Key Takeaways

  • HigherVisibility is a Memphis SEO and digital marketing agency co-founded by managing partners Adam Heitzman and David McElveen, with additional offices in Atlanta, Chicago, and Miami.
  • Its client list is impressive for an agency of 50 to 249 people, featuring brands such as Allied Van Lines, Caliber Collision, Orangetheory, Ziebart, and Lawn Doctor.
  • Review evidence is mixed in age and tone: 4.6 from 16 verified Clutch reviews, most of them from 2016, and 4.7 from 24 G2 reviews, most written between late 2022 and mid-2025.
  • HigherVisibility does not publish prices. Clutch lists $150 to $199 an hour and typical projects of $10,000 to $49,999, and cost is its lowest-rated area on Clutch at 4.4.
  • Recent reviews include a small number of serious complaints, including a 2024 Clutch review describing a sharp drop in bookings, which makes reference checks on recent clients especially important.

HigherVisibility has been in the SEO business for well over a decade, and its homepage reads like a roster of recognizable national brands: moving companies, collision repair chains, fitness franchises, jewelers, and banks. Its co-founder writes much of its educational SEO content, and its method is packaged into a proprietary framework called the Targeted Growth System. On paper, it is a seasoned mid-sized agency with enterprise credentials. The public review record, though, is thinner and more uneven than that picture suggests. This review sets out what HigherVisibility offers, what it likely costs, how its clients rate it on Clutch and G2, which results come from the agency itself, and what a careful buyer should confirm before signing.

About This Review

Click Metrica wrote and publishes this review, and Click Metrica is an SEO agency that competes with HigherVisibility. Because the FTC’s endorsement guidance asks that relationships readers would not expect be disclosed, we are saying so at the outset. Click Metrica has no business relationship with HigherVisibility, has never been its client, and did not contact the agency for this article.

Our sources

Five public sources support the facts here: HigherVisibility’s Clutch and G2 profiles, its homepage, its management team page, and an SEO pricing article written by its co-founder. Clutch and G2 reviews represent clients speaking in their own words. The homepage, team page, and blog article represent HigherVisibility describing itself, and figures drawn from them are labeled as company claims.

A note on fairness

This review discusses some negative client reviews. Every complaint described below is presented as the reviewer’s own account, published on a public review platform. We cannot verify those accounts independently, and HigherVisibility may see the events differently. They are included because a buyer researching an agency would find them anyway and deserves to see them in context.

HigherVisibility at a Glance

These details come from HigherVisibility’s website and review profiles as of September 2026.

  • Founded: 2009 according to its management team page; Clutch lists 2008.
  • Co-founders and managing partners: Adam Heitzman and David McElveen.
  • Headquarters: 6070 Poplar Avenue, Suite 760, Memphis, Tennessee.
  • Other offices: Atlanta, Chicago, and Miami.
  • Staff: 50 to 249, per Clutch.
  • Clutch: 4.6 from 16 verified reviews.
  • G2: 4.7 from 24 reviews.
  • Pricing signals on Clutch: $1,000 minimum project, $150 to $199 an hour, typical project $10,000 to $49,999.
  • Client sizes on Clutch: 50% small business, 25% midmarket, 25% enterprise.
  • Proprietary method: the Targeted Growth System.

The People Behind HigherVisibility

The management team page lists Adam Heitzman and David McElveen as co-founders and managing partners. Heitzman is the public voice of the agency, writing its educational content, including a 2026 guide to SEO pricing, and the team page credits him with more than ten years of internet marketing experience. McElveen came from sales leadership roles at companies including Hilton Worldwide and Bankrate.com.

A defined leadership bench

Beneath the founders, the team page names directors responsible for digital consulting, digital strategy, analytics and technology, digital PR, web production, paid media, and HR, along with a vice president of brand success. That spread of named leaders is a useful sign for buyers, since it shows who owns each discipline and gives a clear path for escalation if something goes wrong.

Size and reach

With 50 to 249 employees and four offices, HigherVisibility is mid-sized. Its client list, however, reaches well beyond small local businesses. The homepage features national brands in moving, collision repair, fitness, jewelry, banking, auto lending, and lawn care, and the team page describes clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to small businesses.

HigherVisibility’s Services

SEO is the center of HigherVisibility’s business, accounting for 65% of its work on Clutch, with pay-per-click at 15% and social media and web design at 10% each.

