Digital marketing agencies offer services in four groups: search and visibility (SEO, local SEO, AI search optimization, paid ads, link building and digital PR), social and content (social media, content and influencer marketing), conversion and outreach (email and SMS marketing, conversion optimization and lead generation), and technical and analytics (website development, analytics and reporting, and reputation management).
In the past, it was possible to succeed by concentrating on one channel, such as SEO. Today most businesses need several channels working together, which is why full-service digital marketing agencies offer a wide range of services, from SEO to paid campaign management and website development.
Below is the full list of services, what each one includes, and how to decide which ones your business needs.
Digital Marketing Agency Services List
These are the most common services offered by a full-service digital marketing agency, grouped the way agencies usually package them.
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
- Local SEO
- AI Search Optimization (GEO)
- PPC and Paid Advertising
- Link Building and Digital PR
- Social Media Marketing
- Content Marketing
- Influencer Marketing
- Email and SMS Marketing
- Conversion Rate Optimization
- Lead Generation
- Website Design and Development
- Analytics and Reporting
- Online Reputation Management
Search and Visibility Services
1. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
First on the list is search engine optimization. SEO is one of the most popular digital marketing services, and many agencies start with it as their core offering.
This is because SEO is the most effective way to get organic traffic by ranking high in Google and other search engines.
The most popular SEO services offered by agencies are:
On-Page SEO: Making your content friendlier to search engines and users, with the focus on everything visible to the user, like written and visual content.
Technical SEO: Dealing with technical factors like page speed, canonical URLs, HTTPS and structured data that help search engines crawl and understand a website.
Off-Page SEO: Dealing with factors outside your website that influence its rankings, mainly links and brand mentions.
eCommerce SEO: Making sure an online shop is properly optimized for keywords with buying intent.
Keyword Research: Some agencies offer keyword research as a stand-alone service, which is useful for clients who don't want the full package but need help choosing the right keywords.
SEO Audits: An evaluation of how well a website follows SEO best practices. Hiring an agency to perform an SEO audit is a good way to judge the quality of its work before signing up for a monthly SEO package.
Resources to Learn More About SEO
- Best SEO Certifications - a list of SEO programs to become a certified SEO professional.
- Free SEO Courses - the best free SEO courses to start learning SEO.
- How to Become an SEO Expert - a plan to follow to go from SEO novice to SEO expert.
2. Local SEO
Local SEO helps businesses that serve customers in a specific area appear in local search results and on Google Maps.
Typical local SEO services include:
- Setting up and managing your Google Business Profile
- Building and correcting business listings across directories
- Getting and responding to customer reviews
- Optimizing location pages on your website
3. AI Search Optimization (GEO)
A newer service, often called generative engine optimization (GEO) or answer engine optimization (AEO), aims to get your brand mentioned and cited in AI answers such as Google's AI Overviews and ChatGPT.
Most agencies offer it as part of SEO, because AI answers are built from content that search engines already crawl and trust. The work usually includes structuring content so it answers questions clearly, strengthening your brand's authority and mentions across the web, and tracking how often your brand appears in AI answers. You can check your brand's visibility in AI platforms yourself before hiring anyone. To have it done for you, see our AI SEO services for small businesses.
4. PPC and Paid Advertising
Paid advertising puts your business in front of people immediately, and you pay each time someone clicks your ad. Agencies manage campaigns on two main types of platforms.
Google Ads (and Microsoft Ads) show your ads to people searching for what you sell, and on YouTube, Gmail and partner websites. Google Ads services typically include:
- Setting up campaigns
- Experimenting with different ad formats
- Monitoring and optimizing campaign performance
- Setting up retargeting and shopping campaigns
- Reporting on campaign progress
Google Ads offers different campaign types, including search, display, shopping, video and Performance Max, and a good agency will guide you on which suit your business. If you plan to offer Google Ads management to clients, consider becoming a Google Partner, which gives you access to Google resources and shows clients you have proven experience.
Meta Ads (Facebook and Instagram) and other social platforms such as TikTok and LinkedIn target people by interests and behavior. Facebook and Instagram are both essential parts of many businesses' digital marketing strategy. Typical paid social services include:
- Running paid campaigns on Facebook and Instagram
- Creating content and creatives for your ads
- Optimizing performance and reducing ad costs
- Setting up shopping ads using a product feed
- Running A/B tests to find which audiences and ad types work best
Reliablesoft offers Google Ads management for small businesses, covering Google, Microsoft, Meta and ChatGPT ads.
If you are an aspiring digital marketing freelancer or agency, you can become an expert in paid ads and offer this as a service to your clients.
Resources to Learn More About Paid Ads
- Best Facebook Ads Courses - a list of the best courses to become an expert in Facebook ads.
- How to Become a Facebook Ads Expert - a suggested plan to learn how to offer Facebook Ads services.
5. Link Building and Digital PR
Link building is the process of getting links from other websites to yours. Digital PR does the same at a larger scale, by earning coverage and mentions on news and industry sites.
