A digital marketing agency is an agency that creates and executes promotional strategies across a variety of online channels to assist brands in reaching and engaging their target audiences effectively. It uses data analysis and insights into user behavior to develop, manage, and optimize campaigns across multiple digital platforms, including websites, email, content marketing, PPC advertising, CRO, video marketing, SEO, and social media.

By using audience data and digital marketing expertise, these companies create targeted campaigns that improve brand visibility, drive engagement, and align with the client’s goals and industry standards. The global digital marketing market reached $366.1 billion in 2023 and is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.2%, reaching $1.02 trillion by 2032.

A digital marketing company integrates a wide range of marketing strategies across digital channels to drive comprehensive growth for its clients. By analyzing clients’ online presence, identifying areas for improvement, and implementing targeted strategies, online marketing companies work to generate qualified leads and new business opportunities.

Here’s a breakdown of their key services:

• Internet marketing and advertising
  Retargeting, remarketing, PPC, and native ads across platforms like Google, Bing, Facebook, and LinkedIn
• Content marketing
  Creating and promoting different content types like blogs, articles, videos, social media posts, and newsletters
• Social media marketing (SMM)
  Developing strategies, content creation, management, advertising, and analytics on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn
• Email marketing
  Creating targeted email campaigns, from promotions to newsletters, measured by open, click-through, and conversion rates
• SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
  Optimizing websites for higher search rankings, with a focus on Google (technical, on-page, off-page SEO)
• Marketing automation
  Streamlining marketing tasks with automated tools to enhance efficiency and effectiveness
• Affiliate marketing
  Partnering with affiliates to drive traffic and sales through commission-based models
• Data monitoring and analytics
  Tracking and analyzing campaign performance to make data-driven decisions
• Inbound marketing
  Attracting, engaging, and converting customers through relevant, value-driven content
• Digital public relations
  Managing online brand reputation through media relations and influencer partnerships
• Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)
  Improving website performance to increase conversions and customer actions
• Influencer marketing
  Collaborating with influencers to promote brands and products
• Video marketing
  Creating engaging video content to increase brand awareness and drive conversions
• Mobile marketing
  Targeting users through mobile apps, SMS, and mobile-friendly content
• Content syndication
  Distributing content across multiple platforms to increase reach and engagement
• Web design and development
  Designing and developing websites that are user-friendly, responsive, and optimized for performance

The difference between a digital marketing agency and a digital advertising company lies in the scope of work, approach, and strategies.

Digital marketing agencies focus on broad strategies like branding, lead generation, and content creation, while digital advertising companies specialize in online ads, including display ads, social media campaigns, and PPC. Though digital marketing companies may offer ads, advertising companies focus on campaign design, deployment, and optimization.

Digital marketing agencies and digital advertising companies are both crucial in planning and executing a company’s marketing campaign, but they achieve it in different ways:

Digital marketing companies commonly charge between $2,000 and $100,000 per month, depending on the services included, the project's complexity, the agency's reputation, and the size of the company.

The top 50 digital marketing companies on DesignRush charge an average of $94/hour. 16.2% of agencies accept projects with budgets under $1,000 catering to small-scale initiatives. In contrast, 1.4% requires a minimum budget of over $50,000, offering clients tailored digital marketing solutions.

Here is an average cost breakdown for digital marketing services per month:

You should hire a digital marketing agency to streamline your marketing efforts and leverage expert strategies for sustainable business growth. Digital marketing agencies provide specialized insights and comprehensive strategies to drive leads and achieve business objectives.

Hire a digital marketing company because it:

• Eliminates the need to build and maintain an internal team, reducing long-term expenses
• Provides expert knowledge with an in-depth understanding of industry trends and effective online marketing tactics
• Offers data-based research to better understand target market behavior and create buyer personas
• Delivers campaign monitoring, analytics, and reporting to optimize audience engagement and competitor analysis
• Accesses premium marketing tools that automate strategies for improved efficiency

Success story

Our experts have identified the following case study to showcase the benefits of hiring a marketing company:

• Challenge: Barton G, a restaurant and events brand in Miami and LA, needed a better digital presence and marketing strategy to match its extravagant in-person services and make it stand out in a saturated market.
• Solution: Digital Silk tackled the challenge by completely redesigning the website, implementing a multi-channel marketing strategy, and conversion funnel optimization. The team developed targeted campaigns across email, social media, PPC, and Google Ads, and restored social media accounts for better brand engagement. On top of that, the internet marketing agency created heavily animated videos to drive organic engagement and brand awareness. To ensure maximum reach, engagement, and conversions, Digital Silk also implemented continuous monitoring and analytics tracking to refine the group’s marketing strategies.
• Results: Thanks to the online marketing company’s strategies, Barton G’s website traffic increased by outstanding 207%, and engagement jumped by a whopping 334%, resulting in more visibility and higher quality leads.

