The nominees for the Friends of Search Awards 2026 have been announced. In the Best SEO category, Longfonds, Swoop Funding and Stile Floors are in the running for the title of best search marketing case of the year. In the Best PPC category, the shortlisted entries come from ASICS, Wehkamp Retail Group and Continu Professionals.
The winners will be announced during Friends of Search 2026, taking place on 12 March at the Kromhouthal in Amsterdam.
The Friends of Search Awards offer participants a unique opportunity to showcase their digital skills and talent to peers from across the industry. Winners are recognised as among the very best in the international search marketing community and will present their case live on stage during the conference.
The SEO jury assessed submissions based on strategic thinking, innovation, effectiveness, measurable results, and privacy-conscious execution. According to SEO jury chair Barry Adams, the standard was high:
“The submissions showcased a wide range of tactics to achieve increased visibility and traffic from Google’s organic results. They clearly demonstrate that a strong focus on content-driven strategies continues to deliver tangible and impressive outcomes.”
According to PPC jury chair Frederick Vallaeys the PPC submissions was impressive, with each finalist combining strong strategic thinking with clear and measurable results.
“Wehkamp Retail Group distinguished itself through a rigorous approach to incrementality and profit-based steering. ASICS demonstrated how lifecycle strategy and automation can be successfully implemented at scale across multiple markets. Continu Professionals showed how smart data integration and thoughtful automation can significantly improve both performance and business efficiency. We’re looking forward to seeing these three finalists present their work and to selecting this year’s winner.”
An international jury of industry experts
The juries for the Friends of Search Awards 2026 consist of respected experts from across the international search industry. The SEO jury is composed of Barry Adams (Polemic Digital), Linda Hogenes (Coolblue), Arnout Hellemans (OnlineMarkethink), Jono Alderson (Technical SEO Consultant), and Jes Scholz (Jes Scholz Consulting). The PPC jury includes Frederick Vallaeys (Optmyzr), Reinier van der Poel (Google), Kirk Williams (ZATO), Clemmentijn Treinen (Microsoft), and Bianca de Bruijne (Travix).