If you’ve look at the SEO landscape around the country, you may have noticed that Scottsdale has a bigger share of SEO companies than most cities of the same size. Just a few blocks south of Web.com Search Agency is a major competitor, and another one is about two miles to the east. Many of the top people in the SEO field in the Phoenix metro area (encompassing Tempe, Glendale, Peoria, Mesa, Gilbert, and Chandler) have worked their way through one or more agencies in their professional careers.
Why is Scottsdale such a fertile incubator for SEO? Given the niche nature of search marketing compared to other fields, there is not a large enough sample of industry players to give a definitive answer, but there are plenty of factors that would lead to conclusions.
First, the Phoenix area (until 2 years ago) was regularly trading “fastest growing city” status with Las Vegas. Housing was comparatively less expensive, and there were plenty of jobs in the technology field. With companies like Intel in Chandler, Insight.com in Tempe, Godaddy.com in Scottsdale, and Honeywell in Phoenix, there is a strong technical presence in the “Valley of the Sun.”
Second, there is also a strong entrepreneurial spirit in Phoenix, and the SEO field was able to take advantage of a business-friendly environment and a large pool of people familiar with the technical aspects of web design and data management. Some of the first SEO firms in Scottsdale and Phoenix literally started out of back rooms (if you lived in Phoenix, you would quickly see why nobody would start in a “garage” during the summer) and small home offices. In fact, the distributed nature of SEO work actually led one company (in 2005) to save money by shutting its office and having all its employees work from home.
Third, there are some very well funded companies in the Phoenix area, particularly around the Scottsdale Airpark. Many of these companies need high-grade SEO to build their presence on the internet, and aggressive PPC to stay competitive. The Scottsdale AZ area has more wealthy people in one place than just about anywhere outside of Beverly Hills. Scottsdale is also home to many “new money” people who may live in million dollar homes but they are younger and more active in their business lives. On top of that, Scottsdale is a popular spot for wealthy people from cold climates to maintain a second home.
The final advantage to Scottsdale as an SEO presence is convenience. Even though we have many global clients whom we have never met in person, we regularly see local clients in our offices who are just down the block, or who come out for a round of golf during the winter months. The talent pool in Phoenix allows Web.com Search Agency to recruit experienced, knowledgeable SEO engineers, salespeople, link building specialists, and account managers. As a result, we have been able to serve customers worldwide and remain competitive with the many talented search agencies who call Scottsdale home.
Tags: phoenix search engine optimization, phoenix seo, scottsdale search engine optimization, scottsdale seo
