iCrossing Tops Search Agency Revenue Rankings In Ad Age

New York-based iCrossing, a division of Hearst Corporation, tops the latest Ad Age list of top 25 search marketing agencies by revenue released today. (Link is available to subscribers only.) The agency brought in $105 million in search-related revenues in 2011, up 13.6% from the previous year.

Rounding out the top five were Dentsu’s 360i, WPP Group’s Group M Search, Aegis Group’s iProspect, and Performics, a Publicis Groupe company.

Several standalone agencies did make the rankings. The Search Agency, based in Los Angeles, came in 7th, with $32 million in search revenue in 2011. New York-based Acronym Media was 9th in the listings, with $31 million in search revenue last year. Covario, based in San Diego, brought in $21 million from search last year, earning it a number 15 spot in the rankings.

Most of the agencies increased their search revenue from 2010 to 2011. Covario was the fastest-growing, raising its search revenues by 76% year-over-year. Other agencies showing strong growth include Merkle’s Impaqt (46%) and BKV (43%), of Overland Park, Kansas.

Some companies’ search revenues did slip, however. Neo@Ogilvy was down 6% year-over year. Rapp, an Omnicom agency, showed a 5% drop; and Atrinsic Interactive was down 4%.