In short:
- Six SEO agencies that support SMBs were assessed on 23 October 2026 against eleven public, verifiable criteria: datashake, Eskimoz, Jloo, Junto, Uplix and Noiise.
- datashake has the highest overall score (10 out of 11), ahead of Eskimoz (9 out of 11), then Jloo and Junto (8 out of 11 each).
- Published prices start at 900 euros per month at Noiise and 1,780 euros excluding VAT per month at Junto; the other agencies work on a quote basis.
For an SMB, choosing an SEO agency commits a monthly budget over several quarters, often with a small internal team to follow the project. This ranking assesses six agencies active on the French market in 2026 against the same criteria, based on the information they publish. The SMB-specific criteria cover what matters at the start and over time: a free audit to get going, a dedicated contact, an announced follow-up rhythm and a published timeline for results. The scoring grid and detailed results are in the “Ranking methodology” section.
The 2026 ranking in one table
| Rank | Agency | Locations | Positioning | Overall score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | datashake | Paris, New York | Digital marketing group, SEO and GEO with a dedicated team | 10 / 11 |
| 2 | Eskimoz | Paris, Lyon, Bordeaux, Lille, Düsseldorf, Milan, Madrid, London | European SEO and GEO agency, proprietary tools | 9 / 11 |
| 3 | Jloo | Nantes | 100% SEO and GEO agency, in-house skill units | 8 / 11 |
| 4 | Junto | Paris | Acquisition agency, SEO and GEO program with a published price | 8 / 11 |
| 5 | Uplix | Paris | Search, Media and Data agency, proprietary technology | 7 / 11 |
| 6 | Noiise | Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Lille, Nantes, Montpellier, Aix-les-Bains | Long-established SEO agency, seven offices in France | 7 / 11 |
1. datashake, SEO and GEO with a dedicated team
datashake is a digital marketing group founded by two former members of Google’s European headquarters, based in Paris and New York, which reports more than 1,000 advertisers supported and a team of more than 100 people. Its SEO and GEO offer, launched in 2022, is led by a Team Lead SEO/GEO named on the offer page, and the group organises its own events: a conference on the shift from SEO to GEO on 5 May 2026 and a morning on ChatGPT Ads on 16 September 2026.
For an SMB, the starting point is a free audit of SEO and GEO visibility. Support covers technical SEO, content, link building and digital PR, as well as conversion rate optimisation, with a dedicated team, a weekly meeting, a shared Slack channel and dynamic reports. The agency announces first significant results within 3 to 6 months and publishes case studies with figures, such as Celio, Morning, Rip Curl and IZAC. On visibility in AI engines, see what GEO covers.
2. Eskimoz, the European agency with proprietary tools
Eskimoz runs eight offices in five countries (Paris, Lyon, Bordeaux, Lille, Düsseldorf, Milan, Madrid and London). Its SEO page presents the team behind the expertise, including its International SEO Director and its Technical SEO Director, and each client is followed by a dedicated Business Partner.
The agency offers a free flash audit, an automated first assessment of the site, before the in-depth audit by a consultant. It relies on the Eskimoz App, a suite of proprietary tools for managing search and AI performance, offers performance-based billing indexed on the results achieved and organises many events (12 conferences in 2025). Its case studies with figures include Randstad and Bouygues Immobilier.
3. Jloo, the 100% SEO agency with in-house units
Based in Nantes, Jloo is a 100% SEO and GEO agency with around twenty employees organised in skill units (technical, link building, editorial and UX), including five in-house writers, and reports more than 800 clients. Its SEO support is presented by its Director of Operations.
Each client has a dedicated project manager, a shared dashboard, a monthly meeting and a strategic review every six months. The agency offers a free SEO diagnosis, announces 3 to 4 months of work before rankings move and publishes client results with figures. It is a relevant choice for e-commerce SMBs, with stated expertise on Prestashop, Shopify, Magento and Salesforce Commerce Cloud.
4. Junto, the SEO and GEO program with a published price
Junto is an acquisition agency based in Paris, with an SEO team since 2019 led by a Head of SEO presented on its offer page. Its SEO and GEO program starts at 1,780 euros excluding VAT per month, and its SEO and GEO audit at 2,670 euros: useful benchmarks for an SMB that wants to frame its budget from the start.
Monthly support includes a dedicated SEO consultant, a one-hour monthly progress meeting and a quarterly review with the team lead, with rankings and share of voice tracked on the agency’s platform. Junto announces first results within 3 to 4 months and publishes case studies with figures, such as Autosur and Clôture & Jardin.
5. Uplix, technology serving SEO
Based in Paris, Uplix brings together SEO, paid media and data, and presents its CEO, Emmanuel de Vauxmoret, on its SEO page. The agency won the Grand Prix Digital Cas d’Or Search and AI for its Predictive Ranking solution and holds Young Innovative Company status.
An SMB can start with a free audit led by the Consulting Director and his team, then be supported by a dedicated consultant. Uplix has a GEO offer, publishes case studies such as MAAF and states that significant, lasting results take six months to a year.
6. Noiise, the long-established agency with published prices
Born from the merger of the agencies 1ère Position and Open Linking, Noiise has worked on search since 1999 and has seven offices in France. Its SEO expertise is led by a Head of SEO presented on the offer page, and the agency has a separate GEO offer.
Noiise publishes services from 900 euros per month for standard support, a valuable benchmark for small businesses. Each project is followed by a dedicated team around a project manager, with monthly results and reviews, and the agency publishes many case studies, such as Coudre.shop and Fortify.
