At ad:tech in London this week there was the usual good representation from the Search agency community: DBD Media, Oban Multilingual, Jellyfish and Efficient Frontier, to name a few of the regular crowd; and Just Search, Optimize and High Position to name some newer kids on the block.
Each agency has its own USPs – whether this is an algorithm, a technology or planning tool. Some claim to be technology providers; others stick with the agency theme. Some have slicker marketing then others – glossy handouts and snazzy logos for tools; others have fast talking sales folk, who can counter any argument on the planet with “yes, but we’ve got a secret sauce”.
Poor, poor clients. Where do they start in evaluating what really sits behind the ‘smoke and mirrors’ sales rhetoric? How do clients know that they will get quality of service, efficiency of management, a best of breed piece of kit, and – perhaps most importantly – transparency of ROI?
Here’s the thing. What all of these Search agencies and technology providers are selling is a service. It’s a combination of people, process and technology. Technology is really important because it is the enabler, the heavy lifter, the lawn mower. But someone’s got to mow the grass.
Here’s the other thing. There is no perfect algorithm for delivering a service. Efficient Frontier call it an “intelligent learning algorithm”; we call it great minds, nimble fingers, Excel macros, spreadsheets and 50 people in India.
Oh, and clients, do ask about who’s doing the do. Is it in-house, or is it outsourced to a country where labour is cheaper? Many Search agencies nowadays are outsourcing. Because there is a lot of heavy lifting to do. If so, do they understand the nuances of your target language and how people search in that language. Are your business and marketing objectives being lost in the Chinese whispers translation from client to search agency to overseas outsourcing agency.
Search is already complex enough without suppliers masking the truth about delivery and adding extra layers for sales and marketing purposes. When will the mist clear so that clients know exactly what they’re buying? Isn’t it time that Search agencies started being transparent with clients about their practices, so that clients can make informed buying decisions?
Is it too much for clients to expect a straight answer to the questions “how?” and “who?”
Tags: ad:tech, buying search services, outsourcing search, Search agencies, search algorithms, search clients