Ethical, transparent and respected, the awards are judged by esteemed industry experts who follow a robust two-step judging process that includes pre-scoring to establish a shortlist and judge discussion to determine winners and in some cases silver awards.
None of our award judges can take part in the competition and any conflicts of interest must be declared.
The US Search Awards have been accredited ‘Outstanding’ by the Independent Awards Standards Council – Awards Trust Mark.
To apply to become a judge, fill out the form at the bottom of this page.
Dan Saunders | Director of Digital | Evergreen Finance
For nearly two decades, I've thrived in the dynamic world of digital marketing, fuelled by an unwavering passion for data-driven strategies. My expertise lies in leveraging data insights to unlock new business opportunities and propel success. My approach is anchored in a deep understanding of different markets and competitors. This data-centric foundation allows me to identify trends, anticipate challenges, and establish a competitive edge. I actively collaborate with directors and heads of service, translating business goals into actionable plans informed by data-driven insights.
Jim Hedger | Creative Partner | Digital Alwayys Media
Jim Hedger is a long-time SEO living in Toronto, Canada. Jim was among the original generations of SEOs. He started working with websites in 1999 and joined one of the first SEO agencies, StepForth, in 2000. He became known as one of the earliest regular columnists writing for Search Engine Watch, Search Engine Journal, and SiteProNews and on several early SEO forums. He is also known for his now 18 year old SEO podcast Webcology, and was one of the leading characters at the legendary WebmasterRadio.
Laura Iancu (that's an I, not an L) | Founder & Independent SEO & AI Search Consultant | Searchpedia
Tristan James | EE
Tristan brings over 13 years of experience from a mix of agency and in-house roles and work with some huge household names notably his current role at EE. His focus on collaboration and deep love for the industry means he’ll be looking for innovative and creative approaches to SEO that cover the whole spectrum of optimisation, considering the newest and oldest techniques and the user throughout.
Tasha Antwi | Founder | Renowned Media Group
With 13+ years of experience shaping search and discovery strategy, Tasha Antwi has worked with global brands including HSBC, Gucci, Ralph Lauren, Forbes, and LEGO across luxury, fashion, finance, retail, and media. Her expertise spans content marketing, digital PR, technical SEO, Answer Engine Optimisation, and AI search strategy. A regular BrightonSEO speaker and judge for major UK, US, and European search awards, she's been featured in WARC, Campaign, and Prolific North. Before founding RMG, she consulted with agencies on Search Everywhere and AI search-ready strategies.
Chris Ioannou | SEO Consultant | Freelance
Chris Ioannou is a UK and European Search Awards judge, Agency Awards judge and SEO expert with over a decade of experience building and implementing SEO strategies for large enterprise clients and SMEs. He started his career in-house as a digital marketer before moving agency-side to focus on SEO, having been responsible for the organic performance of a number of companies including Aviva, Qantas, MoneySumermarket.com, Harrods, Motors.co.uk, Tesco Bank, Omega Pharma and TUI to name a few. His areas of specialism encompass both advanced technical SEO as well as end-to-end content creation and production. In his spare time, Chris enjoys spending time with his family and following the financial markets as a hobbyist speculator.
Rejoice Ojiaku | SEO Manager | Nelson Bostock UNLIMITED
Rejoice Ojiaku is an SEO Specialist & Content Strategist, as well as the Co-Founder of B-DigitalUK – a platform for showcasing and empowering black talent in the UK digital marketing scene. Her expertise lies in SEO, Diversity and inclusion, all bolstered by strong personal branding both online and offline.
Juliette Van Rooyen | Founder & Search Specialist | Vr-Squared
Alex Natthaphon | Consultant in SEO, Digital marketing, and Digital transformation | Foundmatic UK
Alex Natthaphon is a highly experienced SEO expert, digital marketing specialist, and management role in marketing. TechNation UK has endorsed him as the highest-tier Exceptional Leader of UK Global Talent Visa in the Digital Technology category. He has achieved multiple successful career paths in different industries, including Finance, E-commerce, Travel, Education, Automotive, and more. Alex was VP of Digital Campaign Planning & Execution Manager at SCB bank, focusing on digital banking automation and transformation. He is a founder of ABACTODAY, an ed-tech and e-learning platform for students. He was head of SEO and digital marketing at multiple Unicorn startups in Southeast Asia. He has led and provided digital marketing consultants internationally; for instance in Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, US, and UK. Not only online marketing, but he was also AVP Head of Omni-channel Marketing which focused on digital transformation at one of the biggest department stores in Thailand and UK.
