Published by Sue Johns-Chapman
Published Date 26.08.2025 
By Claire Ransom
Well knock me down with a fish.
My agency Aloha Life Digital has recently been shortlisted as a finalist in the US Search Awards for 2025 in the ‘best startup’ category.
This is an INCREDIBLE honor for a relatively new business.
And to think that, less than three years ago, I was doing everything I could to avoid starting an SEO agency (yes, really! I fought it hard).
Now, I couldn’t be more proud of what Aloha Life Digital is becoming, more in awe of the incredible clients we work with, or more fond of the exceptional team that makes coming to work every day FUN and a highlight of my day.
The truth is, I know deep down that Aloha Life Digital has been doing something special, because our clients have been telling us so ever since we formally launched as an SEO agency.
To quote one agency owner, the results for her business have been ‘life changing’. The success her business is having thanks to our work has meant she can hire a bigger team and take on more valuable clients, while working fewer hours.
And when I see leads that have a potential value of upwards of $1m coming into our clients’ businesses each month, and SEO is the only marketing channel they’re investing in, I know we’re doing something right.
Our approach to SEO at Aloha Life Digital is very different from the majority of SEO agencies. You’ll immediately see this if you look at our website: we’re very welcoming, very customer-centric. When have you ever seen the words ‘kindness’ and ‘empathy’ appear as values of an SEO agency before?
The lack of transparency in the industry was one of the reasons I really hesitated to start an agency in the first place: I couldn’t see myself building something faceless or soulless, or that treated clients just as numbers – it could never be purely transactional. It took me a while to figure out how these pieces fitted together for an SEO agency, especially one run by a woman (there aren’t many).
We’ve chosen a very particular niche to focus on at this stage of the business: nanny agencies. Probably one you have never even thought of pursuing! I certainly hadn’t before I started working with one amazing client in this industry. But when I discovered how driven that client was, and what a huge need there was for education within the industry, I wanted to help more agency owners like her.
It isn’t the easiest niche to get into. Nanny Agencies are understandably skeptical of SEO agencies. A lot of them have been burned in the past by unscrupulous providers, or low value offers that don’t truly move the needle. So education, trust, and empathy have been really key factors in what we’ve been doing.
Nanny Agencies isn’t a large niche (although probably bigger than you expect!). But once you’re in, and accepted (and that does take a while, even if you have a proven track record), they are exceptionally smart and savvy business owners.
Our approach to delivering tailored SEO services to industries that have historically been overlooked is what truly sets us apart, and has allowed us to thrive in niche markets where few others operate. Thanks to the wonderful business owners we’re lucky enough to have as clients, we’re on track to 3x our 2024 revenue by the end of this year, for the second year running.
The US Search Awards are the pinnacle of recognition for an SEO agency, so it does feel a little overwhelming to be shortlisted for an award. There’s a good amount of imposter syndrome kicking in. If you’re an agency owner yourself, you might be familiar with that.
I don’t have expectation that we will win our category; to be honest, I’m absolutely delighted just to have been recognized as a finalist in our category. But I’d love it if you’d cross your fingers for us on September 17th just in case.
Connect with Claire & Aloha Life
