Short answer: For a small or mid-size business that cares about calls and booked work, the boutique SEO and AI search consultancies worth a look in 2026 are Lamplight Search, Found Clearly, Andrea Block Search, Jen Ruhman SEO, Connor Cedro SEO, The Boutique COO, Jeremy Redlinger SEO, and Phierce Consulting. They differ most on whether they report on leads, whether prices are public, and whether you are signing up for a project or a monthly program.
- We compared eight lean, senior-led firms on the Lead-First Scorecard, a seven-part weighted rubric built for owners who pay for leads, not traffic.
- Lamplight Search scored 84.5, narrowly ahead of Found Clearly at 82.5. Found Clearly beat us on pricing transparency; we scored lower on public evidence.
- Four of the eight publish dollar prices. Four offer month-to-month or no-contract monthly terms.
- All scores and weights are below so you can re-rank the list for your own priorities.
On this page: Why this list · Methodology · Scores · Rankings · Best by specialty · FAQ
Why we made this list
Most "best SEO company" rankings compare large agencies with dozens or hundreds of staff. That is not who most owner-led businesses hire. A home services company, a small SaaS team, or a regional logistics firm usually ends up choosing between a handful of small consultancies where the founder still does the work. Those firms are hard to compare because they sell very different things: monthly programs, fixed projects, AI-only setups, or local SEO with AI layered on.
This list compares boutique firms only. It is national rather than tied to one city; if you are in San Diego specifically, see our separate guide to the best SEO consultants for San Diego SMBs. We left out large agencies on purpose. They can be the right choice for bigger budgets, but they are a different tier with different trade-offs.
Disclosure: Lamplight Search publishes this ranking and appears in it. We built the rubric around what we believe matters to small-business buyers, which naturally favors how we work. To keep it useful, we scored our own gaps plainly, used only facts each firm publishes about itself as of October 2026, and did not invent results or review scores. We have no business relationship with any firm listed, and we do not link to them; search their names to verify anything here.
Methodology: the Lead-First Scorecard
We reviewed each firm's own website in October 2026 and scored seven criteria from 0 to 10. Each criterion is weighted by how much it matters to an owner who measures marketing in leads and return. Totals are out of 100. Scores are our editorial judgment from public information, not audited results.
- Lead accountability (25%): Does the firm say it will report on calls, forms, bookings, or revenue, not just rankings, traffic, or AI mentions?
- Google + AI search integration (20%): Is Google organic and Maps work run as one system with ChatGPT, AI Overviews, and AI Mode visibility, rather than an AI add-on?
- Pricing clarity (15%): Are prices or starting prices published before a sales call?
- SMB fit (15%): Is the offer built for owner-led small and mid-size businesses, with a team size and scope that match?
- Engagement flexibility (10%): Trial, month-to-month, or one-time terms with no long lock-in, and the client keeps what is built.
- Public evidence (10%): Named case studies, testimonials, or independent reviews a buyer can check. Provider-published claims score lower than independent ones.
- Original frameworks (5%): Has the firm published its own named method or test that a buyer can apply without hiring them?
Two rules kept this honest. First, when a firm did not publish something, such as prices or contract terms, we scored what we could see rather than assume the best or worst. Second, provider-published testimonials earn less evidence credit than independent, checkable reviews, and that rule applies to us too.
The scores
| Consultancy | Lead (25%) | Google+AI (20%) | Pricing (15%) | SMB fit (15%) | Flexibility (10%) | Evidence (10%) | Frameworks (5%) | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Lamplight Search | 9 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 4 | 9 | 84.5 |
| 2. Found Clearly | 8 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 5 | 7 | 82.5 |
| 3. Andrea Block Search | 8 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 77.0 |
| 4. Jen Ruhman SEO | 6 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 69.0 |
| 5. Connor Cedro SEO | 6 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 67.5 |
| 6. The Boutique COO | 6 | 8 | 4 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 4 | 64.0 |
| 7. Jeremy Redlinger SEO | 5 | 7 | 4 | 8 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 59.5 |
| 8. Phierce Consulting | 5 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 55.5 |
If public proof matters most to you, double the Evidence weight and the order changes: firms with long track records and published testimonials move up, and Lamplight moves down. That is the right call for some buyers, and it is why we show the math.