Bethany Weatherhead | SEO Specialist | Ruddy Duck Digital
Bethany Weatherhead is an SEO consultant and director of Ruddy Duck Digital Ltd. With nearly 10 years of experience across all areas of SEO and providing SEO training, she works with businesses and agencies to make websites more visible online for the right users. Bethany has worked across a range of sectors, including finance, B2B technology, e-commerce, health, and SaaS, supporting both growing businesses and established brands with practical, evidence-led SEO recommendations. Her approach combines technical detail with clear communication, helping clients understand not just what needs improving, but why it matters.
Matthew Kohli | SEO Consultant | Fortitude Marketing
Matt holds a First Class BSc (Hons) in Digital Marketing from the University of Derby and is CMI and CIM accredited. He began his career in Technical SEO, working with award-winning agencies and in-house brands. Now, he leads a talented team at Fortitude Marketing, delivering results across SEO, PPC, CRO, and Branding. Matt has been featured on industry podcasts and regularly attends SEO events.
Jessica Dee | Head of Paid Search | Taskrabbit |
Jessica brings over 14 years of PPC expertise and has held leadership roles as a director of marketing in automotive for a decade. With a remarkable academic background of five college degrees and prior experience at Amazon Music managing global marketing efforts, she actively mentors for Women in PPC and contributes as a member of Google Ads' advisory panel to provide valuable feedback on various Google products and services. Jessica prides herself on innovation and strategic marketing tactics to yield the best results for clients cross-vertical and cross-channel.
Iva Jovanovic | Content Marketing Specialist & SEO consultant
Owain Lloyd-williams | Freelance SEO Consultant | Son of Jack ltd
Bill Hunt | President | Back Azimuth Consulting
Bill is the President of Back Azimuth Consulting, which focuses on helping companies improve their Global Digital Marketing Strategies. Bill has extensive experience in multiple verticals uncovering missed opportunities and accelerating growth by implementing strategic centers of excellence maximize ecommerce programs at multinational corporations. Bill is the co-author of the best selling book "Search Engine Marketing, Inc." Driving Traffic to Your Companies Web Site from IBM Pres. This book has been adapted into the best practice guide for many global companies.
Gerry White | VP of Growth | Mirador Local
Nicolas Piquero | Senior International SEO consultant
Nicolas is a senior international SEO consultant with over 10 years of experience, specialising in semantic and topical SEO strategies. His work focuses on topic analysis, semantic relationships, ontologies, entity interconnection, internal knowledge graph development, internal PageRank flow optimisation, and topical mesh creation - all aimed at boosting organic visibility and driving conversions across search engines and AI-powered answer engines. Nicolas has worked with brands across diverse industries and international markets, helping them craft tailored semantic strategies to achieve meaningful results. He also serves as the UK ambassador for the Babbar.tech and YourText.Guru semantic toolset.
Janna Pugh | SEO Manager | Five9
Janna Pugh is a SEO Specialist with a history of agency and in-house work. She has recently been nationally recognized as the Industry Rising Star in Conductor's 2022 C2 Summit and regularly speaks with college classes about the essentials of organic marketing. With her passion for SEO, she knows firsthand how to make the smallest and largest websites succeed organically. Her areas of focus specialize in enterprise SEO, with scalability and automation for both small and large SEO teams. Her varied approach to SEO combines on-site content with off-site brand management. In her free time, she loves trying out new recipes and reading mystery novels.
