Most lists of SEM agencies are written by an agency that puts itself at number one. This one is built differently. On 12 September 2026 we ran live Google searches in Australia for “sem agency australia” and “search engine marketing agency”, then asked ChatGPT for the best SEM agency in Australia. We wrote down every agency that came back, visited each website to confirm the city and the services, and ranked the list on what we could see.
Twelve agencies made it. Only one, Salt & Fuessel, showed up in both checks. That gap is the most useful thing in this post, because it says something real about how Australian buyers find agencies in 2026: Google and ChatGPT hand back almost completely different shortlists.
Uprise Digital is on this list. Yes, this is us. We are at number eight, and we explain below why we put ourselves there.
What “SEM” actually means in 2026
Search engine marketing means getting your business in front of people at the moment they search. That is it. It has always covered two halves.
The paid half is ads you buy: Google Search ads, Shopping, Performance Max, and Microsoft Ads on Bing. You pay per click. It turns on in a day and stops the day you stop paying.
The organic half is the free listings underneath. You earn those with content, site structure and links. Slow to build, and it keeps working after you stop spending.
There is now a third half, which is bad maths but true. A growing share of Australian searches get answered inside an AI summary or inside ChatGPT, and the person never clicks anything. When we asked ChatGPT for the best SEM agency in Australia, it returned a written shortlist of six names. If you are not one of them, the ad you bought on Google never gets seen by that buyer at all.
So in 2026, SEM is paid search, plus organic search, plus whether machines can find and quote you. An agency that only handles the first one is doing a third of the job.
An SEM agency and a Google Ads agency are not the same thing
People use the two terms as if they mean one thing. They do not, and the difference costs money.
A Google Ads agency runs your ad account. Keywords, ad copy, bids, budgets, negative keywords, landing page feedback. That is a real job and a good one is worth paying for. But the scope stops at the edge of the account.
An SEM agency is meant to own the whole search result. It should also care whether you rank organically for the terms you are renting, whether your product pages are eligible for Shopping, and whether an AI answer names you. It should be able to tell you, keyword by keyword, where it is cheaper to buy the click and where it is cheaper to earn it.
Here is why that matters here. In our search data pull on 12 September 2026, “google ads agency” gets about 1,300 searches a month in Australia at an average cost per click of $34.73. “search engine marketing agency” gets about 390 a month at $18.43. Agencies themselves pay nearly twice as much for a click on the narrower term. The same logic applies to your account. If you only ever buy, you keep paying the top rate forever.
The label is fading too. Our data shows “search engine marketing” searches in Australia down about 19 per cent year on year, while “google ads agency” is up about 22 per cent. Read the scope of work, not the job title.
How we built this list
Everything here comes from checks we ran on 12 September 2026. Nothing is from memory or from a directory.
- Live Google results. We pulled the first 20 Australian results for “sem agency australia” and for “search engine marketing agency”, including the map pack.
- A ChatGPT test. We asked ChatGPT, set to Australia, for the best SEM agency in Australia, with web search on. We recorded the agencies it wrote about and the local businesses it listed.
- Website checks. We opened each agency’s own page and took the city and services from what the agency publishes. Everything we say about a named agency below comes from its own website or from where it appeared in our checks.
The order is based on visibility, not quality. An agency that turned up in both checks sits above one that turned up in only one. You cannot measure whether an agency is good at its job from a search result, and we will not pretend otherwise. Use this to start calls from, not as a scorecard. AI answers also change between runs, so this is one run on one day.
The 12 agencies
1. Salt & Fuessel (South Yarra, Melbourne)
The only agency here that turned up in both checks. It held the number one organic position for both Google searches, and ChatGPT named it in its written shortlist. Its SEM page lists SEO, SEM and Google Ads, social media, email marketing, website design, and a line item for GEO and AEO, meaning optimising for generative and answer engines. That last one is still rare on Australian service menus. Address on the page is Level 2, 627 Chapel Street, South Yarra.
