I am the COO and co-founder of Search Atlas Group, and I’ve scaled our AI-powered search marketing company from $2M to $30M ARR in five years—profitably, fully remote, and without massive VC funding—through operational excellence and a contrarian multi-brand strategy.
Today, our 250+ employee company operates 3 distinct brands across enterprise, mid-market, and SMB segments, positioning us at the forefront of Answer Engine Optimization as traditional SEO undergoes its most significant transformation in decades.
The Contrarian Start: Agency-First in a Software World
While most tech entrepreneurs chase SaaS from day one, my co-founder Manick Bhan and I took a different path in 2019. We launched LinkGraph, an enterprise SEO agency, before building software.
Starting with the agency was strategic. It generated immediate revenue, funded our product development, and most importantly, built enterprise relationships that would inform everything we built later. We were solving real problems for real clients, not building in a vacuum.
That agency-first approach proved prescient. LinkGraph scaled to $10M ARR by 2022, serving major enterprise clients including Roto-Rooter, Shutterfly, and Serena & Lily. More importantly, it revealed market gaps that would shape our flagship AI product, OTTO SEO.
Building for Scale: Remote Operations as Competitive Advantage
Another contrarian call I made was building Search Atlas as remote-first from day one, pre-pandemic, when most companies still viewed remote work skeptically.
Remote wasn’t just about geography. It was about building scalable operational systems from the ground up. We implemented documentation culture, async-first communication, and output-based performance management that could scale to hundreds of employees across dozens of countries.
That infrastructure became our secret weapon. While competitors struggled with remote transitions during the pandemic, we seamlessly scaled from 50 to 150 employees.
Our performance management system focuses on outcomes rather than hours, enabling high-performing team members across time zones and work styles to thrive—an increasingly relevant model as AI search marketing demands rapid iteration and cross-functional collaboration.
Strategic Expansion: The Signal Genesys Acquisition
In 2022, I led our first major M&A transaction: the acquisition of Signal Genesys, a press release distribution platform. This expanded our portfolio to 3 brands and showcased my operational leadership.
Many companies acquire and then struggle with integration; we did not. I successfully integrated operations, go-to-market strategies, and product synergies across 3 distinct business models.
The acquisition created an ecosystem approach that differentiated us from competitors offering point solutions. Clients could now access enterprise SEO services, AI-powered search marketing software, and press distribution through one unified partner.
OTTO SEO: Years in the Making, Built by Practitioners
The 2024 launch of OTTO SEO represented the culmination of years of product development informed by real client needs. I oversaw the entire launch process—from product positioning to sales strategy, customer success infrastructure, and marketing coordination.
OTTO wasn’t built by engineers who thought they understood SEO. It was built by practitioners solving problems we encountered daily with enterprise clients. That’s why it’s positioned for Answer Engine Optimization, not just traditional SEO.
As AI-powered answer engines transform search behavior, traditional SEO tactics are becoming obsolete. OTTO SEO helps businesses optimize for how AI systems surface and present information.
The multi-segment go-to-market strategy I designed targets enterprise clients through LinkGraph upsells, mid-market companies through product-led growth, and SMBs through digital marketing partnerships—maximizing reach across the market.
Market Validation: $30M ARR and Industry Recognition
Search Atlas was awarded “Best SEO Global Software Suite” at the 2024 Global Search Awards, validating our technology positioning and my operational execution. We hit $30M ARR, 15x growth from 2019, profitably and without massive VC rounds.
Reaching $30M ARR without burning enormous capital proves there’s an alternative path: operational excellence, strategic growth, and building what customers actually need.
While competitors raised hundreds of millions and struggled with product-market fit, we grew methodically through revenue generation and strategic acquisitions.
The accolades continued to pile up. Capterra named Search Atlas the #1 SEO Platform of 2024, with the platform maintaining a 4.9 out of 5 average rating. Software Advice selected Search Atlas as a Front Runner for SEO Platform, while GetApp designated it as a Category Leader. Gartner voted Search Atlas the #1 SEO platform for customer satisfaction and usability.
Search Atlas earned the “Best AI Search Software Solution” award at the Global Search Awards 2025, cementing its position as a leader in AI-powered search marketing
Visionary Leadership in AI Search Marketing Evolution
My leadership extends beyond operational metrics. I have positioned Search Atlas Group at the intersection of three major trends: the AI transformation of search, the rise of answer engines, and the shift from manual to agentic marketing.
I often say that the next five years will see more change in search marketing than the previous twenty. Companies that understand Answer Engine Optimization, that build AI into their workflows, and that think in terms of agent-driven marketing are the ones that will dominate.
My vision has shaped Search Atlas Group’s product roadmap, with OTTO SEO incorporating AI capabilities that automate previously manual SEO tasks while maintaining the strategic thinking that separates high-performing campaigns from mediocre ones.
Team members describe me as an inspiring leader who maintains high standards while empowering employees to own their domains. My operational playbook emphasizes clear documentation, autonomous decision-making, and accountability—creating a culture where distributed teams execute with the precision of co-located ones.
The Operational Playbook: Lessons from $2M to $30M
My scale-up approach offers lessons for other AI marketing companies:
Start with revenue generation, not just product development. The agency-first model funded growth and provided market intelligence that informed better product decisions.
Build scalable systems early. Remote-first infrastructure, documentation culture, and output-based management scaled from 50 to 250+ employees without major restructuring.
Think ecosystem, not point solutions. The multi-brand portfolio addresses different customer needs and creates competitive moats through integration and complementary offerings.
Time major launches carefully. OTTO SEO launched as the market shifted toward Answer Engine Optimization, positioning Search Atlas as a leader rather than a follower.
Prioritize profitability over growth-at-all-costs. Sustainable unit economics and strategic acquisitions created durable competitive advantages.
Looking Forward: Agentic Marketing and the Next Phase
As Search Atlas Group enters its next growth phase, I am focused on agentic marketing—where AI agents handle complex, multi-step marketing tasks with minimal human intervention.
I see the industry moving from tools that assist marketers to agents that execute marketing strategies. OTTO SEO is evolving to enable that future, where businesses set strategic goals and AI agents optimize search presence across traditional engines and AI answer platforms.
We are also expanding our enterprise offering, leveraging LinkGraph’s relationships to introduce OTTO SEO to Fortune 500 companies facing the Answer Engine Optimization challenge.
With 250+ employees, three proven brands, and $30M in annual recurring revenue, I’ve built one of the fastest-growing AI search marketing companies by focusing on what many startups overlook: operational excellence, sustainable growth, and solving real customer problems.
We’re just getting started. The transformation happening in search creates massive opportunities for companies that combine practitioner expertise, operational discipline, and genuine AI innovation. That’s exactly what we’ve built.
About Sophia Deluz-Bhan
Sophia Deluz-Bhan is COO and co-founder of Search Atlas Group, which she scaled from $2M to $30M ARR while raising her daughter, Ruby. She operates Paz Sanctuary, an animal rescue across two countries, and has built Search Atlas as a fully remote organization of 250+ employees. Search Atlas was awarded Best SEO Software Suite (Global Search Awards 2024), Best AI Search Software Solution (Global Search Awards 2025), and named #1 SEO Platform by Capterra with a 4.9/5 rating. Sophia advocates for work-life integration over balance and designs operational systems that enable working mothers to lead without sacrificing presence.