The Targeted Growth System

HigherVisibility says every engagement begins with its Targeted Growth System, a proprietary method applied across services. As described on its homepage, the system covers defining goals tied to business outcomes, competitive analysis and ideal customer profiling, conversion rate optimization, data and attribution tracking, and adjusting targeting based on performance. It is a sensible framework. Like any branded method, its value depends on how thoroughly it is carried out for each account, which is worth asking about in detail.

SEO services

Under SEO, HigherVisibility lists local, e-commerce, franchise, and link building services, plus newer GEO and AI SEO work. Clutch’s breakdown of its SEO focus is fairly balanced: link building, local search, and on-page optimization at 20% each, content development and mobile optimization at 15% each, and technical SEO at 10%. Franchise SEO deserves special mention, since several featured clients, including fitness, collision repair, and lawn care brands, operate franchise or multi-location models.

Paid media, web design, and CRO

Paid work centers on Google Ads, which make up 80% of its PPC focus on Clutch, with Bing and YouTube making up the rest, and the homepage also lists Facebook Ads. Web design and development is offered, with its reviewed work concentrated on WordPress, and conversion rate optimization is part of both the service list and the Targeted Growth System.

Communication and reporting

Clutch reviewers describe monthly check-ins as standard, with some clients receiving calls as often as twice a week, plus email, phone, video meetings, and reporting portals. G2 reviewers mention dedicated account managers, quarterly meetings, and clear performance dashboards.

What HigherVisibility Costs

HigherVisibility does not publish prices. Its co-founder’s SEO pricing guide explains how agencies price SEO in general and directs readers to request a proposal, noting that every engagement starts with the Targeted Growth System.

What the review platforms show

Clutch lists a $1,000 minimum project size, an hourly rate of $150 to $199, and a most common project size of $10,000 to $49,999. On G2, one reviewer describes HigherVisibility’s pricing as starting around $10,000, a level they found difficult to sustain as a seasonal business. Taken together, those signals point to pricing aimed at established businesses with meaningful marketing budgets.

How clients rate the value

Cost is HigherVisibility’s lowest Clutch sub-score at 4.4, compared with 4.6 for quality and willingness to refer and 4.7 for schedule. Pricing also appears among the recurring dislikes on G2. Most reviewers still rate the agency highly overall, which suggests they see the fees as steep but, in most cases, justified by the work.

What to clarify before signing

Because neither pricing nor contract terms are published, ask for the monthly fee, a written list of deliverables, the minimum term, and the cancellation process. Given the G2 comments about slow starts, it is also worth agreeing a timeline for the first deliverables.

What Clients Say

HigherVisibility’s reviews are spread across two platforms, and the picture is stronger or weaker depending on which period you look at.

Clutch, strong but dated

HigherVisibility holds a 4.6 rating from 16 verified Clutch reviews, with sub-scores of 4.6 for quality, 4.7 for schedule, 4.4 for cost, and 4.6 for willingness to refer. The positive reviews describe long relationships and solid results: an 11-year franchise partnership involving a dozen websites, a residential cleaning company with site speed scores of 95 to 99 and more than 25 first-page keywords, a recruitment startup that received more inquiries than it could handle, and a law firm of more than 50 attorneys that saw rankings improve across legal searches over three to four years. The catch is timing. Most of the Clutch reviews we could see were posted in the spring of 2016, and only a couple are recent, so the profile says more about HigherVisibility’s past than its present.

G2, more recent and mostly positive

G2 fills in the recent picture. HigherVisibility holds 4.7 from 24 reviews, most written between October 2022 and July 2025, with 17 five-star ratings. Reviewers praise responsive, knowledgeable account managers, meaningful gains in organic traffic and qualified leads, an educational approach, quarterly strategy meetings, and clear dashboards. The recurring criticisms are layers of communication that make it harder to reach decision-makers, slow turnaround on content and implementation, a slow start for some enterprise engagements, and pricing. A one-star review from August 2022 describes receiving no deliverables after signing.

The most serious complaint

The lowest-rated Clutch review, a 0.5 posted in March 2024, comes from a massage and spa business that worked with HigherVisibility on SEO from May 2023 to January 2024. The reviewer says rankings fell from third to twentieth, that bookings dropped from about 80% capacity to two or three appointments a week, that pages and links created during the campaign used wording the owner believes attracted the wrong kind of clientele, that management did not respond adequately to repeated contact, and that another firm had to be hired to repair the damage. When we checked, there was no visible response from HigherVisibility on that review. We cannot verify the reviewer’s account, and it is a single review among many positive ones. It does illustrate why wording choices matter in sensitive industries, and why any business should approve new pages and keyword targets before they go live.

