Short version
In my study of 19 web agencies, smaller businesses with DA scores from 12 to 22 compete near the top of the results. Their pages suggest three priorities: match the query, earn relevant links to that page, and answer pricing questions. The data supports a working hypothesis, not a guaranteed formula for rankings.
For “website laten maken” (having a website built) in the Netherlands, a hosting company ranks first with Domain Authority of 70 and 46,561 linking domains. A one-page agency site with DA 15 ranks second. Another agency with DA 15 and 94 linking domains ranks third. The gap in link profiles is large, but the smaller agencies are still near the top. I compared link data, SERP snapshots, and the pages themselves across nineteen web agencies to understand what those smaller competitors have in common.
What the data shows
This is the third article in a series. In the web agency benchmark, I track monthly PageSpeed scores for agencies on page 1 for “website laten maken” in Belgium and the Netherlands. In the study of nineteen web agencies, I investigated how sites with low lab scores can still rank highly. This article considers what smaller agencies can learn from those observations.
The numbers come from the same research: Moz link data from September 11, 2026; SERP snapshots from a rank-tracking API on September 10 and 11; and an on-page analysis of the ten highest-ranking URLs. Positions differed between snapshots, so the table uses ranges where appropriate. This is a small observational sample for one query, with results retrieved through a data-center connection. It cannot establish what caused a ranking or how quickly an agency can improve.
Small versus giant: the numbers
The Spearman rank correlation between the ranking page’s PA and its position was −0.52, the strongest association in the dataset. The correlation between DA and position was −0.20. Page Authority was more closely associated with rankings in this sample, but that does not prove that domain-level links are unimportant or that PA causes rankings.
| Agency | Position | DA | PA | Linking domains | Ranks with |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yourhosting (NL) | #1 | 70 | 49 | 46,561 | landing page |
| WJ Webdesign (NL) | #2 | 15 | 39 | ±100 | homepage with pricing |
| Webstijn (NL) | #3-5 | 15 | 15 | 94 | landing page |
| Inspira (BE) | #1-2 | 22 | 29 | 439 | pricing blog post |
| Conversal (BE) | #2-3 | 33 | 43 | 411 | landing page |
| Adworkx (BE) | #5-6 | 12 | 24 | — | landing page, 580 words |
| Straffe Sites (ref.) | Position 17 | 18 | 17 | 306 | website cost guide |
PA is the Moz Page Authority of the page listed under “Ranks with” (measured September 11, 2026). The WJ Webdesign entry of ±100 refers to the commercial exact-match anchor subset reported in the research, not its total domain-level linking domains. It should not be compared directly with the whole-domain totals in the other rows. The table also combines Belgian and Dutch results; a Belgian position does not show that an agency outranked Yourhosting in the Dutch results.
I include our own site as a reference: with DA 18 and 306 linking domains, we are not on page 1 for this term yet. Our website cost guide ranks at position 17 in the Netherlands. This analysis is a working hypothesis for our own decisions, not a strategy we can claim has already worked for us.
Match the page to the query
Of the nineteen agencies, sixteen rank with a URL other than their homepage: eight with a landing page, four with a blog post, three with a service page, and one with an FAQ page. That suggests looking closely at the page that answers the query, not only the agency behind it. Pricing is prominent in these results: nine of the twenty snippets include pricing information.
A small agency’s high-ranking pricing guide
Inspira is a useful example. With DA 22 and 439 linking domains, it has a smaller link profile than the hosting giant, yet it ranks near the top in Belgium. Its ranking blog post answers a likely question behind the search: what does a website cost? The title closely matches the question, and the page discusses prices from €995 to €15,000. It shows how a focused page can address a specific need; it does not prove that authority played no role.
What the winners do on the page itself
The ten highest-ranking URLs share several features. All ten include the exact search term in the title and h1. Nine show prices, and nine have FAQ structured data alongside visible questions. Adworkx, a small agency observed in the top 5, covers these points on a 580-word page. That is a useful reminder to answer the question directly rather than write to an arbitrary word count.
Earn relevant links to the page
Yourhosting’s link profile reflects the scale of its hosting business. The anchor data includes 11,285 linking domains with empty anchor text, 10,556 with “contact,” and 9,780 with “algemene voorwaarden,” the Dutch term for terms and conditions. The research identified footer links from hosted client sites as part of this profile. A small agency is unlikely to reproduce that volume, and these counts alone do not tell us how much it affected rankings.
Where small agencies get their links
Smaller agencies show different patterns. WJ Webdesign has 70 linking domains using “website laten maken” as anchor text; Conversal has 144 using the same phrase. Kreatix has brand anchors from client sites, including “website gemaakt door kreatix” (website made by Kreatix), from 72 linking domains. These are useful leads for understanding the link profiles, but anchor counts alone do not show which destination pages received every link or prove why those pages ranked.
What I think of this
WJ and Conversal have both exact-match anchors and high rankings in this sample. That is not enough to prove the tactic works, and links arranged to manipulate rankings carry a risk under Google’s spam policies. My advice is to publish case studies worth sharing and ask clients whether they want to mention completed work. When a link is appropriate, its destination should be useful to the reader, not chosen solely to influence a ranking.
Answer pricing questions directly
Nine of the ten highest-ranking pages publish prices. The snippets include starting prices of €249 and ranges reaching €100,000. That makes pricing a prominent part of this query’s results, though it does not prove that publishing a price caused the ranking or won the click. If exact pricing is impractical, a range with a clear explanation of what changes the cost can still answer a reader’s question. Whether to publish one remains a business decision.
What this study does not support
This study does not support chasing a higher Lighthouse score as a complete ranking strategy. Lab scores had a slight positive correlation with position number: higher scores tended to go with worse rankings. That does not mean performance improvements are useless. Likewise, DA alone does not explain the observed positions. And sixteen of the nineteen ranking URLs are not homepages, so it is worth asking whether a dedicated page would answer the query better. These are priorities to investigate, not proof that the alternatives never work.
Your first three steps
As a small agency or freelancer, start with the customer’s question:
- Write down the search query and check which of your pages answers it best. Improve that page, or create one if none is suitable.
- Answer the likely follow-up questions clearly. Explain what affects the cost and include a price range if it fits your business policy.
- Promote useful work through relevant client and partner relationships. Link to the most helpful page in each context and track rankings monthly.
These are starting points, not an exhaustive SEO checklist or a promise of results.
I use the benchmark and this study to question our own choices too. For a practical way to assess your pages, read my guide to higher search engine rankings. For help building a site around those decisions, see our website development services.