Natalie Murray | Digital Marketing Consultant | NRM Digital
Jessica Tee Orika-Owunna | Content Writer | Contentsquare
Jessica Tochi Orika-Owunna is a content marketing strategist and senior writer with 8 years of experience. She specializes in bottom-of-funnel and product-led content for growth-stage PLG companies. Her work has driven measurable revenue impact and helped brands like Hotjar, Contentsquare, Softr, and Vena Solutions increase signups and enable sales. Jessica is also the founder of SaaS Content Brand, a consultancy that helps product-led companies turn internal user and SME insights into content that converts. She actively mentors entry-level marketers via ADPList and contributes to communities like the Freelance Coalition for Developing Countries.
Nancy Ampaw | Writer | Volt
Nancy Ampaw is a Consumer Strategist, Guest Lecturer and debut author based in Virginia, US. She lectures in consumer marketing and is a contributing writer at Volt Education, one of the leading higher education publications on the East Coast. Nancy is currently writing Add to Cart, exploring the intersection of society and politics in consumerism.
Chaitanya Patel | CMO | EX-ALLIES OF SKIN, EX-TABOOLA
Chaitanya is a seasoned marketing leader with 19 years of experience driving growth for global brands, unicorn startups, small-mid-large media agencies, adtech across e-commerce, fintech, edtech, proptech, auto, gaming, travel and Web3. Currently he’s building marketing programs for SCALED2C where he spearheads marketing strategies for DTC brands that scale revenue and growth across international markets. Known for combining data-driven precision with creative insight, Chaitanya brings a pragmatic, results-first approach to marketing. Beyond the numbers, he’s a dedicated mentor and active contributor to industry and community initiatives.
Matt Craine | Marketing strategist and fractional CMO | mattcraine.com | LinkedIn | X Profile |
Matt is a seasoned marketing strategist and fractional CMO with over 15 years of experience helping startups and female-owned small businesses grow through smart, search-driven strategies and clear brand positioning. He has worked with companies across the fashion, tech, healthcare, retail, and service industries. He's also the former co-founder of Becoming 3D, a 3D printing and manufacturing solutions start-up that was acquired in 2018. In the early 2000s, Matt served as VP of Online Media & Search at Catalogs.com. And in the 1990s, he got his start working online at CBS Sports, where he developed cutting-edge fantasy sports games and created the long-running “Start ’em & Sit ’em” fantasy football feature. Matt draws on deep, hands-on experience across tech, retail, nonprofit, and media to deliver engaging, actionable talks on SEO, growth marketing, and brand strategy.
Cheryl Hill is a Fractional CMO and Growth Marketing Advisor, and the founder of C.Hill Consulting. She has built performance marketing teams from the ground up, scaling a marketplace's order volume from 7 million to 86 million and managing a media budget north of $50M. She has also stepped into a DTC brand as CMO, rebuilding a broken funnel into 195% revenue growth in six months. With over two decades in digital marketing across finance, logistics, travel and retail, she has a consistent record of full-funnel growth built on search, paid media, CRM and data-driven personalisation. She is a certified GTM OS Partner and now works with founder-led B2C, B2B, and marketplace brands, helping them build the marketing and growth systems that let them scale without the founder carrying the whole engine.
Ethan Lazuk is an independent SEO/GEO consultant based in New York City. He runs EthanLazuk Consulting, LLC, along with his lovely wife, Dania Lazuk. Ethan has worked for 10+ years in the SEO space, including as an in-house SEO director and in manager and strategist roles for various agencies. He also publishes weekly SEO and AI news recaps called Hamsterdam, a place to showcase authoritative and innovative voices in the SEO/GEO industry. Outside of SEO/GEO life, Ethan enjoys walking around Central Park with his wife Dania and playing with their rescue dog, Wuffiyah.
