Tamer Saglambilek, founder of Elevate Digital, AdCalls, and the Dutch Search Awards, has played a pivotal role in advancing digital marketing across Western Europe.
In this interview, he shares key lessons from his 13-year journey—covering strategic specialization, adapting to SEO trends, and fostering long-term client relationships. Tamer’s insights offer valuable guidance on building resilient digital strategies and staying ahead in an ever-evolving market.
1. Does Elevate Digital work only with customers from the Netherlands or worldwide?
Elevate Digital serves a diverse range of clients, not just from the Netherlands but across Western Europe. Our expertise and tailored AI solutions have allowed us to build relationships with brands beyond our local market, helping them expand in this competitive region.
2. What have been some pivotal moments or decisions that helped shape Elevate Digital’s trajectory and growth for 13 years?
Some key moments include adopting AI-driven tools early on to enhance our services, investing in specialized talent to keep up with industry trends, and focusing on verticals like Home & Living, Fashion, and Lifestyle. Launching collaborations with significant industry players and winning awards that validated our strategies also greatly impacted our growth.
We decided to focus on the Home & Living, Fashion, and Lifestyle industries when we reached a point of rapid growth in client numbers and realized we couldn’t onboard everyone effectively.
This prompted us to take a closer look at our portfolio, where we found that these industries already made up over half of our client base — and they were also the ones we enjoyed working with the most. Specializing in these areas has also made it easier to attract new talent who are excited to work with clients in these fields, creating a win-win situation for both our team and our clients.
For example, we’ve collaborated with brands like Gassan Diamonds, focusing on optimizing their digital strategy and enhancing their reach in the luxury market. Another is Buddha to Buddha, where our partnership centered on refining their digital approach and boosting performance across European markets.
Additionally, our award-winning work with Pip Studio has been particularly rewarding, as we’ve helped them reach a broader lifestyle-oriented audience through data-driven marketing. These partnerships showcase our deep understanding of these industries and enable us to continuously innovate within our specialized focus areas.
3. If you could go back 13 years, what advice would you give yourself as a founder?
I would advise myself to trust the process more and not rush growth at the expense of stability. Building meaningful client relationships, investing in a robust team, and staying adaptable are crucial.
4. Could you share a significant challenge you encountered in the agency’s early years and how you overcame it?
In the early years, one of the main challenges was establishing credibility in a saturated market. We overcame this by focusing on measurable results, showcasing case studies, and engaging in transparent communication with clients, which built trust and long-term partnerships.
5. For what purpose did you launch the Dutch Search Awards? Does this help your agency grow in any way?
The Dutch Search Awards were launched to celebrate excellence in the search marketing industry and highlight best practices and innovation.
While its main purpose is to recognize industry leaders, it has indirectly benefited Elevate Digital by positioning us as thought leaders and connecting us with like-minded professionals and potential clients.
6. What tasks do you currently perform in the agency as a managing partner that you cannot delegate to others?
I personally handle strategic partnerships, high-level client relationship management, and long-term vision planning. These responsibilities require a deep understanding of our client’s unique challenges and goals, which can only come from years of experience and involvement.
7. SEO has changed drastically over the years. What challenges did Elevate Digital face adapting to the major algorithm shifts and trends?
One major challenge was keeping up with Google’s algorithm updates while maintaining consistent client results. We tackled this by investing heavily in R&D, attending industry conferences, and running continuous training for our team to ensure we’re always equipped to pivot our strategies.
Our R&D team is dedicated to finding scalable ways to optimize and automate a wide range of SEO and digital marketing activities using AI. They’re currently developing AI solutions that generate content based on seasonal trends and can update this content in real-time on clients’ websites.
This approach leverages data from external keyword research tools and Google Ads, allowing us to stay relevant and responsive to changes in consumer behavior. Additionally, the team is focused on automating technical SEO processes and setting up A/B testing, ensuring we deliver impactful results efficiently.
This keeps Elevate Digital agile, continuously innovating in our approach to SEO and digital marketing.
8. How have client expectations in the SEO industry changed, and what has been your approach to educating clients on the evolving nature of SEO?
Clients now expect faster results and more holistic, data-driven strategies. Our approach has been proactive education through workshops, detailed reporting, and one-on-one discussions.We emphasize transparency and help clients understand that SEO is an evolving, long-term strategy.
We manage this expectation by being transparent from the start about SEO’s long-term nature. While fast results aren’t always guaranteed, we focus on “quick wins” like technical optimizations or content adjustments that can yield early improvements.
However, delivering rapid results is only achievable when combined with a holistic approach, where Google Ads, Meta, TikTok, and SEO all play a role, along with website optimization and development. This balanced strategy helps us meet immediate goals while building a foundation for sustained growth.
9. What emerging SEO trends do you think will shape the next five years of digital marketing?
AI-driven SEO, user experience optimization, and voice search will continue to grow. Additionally, the increasing emphasis on E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) will push agencies to prioritize quality and credibility in content strategies.
10. Could you share an SEO strategy or approach that is often overlooked but has delivered exceptional results for your clients?
Leveraging data from user behavior analysis to create hyper-personalized content strategies is often underestimated. By understanding what users are searching for and how they interact with websites, we’ve been able to enhance both ranking and engagement.
11. What advice would you give to agency founders starting out in SEO today?
For agency founders, my advice is to focus on mastering the fundamentals, building a strong client portfolio, and staying committed to continuous learning and adaptation. Choose a specialty early on and invest in the right technology and people.
Prioritize outbound sales through cold acquisition, network events, and maintaining a strong LinkedIn presence to drive growth and visibility.
12. Do you recommend that people who start their agency go niche by industry or country?
Starting with a niche by industry can often provide more focused expertise and faster growth. However, starting in a specific country, especially if it’s less saturated, can also yield success by establishing a strong market presence.
13. How do you see SEO trends in the Netherlands compared to global trends? Are there unique challenges or opportunities within the Dutch market?
The Netherlands is unique in that it’s an early adopter of digital innovations but also values localized strategies. There are challenges in terms of language and competition, but opportunities arise from the Dutch consumer’s openness to new technology and engagement with well-crafted content.
14. With Elevate Digital’s extensive experience in the Dutch market, what insights do you have about local SEO strategies that could benefit international companies?
Prioritizing a blend of local and international SEO can be powerful. Tapping into local trends, language nuances, and partnerships within the region can help global companies resonate more effectively with Dutch consumers, creating more personalized experiences that build loyalty.
