There's no one-size-fits-all answer, and we'll tell you exactly where each dollar goes.
Very. At the typical professional services firm in the calls we've listened to, 38% of calls went to voicemail or were never picked up: 38% during business hours and 47% after hours. And most of those callers do not try again: 75% of callers who reached voicemail did not call that business again within a week.
That is why we track every call from your campaigns, flag missed calls, and help you set up call routing, after-hours coverage and fast call-backs, so the leads you pay for are not lost at the front desk.
Based on calls to 11 professional services firms we market, Apr to Sep 2026.
Mostly business hours: 22% of calls came outside Monday to Friday 9 to 5 (7% on weekends), and the busiest day is Monday. Of the calls that were answered, 51% were new-customer inquiries, 36% were existing customers, and 14% were sales pitches or wrong numbers.
That mix is why we report on qualified calls, not raw call counts.
Based on 14,000 calls to 23 professional services firms we market, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026 (timing) and Apr to Sep 2026 (call types).
Across the Google Ads accounts of the 29 professional services firms we manage, the median cost per lead over the last 12 months was $70, with a median cost per click of $3.00 and a median conversion rate of 6%.
Your number depends on your market, services and how well the landing page and phones convert. We use these medians as a starting benchmark, then work to beat them.
Source: Google Ads accounts managed by SmartSites, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026; a lead is a tracked call or form conversion as set up in each account.
For the 31 professional services firms whose Google Business Profiles we manage, the median profile got about 790 views, 9 calls and 49 direction requests a month over the last year.
Reviews, photos, accurate hours and categories move those numbers, which is why local SEO is part of every plan we build for a media & publishing company.
Source: Google Business Profile performance data for profiles managed by SmartSites, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026.
You don't have to choose. The best results come from doing both, with experts who know how to use AI responsibly:
A good in-house marketer is only one person. With SmartSites you get a whole team (strategist, SEO specialist, paid media lead, web designer, email specialist and social manager) for less than the cost of a single hire, with no recruiting, no PTO and no learning curve.
No, and we'll always be straight with you about that. Growing an audience takes time, and publications that expect instant results from SEO are usually disappointed. We don't do risky shortcuts. Here's what to realistically expect:
Yes, and for publishers it matters more than ever. We optimize for generative engines (GEO) as well as traditional search, so your reporting and content get cited by ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews and Perplexity, not just ranked in blue links. Our tracking includes AI mentions and citations, not just rankings.
We build the site and content strategy to do both: SEO and social bring in new readers, email and SMS convert them into subscribers, and a fast, well-organized site with clear media-kit and advertising pages makes it easy for advertisers to find you and reach out.
Distribution matters as much as the story itself. We recommend clipping and repurposing your best content into short-form video and quote cards for the platforms your readers already use, paired with paid social to extend reach on your highest-performing pieces. We handle production, posting and reporting.
