Cleveland's Search Visibility Consultancy Since 2005
Cleveland SEO Company was founded on a simple premise: Cleveland businesses deserve the same caliber of search visibility strategy that companies in New York, Chicago, and San Francisco take for granted. For over 20 years, we have built that strategy for businesses across every neighborhood in Greater Cleveland, from Downtown's Public Square to Westlake's Crocker Park.
Our Story
We started in 2005, when Google was still a relatively new force in business and most Cleveland companies treated their website as a digital brochure. We saw something different. We saw that search was becoming the primary way customers found businesses, and that the companies who invested early in search visibility would capture a compounding advantage over those who waited.
That thesis proved correct. Over the following two decades, we built search visibility programs for more than 15,000 projects across 28,500+ websites. We watched Cleveland transform: the Cleveland Clinic grew from a respected regional hospital into a global healthcare institution with 81,000 employees. Sherwin-Williams broke ground on a new 36-story headquarters downtown. Progressive became a $75 billion company. The city's economy evolved, and search became the infrastructure that connected businesses to customers.
Through every Google algorithm update, every platform shift, and every market change, we adapted our methods while maintaining our core commitment: deliver measurable results through transparent, ethical search visibility practices. We have never used black-hat tactics. We have never promised rankings we could not deliver. We have never locked clients into contracts they could not exit. Our 20-year track record is built on results, not promises.
The People Behind Cleveland SEO Company
A small, senior team. No account managers reading scripts. The people who build your strategy are the people you talk to.
Michael Brennan
Founder and Lead StrategistMichael founded Cleveland SEO Company in 2005 after spending six years in enterprise marketing at a Fortune 500 manufacturer in Northeast Ohio. He recognized that small and mid-sized Cleveland businesses were being left behind in the shift to search-driven customer acquisition. Two decades and 15,000+ projects later, he still leads strategy for the firm's largest accounts. His focus areas are competitive keyword strategy, authority architecture, and AI search optimization. Michael holds a B.S. in Marketing from John Carroll University.
Sarah Kessler
Director of SEO OperationsSarah manages the day-to-day execution of every client engagement: link building campaigns, citation management, GBP optimization, and monthly reporting. She joined the team in 2012 after running SEO for a Cleveland-based healthcare marketing agency where she developed strategies for practices competing with the Cleveland Clinic in local search. Sarah oversees quality control on all deliverables and ensures every link report includes verified live URLs. She holds a B.A. in Communications from Cleveland State University.
David Kowalski
Senior Technical SEO SpecialistDavid handles technical audits, Core Web Vitals optimization, schema implementation, and site architecture for clients across all industries. Before joining Cleveland SEO Company in 2016, he spent eight years as a web developer building WordPress and Shopify sites for Cleveland agencies. That development background gives him a perspective most SEO consultants lack: he does not just identify technical problems, he fixes them. David specializes in the intersection of performance engineering and search visibility.
Rachel Nguyen
Content Strategy DirectorRachel leads content strategy, keyword research, and editorial planning for clients who need ongoing content programs. She joined in 2018 after five years as an editor at a regional business publication where she covered Cleveland's manufacturing and technology sectors. That editorial experience shapes her approach to SEO content: every article is written to genuinely inform the reader, not just target a keyword. Rachel manages the content writing team and oversees quality for all blog, service page, and thought leadership content.
What We Believe
Transparency is not optional. Every link we build comes with a live URL you can click and verify. Every ranking change is documented. Every dollar of your investment is accounted for. If something is not working, we tell you before you have to ask.
Cleveland businesses are underestimated. This metro generates $138 billion in GDP. It is home to 11 Fortune 500 companies, the world's second-ranked hospital, and a manufacturing sector that drives 18% of regional economic output. Yet search competition in most Cleveland categories is significantly lower than in metros of comparable economic size. That gap is an opportunity, and it will not last forever.
Every neighborhood is a market. Google treats Ohio City differently than Westlake, and Beachwood differently than Parma. A successful Cleveland SEO strategy accounts for this geographic granularity. We build strategies that work at the neighborhood level because that is where your customers actually search.
No contracts should be necessary. If our work delivers value, you will stay because the results justify the investment. If it does not, you should be free to leave. All of our packages are month-to-month with no cancellation fees. We earn your business every month.
Search is evolving, and so are we. Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Microsoft Copilot are changing how people find businesses. We optimize for all of these platforms, not just traditional Google search. Your Cleveland business will be visible wherever your customers search, today and as the technology continues to develop.
By the Numbers
The Cleveland Market We Serve
Greater Cleveland is a $138 billion metro economy with 2.1 million residents, 11 Fortune 500 companies, and world-class institutions in healthcare, manufacturing, financial services, and education. The Cleveland Clinic employs 81,000 people worldwide and generates $28.19 billion in statewide economic impact. Progressive Insurance generates $75.3 billion in annual revenue from its Mayfield Village headquarters. Sherwin-Williams recently completed a new 36-story global headquarters downtown, the largest corporate development in Cleveland in decades.
This is not a small market. It is a major American metro with a diverse economy, a strong institutional anchor in healthcare, and a manufacturing heritage that continues to drive innovation in steel, aerospace, coatings, and advanced materials. The businesses that serve this market, from independent medical practices to neighborhood restaurants to B2B manufacturers, all depend on search visibility to connect with customers. That is what we build.
We serve businesses across every Cleveland neighborhood and suburb: Downtown, Ohio City, Tremont, University Circle, Detroit Shoreway, Lakewood, Cleveland Heights, Shaker Heights, Parma, Westlake, Strongsville, Solon, Beachwood, Mentor, Medina, Rocky River, and dozens more. Each area has its own search ecosystem, and our strategies are built to account for that geographic complexity.
Our Services
We offer 27 services across 6 categories: SEO (national, local, technical, on-page, ecommerce, link building, SEO audit, GBP management), Advertising (Google Ads, social media ads, digital PR), Content and Email (content writing, content marketing, email marketing, video SEO), Social Media (social media marketing), Web and Conversion (web design, CRO, WordPress SEO, Shopify SEO), and Specialized (reputation management, citation management, enterprise SEO, small business SEO, AI search optimization, white label SEO, Amazon marketing).
Every service is designed for the Cleveland market. We do not use generic strategies or outsource to teams unfamiliar with Northeast Ohio. Our work reflects a deep understanding of Cleveland's neighborhoods, industries, institutions, and competitive dynamics.
Start With a Free Analysis
Find out exactly where your Cleveland business stands in search results. We will analyze your site, your competitors, and deliver a personalized report within 24 hours. No payment required.
Get Your Free Cleveland SEO Analysis