Lucasz Rogala | SEO/SXO Visioner & Strategist
Michele Tommasi | Media Lead
Where should the next pound go? What return is realistic? How will that decision affect other channels and the wider business? These are the questions I care about most. Short-term performance and long-term brand building should reinforce one another rather than compete for budget. I am Media Lead at Tempcover, with more than a decade of experience shaping paid advertising, media strategy and measurement around wider business outcomes. My background spans paid search, social and affiliates through to TV, OOH and print. My work also connects closely with SEO, CRM, digital PR, content, creative and development. I lead internal teams and oversee multiple agency partners, working with senior leaders across finance, product and compliance to use media performance and measurement to shape broader commercial decisions. My experience is strongest in financial services and regulated markets, often within complex organisations. I have managed multi-million-pound media budgets both in-house and agency-side, including work for Ford through GTB/WPP and for LV=. At heart, I care about developing people, helping them achieve their goals and contributing to higher standards across the advertising industry.
Anju Anil | SEO | Digital Marketing Manager -ASO, GTM, CRO, Digital Performance Analytics | The Elite Cars
Vickie Cooper-Samios | Founder & Digital Strategist | Verdure Media
Vickie is a digital strategist and the founder of Verdure Media, bridging heritage legacy with modern marketing performance. With 17+ years in digital and 9 years leading paid media at agencies including Croud and Verb (Croud Luxe), she has helped brands such as Timberland, Omega Watches, Aston Martin and The Ritz drive profitable growth through smart, performance-led advertising. Vickie founded Verdure Media to offer senior leadership and strategic depth without inflated retainers or cookie-cutter approaches, working as an extension of in-house teams to scale while protecting brand identity.
Judith is a renowned international speaker, writer, trainer, blogger and digital media consultant specialising in applying strategic understanding of digital technologies to help businesses innovate and optimise their effectiveness within the new, networked communications environment. She is a regular speaker around the world on SEO, content strategy, link building, paid media, and digital strategy, and has been recognised by her peers as one of the most influential people in the UK digital industry. Judith judges the industry leading Search Awards around the world, and has every year since their inception. She has worked with market-leading global businesses including Google, NatWest/RBS, National Gallery, Fidelity, GalaCoral, NBC Universal, Readers Digest, Bayer, Family Search, Amadeus, AMD, AmEx , Virgin.com, Virgin Startup & more. She has over 23 years of experience, predating Google in her entry into the market, and now runs her own consultancy. She has worked both in-house and agency-side. Judith also blogs about chocolate, has contributed to the book “Pimp My Site” and the Econsultancy guide to Paid Search and rewrote the large foundational Econsultancy Best Practice Guide to SEO.
Clara Soteras | SEO for News Publishers Consultant and Head of Innovation and Digital Strategy | AMIC
João Filipe Pereira | Marketing Director | Busbud
João Filipe Pereira is the Marketing Director at Busbud, where he leads global organic marketing growth strategy. With over a decade of SEO, product and marketing experience, João has held senior roles at top brands including Eventbrite, TripAdvisor, EF Education First, and Hostelworld. He is the author of SEO As A Distribution Game, and a recognized speaker at international industry events. João is known for combining SEO, product thinking, and content strategy to drive measurable business impact at scale.
Bryan Krause | Head of Growth | Evergreen Wealth
Bryan Krause is a growth marketing leader with more than 15 years of experience building and scaling acquisition programs across SEO, AEO, performance marketing, lifecycle, partnerships, and CRO. He is currently Head of Growth at Evergreen Wealth, where he leads growth strategy across paid media, CRM, experimentation, and broader acquisition initiatives. Bryan has led growth teams at companies including CLEAR, Block, and Tripadvisor, managing large-scale marketing programs focused on efficient customer acquisition and measurable business impact. He brings an operator’s perspective to judging, with a focus on strategy, testing discipline, creative execution, and connecting search performance to broader growth outcomes.
