Established 2020
A UK search agency built around evidence
The gap we set out to close
Search is one of the few channels where the mechanics are largely public and the execution is almost entirely craft. That combination produces a lot of confident advice and not much accountability.
We started XCL SEO to work differently: set a baseline before touching anything, prioritise by expected impact rather than by what is easy to bill, and report honestly when something has not worked. That approach is slower to sell and considerably easier to defend twelve months in.
Since 2020 the discipline has changed shape — answer engines now sit above the results for a growing share of commercial queries — but the underlying job has not. Be genuinely useful, be technically sound, and be the source somebody credible is willing to cite.
How we choose to work
- 01
Show the working
Every recommendation carries its evidence, its confidence and its effort. If we cannot explain why, we do not ship it.
- 02
Say what we do not know
Missing data is marked as missing. An unverified figure is labelled. Nobody benefits from false precision.
- 03
Senior people, doing the work
The specialists who scope an engagement are the ones who deliver it. No handover to a junior team after signature.
- 04
Technology with a person in the loop
We use AI where it genuinely helps and put an expert between the draft and the publish button, always.
- 05
Refuse the shortcuts
No link schemes, doorway pages, scaled low-value content or automated search traffic. They work until they do not, and then they cost more than they earned.
- 06
Measure against the business
Rankings are a means. We report against revenue, pipeline and cost per acquisition — the numbers your board already looks at.
Since 2020
- 2020
XCL SEO founded
Started with a simple frustration: too much SEO reporting explained what happened and almost none of it explained why, or what to do next.
- 2021
Technical practice established
Built the in-house crawling and analysis tooling that became the foundation of XCL Search Intelligence.
- 2022
Content and digital PR added
Brought editorial and PR in-house so authority work and content strategy could be planned together rather than bolted on.
- 2023
Measurement rebuilt for GA4 and consent
Rebuilt our measurement approach around consent mode and server-side collection so reporting stayed defensible.
- 2024
AI search practice launched
Began tracking AI Overview citations systematically and published our first large-scale analysis of what gets cited.
How an engagement runs
Discover
We get under the skin of your business, market and customers to find the opportunities worth chasing.
Diagnose
We audit performance, competitors and content to identify the barriers holding growth back.
Deliver
We execute the prioritised work that compounds visibility, traffic and conversions.
Improve
We measure, report and iterate continuously so the programme keeps paying for itself.
The people who do the work
A senior team of digital search specialists, united by curiosity, rigour and results.
Meet the team
- UK-based digital growth team
- Established in 2020
- Senior specialists, not account handlers
- Remote across the UK
Where we work.
Get in touch
Think we might be a fit?
Tell us what you are trying to achieve. We will tell you honestly whether we are the right people for it.