search engine optimization software program startup Moz acquired by iContact Advertising and marketing Corp., 17 years after launching in Seattle
(Moz photo)
The SEO software startup Moz was taken over by the email marketing company iContact, a subsidiary of J2 Global. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Rand Fishkin and his mother Gillian Muessig founded the Seattle-based company Moz in 2004. The company, originally known as SEOMoz, grew into one of Seattle’s top startups, although its journey has not always gone smoothly. Moz, which has made a name for itself for its corporate transparency, cut 28% of its workforce in 2016 and went through financial problems in 2013.
Moz was ranked # 10 on GeekWire 200, our list of the leading private technology companies in the Pacific Northwest. The startup is profitable and growing. It refused to provide sales figures.
Companies like Alaska Airlines and Zillow Group use Moz to optimize their SEO and rank higher in search engine results. Search and SEO are still a growing industry, even more than two decades after companies like Google and Yahoo started on the desktop. The proliferation of mobile devices and other additional places where users conduct online searches, including in mobile apps and shopping sites like Amazon, has created a constant demand for SEO services.
The Moz brand will remain intact under its new owner. iContact helped deliver 68 billion emails to small and medium-sized businesses last year. The company works with its sibling brands Campaigner, SMTP, and Kickbox, all of which are owned by J2 Global, a publicly traded company that had revenue of $ 398 million in the first quarter, up 20% year over year.
Moz co-founder Rand Fishkin (right) and Moz CEO Sarah Bird. (Moz photo)
Moz will join J2’s email marketing brands and pool resources to support their common customer base with search strategies and analytics.
“The shared focus on delivering high-performing digital marketing solutions fits our brand, our people and our community perfectly,” said Moz CEO Sarah Bird, a former attorney who took over as CEO in 2013.
Moz has 177 employees. The company acquired six other startups and had raised $ 29.1 million in debt.
“When we ask our customers what we routinely do, what they need as the most important tool besides email, then it is undoubtedly SEO. So there’s a great combination of SEO and email marketing, ”said Michael Pepe, president of iContact, in a video announcement.
Fishkin left Moz in 2018 and left the board in September 2020. He now heads the Seattle marketing startup SparkToro.
