Research Methodology of the MD Digital Marketing Ranking [2026]

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Since 2024, at MD Marketing Digital we set out to determine objective criteria that indicate that a digital marketing agency is among the best in its field.

Our goal was to create a tool that would contribute to informed decision-making. In other words: a series of rankings backed by a solid and objective research methodology.

Study Methodology

Most of the rankings you find on the internet seem to come out of nowhere. Many times, they don’t even specify the criteria used to create them. That’s why at MD Marketing Digital we wanted to share how we developed ours, from start to finish.

👉 Want to know what /feed/ URLs are? Don’t miss our latest blog post!

Step No. 1: Selection of Agencies

To create each ranking, we began by conducting geolocated queries in AI chats and clean search engines, with no prior interactions, to avoid sample contamination.

The companies retrieved this way meet one of the most important parameters when evaluating the success of a digital marketing agency:

• Keyword positioning related to the digital marketing area under investigation, in search engines, Google Maps, and AI tools.

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

Once the agencies to be analyzed were selected, we gathered other data and metrics that we believe determine the quality of an agency’s services. These include:

• Social media engagement
• Activity on Google Maps
• Website traffic
• Domain authority

We assigned a specific value to each variable, based on its importance to digital marketing as a comprehensive strategy. This was key to calculating each agency’s total score, as you’ll see in the next section.

Step No. 2: Selection of the Scoring System

Determining our scoring system was no easy task. Above all, because our goal was to develop an objective system that could be adapted to different types of services related to digital marketing.

Our studies analyze the performance of various agencies in Latin America and Europe. We compare these companies based on concrete variables, using objective data. These were:

• Positioning for relevant keywords in search engines, Google Maps, and AI tools
• Followers and engagement on social media
• Reputation on Google Maps
• Website traffic
• Domain authority
• Ranked keywords

Each variable had a different value, based on its influence on the success of digital marketing strategies in 2026. Further below, in the “Index of Factors…” section, we explain each one in detail and their importance.

Thus, the scoring is divided as follows:

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 being analyzed and is distributed proportionally, according to each company’s performance for the variable in question.

The agencies received a score out of a total of 100 points, by averaging their performance across the different variables. We used this score to define the Top 10 in each ranking and organize it accordingly. So, for example, an agency that ranked first in all variables would receive a score of 100.

How to Read Our Rankings

If you analyze the tables in our rankings on a computer, you can sort each factor from highest to lowest and vice versa by clicking on the icon in each column. By hovering over each icon, you’ll see the name of the variable.

On mobile, you can sort the factors the same way by scrolling and selecting the different variables.

Methodology Updates 2024–2026

Now then, innovation never stops: tools evolve, priorities shift, and new technologies emerge to shake up the playing field.

To maintain accuracy in our rankings, we’ve adjusted our research methodology over the years. The first update was made in September 2024, when:

• We began using AhRefs and Metricool for data collection.
• We incorporated a Python script to group the results in a single table, minimizing the risk of errors.
• We removed less representative variables, such as social media activity and the number of followers on Facebook and Pinterest.

These changes allowed us to obtain objective results for over a year. However, the growing use of ChatGPT and the implementation of AI Overviews in search engine results pages forced us to rethink our methodology.

In 2026, we adapted our research methodology to new search patterns with the following variables:

• The company’s reputation on Google Maps.
• Its presence (and ranking) in “best agency” rankings generated by ChatGPT and AIO.

Additionally, we made changes to the weighting of some variables to reflect their increasing importance in web marketing. In particular, engagement and social media presence gained considerable value, while the weight of Domain Rating, backlinks, and the number of ranked keywords decreased.

Finally, we conducted social media analysis using a custom tool developed specifically with Google AI Studio. This tool tracked the URLs of each agency’s social profiles, captured the number of followers on each platform, and analyzed their latest posts to calculate the real engagement rate.

In this way, we achieved accurate and objective results, which allowed us to comprehensively determine which agencies offering digital marketing–related services are the best.

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

We want the research and rankings from MD Marketing Digital to have no secrets from you. That’s why we’re explaining the analyzed variables that determine how good a company related to web marketing really is.

Below each one, you’ll find the source we used to retrieve the information. That way, you can verify the accuracy of the data and be sure that the results we include are 100% objective.

Positioning for keywords related to digital marketing

This score recognizes the position a given agency holds in the SERP (Search Engine Results Page) of search engines.

As a key factor, it is given greater weight, with 15 points assigned to the main keyword and 5 points to related keywords.

As a result, these three variables represent a significant percentage of the overall ranking.

Source: Ahrefs (formerly SEMRush)

Reputation on Maps

We wanted to incorporate real client reviews of each agency analyzed in our rankings. This is a decisive factor—not only for users to find a marketing agency, but also to help them choose to sign with one. That’s why it carries a value of 20 points.

To do this, we retrieved the number of reviews and the average rating each agency has on Google Maps. We used a weighted logarithmic index, in which an agency with a 4.5-star average and 100 reviews performs better than one with a 5-star average but only 20 reviews.

Source: SerpApi

AI Visibility

We used Data For SEO to monitor the presence of agencies in ChatGPT-generated responses to transactional queries with relevant keywords. This allowed us to quantify how relevant a marketing company is within the generative search ecosystem and how successful it is when working with AI. Therefore, this is another key factor in determining how good a web marketing agency really is.

Source: Data For SEO

Social Media Engagement

We refer to engagement level as the measure of interaction a business receives on its social media profiles from followers or subscribers.
It’s an indicator expressed as a percentage that quantifies the degree of audience involvement with a post or set of posts.

Source: Proprietary tool

Social Media Followers and Subscribers

Subscribers and followers on a given social network are users who have chosen to connect with a specific profile to regularly receive and engage with its content.

Both subscribers and followers show interest in the profile and choose to receive updates and posts from it in their news feed.

Source: Proprietary tool

Traffic

Web traffic encompasses the reach, visits, and views of a website, page, or blog. In simpler terms, it refers to how many times content is accessed online.

The way people access and generate traffic for a specific site can vary. It’s not the same if someone lands on your page for a few seconds without clicking anything, versus spending several minutes browsing through it.

Organic traffic, meanwhile, refers to visits a website receives for free, that is, without paid advertising.

Source: Ahrefs

Domain Rating

Domain Rating (DR) is a proprietary metric from the SEO tool Ahrefs. It’s used to assess the strength or popularity (authority) of a website.

This metric is expressed as a score ranging from 0 to 100, with 0 being the lowest and 100 the highest. To have acceptable authority, a website should have a Domain Rating of 50 points or higher.

Source used: Ahrefs

Backlinks

Backlinks, also known as inbound links or external links, are links from one website that point to another.

Search engines like Google view backlinks as votes of confidence. By linking to another page, you’re endorsing it, signaling to the search engine that its content is of quality.

As a result, pages with a high number of backlinks tend to rank higher in Google’s search results—especially if those backlinks come from trustworthy, high-authority sources.

Source used: Ahrefs

Keywords

Keywords are the terms or phrases that users type into search engines to find information or reach a specific webpage.

It’s worth noting that outside the SEO world, people rarely talk about “keywords.” Most would simply refer to them as Google searches or queries. However, it’s important to understand that both terms mean the same thing.

Source used: Ahrefs

Do you agree with our working methodology? Would you like to know more? Let us know in the comments — we’re reading!

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Malena Olmedo

Redactora freelance at MD Marketing Digital

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