23 April 2018

The Prolific North Top 50 Digital Agencies 2018

by David Prior

Today we are delighted to unveil the 2018 edition of the Prolific North Top 50 Digital Agencies, the definitive listing of the North’s largest digital agencies spanning SEO and PPC, web, content, mobile and e-commerce.

The Top 50 Digital Agencies initiative - follow the #Top50digital hashtag on Twitter - complements other market-defining Prolific North research features including the Top 50 PR Agencies and the Top 50 Integrated Agencies.

We're delighted that Click Consult are for the sixth consecutive year sponsoring the initiative.

And this year we're also very pleased to announce McCann Manchester as co-sponsor. McCann has chosen to attach its McCann Connected digital business to this ranking to highlight its breadth and depth of digital capability with more than 140 specialists spanning paid, owned and earned channels.

Methodology

And as with our other research-led rankings, Mustard Research has managed the research underpinning the compilation and has ensured that the process has been rigorous and the results entirely independent – unlike some rankings which are predicated on financial subscriptions and payments to be included.

As with our other Top 50s, the Prolific North Top 50 Digital Agencies is anchored on financials including balance sheet/shareholder funds, turnover, pre-tax profit, headcount and growth, with the information and data sourced from the agencies themselves and confirmed with the financial reporting company fame B ureau van Dijk and data at Companies House.

We do not publish or reveal any financials; these are discussed privately between the companies and Mustard as we understand that the majority of companies in the ranking publish abbreviated accounts.

And this year, in a new innovation, we have also asked agencies to specify whether their work was primarily web development/technical or SEO/paid search in nature. We hope this additional detail will be useful to companies seeking digital support services and to potential recruits and agencies and other companies seeking new partnerships and commercial relationships.

Thanks as ever to those agencies who have taken the time to compile information for the initiative.

Summary

Yorkshire agencies continue to dominate the higher echelons of the ranking, with Leeds agency Stickyeyes holding on to its number one placing.

A total of seven agencies from the county make up the top 10, with Amaze (no 2) and Latitude (rising seven places to no 4) the only agencies from the North West. Stockton-on-Tees' Visualsoft ensures a top 10 place for the North East at no 8.

Elsewhere, Newcastle's Think rises 12 places to no 12, Manchester's Degree 53 moves up 10 places to no 20 and e3creative, the Manchester agency co-owned by Gary Neville, jumps 19 places to no 27.

As ever, all corners of the North are represented, including Durham's Leighton (22), Lancaster's Fat Media (24), Chester's Prodo Digital (30) and Newcastle's Enigma Interactive (37).