About 1st Place Design
1st Place Design began operating in August 2000 as a web design service. Frustrated by the limitations of existing SEO solutions at the time, we developed our own systems to deliver better results for clients. After the success of these early projects, our focus quickly shifted towards SEO services and growing our client base.
By 2002, 1st Place Design had achieved the #1 position on Google for the highly competitive term ‘search engine optimisation’ and established relationships with several well known Australian web hosting and design companies including NetRegistry, Hostway, MD Web Hosting and BlueCentral that resold our services.
As the digital marketing industry evolved, so did our systems and services. Our focus has always been on improving performance, streamlining management, and providing practical solutions for both direct clients and reseller partners.
Today, 1st Place Design specialises in Google Ads management, landing page development, and white label solutions backed by more than 25 years of industry experience.
Long term team member Jamie Smith, who joined the company in 2004 and became Managing Director in 2009, continues to oversee day to day operations, reseller support, Google Ads management, and ongoing software development.
Our Journey
2000 – 2005: Building the Foundation
Originally launched as a web design business, 1st Place Design rapidly expanded into dedicated SEO services. By the end of 2004, we were optimising more websites than any other SEO provider in Australia.
2006 – 2016: White Label Growth & Google Ads
During this period, we developed a complete white label solution supported by dedicated in-house management infrastructure designed to scale with demand.
In 2006, we expanded into Google Ads management services. Recognising the limitations of standard reporting tools available at the time, we developed our own customised reporting systems to provide clients with clearer insights into account performance.
Throughout the following decade, we continually refined our systems and processes to adapt to major changes across Google Ads and SEO.
2017 – 2021: Platform Evolution & Client Support
In 2017, we transitioned our reporting and management systems to a new environment designed to support future growth and emerging technologies. Around this time, our primary focus shifted fully towards Google Ads management while continuing to support SEO services for existing website clients.
During the business disruptions of 2020 and 2021, we worked closely with clients to provide additional support during an especially challenging period for many Australian businesses.
2022 – Present: Unified Systems & Ongoing Development
In 2022, 1st Place Design held Google Ads Premier Partner status, reflecting our performance and account management capability at scale. Since then, recent years have focused heavily on consolidating and improving our internally developed software systems. Following multiple platform migrations and refinements, 2026 marked the completion of the latest iteration of our all in one management and reporting platform, the result of more than two decades of continuous development.
Focused on Long Term Efficiency
As demand for affordable and effective Google Ads management continues to grow, 1st Place Design remains committed to ongoing in-house software development. Our goal is to provide user friendly reporting, streamlined management tools, and scalable systems that help both direct clients and reseller partners operate more efficiently and scale with confidence.