StudioHawk
Prahran-born SEO specialist with 120+ staff across Melbourne, Sydney, London and Atlanta
- Founded
- 2015
- Team size
- 51-200
- Headquarters
- Melbourne, Australia
- Hourly rate
- $150/hr
Overview
About StudioHawk
StudioHawk is a dedicated SEO agency founded in Melbourne in 2015 and now one of the largest search-only shops in Australia. It handles technical SEO, eCommerce SEO, digital PR, migrations and AI search visibility for brands such as Officeworks and City Beach, with offices in Sydney, London and Atlanta.
StudioHawk started in Melbourne in 2015 when founder Harry Sanders set out to build an agency that does nothing except search engine optimisation. A decade later it has grown into one of Australia’s biggest SEO-only firms, claiming more than 120 specialists and running its head office out of Prahran, with further teams in Sydney, London and Atlanta. Day-to-day leadership includes chief of staff Lawrence Hitches and head of SEO Charbel Raffoul.
The service menu is broad but stays inside organic search. Technical audits, eCommerce SEO, enterprise programs, local SEO, digital PR and link acquisition sit alongside website migrations and newer work on visibility inside ChatGPT and Gemini answers. A third-party ranking of Melbourne SEO firms notes the agency’s habit of working without traditional account managers, so clients speak to the people doing the work. StudioHawk also runs Hawk Academy, a free SEO training platform, which doubles as evidence that the team documents its methods.
The client list leans toward retail and large catalogues: Officeworks, City Beach, Clarks, PetStock, Kogan and The Good Guys all appear on its site. The agency reports average client ROI of around 300% and cites The Entourage, where leads rose 86% and organic users 58%, though these figures are self-published. It lists four APAC Search Awards wins for Best Large SEO Agency and a Semrush Agency of the Year title.
For buyers, the appeal is depth. A Melbourne SEO agency of this size can field technical, content and PR specialists on one account, which matters for big migrations or sites with thousands of product pages. The trade-off is scope and scale: StudioHawk does not run paid media or social, and very small businesses may find a boutique firm offers more senior time per dollar.
What they do
Services
- Technical SEO
- eCommerce SEO
- Enterprise SEO
- Local SEO
- AI search optimisation (ChatGPT, Gemini)
- Digital PR and link building
- Website migrations
- SEO content writing
- International SEO
- SEO consulting and training
Specializations
Industries served
Ideal client
Who they help
Mid-size and enterprise brands, especially large eCommerce catalogues, that want a specialist SEO team with deep technical bench strength and are happy for search to be the only channel the agency runs.
Pros & cons
Pros
- Large SEO-only team, so specialists rather than generalists run accounts
- Repeated APAC Search Awards wins for Best Large SEO Agency (agency-reported)
- Client roster includes major Australian retailers such as Officeworks and City Beach
- Strong technical and migration capability for big eCommerce sites
- Free training platform (Hawk Academy) signals real in-house expertise
Cons
- Search-only: no paid media or social, so you will need another agency for those
- Scale means smaller clients may not get senior attention
- Few independent review counts on Clutch-style directories relative to its size
Pricing
Notable clients
Awards & recognition
- APAC Search Awards, Best Large SEO Agency (four wins, agency-reported)
- Semrush Agency of the Year (agency-reported)
Common questions
FAQ
-
What services does StudioHawk offer?
StudioHawk offers Technical SEO, eCommerce SEO, Enterprise SEO, Local SEO, AI search optimisation (ChatGPT, Gemini), Digital PR and link building, and more.
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Where is StudioHawk based?
StudioHawk is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia and works with clients remotely worldwide, with additional offices in Sydney (South Eveleigh), NSW, Australia, London, United Kingdom, Atlanta, GA, United States.
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How much does StudioHawk cost?
StudioHawk operates on a monthly retainer model, with an hourly rate of $150/hr, a minimum engagement of $1,000.
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Who is StudioHawk best for?
Mid-size and enterprise brands, especially large eCommerce catalogues, that want a specialist SEO team with deep technical bench strength and are happy for search to be the only channel the agency runs.
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What industries does StudioHawk serve?
StudioHawk serves clients in Retail, eCommerce, SaaS, Financial services, Legal, Healthcare and dental, among others.
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How big is StudioHawk and when was it founded?
StudioHawk was founded in 2015 and has a team of 51-200 people.
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How do I contact StudioHawk?
You can visit studiohawk.com.au, or call 1800 841 126.
Editor’s take
A safe pick for mid-market and enterprise brands that want a large, specialist Melbourne SEO agency. Businesses needing integrated paid and organic under one roof should look elsewhere.
