Clients often work with three firms to accomplish the tasks of building, marketing and optimizing a site for search marketing. Here’s help for a harmonious process.

A client’s search for best of best-of-breed services is both admirable and essential for success. Nowhere is this more prevalent and distinctive then in the world of search marketing. Often, a client will be working with three firms to accomplish the tasks of building (Web developer), marketing (online ad agency) and optimizing a site for search (search engine optimization firm).

On the client side of the business, specialized departments responsible for these activities may not communicate well enough to keep everyone in the loop. Exacerbating an already dicey situation, paid-search marketing is blurring the lines between advertising and optimizing because agencies and SEO firms alike are adopting it.

The monumental task of pulling everyone together to work in harmony often seems impossible, but it doesn’t have to be that way.

Chaos Theory

At least once or twice a year, I am working with a client on a search project and I get a belligerent call from another of the client’s agencies complaining that we had not reviewed the project with them prior to discussing it with the client. Thanks for that. Usually, the other firm is in fact aware of our presence and consulted on portions of the project relevant to them, if any. The problem often stems from the agency viewing our position as more of a media vendor rather than an agency so all projects should be “cleared” with them first. Thanks again.

Phase two of this boondoggle is a call to said firm regarding stated search marketing project to explain that the department that contracted with us for services is on the other side of the building from the marketing people, who by the way, are in contact with your contacts (how they got wind of this in the first place) and are keeping them informed on a need-to-know basis.

Often, the resulting counterproductive behavior that follows an exchange like this is reminiscent of toddlers fighting over a toy just before naptime in kindergarten. The client’s search for best-of-breed providers now closely resembles the plot line of a Dickens novel.

“. . . Yes. He is quite a good fellow - nobody's enemy but his own."
from David Copperfield

Client stewardship in clearly defining the roles and monitoring the activities of each vendor would be extremely helpful in the early stages of collaboration, but this is not always the easiest objective to accomplish for innumerable reasons. Political battles for control of online initiatives, or worse, confusion as to who is responsible for what, can lead to disaster, or long delays in project execution.

I have had the grand pleasure of working in an environment where the client boldly delineates between specialized service offerings and the unfortunate displeasure of operating in the exact opposite situation. In the latter instance, the responsibility for delivering a comprehensively integrated solution may rest with the firms involved, and that begins with education. Besides, who said clients should be turned into hall monitors anyway?

Why Can’t We All Just Get Along?

This was the title of a magnificent Ad:Tech, San Francisco panel on “How to build your marketing dream team.” In case you missed it, included in the discussion were the defining characteristics of the differences between search firms and developers. I believe the foundation of efficiently working together (like so many other things) is found in fostering a keen understanding of the fundamental distinctions of the specialized firms involved.

One of the key members of this panel was the wonderfully talented co-founder of SiteLab, an online marketing firm that provides among other services, search marketing. I called on Dana Todd who provided the chart below from said panel and had this to say about bringing everyone together: “Communication is vital to bridging the gap between site designer/developers and SEO groups. That sounds like a no-brainer, but many SEO firms are caught up in protecting their knowledge so they don’t adequately train their agency/developer partners to create foundations for search campaigns. Alternately, developers are stubborn about compromising their design processes and may not realize the impact their decisions make. If both parties clearly disclose and discuss their strategic initiatives up front, it opens the dialogue for successful compromise.”

Differences between site developers and search marketing firms

Courtesy, SiteLab International, Inc.

Settling the differences between site marketers and search firms is complicated, but as Todd pointed out, compromise is the key to settling on a solution. Easier stated than executed, an SEM firm compromising to allow a metric ton of rich media will effectively blind search engine spiders, or bots. The use of rich media in this way is notoriously known as suicide for generating "organic," or "natural" search-engine positioning. However, Websites are built for people. Research and discovery may determine that visitors favor a rich-media platform over static, search engine friendly designs. Therein lies the foundation of this compromise, which will allow vendors to check their egos at the door.

There is Fun Enough for Everyone

The next level of excitement comes when the search firm meets the agency. If you believe that developers and SEMs speak different languages, the next discussion will make your head spin. I was brought up in an agency environment and my skills were forged in the fires of many a media pit before I began the journey into search. Having the benefit of being on both sides of the fence, I am able to provide some insights into this world.

Differences between online agencies and search marketing firms

Recently, I have noticed that many online advertising firms are attempting to adopt paid search along with SEMs. This leads to the single biggest source of conflict in this arena. Deciding whose budget and who is responsible for search can be quite difficult. Agencies are already competing with traditional media for a disproportionately small piece of the pie and SEMs do not receive media commissions, so fee structures may appear a bit high to an agency.

Communication, education, and leaving idea-centric attitudes out of the equation are paramount to helping SEMs and agencies get along. Creating a solution to conflict in this arena is much more related to client stewardship than compromise, since we are no longer discussing tangibles like site design. Often this becomes a battle of finding the right mix and accountability, which can only be answered by the client through accurate needs’ analysis.

In the End, There Can Be More than One

I am not a “techie”. I had no idea how to program my VCR, so I threw it out and bought a DVD changer. It’s great, I don’t have to program squat and that flashing light no longer torments me. When my computer breaks, I call tech support and stare aimlessly at the lifeless machine until help arrives. In summary, what I don’t know about how these things work, you can just about squeeze into the Grand Canyon. However, I respect the people who build DVD players and fix my computer. In the end, nothing is more vital to establishing and maintaining open communication lines than mutual respect. This will drive the success of client initiatives and ultimate triumph of the respective firms delivering these solutions.

About the author: iMedia search columnist Kevin Ryan’s current and former client roster reads like a “who’s who” in big brands; Rolex Watch, USA, State Farm Insurance, Farmers Insurance, Minolta Corporation, Samsung Electronics America, Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Panasonic Services, and the Hilton Hotels brands, to name a few. He is currently Director Market Development of IPG’s Wahlstrom Interactive where he provides guidance in directional online marketing to Wahlstrom’s prestigious list of clients and sister agency brands.