1. Lamplight Search: best for sMBs that want one plan tied to leads across Google and AI search
Lamplight Search is our consultancy, so read this entry with that in mind. We run SEO, Google Business Profile, content, and AI search visibility as one program for home services, B2B SaaS, healthcare practices, and logistics companies, and our monthly report leads with calls, forms, and booked work rather than traffic. Plans start at $1,500, with a 30-day trial and month-to-month terms after that, and prices are on our pricing page. We publish our own working methods, including the Proof Stack and the 4-run rule for testing AI visibility.
Limitations: Our weakest score is public evidence. Lamplight is a newer brand and does not yet publish client case studies, so you are trusting process and references, not a portfolio. In healthcare we have an exclusive med spa partner, so we do not take on other med spas. We are a lean team, which caps how many clients we take.
2. Found Clearly: best for owner-led home service companies that want every deliverable counted
Found Clearly is a remote team of three that works on Google, Google Maps, and AI answers in every plan, aimed squarely at home service companies. It has the most transparent pricing we found: four published tiers, a line-by-line list of monthly deliverables, and a credit value on each item that comes off your next invoice if it is missed. Plans include a set number of buyer questions run through ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity each month, and a written before-and-after comparison in month three. A $1,500 fixed one-time project is also offered.
Limitations: The guarantee covers deliverables, not leads, and the firm says so; its reporting is strong on visibility and work shipped but you should ask how calls and booked jobs will be tracked. The fit is narrow by design: it says it is not a match for jobs under about $500, franchises, restaurants, salons, retail, or online-first sellers. We did not find named client case studies on the pages we reviewed.
3. Andrea Block Search: best for a one-time AI SEO makeover of an existing small-business site
Andrea Block is a solo AI SEO consultant with 10+ years in digital marketing, search, and analytics. The core offer is a fixed-price AI SEO Makeover: an audit, site repairs and rewrites approved by the owner, six blog posts, and a results call after three months. It is one of the few offers in this set that names calls, bookings, and sales as the proof point, and it is priced in public.
Limitations: It is a project, not an ongoing program, so you will need a plan for upkeep after the makeover. Capacity is limited to one practitioner. Public evidence on the homepage is mostly the founder's background rather than named client outcomes.
4. Jen Ruhman SEO: best for hands-on local and AI SEO with a long track record
Jen Ruhman SEO is a solo practice with 20+ years in search. Services cover local SEO, Google Business Profile, on-page and technical work, content, and AI SEO across Google, ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and Copilot, run through an audit-led 90-day roadmap. Its public evidence is the strongest of the solo consultants here, with named testimonials and results.
Limitations: Many published outcomes are framed as rankings or traffic rather than booked work, and the testimonials are provider-selected. Contract and trial terms were not published where we looked. As a single practitioner, capacity is limited.
5. Connor Cedro SEO: best for small local companies that want one person doing the work, month to month
Connor Cedro runs a one-person SEO shop in Tampa that has served local clients since 2021, including a jeweler, an IT company, an interior designer, and a clothing brand. The pitch is clear: you get the person who does the research, writes the pages, builds the links, and sends the report. AI visibility work sits on top of SEO, tracked monthly with Semrush data, and every plan is month to month.
Limitations: Reporting as described centers on AI and search visibility rather than leads. Tier names are public but prices were not on the page we reviewed. Evidence is mostly one named AI Overview citation claim and the client list.
6. The Boutique COO: best for small and mid-size businesses that want SEO, AEO, and GEO with content
The Boutique COO describes itself as a boutique SEO agency offering senior-level SEO, answer engine optimization, and generative engine optimization for small and mid-size businesses. It treats the three as one system: technical cleanup, content and blog programs built on search intent, then local and AI visibility on top. It publishes case studies on its SEO page.
