The Search Engineers is a second-generation digital marketing agency based in the southeast of Queensland. Since the late 90s, husband and wife Team Sue and Herb, have worked in digital marketing and have a deep, rich experience working with the internet.
Caroline, a Nielsen Norman certified UX Specialist in her own right, has now joined the team to expand their expertise and continue the Family legacy.
Tell us about your business?
We help businesses take control of their online presence with relevant knowledge to conduct or manage their own marketing.
We offer a "Done with you" community forum for marketing questions, as well as our "Done for you" service for specific assistance which makes us very different to traditional Digital Marketing Agencies.
Here's our brief history:
- Herb began promoting submission software for the 250+ search engines in 1998.
- By 2000, Sue had developed "ProFind" and "Dollar Monitor," tools designed to enhance online visibility and spending analytics.
- Herb adopted Google AdWords in 2003, creating an early advantage in digital marketing.
- In 2008, Sue and Herb launched the first and largest online affiliate marketing platform.
- In 2016, Caroline channeled her passion for marketing into a Business Management degree and ran her first ad campaigns.
- Herb and Sue earned Google Partner status in 2017 and attended the Google Partner Summit in Brisbane in 2018.
- In 2020, Caroline became certified as a User Experience professional and joined Sue and Herb in 2023 to launch The Search Engineers, extending the family legacy well into its third decade.
- In 2025, The Search Engineers launched their Community Forum, supporting businesses worldwide in managing their own marketing.
What has been your greatest success?
As a family, one of our greatest successes has been moving continents twice in pursuit of a better life. In 2001, we relocated from South Africa to England and in 2010, we made our way to Australia. We are incredibly grateful to call Australia home now.
As an online marketing team, we are very proud of our track record in assisting hundreds of businesses across more than 75 different industries around the world.
It is an honour to be trusted by and associated with so many businesses, and it is deeply rewarding to help our clients achieve their successes.
What do you value about FBA?
Although we are new to FBA, we can already see the value it brings.
At the events we’ve attended so far, we’ve appreciated the transparency of other members and the stories they’ve shared about navigating the complexities of family businesses. Hearing how FBA has supported their journeys has been inspiring.
We look forward to attending more events this year, learning from seasoned members and getting involved in the supportive community FBA offers.
What advice would you give to other family businesses?
- A common, shared vision is important.
- Enjoy the journey and celebrate each milestone, no matter how big or small.
- Play to each other's strengths and leverage what makes your family unique.
- Work as a team to create boundaries that separate work time from family time.
Learn more about The Search Engineers
Support family business.
