Okay, I admit: it’s me. That’s why you landed on this page. But hey, I know it would be weird to list myself in my own blog post, so here goes:
With its young and highly educated population, it’s not surprising that the Philippines has produced its fair share of legitimate SEO talents over the past 15 years. I’ve worked in the industry for almost nine years now and during this time, I’ve had the privilege to meet some of the nation’s best and brightest practitioners.
I realize that people outside the Philippines are constantly looking for SEO talent they can outsource work to, but most of them aren’t sure who to get it from.
I decided to put together a short list of some of the best SEO specialists in the country whom I personally know or have worked with in the past. I’m hoping that this can help potential SEO clients make more informed decisions when it comes to choosing the people or agencies they’ll work with.
And just to get one little thing out of the way, this is a list about The Best SEO Specialists in the Philippines. This is not a list about The Best Filipino SEOs. That means foreigners who are based in the Philippines can be included in the list, while Pinoy SEOs who are not working in the country are respectfully held out. So before anyone questions me why Benj Arriola is not on the list, that’s because he’s the best Filipino SEO alive (period!), but he’s San Diego-based, which means the description SEO in the Philippines isn’t quite appropriate for him.
Now that we’ve got that out of the way:
Jason Acidre – I think of Jason as the human embodiment of the phrase “hype is real.” He’s undoubtedly the most well-recognized Filipino SEO today, having been featured and mentioned in popular industry sites such as Moz and Search Engine Land. He specializes in scalable and enterprise-level link building as well as content marketing. That doesn’t mean he’s a slouch in technical SEO and other facets of the craft either. What sets Jason apart is his blog Kaiserthesage.com. This is where he compiled hundreds of articles that share insights and actionable processes that anyone can replicate and go to war with.
- Dean Chew – There aren’t too many people whom I learn new things from each time I see them, but Dean is definitely one of those guys. Ayima’s Director of Operations in Asia has a wealth of knowledge in every facet of SEO but he’s at his best when it comes to link building and penalty recovery. His extensive experience in dealing with campaigns of all sizes is virtually unmatched in the country , making him one of the people whose insight I seek whenever I’m stumped by an SEO issue.
- Gary Viray – Speaking of experience, Propelrr’s founder Gary Viray is also another guy who has it in spades. His agency has been in business since 2008, which means he’s probably seen most of what’s possible to see in the world of SEO. At this point, his excellence in the analytical side of SEO has become the stuff of local legend. However, it’s really his professionalism, forward-thinking business moves and leadership excellence that truly cements his place as one of the best.
- Jec Gonzales – If you were to build the perfect SEO specialist, the outcome would probably be something very similar to what Jec Gonzales is. This freelance SEO manager excels as a writer, is very tech savvy and is highly experienced in most facets of the optimization process. He does his best work in the areas of link development and building up online clouts that he leverages for promotional purposes. Oh, and he’s an excellent leader too, allowing him to get the best out of the teams he manages.
- Bernard San Juan – You can’t have a list of the best SEO specialists in the Philippines without the general manager of Truelogic Online Solutions. With his innate brilliance, can-do attitude and people skills, Bernard helped make TrueLogic the biggest dog in the Philippine SEO yard. Oh, and he’s so eloquent he can probably help me sell Bicol Express on a Philippine summer day.
- Dennis Seymour – Let me tell you one of the biggest SEO secrets in the country: Dennis Seymour is quietly one of the best pros we have here. His blog on Leapfroggr.com has been consistently publishing useful and actionable guides, earning him mentions on such sites as CNN, Search Engine Land, Search Engine Journal, Buffer and more. Clearly awesome in the link building and content marketing sub-disciplines, Dennis is also proficient in technical SEO, content development and SaaS growth hacking.
- Marq Untivero – He’s probably not a household name, but Marq is just as good as everyone else on this list. He currently heads the Philippine SEO team of Digital Room Inc., a venture capital firm that owns several highly successful ecommerce properties in the US. Marq is a force to be reckoned with in on-page, off-page, technical and analytical SEO – and he’s also a damn good PPC professional.
- Marc Samson – Marc heads the SEO team of Growth Rocket, a new but fast-rising agency specializing in ecommerce site optimization and growth. He’s served as a manager and consultant for successful ecommerce companies in the past, making him highly adept at integrated digital marketing campaigns. His combination of raw intellect, skills honed over the years, and the discipline developed from years of corporate experience makes him one of the most formidable SEO leaders in the country.
- Devlin Duldulao – It would be blasphemous to have a list that doesn’t include the leader of the business that dominates local SEO-related keywords such as “SEO company Philippines,” “SEO Services Philippines,” “SEO Philippines” and similar terms. Devlin’s company offers a one-stop where clients can receive web design and marketing services in one place.
- Jayson Bagio – Jayson is another guy I love to listen to in local SEO conferences. I think of him as some sort of SEO magician who always has a surprising bag of tricks. He has very refined processes and he’s mastered the use of an array of tools that make his team’s workflow very efficient. Jayson is best known for his work as a link builder.
There are plenty of other really good SEOs out there, but these are the people who’ve made the best impressions on me after I’ve seen them speak in conferences, conversed with them, read their work or worked directly with them. This list is purely subjective and is based only on my perception – it doesn’t mean I’m right or wrong about it.