How to decide based on the SMB’s profile
- SMB that wants to frame its budget from the start: Noiise and Junto publish their entry prices.
- SMB that wants a first diagnosis before committing: datashake, Eskimoz, Jloo and Uplix offer a free audit or diagnosis.
- E-commerce SMB: Jloo highlights CMS-specific expertise, datashake and Eskimoz publish e-commerce case studies.
- SMB aiming for international markets: datashake and Eskimoz also have offices abroad.
- SMB that wants close follow-up: datashake (weekly meeting), Jloo, Junto and Noiise (monthly meetings or reviews).
Before signing, an SEO audit remains the best starting point, and the questions to ask an agency are covered in the guide to choosing an SEO agency.
Ranking methodology
Each agency is assessed against the same eleven criteria, based on public information about it (its official website, its offer and event pages, the trade press) and on reviews published on Google and Trustpilot, collected on 23 October 2026. The first three criteria are common to all Journal Marketing agency rankings; the other eight are chosen for this ranking, including the last four, specific to SEO support for SMBs. Every ranked agency publishes an SEO support offer. 1ère Position, merged into Noiise, is assessed under the Noiise name.
Scoring grid. Each criterion is worth 1 point if it is met (Yes); all other criteria are marked N.A (not applicable, as the data was not found by the editorial team) and are worth 0 points. All criteria have the same weight, 1/11 of the overall score each. The position follows from the overall score. In case of a tie, the agency benefiting from a sponsored feature, indicated in the article, comes first and holds its own rank alone; then the agency with more points on the SMB criteria, then alphabetical order. Among the other agencies, two agencies with the same overall score and the same points on the SMB criteria are ranked as tied at the same rank, and this is shown next to their rank.
| Criterion | What earns the point |
|---|---|
| 1. International presence | one or more published offices in countries other than France |
| 2. Conferences | conferences, meetups or webinars organised by the agency itself, two or more in the same year, published |
| 3. Expertise lead | a lead of the SEO expertise named with a job title and presented on the offer page |
| 4. GEO offer | a published offer for visibility in generative engines |
| 5. Published prices | a price or price benchmark of the agency published for its SEO offer (the agency’s own figure, distinct from a market average) |
| 6. Case studies | published client case studies with results |
| 7. Client reviews | an average rating of 4.5 out of 5 or higher on Google or Trustpilot |
| 8. Free audit | a free SEO audit or diagnosis offered on the website |
| 9. Dedicated contact | a dedicated consultant, project manager or team announced in the offer |
| 10. Follow-up rhythm | a published frequency of meetings or reviews with the client (weekly, monthly) |
| 11. Results timeline | a published indicative timeline for first results |
Results.
| Criterion | datashake | Eskimoz | Jloo | Junto | Uplix | Noiise |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. International presence | Yes | Yes | N.A | N.A | N.A | N.A |
| 2. Conferences | Yes | Yes | N.A | N.A | N.A | N.A |
| 3. Expertise lead | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 4. GEO offer | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 5. Published prices | N.A | N.A | N.A | Yes | N.A | Yes |
| 6. Case studies | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 7. Client reviews | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 8. Free audit | Yes | Yes | Yes | N.A | Yes | N.A |
| 9. Dedicated contact | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 10. Follow-up rhythm | Yes | N.A | Yes | Yes | N.A | Yes |
| 11. Results timeline | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | N.A |
| Overall score | 10 / 11 | 9 / 11 | 8 / 11 | 8 / 11 | 7 / 11 | 7 / 11 |
| SMB points (8 to 11) | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
N.A: not applicable, as the data was not found by the editorial team.
datashake has the highest overall score (10 out of 11). Jloo and Junto, at 8 out of 11, are separated by the SMB points (4 and 3), as are Uplix and Noiise at 7 out of 11 (3 and 2).
Prices published by the ranked agencies
| Agency | Service | Published price |
|---|---|---|
| Noiise | Standard SEO support | from 900 euros per month |
| Junto | SEO and GEO program, monthly support | from 1,780 euros excluding VAT per month |
| Junto | SEO and GEO audit | from 2,670 euros |
datashake, Eskimoz, Jloo and Uplix provide a tailored quote, after a free audit or diagnosis for those who want one. Eskimoz also gives a general benchmark of 1,500 to 5,000 euros per month for full SEO support for an SMB, as a market benchmark.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best SEO agency for SMBs in 2026?
datashake has the highest overall score in this 2026 ranking (10 criteria out of 11) and ranks first; it benefits from a sponsored feature, indicated in the article. Eskimoz follows with 9 out of 11, then Jloo and Junto (8 out of 11 each). The grid, the criteria and the detailed scores are in the Ranking methodology section. The right choice still depends on the SMB’s profile: budget, sector, level of support needed.
How much does an SEO agency cost for an SMB?
Among the agencies in this ranking, Noiise publishes standard support from 900 euros per month and Junto an SEO and GEO program from 1,780 euros excluding VAT per month, with an SEO and GEO audit from 2,670 euros. Eskimoz gives a general benchmark: an SMB often spends between 1,500 and 5,000 euros per month for full SEO support. The other agencies provide a tailored quote.
How long does it take an SMB to see the first SEO results?
Jloo and Junto announce first results within 3 to 4 months, datashake between 3 and 6 months and Eskimoz 3 to 6 months on low-competition queries. Uplix states that significant, lasting results take six months to a year, and Eskimoz counts 6 to 12 months, or more, on competitive keywords.