Jaime Hill | COO | Woods Furniture
Dawn Anderson | Founder | Bertey
Dawn Anderson lectures on search and digital marketing strategy at Manchester Metropolitan University, is an international conference speaker (UK, US, AUS, IT), a trainer, and runs a digital marketing and international SEO consultancy agency, Bertey based in Manchester, UK. Dawn has spoken at some of the leading UK and global search marketing conferences, including Pubcon (Las Vegas and Florida), SASCON (Manchester, UK), European Search Conference (Liverpool, UK), Search Leeds (Leeds, UK), Brighton SEO (Brighton, UK), SMX London (London, UK), SMX East (San Jose, US), Ungagged London (London, UK), Ungagged Las Vegas (Las Vegas, US), MozCon (Seattle, US) and State of Search (Dallas, US). Dawn has also spoken at conference across Europe and as far afield as Australia. Dawn has been in digital marketing and SEO for 12+ years and works with leading brands providing digital marketing and SEO strategy and consultancy across a number of sectors. She is a Northern Digital, UK, EU and US Search Awards Judge. Dawn also contributes to leading search marketing industry publications such as Search Engine Land, Search Engine Journal, The SEMPost, State of Digital and Smart Insights. Dawn also supervises Masters dissertation students undertaking their MSc in digital marketing strategy at Manchester Metropolitan University and also lectures and undertakes workshops on search and marketing analytics teaching International Fashion Promotion students at Manchester Fashion Institute
Michael Emiliani | Marketing Director | Freight Right Global Logistics
Mike is a seasoned digital marketing expert with a decade of experience in PPC and digital media. His passion lies in developing and growing businesses through comprehensive, integrated digital media campaigns. His ability to draw on knowledge and experiences from a wide range of challenges from his time in-house, agency-side and as a consultant has given him a unique depth and breadth to solving complex problems in PPC and broadly digital marketing. Mike has shared insights as a contributing writer and speaker at events. His extensive knowledge has also earned her the distinction of being a featured subject matter expert at Endicott College in Massachusetts, a contributor to industry blogs and recipient of the 2018 Interactive Marketing Award.
Motoko Hunt | CEO | AJPR/Bisan Digital |
Since founding AJPR in 1998, Motoko Hunt has delivered SEO, SEM, and AEO services to enterprise businesses worldwide. Her deep expertise in Asian and Japanese markets has driven measurable results for some of the world's leading multinational brands, helping them successfully navigate complex and competitive search landscapes. A sought-after voice in the industry, Motoko is regularly published on top industry platforms and speaks at global SEO and marketing conferences on topics spanning International Search and AI optimization. You can catch her latest articles on Search Engine Land and Search Engine Journal.
Alex Alexakis | Founder | PixelChefs.com | X Profile
Alex is the Founder of PixelChefs.com, an award-winning SEO-focused web design firm in business since 2009. He specializes in the latest digital design infused with SEO strategy, Alex and his team work with companies such as CabinetSelect.com, Westgate Resorts, DrinkAGame.com, and many others across the globe. In the past, Alex worked in user interface design (UI) and served as Digital Marketing Manager for one of the world’s largest hospitality companies. He has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Ringling College and is a frequent speaker at search conferences and contributor to digital marketing publications. Until recently, Alex participated in and was the Founder of the largest SEO Meetup group in Florida. When Alex is not working, he is either chasing his kids around, thinking about work, or both. Find Alex on Twitter @Pixelchefs.
Andor Palau | International SEO Consultant | ANDORPALAU.COM
Andor is an independent international SEO consultant based in Berlin, Germany, and has started his online career back in 2009. Having worked both in-house, as well as on the agency side, he is currently advising online shops, classifiers, marketplaces, and other companies regarding international organic growth strategies as well as technical SEO issues as an independent SEO consultant. He is former Head of SEO at Peak Ace, where he was responsible for SEO and managed a 20+ people team of SEO consultants and editors. Before joining the agency side, Andor was In-house SEO for a top-3 comparison portal in highly competitive verticals such as insurance, power, and telco. Andor’s core expertise is strategic SEO as well as technical SEO, covering topics such as crawlability, indexing management, migrations, and site structure optimization. He is a lecturer at the afs Akademie in Germany, which has made it its mission to offer quality education and training in the field of SEO
Scott Hendison is the founder of Search Commander, Inc., an internet consultancy with multiple services and brands. He began selling software online in 1999, attended his first Pubcon in 2004, and is a founding board member of SEMpdx, hosting monthly events and an annual conference in Portland Oregon since 2007.
