MD Marketing Digital Ranking Research Methodology

At MD Marketing Digital, our most recent projects have a specific goal: to determine objective criteria that indicate that an agency that develops tasks related to digital marketing is one of the best. In this way, we seek to generate a solid foundation that really contributes to making informed decisions.

Instructions for journalists and fans

If you look at our ranking tables on your computer, you can filter each factor from highest to lowest and vice versa by clicking on the icon in each column. When you hover over the icon in question, you will be able to see the name of the chosen variable. On mobile, you can sort the factors in the same way by scrolling and selecting the listed variables.

Methodology of the study

It is often possible to find rankings that seem to come out of nowhere, as they do not even specify the criteria that were followed when putting them together. Other times, they classify agencies based on irrelevant issues, such as their seniority. And, in certain cases, the data shown does not match the positions assigned.

That is why, at MD Marketing Digital, we decided to come out clean and tell, from start to finish, how we carried out our research.

The various studies carried out compare agencies from Latin America and Europe that offer services related to digital marketing. These were analyzed according to specific variables and objective data, which indicate when a company focused on web advertising is of quality.

Based on their performance in each variable, these agencies are assigned a final score out of a total of 100 points. This serves to prove that they offer a good all-round service, rather than focusing on just one of the many aspects of digital marketing.

Selection of agencies

The starting point of each ranking is to select agencies that carry out digital marketing tasks, both in general and for a specific area.

To do this, geolocalized queries are made in clean search engines, without prior interactions. In this way, the sample is prevented from being contaminated with previous data, obtaining a completely objective and bias-free investigation.

These searches serve to ensure that the agencies to be selected meet a fundamental parameter:

[Note to the reader: you can find the explanation of this parameter and the others in the scoring index.]

• Positioning for keywords related to the area of ​​digital marketing investigated.

For example, the companies included in the research on the best SEO agencies in Argentina were those that appeared among the first search results for the keywords “SEO agency“, “SEO company” and “web positioning agency”.

Once the agencies to be analyzed have been selected, data and metrics are collected that are linked to variables that, in our opinion, every agency must meet to be among the best. These are:

• Domain Rating.
• Backlinks.
• Total keywords ranked.
• Website traffic.
• Number of followers on social media (LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube and TikTok).
• Social media engagement.

Each variable was assigned a specific value based on its importance for digital marketing, taken in a broad sense. This will be used to calculate the score of the different agencies, as you will see in the next section.

Selecting the scoring system

Deciding on the scoring system was no easy task, especially since our goal was to develop an objective system that could be adapted to different types of companies involved in digital marketing.

It is important to note that some factors, such as positioning for specific keywords, the number of keywords positioned and the volume of traffic and engagement on social networks are particularly relevant for digital marketing. Therefore, they were assigned a differential value.

This is because, on the one hand, search engines determine how trustworthy a site is by the duration and frequency of visits a page receives. As long as, of course, the traffic is significant and maintained over time.

A reliable site with quality content will have a better chance of ranking among the top search results and, thus, reaching more users. For this reason, positioning for target keywords and traffic volume have a higher value than the other variables.

On the other hand, social media is increasingly affecting a company’s web presence. As a result, engagement on social media is also given a differential value, especially on those that can be used for commercial purposes, such as LinkedIn and Instagram.

Finally, the number of keywords a company has positioned is an indicator of its management of SEO tools, a key strategy of any digital marketing campaign. This makes its value similar to that of variables such as positioning for specific keywords and engagement on networks.

Thus, the score is divided as follows

MD Marketing Digital Ranking Research Methodology

Variables	Score
Ranking in Ahrefs for the most relevant keyword for the brand	15 points
Ranking in Ahrefs (formerly SEMRush) for the main keyword	2 points
Ranking in Ahrefs (formerly SEMRush) for related keywords	2 points
Number of Keywords Positioned According to Ahrefs	2 points
Website traffic volume according to Ahrefs	3 points
Total Social Media Engagement according to Metricool	2 points
The rest of the variables (DR, Backlinks, Followers, Subscribers and Audience)	1 points

Once we identified the agencies to analyze, for each ranking, we assigned them a position from 100 to 1 for each variable considered (positioning for keywords, backlinks, engagement on networks, etc.).

