Moz

Moz develops an integrated software platform for search engine optimization and digital marketing. Its core products include Moz Pro (keyword research, link analysis, site auditing, rank tracking), Moz Local (local listing management), STAT (enterprise SERP tracking), and the Moz API for data integration [0]. The company describes its purpose as demystifying complex SEO through actionable insights, analytics, educational content, and community resources such as the Beginner's Guide to SEO and Whiteboard Fridays [0].

The company began in 2004 as SEOmoz, a blog and online community for SEO practitioners founded by Rand Fishkin and Gillian Muessig, and moved from consulting into proprietary software, launching SEOmoz Pro in 2007 following its first round of funding and reaching 5,000 subscribers by 2009 [0]. It rebranded from SEOmoz to Moz in 2013 and broadened its scope beyond SEO into wider marketing tools such as Moz Analytics under CEO Sarah Bird [0]. One source dates the origin of the SEOmoz blog to 2001 [2], while another describes Moz as SEO software "created in 2007" that grew out of the SEOmoz blog audience [1]; the 2004 founding date is given by [0].

At the time of the 2021 acquisition announcement, Moz reported holding data covering over 40.7 trillion links, more than 1.2 million tracked websites, and over 500 million keyword suggestions [3]. Moz is listed as having made one investment, a $10.0M Series A in Career Karma in December 2020 [0].

Founding story

Moz was founded in 2004 by Rand Fishkin and his mother Gillian Muessig as SEOmoz, initially a blog and online community where SEO practitioners shared research, ideas, and resources including the Beginner's Guide to SEO and an early Search Ranking Factors study [0]. The founders bootstrapped the effort, emphasizing transparency and education at a time of rudimentary SEO tactics, and early traction from that openness led first into consulting and then into software [0]. Fishkin has said the SEOmoz blog was not initially successful but that he pursued attention and industry recognition as it grew [2]. A separate account dates the start of the SEOmoz blog to 2001 [2].

Business model

Moz sells subscription-based SaaS SEO tooling, including Moz Pro, Moz Local, STAT, and the Moz API, alongside free educational content and community resources used to attract users [0]. Moz Pro is offered with a free trial [3].

Software subscriptions; Moz Pro subscriber counts are cited as a growth measure (5,000 subscribers by 2009), and the company reported over $30 million in revenue by 2013 [0][1].

Traction

5,000 subscribers by 2009 [0]; over $30 million in revenue by 2013 [1]; over 40.7 trillion links, 1.2 million websites tracked, and 500 million keyword suggestions as of 2021 [3]. Reported headcount is listed at 10,000+ [0], which appears inconsistent with other sources and should be treated cautiously.

Latest developments

In June 2021 Moz announced it had been acquired by iContact Marketing Corp, whose sibling brands Campaigner, SMTP, Communicator, and Kickbox operate as a subsidiary of J2 Global (NASDAQ: JCOM) [3]. Moz continues to publish and to run MozCon events, with a MozCon London announced for November 13, 2026 [3].