SmartSites vs Go Fish Digital: Which Agency to Pick in 2026
Two full-service search and web agencies. One built its name on website design plus PPC, the other on SEO plus digital PR. For both, influencer work is a side note, not the service. Here is which fits, plus a software option.
Which one is right for you
Three buyers, three picks. Find the column that sounds like your team.
Choose SmartSites if
- You want website design plus SEO and PPC
- You want a high-volume, highly reviewed agency
- You run a small or mid-sized business
Choose Go Fish Digital if
- You want SEO, content and reputation work
- You want digital PR and proprietary tooling
- You want big-brand integration experience
Choose Flinque if
- You want verified creators and fake-follower checks with no sales call
- You want flat published pricing you can start free
- You want to run discovery in-house, not hand it to an agency
SmartSites vs Go Fish Digital vs Flinque
Fourteen factors across all three, from agency type to real minimums. Flinque is the flat-price software option on the right.
| Factor | SmartSites | Go Fish Digital | Best valueFlinque |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | SMBs wanting web design plus search | Brands wanting SEO and reputation work | Teams running discovery in-house |
| Agency type | Web design and search agency | Full-service SEO and performance agency | Self-serve software, not an agency |
| Engagement model | Project and retainer, custom | Project and retainer, custom | Flat monthly subscription |
| Typical minimum | Undisclosed, SMB-friendly | From $5,000 project minimum | Free, then $49/mo |
| Published pricing | No | No | $0 to $150/mo, public |
| Creator network | No core influencer offering | Influencer one channel of many | 10M+ verified, 200 data points each |
| Platforms covered | SEO, PPC, web, email, social | SEO, paid, social, web channels | Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, X |
| Services | Web design, SEO, PPC, email, SMS | SEO, PPC, content, ORM, web | Discovery, vetting and audience data |
| Campaign management | fully managed | fully managed | You run it, software assists |
| Content and usage rights | Not offered | Part of broader campaigns | You negotiate directly with creators |
| Paid amplification | Paid search and social core | Paid media is a core service | Run your own whitelisting |
| Measurement and reporting | Google Premier and Meta partner | Barracuda AI tools, reporting | Audience and fake-follower data built in |
| Team and locations | Paramus NJ, founded 2011, 200+ staff | Arlington VA and Raleigh NC, 2005 | Software with support included |
| Time to launch | After a free consultation | After scoping, project-based | Shortlist in minutes on the free plan |
How we compared: Engagement models and minimums come from each agency's own site plus public reporting and client reviews, cross-checked and dated June 2026. Where an agency hides its pricing we say undisclosed rather than guess a number. The verdicts are ours, not the agencies'.
What each agency actually does
What is SmartSites
SmartSites grew out of website building. That origin still anchors what it does best. Founded in Paramus, New Jersey in 2011 by brothers Alex and Michael Melen, it is an award-winning web design and digital marketing agency centered on search engine marketing, SEO and PPC, with email, SMS and social management around it. The scale is the story: a team past 200, six straight years on the Inc. 5000, status as a Google Premier Partner and Meta Business Partner, plus well over a thousand five-star reviews from small and mid-sized businesses. Influencer marketing is not a core service here at all. The work is web, search and paid, built to get SMBs more traffic and customers. Against Go Fish's SEO-and-reputation focus, SmartSites is the web-and-search volume shop.
Pricing is custom and unpublished but pitched at small and mid-sized businesses, more accessible than a big-brand agency. What you are buying is execution at volume: a large team that designs the site, runs the SEO and manages the paid campaigns, with the partner badges and review count to back the reliability. For an SMB that wants its whole web-and-search presence handled by one responsive shop, that is a strong fit. The limits are clear for this comparison. There is no real influencer offering, the strength is web and search rather than content-led brand work or digital PR. The SMB focus also means it is not built for enterprise brand programs. For a brand that wants SEO depth, content and reputation management, Go Fish runs a different play.