Each variable has a maximum score, which is calculated by multiplying its overall value by its unit value. This number of points is determined by the number of agencies to be analysed and is distributed proportionally according to the position of each company for the variable considered. The agency with the best results logically obtains the maximum score.

The final score was calculated as the average of all variables, considering the total number of SEO agencies selected on a 100-point scale. Thus, an agency that ranked first in all variables would have a score of 100.

Metodología actualizada: Septiembre 2024

But in the online world, innovations never end, tools evolve, priorities change. In times like these, being able to improve yourself is essential to staying at the forefront of digital marketing.

So, to achieve ever more accurate results, we’re looking to update our rankings in more ways than one. This time, the optimizations include:

• Perform bulk analysis with the Ahrefs tool for Domain Rating, traffic, backlinks and positioned keywords. Previously, SEMrush was used to obtain this type of data.
• Use the Metricool tool to retrieve data on the number of followers on Linkedin, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube subscribers for each agency.
• Obtain engagement metrics on Instagram through Metricool. Engagement on LinkedIn was calculated with the “interaction signals” metric provided by this social network.
• Incorporate a Python script to group the results of the different companies in the same table, minimizing the risk of errors.
• Eliminate unrepresentative variables, such as activity on social networks and the number of followers on Facebook and Pinterest.

In this way, we obtained precise, absolutely objective results, which allowed us to comprehensively determine which agencies offering services related to digital marketing are the best.

Index of the factors considered for inclusion in this ranking, together with the source from which the information was obtained:

We want MD Marketing Digital rankings to hold no secrets for you. That’s why we’re going to explain to you which variables are analyzed, which determine how good a company is in web marketing.

Below each one you will find the source we used to retrieve the information. This way, you can check the veracity of the data and make sure that the results we include are 100% objective.

	Positioning for keywords related to digital marketing This score recognizes the position that an agency occupies in the SERP (Search Engine Result Page) of search engines. Since it is a preponderant factor, it is given more recognition, with 15 points for the main keyword and 2 points for related keywords. Consequently, these three variables represent a high percentage compared to the majority of the ranking. Source used: Ahrefs (formerly SEMRush)
	Domain Rating Domain Rating (DR) is a metric exclusive to the Ahrefs SEO tool. It is used to evaluate the strength or popularity (authority) of a website. This metric is represented by a ratio that ranges from 0 to 100, with 0 being the lowest value and 100 being the highest value. To have an acceptable authority, a website must have a Domain Rating of 50 points or more. Source used: Ahrefs
	Backlinks Backlinks, also known as inbound links or external links, are links from one web page to another. Search engines, like Google, consider backlinks as votes of confidence. So, by linking to another page, you are endorsing it, assuring the search engine that its content is quality. Because of this, pages with a large number of backlinks tend to rank higher in Google search results. This is especially true if the backlinks come from trusted and authoritative sources. Source used: Ahrefs
	Keywords Keywords are he terms or phrases that users enter into search engines to find information or reach a certain web page. It is important to note that outside of the SEO field, it is rare for people to talk about “keywords”. Most would simply call them Google searches or queries. However, it is crucial to keep in mind that keywords are synonymous for both. Source used: Ahrefs
	Traffic Web traffic encompasses the reach, visits, and views of a website, page, or blog. In simpler terms, it refers to the number of times content is accessed on the Internet. The way people access and generate traffic for a specific site can vary. It is not the same value if they visit your page for a few seconds and do not click, as if they spend a few minutes browsing it. On the other hand, organic traffic refers to the visits that a web page receives for free, that is, without paid advertising. Source: Ahrefs
	Social media engagement We refer to the level of engagement as the measure of the interaction that a business obtains on its profile on different social networks from its followers or subscribers. It is an indicator expressed as a percentage that allows us to quantify the degree of participation that an audience has with a publication or set of publications. Source: Metricool
	Social media followers and subscribers Subscribers and followers on a particular social network are users who have chosen to connect with a specific profile in order to receive and consume its content on a regular basis. Both subscribers and followers show interest in the profile and choose to receive updates and posts from that profile in their news feed.

Do you agree with our work methodology? Would you like to know more? Tell us in the comments, we’ll read you!