Our history
Vertical Leap was founded in 2001 to combat poor quality, low-value and downright cowboy search engine marketing. Following a bad experience with a search engine optimisation company, Matt Hopkins decided the industry could do better and search engine marketing customers deserved more…and Vertical Leap was born.
Here’s a brief video introduction to Vertical Leap (click to advance):
The company was created to provide top quality search engine optimisation services that would deliver tangible, repeatable results for customers. Transparency in working practices and communication rapidly established us as a trustworthy and effective choice for businesses promoting their products and services online.
Until 2008, we focused solely on delivering SEO services for small and medium sized businesses and large enterprise customers. In 2008 we brought in a highly talented team of pay per click (PPC) experts to expand our search marketing services.
Between 2008 -2009 we recognised a shift in the industry that was beginning to place a higher value on website content as a factor for search engine visibility and rankings. In 2010 we hired a team of professionally trained journalists and launched our own portfolio of content marketing services. These services boost the impact of search marketing campaigns, enhancing search engine and customer appeal whilst building industry credibility and reputation.
As the use of social media has grown we’ve developed ways to harness social reach to improve search engine results; intelligent use of content and paid advertising via Facebook and Twitter enable businesses to increase the awareness of their products and services in a more informal and personal way.
Today we are a happy bunch of search marketers, working closely with over 250 customers to deliver reach, results and return through SEO, PPC, Content and Social media marketing.
Management team
Matthew Hopkins, Managing Director
Matt is the founder and Managing Director of Vertical Leap. His responsibilities include strategic development, marketing, business development and all operations of the company.
Although a British citizen, Matt spent most of his life in the USA. He received his Bachelors degree from Texas A & M University in 1988 and then went to work for a mid-sized software-consulting firm in Dallas before moving to the UK in 1992.
He started his professional life in the IT consulting industry and was successful at all levels. From a technical perspective, Matt developed systems and consulted for many blue-chip clients. He later invested and led Dunstan Thomas Ltd, an IT solutions provider to the financial services sector, as its Managing Director for 15 years prior to founding Vertical Leap full time.
Matt founded Vertical Leap in 2001 after disappointing personal experiences with companies claiming to offer SEO services but lacking a repeatable process, professionalism, and a commitment to the client experience created in him a desire to create a company focused on addressing these needs.
Gina Bray, Sales Director
Gina started her career at IBM where she was trained in sales and sales management. After IBM, she led a sales force at a UK IT training company and later an audio-visual equipment manufacturer. She arrived at Vertical Leap in 2004 and is now responsible for the UK sales force.
Kelly Mitchell, Accounts Manager
Following a career change in 2003, Kelly has gained a wealth of experience looking after the finances and accounts for many small to medium sized businesses. In 2005 Kelly joined Vertical Leap, where she is responsible for the day-to-day finances.
Niall Gray, Technology and Innovation Manager
Niall started his career in South Africa developing solutions on the handheld device platform. After a move to the UK in 2003 he has worked for numerous companies designing interconnected systems that range from in-house digital dictation systems to Multi-Tenanted exchange migration solutions. Niall joined Vertical leap in 2012 where he is now responsible for all in-house development and infrastructure.
Andrea Wilcox, Marketing Manager
Andrea has gained her experience both in the UK and Internationally working predominantly in the B2B professional services sector. Andrea joined Vertical Leap in 2012 as the UK Marketing Manager and is responsible for the overall marketing strategy. Her experience spans multiple disciplines both offline and digital.