To choose the best digital marketing company for your business, consider these steps:

• Identify your requirements
  Define your marketing goals and KPIs, like lead generation, brand visibility, or audience engagement, tailored to your target audience and business goals.
• Research potential internet marketing agencies
  Look for reputable digital marketing agencies. Use directories like DesignRush and Google to compile a list of agencies experienced in your industry with strong digital expertise.
• Evaluate their portfolio
  Review previous campaigns to assess the marketing agency’s experience across digital channels (SEO, social media, PPC, content, email). Look for results in campaigns similar to yours.
• Check reviews and testimonials
  Seek client feedback on DesignRush, Google and other trusted directories. Request case studies to understand their strategies, successes, and challenges.
• Assess technical skills
  Confirm the online marketing agency’s skills in analytics, automation, and key ad platforms. Ask about expertise in audience targeting, CRO, and campaign optimization.
• Evaluate communication
  Ensure smooth collaboration with responsive communication, project management, and clear reporting processes.
• Compare costs
  Obtain quotes and assess the value of services offered, prioritizing experience and expertise over the lowest price.
• Post-campaign support
  Confirm that the internet marketing agency provides post-campaign analysis, optimization, and continuous improvement based on performance data.
• Conduct interviews
  Interview the team to gauge their understanding of your business goals and culture fit.
• Shortlist potential partners
  Create a shortlist of online marketing agencies that meet your requirements and send requests for proposals (RFPs) for detailed service information.
• Finalize the contract
  Review contract terms carefully, including deliverables, KPIs, timelines, and objectives.
• Choose the ideal partner
  Select the marketing agency that best aligns with your objectives, expertise needs, and cultural values.

Still looking for the top digital marketing companies? Visit our Marketplace and share your project details. We’ll recommend the best digital marketing companies tailored to your needs — completely free of charge.

You can find the best digital marketing company on DesignRush that fits your budget by using our filters. Shortlist the agencies by choosing from those that can cater to projects from $1,000 to above $50,000 based on your budget. 

Browse through our agency directory to view digital marketing agency profiles by location, area of expertise, client reviews, industries catered to, team size, pricing, and hourly rates. This allows you to comprehensively assess marketing companies and select the ideal fit for your project.

The key success metrics in digital marketing include the following:

• Website traffic
  The volume of visitors to your website, identifying unique visitors and traffic sources (organic, paid, social, etc.)
• Cost per lead (CPL)
  The cost to generate each qualified lead
• Cost Per Click (CPC)
  The cost for each click on your ad
• Cost Per Acquisition (CPA)
  The cost of acquiring one customer
• Click-through rate (CTR)
  The percentage of users who click on your ad or content after seeing it
• Conversion Rate
  The percentage of visitors completing desired actions, such as filling a form or making a purchase
• Return on investment (ROI)
  Revenue generated from marketing efforts compared to the overall campaign costs
• Customer lifetime value (CLV)
  The projected revenue from a customer over their entire relationship with your business
• Lead-to-customer conversion rate
  The percentage of leads that convert into paying customers
• Engagement metrics
  Monitor likes, comments, shares, time spent on the website, and bounce rates to evaluate content effectiveness
• Bounce Rate
  The percentage of visitors who leave without interacting further

Some red flags to watch out for when hiring digital marketing agencies include:

1. Lack of industry experience
   Avoid agencies without experience in your industry because they won’t understand your target audience or business needs.
2. Vague performance tracking
   Be cautious if an internet marketing agency can’t explain clearly how it measures success or share detailed reports on KPIs.
3. No tailored strategy
   Steer clear of digital marketing companies that don’t have a customized digital strategy because generic approaches usually waste budget and miss goals.
4. Limited pricing transparency
   Watch out for unclear pricing or hidden fees that can complicate your budget planning.
5. Poor communication
   Lack of clear communication can result in misunderstandings, delays, and missed opportunities.
6. No optimization plan
   Ensure a digital marketing agency has a process for consistently optimizing campaigns based on performance data.
7. Overpromising results
   Be wary of agencies guaranteeing specific results because digital marketing often requires testing and adjustment.
8. Rigid contracts
   Avoid agencies with long, inflexible contracts that lack options for early exits or adjustments.

Questions you should ask before hiring an online marketing company include the following:

Its Relevant Background

1. What experience do you have working in our industry?
2. Have you solved similar digital marketing challenges like ours?
3. In which areas of expertise have you achieved the best results?

Its Services and Processes

1. What type of digital marketing services do you offer?
2. What types and sizes of marketing budgets have you handled so far? What are the results generated for these projects?
3. What is the cost of your services? What business model do you adopt?
4. What services are included in your package and are there any services or programs that may cost extra?

Relevant to Your Project

1. What strategies will you develop to increase our online presence?
2. What tools, programs, or resources do you use and why?
3. How will you measure results?
4. How often will we get progress reports?
5. Who will be working on our account and what qualifies them for this role?
6. involve our in-house team in the course of the project?
7. When are you available to start our project?

These questions will help you evaluate a digital marketing agency’s expertise, processes, and capability to execute successful, data-driven campaigns.

The best digital marketing agencies in the U.S. are:

• SmartSites
  • 5.0 stars on DesignRush (51 reviews)
  • 4.9 stars on Google (683 reviews)
  • Top Clients: Classic Audi, CMS Funding, Energy Watch, ForeverLux
• Ignite Visibility
  • 4.9 stars on DesignRush (12 reviews)
  • 4.7 stars on Google (78 reviews)
  • Top Clients: Tony Robbins, COX, Wedding Wire, DoorDash
• Manta
  • 4.6 stars on DesignRush (3 reviews)
  • 4.0 stars on Google (102 reviews)
  • Top Clients: Horsey Orthodontics, The Anxiety Institute, SkyDeck USA, Hyatt Place
• Intero Digital
  • 4.9 stars on DesignRush (25 reviews)
  • 4.8 stars on Google (225 reviews)
  • Top Clients: Jaguar, Gaiam, Land Rover, University of Colorado
• Big Leap
  • 4.8 stars on DesignRush (8 reviews)
  • 4.8 stars on Google (67 reviews)
  • Top Clients: Avis, Empire Today, BambooHR, Pluralsight