2. AdVisible (Sydney CBD)
ChatGPT’s first pick in our test and the first name in its local business list. Its website gives the address as Suite 302, Level 3, 120 Sussex Street, Sydney, and lists Google Ads across Search, Display, YouTube and Shopping, plus SEO, social, web design and creative. The site states it holds Premier Google Partner status. It did not appear in either Google top 20, which is a clean example of the split between the two channels.
3. SIXGUN (Richmond, Melbourne)
Second in ChatGPT’s written shortlist. The site lists SEO, Google Ads, Google Shopping and YouTube, social media, conversion rate optimisation, analytics and content. It also sells AI SEO directly, and states: “Ask ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Google’s AI Mode about your industry and either your name comes up, or it doesn’t.” Address given is Unit 7, 1 Bromham Place, Richmond.
4. Rocket Agency (Sydney and Melbourne)
Ranked second organically for “sem agency australia” on the day we checked. Its SEM page is headed “Search Engine Marketing Agency in Sydney & Melbourne” and describes the team as “an SEM agency of 50+ digital specialists with a proven record of building award-winning campaigns across Google and Bing”. The same page carries a section on ranking in ChatGPT and Google AI.
5. Bench Media (Sydney, with a Melbourne office)
Appeared in the Google top 20 for both searches. Of every agency page we opened, this one was the most specific about campaign types. It names Google Search, Microsoft Ads, Performance Max and Google Shopping separately and says what each is for, and says it uses smart bidding “while ensuring automation is guided by strategy”. Its SEM page describes the business as “a Sydney-based independent media agency with specialist SEM expertise”.
6. Digital Nomads HQ (Mooloolaba, Sunshine Coast)
Appeared in the Google top 20 for both searches, with its own SEM agency list post on page one for each. The homepage gives the address as 208/45 Brisbane Road, Mooloolaba, and lists SEO, AI SEO, Google Ads, web design, social media, content, email, branding and conversion rate optimisation. It did not come up in our ChatGPT test.
7. Impressive (Cremorne, Melbourne)
Fourth in ChatGPT’s written shortlist. The site lists Google Ads and paid media alongside SEO, AI SEO and programmatic SEO, and sells ChatGPT Ads and ChatGPT GEO as separate services, which almost nobody else here does yet. It also says it is B Corp certified and works on performance-based fees rather than a standard retainer. Ask how that fee model works before you sign.
8. Uprise Digital (Melbourne, working Australia-wide)
Yes, this is us. We did not appear as a named agency in either check, so we sit below every agency that did. One thing did happen, and it is the reason we are on the list at all: when ChatGPT built its answer, one source it cited was our own article on Google Ads agencies in Sydney. The AI read our work and then recommended other people. That is where we sit today on this search, and it is the honest version.
What we do: Google Ads management, SEO, and answer engine optimisation for AI search, run as one search programme rather than three separate ones. We do not guarantee rankings and we will not quote a result before we have looked at your account.
9. Metric Labs (North Sydney)
Appeared in the Google top 20 for “search engine marketing agency”. Its page offers “SEM services across all search engines like Google Ads, Bing Ads, Baidu and Yahoo”, and describes the business as a Google Ads and Microsoft Ads partner. The service list leans toward measurement: GA4 migration, audits, reporting, tag management, experimentation and training. Relevant if you do not trust your own numbers. Address given is Suite 627, 100 Walker Street, North Sydney.
10. McKenzie Partners (Surry Hills, Sydney)
Appeared in the Google top 20 for both searches. The page describes the team as “Sydney search engine marketing specialists” and states “We are a Google Premier Partner”. Beyond search it lists SEO, social media, web design, branding and video production, so it reads as a full advertising agency rather than a search specialist. Address given is Level 1, 11 to 17 Buckingham Street, Surry Hills.
11. Digital Next (South Melbourne, with a Brisbane office)
Third in ChatGPT’s written shortlist. The site gives the address as 133 Buckhurst Street, South Melbourne, and lists SEO, content marketing, paid search, social media ads, web design and WordPress hosting. We did not find AI search services named on the pages we opened, so ask about that directly if it matters.
12. AEK Media (Crows Nest, Sydney)
Appeared in the Google top 20 for “sem agency australia”. The SEM page names Google Ads, Bing Ads and PPC, and the wider list covers SEO, Google Shopping, social media, email and website development on Shopify and WordPress. The header states “30+ Industry Awards Won” and displays a Google Premier Partner badge. Address given is Suite 201, 10 to 12 Clarke Street, Crows Nest.
