Design Rush is part of our SEO strategy

Most agency directories are pointless.

You know the type. Lists claiming to show the “Top 10 Web Design Agencies in London” or “Best App Developers in the UK.” Usually paid placements, padded with fluff, linking to agencies no serious founder has ever heard of.

As someone who’s helped build digital platforms for brands like Nuffield Health, Catch, and Orbus Software, I can tell you, these directories rarely drive qualified leads. Not the kind who know what they want. Not the kind ready to build.

And yet, they keep popping up in pitches and SEO decks like they’re a serious growth lever.

They’re not.

Not unless you treat them differently.

Because here’s the thing: directories can still work , but only if they show up where your buyers are actually searching. That’s the difference between vanity and visibility. And that’s what led us, unexpectedly, to DesignRush. (https://www.designrush.com)

(But not for the reason you might think.)

When one of the team suggested submitting Ronins to DesignRush, my gut reaction was a firm no.

I’ve seen too many of these sites cluttering the search results, more badge factory than buyer funnel. But this time, I didn’t dismiss it outright. We ran the numbers.

DesignRush pulls in over half a million visits a month, and more importantly, it was ranking on page one for the exact phrases our ideal clients were typing into Google:

That changed the conversation.

This wasn’t a credibility play. It was a commercial test:

No fluff. Just logic. If someone’s searching for agencies like ours and DesignRush shows up first, we’d rather they find Ronins than a holding page portfolio.

It was never about ego.

It was about showing up at the moment of intent, with something sharp, clear and relevant.

And that’s exactly what we built the profile to do.

We didn’t treat it like a trophy.

No “Top 10” badge slapped on our homepage. No humblebragging on LinkedIn. No pretending it meant more than it did.

Instead, we approached DesignRush the same way we approach any marketing channel:

Does it drive the right traffic, to the right place, at the right moment?

So we wrote the listing like a landing page:

Then we set up tracking, referral source, dwell time, CTA clicks, and slotted it into our wider SEO model: one high authority backlink supporting a value-led content ecosystem, not just a numbers play.

Most agencies use these directories to tick a box.

We used it to test a signal.

And that’s the difference.

It wasn’t a tactic. It was an experiment in discoverability, where clarity and timing beat badges and placement.

The result? Not noise. Not vanity metrics.

Leads. Real ones.

The kind who knew what they wanted… and were ready to move.

Within a few weeks of going live, the signal came through.

Not vanity traffic. Not random clicks. But qualified leads, from scale up founders and marketing directors who’d already done their homework and were now looking for a serious digital partner.

We saw:

That’s not noise. That’s commercial momentum.

And it proved the point: when a directory ranks ahead of your website for your most valuable keywords, ignoring it is just handing the traffic to someone else.

This wasn’t a one-size-fits-all strategy.

It was a decision rooted in buyer psychology and search behaviour, the kind of thinking we bring to every SEO and CRO engagement.

Because in the end, visibility only matters if it shows up at the right moment, with the right message, for the right audience.

And DesignRush, surprisingly, did all three.

Here’s what this whole thing really taught us:

Being seen isn’t the same as being considered.

And being listed isn’t the same as being found, at the moment someone’s ready to buy.

Most agencies still chase visibility like it’s a numbers game. Get on the list. Rank for the term. Grab the badge.

But if none of that shows up when your ideal client is actively searching… what’s the point?

Intent is everything.

At Ronins, we don’t just want attention. We want qualified consideration , from founders, CMOs and tech leads who are ready to move, build, or solve something.

That’s why DesignRush mattered. Not because of the badge. But because it put us in the right place at the right time, with a message designed to convert, not just impress.

It’s the same thinking behind everything we build:

Visibility without intent is just noise.

But visibility with intent? That’s where the work starts to pay off.

If you’re tempted to throw your agency or startup onto the next “Top 50” list that hits your inbox, hit pause.

Before you submit a thing, ask yourself:

If the directory doesn’t show up for terms like “best fintech web agency London” or “ecommerce app developers UK”, skip it. Visibility only matters if it intersects with intent.

Use tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush. Check traffic volume. See where it’s coming from. If it’s mostly overseas or bounce heavy, it’s not your customer.

Look at domain authority (ideally DR60+). Is the page indexed? Does Google actually trust it? This is about SEO quality, not just quantity.

Some directories bury your link or overload with ads. If the user can’t find you quickly, they won’t click through. You’re fuelling their lead funnel, not yours.

If the answer’s no, move on. You don’t need more noise. You need more signal.

Bottom line: If the directory doesn’t bring you closer to a commercial outcome , it doesn’t belong in your strategy.

Too many founders and CMOs are still chasing tactics.

Ticking the SEO checklist. Piling on blog posts. Paying for “premium placement” in directories no real buyer ever reads.

It looks like momentum. But it’s not.

It’s marketing theatre.

At Ronins, we approach SEO like we approach product builds:

DesignRush worked for us because it aligned with that philosophy. Not a tactic, a strategic lever. One touchpoint in a system designed to attract, qualify and convert the right kind of work.

So if you’re done guessing what works, and ready to build a custom website that earns trust and drives growth. we should talk.