THE DIGITAL REVOLUTION
Vision – Outrank CEO Stephen Robinson says businesses that win will be the ones that combine exceptional people with exceptional technology.
PICTURE: CHRIS BOOTH
MARKETING’ S
FUTURE
How Outrank is rewriting the digital playbook
BY PAUL FRASER
When we talk about the future of digital marketing, the conversation inevitably turns to artificial intelligence.
For many agencies, AI is a concept on the horizon – a buzzword reserved for industry panels and future planning.
But at Outrank, a rapidly growing digital marketing agency based in Middlesbrough, the future is not on its way. It has already arrived.
Over the last three years, Outrank has quietly evolved from a traditional, service-led agency into a technologyenabled growth platform.
By seamlessly combining human expertise with proprietary AI systems, the company is shifting how businesses approach digital growth – making campaigns faster, smarter and incredibly efficient.
This technological evolution has coincided with a period of staggering financial success.
Outrank’ s largest year-on-year growth to date is highlighted by a formidable 42 % jump in overall turnover.
This leap in revenue is matched by an explosive 260 % surge in EBITDA( Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortisation).
Along the way, the agency has built a formidable portfolio, now supporting more than 4,000 customers nationwide across sectors ranging from finance to construction.
To support this expanding client base, the company’ s headcount has surged beyond 60 dedicated employees.
However, according to CEO Stephen Robinson, the true story isn’ t just about the impressive numbers, it ' s about the infrastructure that made them possible.
“ We’ ve spent years looking at every process inside the business and asking the same question: how do we make this better for our clients and better for our
Francesca Kosina – Outrank operations director.
team?” Stephen said.
“ AI isn’ t replacing people. It’ s removing the repetitive work that stops talented people from doing their best work.”
That underlying philosophy led to the creation of RankOS, Outrank’ s proprietary operating system.
Sitting at the heart of the agency’ s delivery infrastructure, RankOS doesn’ t replace the marketers, developers, strategists and content specialists. Instead, it strengthens them.
Because of this bespoke platform, complex industry research that previously took hours can now be executed in minutes.
Data analysis is performed at an unprecedented scale, technical SEO audits are prioritised with pinpoint accuracy and content briefs are generated faster than ever.
What once required juggling multiple disjointed systems is now managed through a single, streamlined workflow. The result is an agency capable of delivering exceptional consistency and better outcomes without sacrificing the human nuance that clients ultimately pay for.
“ The biggest misconception around AI is that it removes the need for people,” Stephen said.
“ In reality, the businesses that win will be the ones that combine exceptional people with exceptional technology.
" Marketing is still about understanding people, solving problems and creating trust. Technology simply helps us do that more effectively.”
Crucially, as Outrank has scaled its technological footprint, it has fiercely protected its workplace culture. The company’ s commitment to its workforce has not gone unnoticed.
Outrank was ranked an impressive second in the UK ' s Great Place to Work awards and secured a top 10 spot in the highly competitive Sunday Times ' Best Small Places to Work list.
For operations director Francesca Kosina, the secret to the agency’ s success remains firmly rooted in its people.
She said:“ The technology is exciting, but our team is still the most important asset we have.
“ We’ ve grown from 17 people to over 60 because we’ ve created an environment where talented individuals can develop their careers and make a genuine impact. AI helps us become more efficient, but it’ s our people who create the ideas, build the relationships, and deliver the results.”
Looking ahead, Outrank’ s vision for the next decade of marketing is clear. As businesses search for partners capable of navigating rapid technological shifts, the agency is committed to helping SMEs access top-tier capabilities once exclusively reserved for massive corporations.
“ We’ ve always believed smaller businesses deserve access to the same opportunities as larger companies,” Stephen said.
“ Technology allows us to level the playing field. The tools are changing, but the mission isn’ t.”
Visit outrank. co. uk
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