Comparison table
| Agency | City | What they focus on | Seen in Google top 20 today | Named by ChatGPT today |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salt & Fuessel | South Yarra, Melbourne | Google Ads, SEO, social, GEO and AEO | Yes | Yes |
| AdVisible | Sydney CBD | Google Ads incl. Shopping and YouTube, SEO, web | No | Yes |
| SIXGUN | Richmond, Melbourne | SEO and AI SEO, Google Ads, Shopping, CRO | No | Yes |
| Rocket Agency | Sydney and Melbourne | Paid search across Google and Bing, SEO, AI search | Yes | No |
| Bench Media | Sydney and Melbourne | Search, Microsoft Ads, Performance Max, Shopping | Yes | No |
| Digital Nomads HQ | Mooloolaba, Sunshine Coast | SEO and AI SEO, Google Ads, web, social | Yes | No |
| Impressive | Cremorne, Melbourne | Paid media, SEO, ChatGPT Ads and GEO | No | Yes |
| Uprise Digital (this is us) | Melbourne, Australia-wide | Google Ads, SEO, AEO for AI search | No | No, but cited as a source |
| Metric Labs | North Sydney | SEM across Google, Bing, Baidu, Yahoo, plus GA4 | Yes | No |
| McKenzie Partners | Surry Hills, Sydney | Google Ads, SEO, plus full advertising services | Yes | No |
| Digital Next | South Melbourne and Brisbane | Paid search, SEO, content, web | No | Yes |
| AEK Media | Crows Nest, Sydney | Google Ads, Bing Ads, Shopping, SEO, web | Yes | No |
Eleven of the twelve appeared in one check but not the other. That is the finding. Search Google only and you never meet four of these. Ask ChatGPT only and you never meet six.
What an SEM retainer should include in 2026
Ask any agency you speak to whether each of these is in scope, and get the answer in writing. If something is excluded that is fine, as long as you know.
Search ads, run properly
Keyword research, tight ad groups, negative keyword lists maintained weekly, search terms reviewed, and landing pages that match the ad. Poor account structure is the most common reason Australian accounts waste money. We have written up the seven mistakes we see most often if you want to check your own account first.
Performance Max, with guardrails
Google describes Performance Max as “a goal-based campaign type that allows you to access all Google Ads inventory” from a single campaign, running across YouTube, Display, Search, Discover, Gmail and Maps. It can work well. It can also quietly eat budget on cheap, low-intent placements while the report still looks fine. Your agency should be able to explain what brand exclusions, asset group structure and channel reporting they use. Our view on whether Performance Max works for Australian service businesses goes into the detail.
Shopping, if you sell products
If you have a product feed, feed quality usually moves results more than bid changes do. Titles, attributes, GTINs, stock accuracy. Ask who owns the feed.
The organic half
An agency calling itself an SEM agency should tell you which keywords you are paying for that you could reasonably rank for, and what that would take. If the answer is always “keep buying”, you have a Google Ads agency, which is fine, but price it as one.
AI visibility
Someone should be checking, on a schedule, whether ChatGPT and Google’s AI answers name you for the questions your buyers ask. This is measurable. There is a method for tracking AI visibility and it just has to be done deliberately.
Conversion tracking that you trust
People skip this and then regret it. If your conversion data is wrong, every optimisation on top of it is wrong too, and smart bidding will optimise toward the wrong thing at speed. Calls, form fills and offline sales each need to be counted once and only once. Start with a clean GA4 conversion setup before you judge any agency’s performance.
How to judge the reporting
Most SEM reports are built to look busy. Here is how to tell a useful one from a decorative one.
- Does it lead with cost per lead or cost per sale? If the first number is impressions or clicks, the report was built to look good, not to help you decide.
- Are the leads qualified? A hundred cheap enquiries that never buy is worse than twenty expensive ones that do. Ask for lead quality, not just lead count.
- Can you see spend by campaign type? If Performance Max, Search and Shopping sit in one line, you cannot tell which is carrying the account.
