Launching a business is like preparing for a marathon - you can't expect to win without putting in the necessary effort. A successful business requires preparation, with marketing as the key to crossing the finish line ahead of your peers.

That is why search engine optimization (SEO) is critical to ensure your website is a top contender in the search results.

And what would SEO be without one of its first pioneers, Bruce Clay? Starting in the 90s, the term SEO was popularized by Bruce, who is fondly known as the "Father of SEO."

Fast-forward decades later, and Bruce won acclaim in 2013 with the Lifetime Achievement Award of Excellence in Vision, Execution and Market Influence in the Practice of Search Marketing from the History of SEO advisory board.

Let's look closer at Bruce and his company's contributions to the SEO industry.

A Pioneering Force in SEO: Bruce Clay Inc.

BCI has been going strong since January 1996. Back then, Bruce put his newfound knowledge of SEO to good use and launched Bruce Clay Inc. (BCI), which changed the face of SEO forever.

BCI started as a one-man show, with Bruce working from a laptop at his kitchen table, even before Google was made mainstream.

From humble beginnings, BCI helped pave the way for many in the world of SEO. In fact, it would not be an overstatement to say that Bruce and his company helped launch the careers of many experts in the industry today.

Nearly three decades later, BCI has come a long way from a laptop in a kitchen to what it is today: A far-reaching global brand that works with some of the biggest brands out there.

Expertise: What Differentiates BCI Today

BCI believes in making every project its best one.

To help accomplish this, the company only hires experts in their fields. In fact, BCI only works with professionals who have no less than ten years of experience in their craft.

Because BCI has such high standards for employment, the company intentionally keeps its team on the smaller side, with only the best of the best on the payroll.

When you have a small team of hand-picked experts, you don't need a massive team of mediocre workers, as you might find at some other SEO agencies.

Today, the company is a leading name in SEO and complements its services with top-notch search, social ad management, and content development.

In addition to the agency's SEO services, the company offers world-renowned SEO training and proprietary SEO tools.

With a fierce dedication to ethical SEO, Bruce Clay Inc. has upheld the highest standards of SEO time and again.

Just ask the agency's clients. Joe Riley, president of National Drug Screening Services, says this of BCI: "Choosing Bruce Clay SEO services turned out to be the best decision for our website SEO and business growth."

Whether it's through its flagship SEO and digital marketing services, its popular SEO training, or proprietary SEOTools, BCI has made SEO more accessible to businesses and professionals all over the world than most SEO companies out there.

Check out Bruce's LinkedIn and his company website to learn more and stay on top of current SEO strategies.