What the reviews suggest overall

Most clients across both platforms describe a capable, communicative agency that produces results over the long term. A smaller number describe slow execution, too many layers between them and the people doing the work, and in a few cases serious failures with no satisfactory resolution. The FTC’s guide for marketers warns businesses against requesting reviews only from customers expected to be pleased, and its Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule bans fake reviews and rewards tied to positive ratings, which is why buyers should read the full spread of reviews instead of the averages alone. For HigherVisibility specifically, reference calls with clients who started in the last year or two will say more than a Clutch profile built mostly in 2016.

HigherVisibility’s Published Results

The homepage pairs each featured client with a headline result: a “58% YOY Increase in Organic Traffic” for Allied Van Lines, a “142% YOY Increase in Organic Leads” for Caliber Collision, a “191% YOY Increase in Organic Traffic” for HOTWORX, a “146% YOY Increase in Organic Leads” for Orangetheory, a “105% Increase in Leads” for Evolve Bank and Trust, and a “124% Return on Ad Spend” for Ziebart, among others.

Why named brands help, and what is still missing

Tying results to well-known brands makes them more credible than anonymous percentages, and year-over-year figures at least define the time frame. What the page does not show is the size of the starting point, which locations or product lines were involved, and how much of the gain came from SEO compared with other channels or seasonal effects. For a franchise brand, a 146% rise in organic leads could come from a small pilot or from the entire system.

The standard to hold claims to

FTC guidance holds that marketing claims must be truthful and supported by evidence, and its guide for small businesses adds that advertisers need a reasonable basis for claims and that testimonials should reflect typical outcomes. Buyers can reasonably ask HigherVisibility for the full case study behind any result that matches their situation, including baselines and the scope of work involved.

Badges and recognition

Badges on the site include Google Partner status and G2 recognition. Google Partner status relates mainly to Google Ads, so it supports HigherVisibility’s paid search credentials more than its SEO. The FTC’s guide on paying for reviews warns that some comparison sites offer better placement or ratings for a fee, a reason to check what stands behind any agency ranking or badge.

HigherVisibility Scorecard

These ratings reflect how well the public record supports each area. They are our judgments, not platform scores.

  • Brand-name client experience, very strong: national franchise and multi-location brands feature prominently.
  • Structured methodology, strong: the Targeted Growth System connects SEO to goals, audiences, conversion, and attribution.
  • Recent client satisfaction, good: 4.7 from 24 G2 reviews, most from 2022 to 2025.
  • Currency of Clutch evidence, weak: most visible Clutch reviews date from 2016.
  • Value for money, fair: cost is its lowest Clutch sub-score and a recurring G2 complaint.
  • Consistency of delivery, mixed: praise for responsiveness sits alongside complaints about slow execution and a few serious failures.
  • Pricing transparency, limited: no published prices or contract terms.

Pros and Cons of HigherVisibility

Pros

  • Experienced leadership: founders with long SEO and sales careers and named directors for each discipline.
  • Franchise and multi-location depth: featured brands include several franchise systems.
  • Clear method: the Targeted Growth System ties SEO to business outcomes and attribution.
  • Responsive account managers: a recurring theme in recent G2 reviews.
  • Named case studies: results linked to identifiable brands.

Cons

  • Premium pricing: cost is its weakest-rated area, with no published prices.
  • Aging Clutch profile: most reviews there are around a decade old.
  • Execution speed: some G2 reviewers describe slow content and implementation.
  • Communication layers: some clients found it hard to reach decision-makers.
  • Serious outlier complaints: a few reviews describe major failures without a visible public response.

Who HigherVisibility Is Best For

HigherVisibility fits franchise systems, multi-location brands, and established midmarket companies that want SEO planned around business goals and attribution, have budgets at the upper end of the mid-sized agency range, and value a structured method and a dedicated account manager. It is a harder fit for seasonal or budget-limited small businesses, for buyers who want direct access to senior strategists without layers, and for businesses in sensitive categories that need tight control over wording and targeting, unless approval steps are written into the agreement.

Questions to Ask HigherVisibility

  1. What is the monthly fee, what does it include, and what is the minimum term?
  2. When will the first deliverables arrive, and what happens if timelines slip?
  3. Who is our day-to-day contact, and how do we reach the strategist or director responsible for our account?
  4. Will we approve all new pages, keyword targets, and link placements before they go live?
  5. Can we speak with two or three clients who started in the last 18 months?
  6. Can you share the full case study behind a result that matches our business, including the starting baseline?
  7. How does the Targeted Growth System differ in practice for a business of our size?
  8. How do you handle a situation where rankings or leads fall after a change you made?