Common link building and digital PR services include:
- Guest posting: publishing content on related websites with a link back to yours
- Outreach: contacting relevant websites to earn a link
- Unlinked mentions: contacting websites that mention your brand but haven't linked to it
- Broken link building: finding broken links and suggesting your page as a replacement
- Digital PR campaigns: creating stories, data or research that journalists want to cover
Social and Content Services
6. Social Media Marketing
In my interactions with clients, I've found that for many of them, digital marketing services mean social media marketing.
Social media channels provide ready-made communities and an active audience, which makes targeting very effective. Organic social media services usually include:
- Copywriting and graphic design for each social media channel
- Creating a content calendar
- Crafting a social media marketing strategy
- Creating customer profiles and personas
- Community management and social monitoring
7. Content Marketing
Content marketing uses helpful content to attract and educate potential customers, drive people to your website, and support SEO and social media.
The key areas that content marketing services cover are:
- Content strategy: creating a content plan to meet the business's needs
- Content writing: blog posts, articles, ebooks and white papers
- Video and graphics: explainer videos, AI video production, infographics and social visuals
- Content distribution: promoting content on the right platforms
- SEO content: keyword research and optimization for search
Resources to Learn More About Content Marketing
- Content Marketing Courses - a list of the best training courses to learn content marketing fast.
8. Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing means partnering with creators who have the trust of your target audience, so they recommend your products or services to their followers.
Agencies typically find and vet suitable influencers, negotiate terms, plan and run campaigns, and report on the results.
Conversion and Outreach Services
9. Email and SMS Marketing
Email marketing is a great way to generate leads, get orders and keep in touch with your customers. Many agencies now offer SMS marketing alongside it, for short, time-sensitive messages such as offers and reminders.
The key areas of email and SMS marketing services include:
- Creating and growing an email or SMS list
- Setting up automation and flows, such as welcome and abandoned-cart messages
- Writing newsletters and promotional campaigns
- Segmenting your list to send more relevant messages
- Tracking performance and reporting
Resources to Learn More About Email Marketing
- Email Marketing Courses - a list of online courses to learn email marketing from reliable sources.
10. Conversion Rate Optimization
A data-driven agency usually has conversion optimizers whose job is to analyze your website and find ways to increase conversions without necessarily increasing your traffic.
Conversion optimization services include:
- In-depth website and funnel analysis
- Gathering feedback from visitors via polls, questionnaires, or interviews
- Identifying where the sales funnel loses visitors
- Improving the website and landing pages
- Running A/B tests on calls to action, content and landing pages
In all my years as a digital marketer, conversion optimization has been one of the most challenging services, but also one of the most rewarding.
11. Lead Generation
Lead generation services focus on turning visitors and prospects into qualified leads for your sales team.
Agencies combine several of the channels above into a funnel: landing pages built for conversions, lead magnets such as guides or free consultations, ads or content that drive traffic to them, and follow-up emails that qualify and nurture the leads. This service is most common for B2B companies and service businesses.
Technical and Analytics Services
12. Website Design and Development
Your website is the first touch-point for most customers, and people judge a business by its design, content and performance.
Website development services cover building the site, front-end and back-end, so it is fast, mobile-friendly and built to support your marketing goals. The main areas where agency developers help are:
- Choosing the right CMS for your website
- Planning the site structure and wireframes
- Designing page layouts and landing pages
- Building the website as per the agreed plan and designs
- Testing before launch to iron out any defects
- Maintaining and updating the website after launch
13. Analytics and Reporting
Analytics services make sure you can measure what your marketing achieves. Agencies set up tracking in Google Analytics 4 and Google Search Console, define conversions, build dashboards, and report regularly on traffic, leads, sales and return on investment for each channel.
Good reporting is also how you judge an agency: you should always be able to see what you are paying for and what it produced.
14. Online Reputation Management
Online reputation management (ORM) monitors and improves how your business is seen online. The work includes tracking reviews and mentions, responding to reviews, encouraging happy customers to leave reviews, and handling negative publicity.
For local businesses in particular, reviews influence both search rankings and whether people choose you, so ORM often comes bundled with local SEO.
Which Services Do You Need?
You don't need every service on this list. Start from your main goal:
- More leads: SEO and content for long-term growth, PPC for leads while SEO builds up, and lead generation funnels with email follow-up.
- Online sales: eCommerce SEO, Google Shopping and Meta ads, email automation and conversion optimization.
- Local customers: local SEO, Google Business Profile management and reputation management.
- Brand awareness: social media, content, influencer marketing and digital PR.
If your budget is limited, start with one or two services that match your goal and add more once they pay for themselves. To see how agencies bundle these services and what they typically cost, read our guide to digital marketing packages.
Key Learnings
The most common digital marketing services are SEO, PPC and paid social advertising, social media marketing, content marketing and email marketing. Newer services such as AI search optimization, and supporting services such as analytics and reputation management, are increasingly part of the package.
How to Use This List:
- If you're a business owner, use this list as your guide when outsourcing your digital marketing.
- If you're an agency owner, a freelancer, or a digital marketing consultant, use the list to find services you can add to your offering.
- If you're thinking of starting your own digital marketing agency, use the list to decide which services to offer potential clients.
Some agencies, including us, also run a digital marketing academy that trains clients and their teams. If you would rather build these skills in-house, see our lists of the best digital marketing courses and digital marketing certifications.
