Technical SEO and digital marketing agency with a published dental local SEO case study
About LOCOMOTIVE Agency
LOCOMOTIVE Agency began in 2012 as Adapt Partners, a technical SEO company in the Raleigh area of North Carolina. It took its current name in October 2019. The name honours CEO and founder Marty Martin's father, who worked on the railroad. Its US address is 225 N Salem Street in Apex (some listings give 44 Hillsboro Street in Pittsboro). Its European base is in Galway, Ireland, where IMS Marketing was rebranded as LOCOMOTIVE Europe. Two acquisitions doubled the international team. The agency now has more than 70 staff across over ten countries.
The leadership has deep roots in technical SEO. JR Oakes, VP of Strategy, co-founded the /r/TechSEO community and the Tech SEO Connect conference. Amanda Allen is SVP of Operations and Ryan Huser is VP of Growth. The agency has grown beyond SEO into AI search optimisation, paid media, data and AI, HubSpot work, content, digital PR, brand design and websites. It won Best Small SEO Agency at the 2019 US Search Awards, and it is Moz-recommended.
Their dental work is documented in a case study for Elite Dentistry of Simi Valley, California. The practice had opened a second location with almost no search presence. The team built citations for each location and fixed inconsistent name, address and phone data. They also optimised each Google Business Profile listing and wrote service pages from internal content briefs. They targeted long-tail treatment terms such as implants and crowns first, then moved to broader terms like "dentist". They added neighbourhood landing pages for areas such as Moorpark and earned links to key pages. The results were a 1,000% rise in new users, a 120% rise in leads and a 1,750% rise in top-three keywords. A separate healthcare campaign for Amada brought 74% more new users from hyper-local work.
They mainly serve mid-market and large organisations and franchises. 70% of clients are in the mid-market band, with dental and medical at 10% each. They suit multi-location dental groups, DSOs and specialty chains that need audits, site architecture fixes and content at scale more than a single small practice.
Clutch shows 4.6 from four reviews. A fabric distributor saw 60% organic traffic growth, and a Dutch web shop saw visitors rise 500%. Reviewers stress technical depth and responsiveness. Rates are high: $200 to $300 an hour (about $250 on average) with a $10,000 minimum, and typical monthly budgets of $10,000 to $20,000.
LOCOMOTIVE Agency's Dental SEO Page
LOCOMOTIVE Agency at a Glance
| Founded | 2012 |
|---|---|
| Team size | 70+ staff across 10+ countries (some listings say 10-49 or 51+) |
| Headquarters | Apex, North Carolina, USA |
| Other offices | Pittsboro, North Carolina; Galway, Ireland (LOCOMOTIVE Europe) |
| Leadership | Marty Martin (CEO and Founder); JR Oakes (VP of Strategy); Amanda Allen (SVP of Operations); Ryan Huser (VP of Growth) |
| Languages | English; Spanish |
| Pricing | $200-$300/hr (about $250/hr on average), minimum project $10,000+ (minimum budget $10,000-$25,000). Typical monthly budget $10,000-$20,000. |
| Tools & partnerships | HubSpot; Google Business Profile; AI search optimisation tools (own paid search AI tool) |
Dental Marketing Services
- Technical SEO audits and fixes
- local SEO and citation building
- NAP cleanup
- Google Business Profile optimisation per location
- service page content from briefs
- neighbourhood landing pages
- link building
- AI search optimisation
- PPC and paid media
- website design
- HubSpot and analytics
Practice Types They Work With
- general dentistry
- implants
- DSOs/multi-location
Dental Clients & Results
- Elite Dentistry of Simi Valley: +1,000% new users, +120% leads, +1,750% top-3 keywords
- Amada (healthcare): +74% new users from hyper-local campaign (2026)
- Industrial fabric distributor: organic traffic up 60% (from 2016)
- Dutch web shop KORSIT: visitors up 500%
Dental Practices They Have Worked With
- Elite Dentistry of Simi Valley
Why Dentists Choose LOCOMOTIVE Agency
- One of few technical SEO agencies recommended by Moz
- Won Best SEO Agency at the 2019 US Search Awards
- Other agencies hire them to fix traffic losses
- Low staff turnover praised by clients
- Rates of $200 to $300 an hour, projects from $10,000
Key Strengths
- Pairs technical audits with content strategy for larger multi-site dental groups
- Implements its technical SEO fixes on practice sites rather than only reporting them
- Works alongside a dental group's in-house technical teams
- Bases practice content plans on a competitive keyword and content gap audit
Awards & Recognition
- US Search Awards Best Small SEO Agency (2019)
- Moz-recommended agency
How the DSA Score Breaks Down
Points earned: 59.5 of 100 (profile 53 × 0.8 + client feedback 17.1). DSA Score: 92/100
What Clients Say About LOCOMOTIVE Agency
- 5 on Google
- 3 on review sites
Clients Most Often Praise
- Higher Google Maps & local rankings 4
- Communication & responsiveness 2
- More new patient bookings 2
- Dental website design 1
In ShortReviewers consistently praise LOCOMOTIVE's technical SEO depth, availability, organisation and fresh ideas.
Simon Couillard praises a bilingual website redesign for a medical risk tool, on-time delivery, responsiveness to feedback and post-launch translation.
See it on clutch.coOliver Martin praises professionalism, reliability and quality, names team members, and plans to use them for future technical SEO.
See it on designrush.comChris Murphy calls them the best technical SEO agency, citing dedication and prompt responses.
See it on designrush.comShow 5 more client reviews
- Anonymous reports ~60% organic traffic growth from technical SEO and content, and praises well-organised project management. Clutch, Jan 27, 2020
- Timothy Korse says LOCOMOTIVE localised his webshop for new countries, with roughly 500% visitor growth, and brought refreshing ideas. Clutch, Jan 26, 2020
- Pat: Brief positive comment. Google, 11 Jun 2018
- This reviewer says the team is very knowledgeable and stays on top of projects. Google, 21 Sep 2023
- This reviewer says Adapt Partners (LOCOMOTIVE's former name) came highly recommended as a premier technical SEO agency. Google, 21 Mar 2019
Where LOCOMOTIVE Agency Is Listed
Questions Dentists Ask About LOCOMOTIVE Agency
Have they done SEO for a dental practice?
Yes. Their published case study for Elite Dentistry of Simi Valley covers a second location that started with almost no search presence. The practice saw a 120% rise in leads and a 1,000% rise in new users.
What local SEO steps did they use for that practice?
They built citations for each location, fixed NAP inconsistencies and optimised each Google Business Profile listing. They also wrote service pages for long-tail treatments, added neighbourhood landing pages and built links.
Are they a good fit for a single small practice?
Their pricing and client mix lean toward mid-market and multi-location organisations. The minimum project is $10,000, at $200 to $300 an hour.
Who leads the agency?
Marty Martin is CEO and founder. JR Oakes, VP of Strategy, co-founded the /r/TechSEO community and the Tech SEO Connect conference.
Have they won industry awards?
They won Best Small SEO Agency at the 2019 US Search Awards, the same month they rebranded from Adapt Partners to LOCOMOTIVE.
Reviews of LOCOMOTIVE Agency
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