Clutch-Powered Growth: How Funnel Boost Media Leverages Clutch to Compete with the Biggest SEO Firms

Funnel Boost Media began in 2012 with Ryan Duncan running the show in San Antonio. In 2017, Jacob Dial joined as a partner, bringing the drive and hustle that would help scale the agency. The two quickly realized that competing nationally against well-funded SEO firms wasn’t going to happen by local networking alone. They needed a strategy to get their name in front of serious clients across the country.

With a small team and big ambitions, they turned to Clutch. The platform became their bridge to new markets, a way to showcase credibility, and ultimately, the tool that helped Funnel Boost Media go from a two-bedroom apartment operation to a nationally recognized SEO agency.

“We’re probably a top 15 company on the national scale now… a lot of that because of Clutch,” said Jacob Dial, Co-Founder of Funnel Boost Media. 

The Challenge: Competing Nationally in a Crowded SEO Landscape

Before Clutch, the team relied heavily on local networking including chamber meetings, early-morning meetups at local businesses, and golf course lunches — work that produced some business but wasn’t sustainable.

Funnel Boost Media needed a way to:

• Break out of San Antonio
• Get visibility in other local markets across the U.S.
• Compete with large SEO firms backed by multiple rounds of investor funding
• Appear in the same spaces as national competitors without spending millions

Clutch quickly became the solution.

“Clutch gave us exposure to the market outside of where the business was located… We can be a fantastic SEO company, but ranking nationally against companies with huge budgets is really difficult. Clutch allows you to have your name close to them without having to spend millions,” said Duncan. 

Driving National Reach, Higher SEO Rankings, and a Surge in Qualified Leads

Funnel Boost Media joined Clutch in 2018, initially attracted by the platform’s ability to deliver meaningful visibility beyond their region. After investing in a sponsorship and connecting with a seasoned account manager, they experienced a larger surge of growth. 

Today, Clutch is a core driver of their national expansion.

Expanding Beyond Texas

Clutch expanded Funnel Boost Media’s reach far beyond Texas, exposing them to buyers in hundreds of local markets nationwide. “Now probably only 30% of our client base is in Texas… Clutch has exposed us to hundreds of local markets all across the United States,” said Duncan.

Through strategic sponsorships, the agency now holds:

• #1 position on the Top SEO Companies USA directory
• Top 6 placement on the Clutch global flagship SEO directory

This level of visibility pushed them into top-tier competitive territory: “We’re probably a top 15 company on the national scale now… a lot of that because of Clutch,” said Dial. 

Reliable Inbound Leads that Convert

Clutch has become one of Funnel Boost Media’s most reliable and cost-efficient sources of inbound demand. The agency consistently receives around 30 high-quality leads per month from their core directory placement, with an additional 84 leads last month coming from the Clutch PPL program. With a typical cost per lead ranging $500–$1,200, Clutch remains one of their strongest channels in terms of ROI.

But volume is only part of the story. The team emphasizes that Clutch leads convert because buyers arrive informed, prepared, and ready to engage.

“Clutch leads are high-quality leads,” said Dial. “They’re usually talking to serious buyers.”

Even competing alongside much larger enterprise agencies, their smaller size often becomes a strategic advantage by giving clients the attention, personalization, and accessibility big firms can’t match.

“We’re probably the smallest company in the top 10… and that’s an advantage for us,” Dial added. 

Unattributed ROI & The Halo Effect

A temporary pause in their Clutch spend in 2024 revealed just how much indirect value the platform drives.

“We canceled quite a bit of the Clutch budget… and noticed our organic and non-tagged traffic dropped significantly,” said Duncan. “That let us know Clutch was bringing in a lot [of traffic] that wasn’t attributed to it.”

Even when leads don’t show up as “Clutch” in analytics, the impact is clear: branded search increases, organic traffic rises, and the agency’s overall visibility strengthens, creating a measurable multiplier effect.

Successful Partnership: Bitman & O’Brien Law Firm

One of the strongest examples of long-term value came from a Clutch lead early in their investment cycle.

Funnel Boost Media earned a multi-year partnership with Bitman & O’Brien, a prominent law firm representing high-profile clients including major celebrities. The relationship began through Clutch in early 2021, before the agency had a significant budget to spend.

“We’ve been doing business with [Bitman & O’Brien] for probably four years now… and it’s been a win-win for both parties,” said Duncan.

The success of this partnership is now showcased in a public case study, with the firm’s permission for Clutch to reference it — highlighting the tangible, lasting impact of Funnel Boost Media’s Clutch-driven leads.

Looking Ahead: Growth, Guidance, and Why Clutch Remains Central

Funnel Boost Media is targeting 30% growth in 2026, with Clutch remaining a key driver of that ambition. 

Duncan and Dial stress that Clutch is more than a lead source. It is a trusted strategic partner, rare in the lead generation space. Duncan notes, "We like doing business with Clutch. Clutch does business in a way that is palatable, unlike a lot of companies in the lead space."

Their advice to agencies considering Clutch is clear: build credibility first, then scale strategically. Dial advises, "Get five reviews. Get on the list for your city. That should be the first step."

Funnel Boost Media demonstrates that when reviews, positioning, and sponsorship are aligned, Clutch can help smaller agencies compete nationally and generate steady inbound leads.

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