Advertising Agency (Your City) and SEO/SEM

[earlpearl]

This may be astounding. Do a search for either Advertising Agency (your city) or Ad Agency (your city) or (your city) Ad Agency or (your city) Advertising Agency.

I did this for a number of large cities. The results were appauling and astounding. For 4 major cities I saw almost no agencies within the top ten at google.

If the agencies aren't capable of ranking high for a major potential term than they can't be providing top notch optimizing in their markets where millions of dollars are being spent every year.

The agencies have access to millions of dollars of local advertising budgets and expenditures.

I would say this is an incredible opportunity for SEO's and agencies alike.

Love to hear your comments on this.

Dave

[SanDiegoSEO]

Some AD firms prefer to have high quality flash websites geared for user experience, for the traffic they directly refer to their website. I work for a firm like this. We provide exceptional SEO services to our clients, yet have none on our own site. It's common practice. Agencies gain more clients by word of mouth, or sales staff members, knowing some company is looking to hire or switch firms. Clients that are searching the internet are "generally" not the big fish that firms mostly target, and require more attention with less revenue.

[bhartzer]

Advertising Agencies are typically not good Search Engine Marketing firms. It's totally not their expertise. Agencies specialize more on the creative side in print, radio, tv, and banner ads (or "rich media".

Agencies are finally beginning to come around and pay attention to Search as a viable advertising medium because their clients are demanding it.

[seobook]

high quality flash websites geared for user experience
well the search spider is just another user...which apparently is left in the cold

[Robert_Charlton]

Some AD firms prefer to have high quality flash websites geared for user experience....

The value of the user experience on many of these sites is highly debatable. But search engines are not psychic, and imagery and non-verbal content are difficult for search engines to evaluate. I think that link relevance algos are not a bad approach to making up for some lack of onpage content, but they can't do it all.

Additionally, even when ad agencies put text on their pages, they don't tend to use direct language. Advertising copywriters often have a hard time writing copy that works well for SEO.

One search I've used from time to time to show how Google is skewed by a combination of PageRank and lots of inbound cityname anchor text is

cityname public relations

When I looked at the serps in depth, though, I realized how incredibly badly most of the public relations sites are optimized (your city may vary). But they like them that way... they really do. ;)

[earlpearl]

One person thinks the ad agencies are good w/SEO one doesn't. what is your exprience?

[SanDiegoSEO]

Like I said, we as a firm are providing great results to our clients. However, the SEO department doesn't even look at the firms website. Sometimes you're happy building a client base through word of mouth, and not search engine traffic.

I've worked for SEO firms. Now I work for an Ad Agency. I think the quality of work and customer relationship is MUCH better in the firm, then compared to an SEO firm. The SEO companies I've done work for were only interested in rankings. The Agency is targeted on cost per sale. Our clients would gladly pay a mill. for a 12 month contract if the cost per sale was still only 3 to 5%.

[earlpearl]

I happened to place this thread in local...because I believe there is a wonderful opportunity for local advertising agencies/seo/sem to take advantage of what may be an anomaly with ad agencies. But it could be discussed in any category.

A large auto dealership in a large market will spend considerable advertising money in a large variety of media. If the auto dealership was ranked 6th or 8th locally and could potentially get to #1 in rankings I'm sure that would have a dramattically positive effect for the client. Auto purchasing research if not purchases are increasingly occurring off the web.

Not focusing on ranking would be a disservice...though it may not pay for the agency re: placing ads/getting agency discounts, creative design work etc.

The agencies have far better developed customer relations/understanding of ad budgets etc. On the other hand building ranking is a no brainer for such a large business with reach throughout a regional market...that spends so much in so many different venues. Not even looking at the web site blows me away...as a buyer of advertising I'd be wary.

Dave

Could there be a conflict there?

Dave

[seobook]

from what little I know of the SEO space I would say that bigger does not equal better.

to have a site that does no good in the engines is a bad sign, and I would only work with a person offering SEO services who ran a flash site if I found them and liked them for some reason other than a non ranking flash site.

I think most the people who buy seo services do not know what they want or how to measure the results (ie: are bad or ignorant clients - I was once one myself), and I think in many ways the market caters to that demand.

the same reason many ad agencies get away with selling SEO services as an add on is the same reason many sites sell a bunk $5 to $50 search engine submission service... people pay a premium for not knowing the market.

[SanDiegoSEO]

The firm I work for is a top 50 interactive agency. We have a small but full staff. I am the ONLY seo person. Our creative team is 5 people deep. We've been trying to get our traditional divisions website redesigned for 6 months. But when you have other projects going, the companies website takes a back seat.

Our agency doesn't take on clients that ONLY want SEO. We're a marketing firm, and are not looking for mass clients. We work many with top brands. I think this is a very good example of why agency firms dont bother with search marketing of their own site. If Oakley wants a marketing partner, they're not going to search Google for them. Mitsubishi reps aren't going to go to Yahoo to find someone to handle their online marketing plans. They're going to go to trade shows, and speak with other firms to find out who they're using. Employees of these companies may have worked at an agency in the past and will make inside recommendations.

[earlpearl]

A slight side note but relevant to this topic.

3rd quarter financial results showed google w/ about $1.6 billion in revenues and the New York Times Company with about $800 million (includes the Times/Boston Globe, TV and radio stations) Googles while gross sales are about twice that of this large media company profits were about 15 times that of the NY Times.

99% of G's revenues are from PPC.

Lots of $ going into web advertising. managing ppc campaigns is one way to capitalize on that as ad agency income, I would think serps would be very beneficial to agencies.

Dave

[SearchIA]

Hmm, I believe I'm aware of SanDiegoSEO's feedback on the whole corporate site and it being optimized. We actually are rebranding currently and YES we actually have a keyword strategy. WHY? As of a lot know or do not know, the decisions makers in the B2B market like ourselves are the ones who sit in their luxurious 19th floor office overlooking some metro area and use Google to search keywords they think an agency should rank for because it gives them clout. It's a harsh reality, but also a true one. If you work in the B2B sector, you know this oh so very well when a client asks why they aren't ranking for keywords that are so broad that their budget would never support it. Beware the "decision makers" when optimizing your company's site.