- Does it show search terms? Real search terms tell you whether the money reached people who wanted what you sell.
- Does it explain what changed and why? A report with no decisions in it is a spreadsheet, not a service.
- Do you own the accounts? Your business should own the Google Ads account, the GA4 property and Search Console. If an agency holds them, ask to be made owner before you sign.
Australian consumer law applies to agency marketing too. The ACCC is clear that claims should be true, accurate and based on reasonable grounds and that a business must be able to prove any claim it advertises. An agency promising a specific ranking or lead count with no basis is a reason to walk, not to sign.
What it costs, roughly
We will not publish other agencies’ prices, because prices move and quoting them would be unfair. Here is the shape of the market instead. Management fees in Australia usually sit either as a flat monthly retainer or as a percentage of ad spend, commonly 10 to 20 per cent, with a minimum fee underneath. Small accounts almost always land on the minimum. Watch that a percentage model rewards the agency for spending more of your money, so pair it with a cost per lead target in the contract.
Your media budget is the bigger number and your market sets it, not your agency. Clicks in competitive Australian categories run well past $20, and our data shows agency search terms clearing $34. We have broken down what Google Ads costs in Australia by industry, and to lower the cost side rather than raise the budget, Quality Score is where to start.
One seasonality note before you brief anyone
Searches for “search engine marketing agency” in Australia peaked at about 1,900 in September 2025, fell to about 70 in January 2026, then climbed back to roughly 880 in March 2026. That is the Australian business year showing up in the data. Agency capacity is tighter in September and March, so start conversations early if you want a good account manager rather than whoever is free.
FAQ
What is the difference between SEM and SEO?
SEO is the organic half of search. You earn those listings with content, technical work and links, and you do not pay per click. SEM is the umbrella term covering both the paid ads and the organic listings, although plenty of people in Australia use “SEM” to mean paid search only. Because the word is used loosely, ignore the label and ask the agency which of the two it will actually work on.
Do I need an SEM agency or just a Google Ads agency?
If you have one product line, a clear buying audience and a budget you want managed well, a Google Ads agency may be all you need. If you are buying clicks for terms you could reasonably rank for, or your buyers are starting to ask AI tools for recommendations, you are paying for a narrower service than the problem requires. The test: ask an agency to name three keywords you should stop buying and start earning. A paid-only agency usually cannot answer that.
How much should I spend on SEM in Australia?
There is no single right number. Work backwards. Take your average sale value, your close rate on enquiries, and the most you will pay for one customer. That gives you a target cost per lead. Multiply by the leads you want each month for a media budget, then add a management fee. If the cost per click that needs is below what your market charges, the campaign will not work at that budget, and it is better to know in week one.
How long before SEM works?
The paid half can bring enquiries within days of going live, though the first four to six weeks usually go on gathering data and cutting waste, so early numbers are rarely the real numbers. The organic half and AI visibility run on a much longer clock, months rather than weeks. Any agency that puts a firm date on an organic result is guessing, and we do not guarantee rankings for that reason.
Should my SEM agency also handle AI search?
It helps if one team handles both, because the work overlaps. The pages that make you quotable in an AI answer are often the pages that improve your ad landing page quality and your organic rankings. What matters more than who does it is that someone measures it. If nobody in your business has checked whether ChatGPT names you when a buyer asks for a recommendation, that check costs nothing and takes ten minutes.
Why do Google and ChatGPT recommend completely different agencies?
They build answers from different material. Google’s organic results reward pages that are well optimised for a specific query, so agencies with a strong page targeting “SEM agency” tend to win there. ChatGPT in our test leaned on business listings, review counts and third party directory pages, then wrote a shortlist from those. So an agency with a strong local profile and plenty of reviews can dominate the AI answer while being invisible organically, and the reverse happens just as often. Run both checks yourself.
Where to go from here
Take three names off this list, run the same two checks for your own category, and ask each agency the questions in the retainer section above. That will tell you more than any list, this one included.
If you want a second opinion on an account you already have running, we are happy to look at it and tell you what we would change. Our Google Ads page explains how we work, and there is no obligation to go further than a conversation.