HigherVisibility vs Click Metrica

Click Metrica wrote this review and competes with HigherVisibility, so the comparison stays with facts each agency publishes.

Side-by-side facts

  • Emphasis: HigherVisibility serves franchises, national brands, and small businesses with SEO, PPC, web design, and CRO under its Targeted Growth System; Click Metrica focuses on white hat SEO for service businesses and local-market clients.
  • Pricing: HigherVisibility quotes by proposal, with Clutch showing $150 to $199 an hour; Click Metrica publishes three monthly packages at $1,000, $2,000, and $3,000.
  • How engagements begin: HigherVisibility starts every engagement with its Targeted Growth System and a proposal; Click Metrica starts with a preliminary site review and a 30-minute strategy call, then typically sends a tailored proposal within 48 hours.
  • Team: HigherVisibility lists 50 to 249 employees across four offices; Click Metrica is a smaller, SEO-only team.

The long game, played by white hat rules

Every SEO campaign carries some risk, and many of the worst outcomes in the industry trace back to shortcuts: links bought in bulk, networks of low-quality sites, and pages built around keywords instead of customers. Click Metrica avoids those risks by working strictly within white hat SEO, the approach that follows Google’s published search guidelines. Campaigns are built on a technically healthy site, content that describes the business accurately and answers what its customers search for, links earned from real partners, associations, and local coverage, and reviews gathered honestly from every customer. There are no ranking guarantees and no shortcuts. It takes months for this kind of work to show its full effect, and its gains are built to last, which is the long-term growth Click Metrica’s monthly packages are designed around.

Where HigherVisibility has the advantage

A franchise system or national brand that wants a mid-sized agency with a named leadership bench, franchise experience, paid media, and a structured goal-to-attribution framework will find more of that in HigherVisibility than in an SEO-only firm like Click Metrica.

Deciding between the two

A service or local business that wants a fixed, published monthly price and a strict white hat approach is likely a better match for Click Metrica. A franchise or national brand with a larger budget that wants SEO, PPC, and CRO run through one structured framework should talk to HigherVisibility, and should speak with recent clients first. When in doubt, request proposals from both and compare the deliverables and approval process side by side.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is HigherVisibility a legitimate agency?

Yes. It has operated since 2008 or 2009, depending on the source, is headquartered in Memphis with offices in Atlanta, Chicago, and Miami, and works with national brands such as Allied Van Lines and Orangetheory.

How much does HigherVisibility charge?

It does not publish prices. Clutch lists $150 to $199 an hour and a most common project size of $10,000 to $49,999, and one G2 reviewer describes pricing starting around $10,000.

Who founded HigherVisibility?

Adam Heitzman and David McElveen, who serve as co-founders and managing partners.

What is the Targeted Growth System?

It is HigherVisibility’s proprietary method, applied to every engagement, covering goals tied to business outcomes, competitive and audience analysis, conversion optimization, attribution, and ongoing targeting adjustments.

Are HigherVisibility’s reviews good?

Mostly. It holds 4.6 from 16 Clutch reviews, most from 2016, and 4.7 from 24 G2 reviews, most from 2022 to 2025. A small number of reviews describe serious problems, so recent client references are worth requesting.

Does HigherVisibility work with franchises?

Yes. Franchise SEO is a listed service, and featured clients include franchise brands in fitness, collision repair, and lawn care.

Does HigherVisibility guarantee results?

Its homepage does not mention guarantees. No reputable agency can guarantee rankings, since no one outside Google controls them.

How does HigherVisibility compare with Click Metrica?

HigherVisibility is a mid-sized agency serving franchises and national brands through a proprietary framework and custom pricing. Click Metrica is an SEO-only agency for service and local businesses, offering white hat campaigns through flat monthly packages of $1,000, $2,000, or $3,000.

Bottom Line on HigherVisibility

HigherVisibility brings real credentials: experienced founders, a named leadership team, a structured Targeted Growth System, and a client list featuring national franchise and multi-location brands with year-over-year results to match. Its review record is the complication. Clutch shows 4.6, but mostly from 2016; G2’s more recent 4.7 is encouraging, yet recurring notes about slow execution, communication layers, and premium pricing sit alongside a few serious complaints, including a 2024 Clutch review describing a collapse in bookings with no visible public response. Franchise systems and national brands with larger budgets should consider HigherVisibility and speak with recent clients before signing. Service and local businesses that want a published monthly price and steady, long-term growth from white hat SEO can compare it with Click Metrica’s packages first.