What SmartSites does well
- Award-winning web design plus SEO and PPC
- Google Premier and Meta partner status
- 1,000-plus five-star SMB reviews
- Large team, six-time Inc. 5000
Where it falls short
- No core influencer offering
- Web and search focus over content or PR
- Built for SMBs, not enterprise programs
- Custom quotes, nothing public
What is Go Fish Digital
Go Fish Digital approaches the same broad digital space from a different door: organic search and reputation. Operating since 2005 from Arlington and Raleigh, it is a full-service agency whose core is SEO, with online reputation management, paid search, content and web design alongside, plus influencer marketing as a minor channel. Its roster leans large and recognizable across many sectors, GEICO, Marriott, Airbnb and the New York Times among them. The selling point is integrated strategy backed by a proprietary AI platform it calls Barracuda for coordination and reporting. Its SEO craft has earned recent US Search Awards in the large-agency category too. Where SmartSites leads with website builds and paid volume, Go Fish leads with search depth and reputation work. Next to SmartSites' web-and-search scale, Go Fish is the SEO-and-reputation specialist.
Engagements tend to start around $5,000, with bigger scopes priced individually, which keeps it within reach for mid-market brands buying several channels. What you get is search depth plus breadth: a partner for SEO, content, reputation and paid that has handled big-brand programs and integrated reporting. That suits a brand whose growth runs on organic visibility and brand reputation rather than a new website and PPC volume. The drawbacks mirror SmartSites'. Influencer marketing is a side channel rather than a real offering, the model is pitched higher than SmartSites' SMB sweet spot. A business that mainly needs a website and paid search may find more focused web execution elsewhere. For an SMB wanting web design plus search at volume, SmartSites is the other route.
What Go Fish Digital does well
- SEO depth with content and reputation work
- Proprietary Barracuda AI tooling
- Big-brand roster across many sectors
- Award-winning large-agency SEO
Where it falls short
- Influencer work is a minor side channel
- Pitched above SmartSites' SMB sweet spot
- From $5,000 minimum, custom beyond
- Search depth over website-build volume
Head to head
Neither of these is an influencer agency, so if that is the goal, both are the wrong door. SmartSites is a web design and search shop built for SMBs, heavy on website builds, SEO and PPC, with no real influencer service. Go Fish Digital is a full-service SEO and reputation agency for mid-market and larger brands, with creator work as a minor channel. One leads with websites and paid volume. The other with search depth and reputation.
Pick by whether you need a website-and-search engine or SEO-and-reputation depth. Neither is the influencer-led middle: 10M verified creators across four platforms with a fake-follower score on each, at one published price, where you pick the creators yourself.
Which should you actually pick
Forget the pitch decks for a second. Match the partner to the situation you are in.
You want web design plus SEO and PPC
You want one shop to build the site and run search and paid at volume, pitched for an SMB. SmartSites is built for that.
→ Pick SmartSitesYou want SEO, content and reputation
You want search depth, content and online reputation work with proprietary tooling. Go Fish Digital fits.
→ Pick Go Fish DigitalYou want influencer discovery in-house
Neither agency offers real influencer work. You want to search 10M verified creators across four platforms with a fake-follower check on each. Start free on Flinque and upgrade at $49 only if you keep using it.
→ Pick FlinqueYou want creators, not a search retainer
Both are search and web shops, not creator partners. Flinque's free plan lets you find and vet verified creators with no card, then scales at a flat $49 a month.
→ Start with FlinqueFlinque: verified discovery at a flat price
If both feel like too much retainer and too little control, Flinque does one job and does it well. Find and vet real creators yourself, fast, then run the campaign in-house. No pitch deck, no monthly retainer, no discovery call to learn the price.
- 10M+ verified creators
- 4 platforms: IG, YouTube, TikTok, X
- 200 data points per creator
- 12 search filters
- Fake-follower check on every profile
- Free, $49, $150, published
See Flinque in action
Short walkthroughs on pricing, discovery and vetting from the Flinque team.
What Are Influencer Networks? Why Most Brands Pick the Wrong Creators
Influencer Discovery Platforms That We Made Easy and Affordable
Common questions about SmartSites and Go Fish Digital
What is the main difference between SmartSites and Go Fish Digital?
Which is more affordable, SmartSites or Go Fish Digital?
Do either SmartSites or Go Fish Digital do influencer marketing?
Which should I pick for a new website?
What does Go Fish Digital do that SmartSites does not?
What does SmartSites do that Go Fish Digital does not?
Who should pick Go Fish Digital over SmartSites?
Is there a software alternative to both agencies?
Written & reviewed by Flinque Research Team
Influencer Marketing Research · View team →
Our research team specialises in influencer marketing strategy, creator analytics and platform comparisons. Details on this page were verified against agency sites, public reporting and client review platforms in June 2026.
Disclaimer: Information here is collected from publicly available sources, third-party review sites and vendor pages. Pricing and features change, so confirm current details with each provider before buying. This content is for informational purposes only.