Top SEO Specialists in Australia Ranked
The top SEO specialists in Australia for 2026 are Dan Petrovic, Harry Sanders, Brodie Clark, Kate Toon and Jim Stewart. Each place above was earned on two criteria only: demonstrated SEO results and documented SEO knowledge.
In this article we examine each specialist in turn, setting out their background, where they operate and the areas of search in which their record is strongest.
| Rank | Specialist | Based in | Specialises in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dan Petrovic | Brisbane, Australia | Technical SEO, AI SEO |
| 2 | Harry Sanders | Melbourne, Australia | Technical SEO, AI SEO |
| 3 | Brodie Clark | Melbourne, Australia | Technical SEO, Local SEO, Ecommerce SEO |
| 4 | Kate Toon | Sydney, Australia | Local SEO, Ecommerce SEO |
| 5 | Jim Stewart | Melbourne, Australia | Technical SEO |
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Dan Petrovic
Managing director of DEJAN
The top SEO specialist in Australia for 2026 is Dan Petrovic.
Dan Petrovic is an Australian SEO researcher and Managing Director of DEJAN, an Australian company working internationally. His expertise covers technical SEO and Google ranking systems, supported by search data analysis and original experimentation rather than received practice. He holds a long association with Griffith University through guest lectures and advisory work on digital education. His published research into search behaviour and content engagement underpins his work on how Google search continues to develop.
Specialises in:
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Harry Sanders
Founder of StudioHawk
Harry Sanders established StudioHawk in Australia at 17 and built it into a team of more than 100 search specialists. The company has won Best APAC SEO Agency three times and holds the Australian Business Award for Marketing Innovation. Sanders has been named B&T Entrepreneur of the Year and MyBusiness Young Business Leader of the Year. He is an ambassador for the Lighthouse Foundation, which supports young people experiencing homelessness and related difficulty.
Specialises in:
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Brodie Clark
Independent SEO consultant
Brodie Clark has practised organic search independently in Australia for more than 10 years, working with Australian businesses and major publishers including Webjet and 9News alongside international brands. He took Young Search Professional of the Year at the 2019 Australian Search Awards, and Favikon named him the top Australian SEO expert for 2026. He has presented at Sydney SEO Conference and is quoted as an industry commentator in the Australian Financial Review and other business publications.
Specialises in:
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Kate Toon
SEO copywriter and educator
Kate Toon founded The Recipe for SEO Success, an Australian education platform that has helped more than 10,000 businesses navigate SEO and Google. She created Australia's first DIY SEO course, opening search optimisation to business owners with no technical background. She also built a high ranking website that produced a steady client pipeline for her own business, so the teaching comes from having done it. Serpstat named her No. 1 Woman in SEO, and Semrush recognised her community.
Specialises in:
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Jim Stewart
Founder and chief executive of StewArt Media
Jim Stewart has more than 20 years of hands on search experience in Australia, and as founder and CEO of StewArt Media has worked with established organisations and fast growing challengers alike, including Telstra and Tony Bianco. His marketing blog has been recognised by SmartCompany, and his expertise features on Sky News and ABC774. He has published weekly educational videos since 2005, which is an unbroken twenty year record of explaining search as it changed.
Specialises in:
How the Australia Specialist Ranking Is Assessed
Our assessment team scores organic performance in the Australian market on strength, consistency and the difficulty of what was achieved, including whether the same specialist has repeated it elsewhere. Documented knowledge is scored separately, from research, technical analysis and published case work open to inspection. The two scores are added to produce placement. Visibility within the local industry is not a factor.
Questions And Answers
What should I look for in an SEO specialist in Australia?
Look for demonstrable results and public evidence of past work, such as documented case studies or client outcomes you can verify. A strong reputation among other Australian practitioners is also worth checking, since genuine expertise tends to be recognised by peers rather than just claimed.
Does it matter which state or city an Australian SEO specialist is based in?
For most SEO disciplines, location matters less than the specialist's track record. Local SEO is the exception, where familiarity with a specific city's search behaviour and competitors genuinely helps.
How long does SEO take to show results for an Australian business?
Most Australian businesses start seeing measurable movement within three to six months, with stronger results building over six to twelve months. Timelines depend on the competitiveness of the market, the starting condition of the website and how consistently the work is carried out.