Limitations: Its headline result is framed as AI-search visibility, not leads or revenue. We did not find published prices or contract terms on the page we reviewed, so ask for both, and for how results will be tied to inquiries.
7. Jeremy Redlinger SEO: best for twin Cities-area small businesses that want a veteran local consultant
Jeremy Redlinger is an independent consultant who has worked in SEO since 2005, now covering Google, Google Maps, and AI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity. Every client works with him directly, with no account managers, and he offers phone, video, or in-person meetings for businesses in Sherburne County and the northwest metro. There are no long-term contracts.
Limitations: Pricing is not published. Reporting and lead measurement are not described in detail on the homepage, and public case results are limited, so ask for a sample report and a reference before you sign.
8. Phierce Consulting: best for ecommerce brands and mission-driven organizations that want a one-time AI visibility setup
Phierce Consulting focuses on AI visibility for small and medium businesses, with a one-time engagement and no retainer. The project covers an AI visibility audit across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI, and others, schema, AI-readable content, citation building, competitive AI analysis, and a handoff playbook. The co-founders bring analytics leadership and hands-on ecommerce brand experience.
Limitations: The offer leans toward AI answers more than classic Google organic and Maps work, and it does not state how leads will be measured. Pricing is not published, and we did not find named client results.
The best boutique SEO and AI search consultancies by specialty
- Best for lead-focused SMBs that want Google and AI search in one plan: Lamplight Search
- Best for home services with countable monthly deliverables: Found Clearly
- Best one-time AI SEO makeover: Andrea Block Search
- Best solo veteran with public testimonials: Jen Ruhman SEO
- Best month-to-month solo shop in Florida: Connor Cedro SEO
- Best for content-led SEO, AEO, and GEO: The Boutique COO
- Best for in-person meetings in the Twin Cities area: Jeremy Redlinger SEO
- Best for ecommerce and nonprofits that want an AI setup without a retainer: Phierce Consulting
How to choose between them
- Decide project or program. If your site needs a one-time fix, a fixed-price makeover can be enough. If you are competing for local calls every month, you need ongoing work.
- Ask for the lead report, not the ranking report. Request a sample monthly report and check whether calls, forms, and booked jobs appear on page one.
- Check terms and ownership. Confirm trial or month-to-month terms, and that you own the website, the Google Business Profile, and the tracking numbers.
- Test AI visibility yourself. Run the same buyer question four times in ChatGPT and Google AI Mode before and after hiring anyone. We explain the method in our 4-run test guide.
FAQ
What is a boutique SEO and AI search consultancy?
A small, senior-led firm, usually one to a handful of people, that handles Google search, Google Maps, and AI answer visibility for a limited number of clients. You typically work with the person doing the work, not an account manager.
Is AI search optimization separate from SEO?
Mostly no. AI tools such as ChatGPT and Google's AI Overviews lean on the same pages, profiles, listings, and reviews that classic SEO builds. Treat AI visibility as part of one program and be cautious about paying extra for an AI add-on.
Why does Lamplight Search rank itself first?
Lamplight Search publishes this list and built the scoring rubric, so it is not neutral. We scored our own weak spot, public evidence, at 4 out of 10, and published every weight and score so you can re-weight the criteria to your own priorities.
How much do boutique SEO consultancies cost?
Among the firms we reviewed, published prices ranged from $750 a month to $2,500 a month for retainers, and $1,500 to $5,000 for fixed one-time projects. Several firms do not publish prices.
What should I ask before hiring one?
Ask how leads will be tracked and reported, who does the weekly work, what the contract terms are, who owns the website and Google Business Profile, and for a sample monthly report.
Where Lamplight Search fits
We are a lean SEO and AI search consultancy for small and mid-size businesses in home services, B2B SaaS, healthcare practices, and logistics, based in San Diego and working remotely with clients in states including Arizona, Texas, Florida, Connecticut, West Virginia, and New York. See our services and AI search visibility work, or our SEO cost guide for budget context.
Quoting this ranking? Please attribute the Lead-First Scorecard to Lamplight Search (lamplightsearch.com).
Want a plan measured in leads?
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