Aoife McIlraith | MD | Digital Strategy Consultant | Luminosity Digital
Aoife McIlraith is an award-winning international search consultant. She has worked in marketing for over 22 years, specializing in international SEO and multilingual digital strategies for global brands. Her most recent role was VP product marketing with Semrush. A regular speaker at international conferences she is also on multiple judging panels for country and global awards. Aoife was recognized among the “Top 20 Women making the biggest impact in Marketing Tech” by B2B Marketing Magazine in 2019. She holds a post grad in programming and works with Enterprise Ireland as a mentor to early stage tech start ups.
Olesia Korobka | SEO entrepreneur | Fajela
Olesia Korobka is SEO entrepreneur from Ukraine. She runs a few businesses most related to SEO and a small localization service. When not doing SEO, Olesia usually studies hows and whys of SEO, testing and researching. And now also helping other SEOs from Ukraine to adapt during the ongoing war.
Bill Hartzer | SEO Consultant
Bill Hartzer is an independent SEO Consultant. He relies on his 20 years of direct SEO experience to provide technical SEO audits of websites, as well as technical link audits and link cleanups of websites. Mr. Hartzer is known worldwide for his research on the topic of search engine optimization and the New gTLD domain names, as well as Dot Brand domain names. He provides research and marketing of white papers and case studies related to the New gTLDs, as well as consulting related to domain migrations.
Michael Bonfils | GLOBAL MANAGING DIRECTOR | Digital International Group (DIG)
Michael Bonfils is the Founder and Global Managing Director of Digital International Group, a global performance marketing agency specializing in international search, paid media, AI-driven marketing, and multilingual digital strategy. With nearly three decades of experience, Michael has helped many of the world’s leading brands and agencies successfully expand into global markets. For over two decades, Michael is a recognized international speaker and thought leader, he regularly writes and presents on global search, AI, and digital marketing, serves on the boards of several technology and advertising organizations, and is a long-standing judge for the US Search Awards.
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"This is an extraordinary honor for the company at the US Search Awards, held annually to recognize the ever-expanding world of search marketing, is known for being the premier celebration of SEO, PPC, and content marketing in various territories across the globe." beMarketing
"The US Search Awards ceremony is a momentous event in the digital marketing industry, celebrating outstanding achievements and innovation within the sector. Block & Tam’s multiple nominations underscore their dedication to excellence and their ability to consistently exceed client expectations." Block & Tam
"These nominations are confirmation that we have created an excellent software offering that agencies are finding essential to their client work and strategic planning."Manick Bhan, CTO LinkGraph
"Report Builder 2.0 is the best reporting tool on the market and deserves to be recognized as such. Plus, it has the power to change the industry, so reaching the final of the US Search Awards and getting the thumbs up from the expert judges helps take us one step further towards the change the industry needs when it comes to reporting." Dragon Metrics
"As a company that has submitted to the US Search Awards in the past, we're thrilled to say that the US Search Awards is a platform that celebrates excellence and innovation in the search industry. Participating in this prestigious event not only provided us with unparalleled recognition but also offered us an invaluable opportunity to connect with the best in the field. The US Search Awards is a beacon of inspiration, pushing us to strive for higher standards and achieve greater success in our digital endeavours."Ryan Edwards Tombras
"Winning these awards is a huge deal for our business, it encourages the team members to know that what they do is verifiably excellent, and it encourages the clients who see the value in our offerings when it comes to generating business and brand awareness on their behalf."Tobias La Cour Somebody Digital
"From the moment we submitted our entry, the Don’t Panic team has been nothing short of excellent. The entry process was clear and well-structured, and the communication has been top-notch. We truly appreciated the transparency, the reminders, and the sense of excitement leading up to the shortlist." rankingCoach
"Working with Don’t Panic on the US Search Awards was a genuinely pleasant experience. Despite being based across the Atlantic, the team was consistently responsive, professional, and a pleasure to speak with over the phone. Their attention to detail and smooth coordination made the entire process seamless. We’re thrilled to be finalists in our submission category and are grateful for the positive experience throughout."Evan Burr Level Agency
