Editor's Note: This post was originally published in April 2017 and has been completely updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
Previously, we wrote a post about how an agency’s website can either help generate new business or sabotage it. It addressed factors such as agency positioning, basic website performance, navigation, clarity, and general user-friendliness. But what about getting people to your website in the first place?
When is the last time you did a Google search for agencies in your metro area? Does your agency come up on the first page of search results? What about searches for your type of agency? Voice searches on mobile devices? If your agency is positioned as “the best digital marketing agency in San Antonio,” are you coming up in the first few results for local searches on “digital marketing agency,” “best digital marketing agency,” and, “digital marketing agency in San Antonio”? Keep in mind that Google customizes your search results based on your history, so it's important to try this search without personalized results (see how here).
First things first. If your agency’s website is not ranking on the terms by which you are trying to differentiate your agency — and the terms by which your potential clients would most likely be trying to find you — then you need to go back and address some basic SEO on your website. Look at your site’s meta data and structure. Perhaps add some fresh content via blog posts. In markets or niches with significant competition, consider taking out some PPC ads to get on the first page of search results.
When is the last time you really looked at the other agencies listed in the search results when you type in your target category keywords? Odds are, the agencies listed there are not the ones you think of first as your competitors. They may not be competitors in terms of size, service breadth, or quality. But when it comes to Google search results, when your potential clients are looking for agencies, every agency they see before yours or near yours in the search results are your competitors. How are these other agencies describing themselves? Does every agency’s description look basically the same except for one? If that one standout is not yours, perhaps you should re-evaluate.
How often do you search to see where your agency falls in the search results? I did some searches (below) to see which terms are most searched on (across the U.S., by average monthly search volume based on data from the past 12 months). “Advertising agency” has the greatest search volume, followed by “marketing agency,” “digital agency,” and “creative agency.”
When it comes to positioning your agency for search, there may be compelling reasons why you’ve chosen “creative agency” over “advertising agency,” leaving you little wiggle room. But if not, and if you have a better chance of reaching more people as an “advertising agency,” then perhaps that is what your agency should be. Of course, it’s not practical to think your agency can be all things to all people; attempting to do so creates its own set of problems. What your agency is, what it excels at and sets it apart should come from within, but it also makes sense to give consideration to your target’s needs, what they are looking for, and how those elements intersect. After all, we aren’t passive agents in our agencies’ directions, we can and should fine-tune their course.
Before you take this information and run with it, keep in mind that in your specific metro area, it may be different. “Marketing agency” may top “advertising agency” for search volume in some areas. Your opportunity to rank on one of those terms in your metro area may also be different. If everyone in Phoenix is trying to be the “best advertising agency,” and you can’t get on the first page of the search engine results page (SERPs), you may be better off trying to rank as “best digital advertising agency,” or even "best marketing agency." The screenshot below shows an example of the variance in search volume for different markets. (This example search was done nationally, so changing the target to NYC or San Francisco would alter the results).
Which agencies are ranking on “advertising agency,” and what can we learn from them?
I did a search on “advertising agency” in Google AdWords’ Ad Preview and Diagnosis Tool, which allowed me to focus my search on the New York, NY area on desktops. Here's what I got in February 2018:
So we have Mangos, an agency which offers a compelling ad. Then we have Agency Direct, which is not an agency but rather an agency matching service. Then we have mapped results and a module that defines what an advertising agency is and related terms, along with featured images. Following that (not pictured) are three more organic search results (for The Creative Ham, AKA NYC, and Miller Advertising Agency). Then a module for “Top Stories,” featuring three boxes with recent articles, accompanied by images. Then six more organic results and three more ads.
When I did this search a year or so ago, these graphic modules were not present. Instead of two ads front and center, there were three listings (not ads). But two of the three were not agencies. One was for The Creative Ham, which is not an agency. They curate a list of what they call “the most creative agencies across the country.” They also curate job listings, news, videos, articles, and blogs, so all the new content may have helped them outrank actual agencies. Redbooks.com, the second listing last time around, is also not an agency. The third listing, The Halo Group, is an agency, but it’s interesting that they outranked other advertising agencies while positioning themselves as a “marketing communications and branding agency” and both a “New York Marketing Agency” and an “NYC Advertising Agency.”
Here's the screenshot from April 2017, for comparison:
Does this mean that most advertising agencies in New York aren’t doing a good enough job of clearly positioning themselves as such through their website copy and meta data (since they rank behind non-agencies)? Are they not producing enough new content on their sites to be prioritized in the search results? Or is Google serving up results based on prior user preferences? These could all be factors. What’s clear is that search is constantly evolving. It’s never “one and done.” And, in 2018, agencies need to plan to compete for space within the diversified module format in which Google now delivers its search results.
Have you noticed that your Google search results are changing? When I Googled “advertising agency new york” on my desktop browser, I got these results:
When I did this same search last year, one of the first results served was recent tweets. That’s now gone. There was also a news module which is now missing. However, these features may still show up in other searches.
A lot has changed for SEO since we originally published this post in spring of 2017. Those changes include:
These examples were strictly looking at Google, which remains the dominant search engine. However, businesses also get a lot of traffic from Bing and other sources, so don't forget about them. Additionally, you might try Googling your agency’s name to see if other agencies come up (via organic SERP results, or, more likely, paid ads). If you use Adwords, you can use the Google Adwords Ad Preview and Diagnosis tool to search for your agency in other metro areas and see if competitors are targeting your agency’s name for paid campaigns outside of your home turf.
Keep in mind that no matter where or how you meet a potential lead, they will end up on your website to check you out. They may not get there directly via your URL; often, they will do a Google search to find you. It’s a good idea to monitor what they may see on the path to your site and how your agency looks in the context of search results. Your real first impression may be before they ever make it to your home page. Don't forget: the fight for agency new business starts at search.
Image © gajus / 123RF Stock Photo, modifed; served up: © iStockphoto/idealistock; search: © iStockphoto/pearleye; get found: © iStockphoto/razerbird.