We participated in Jupiter’s survey and were one of the top 14 firms included in the data. Some nice information, but one thing bugs me.
The report claims to have rated the participants, but really only focussed on two sets of criteria; length of tenure and technology owned.
Experience (how many campaigns implemented) and success rates (number of rankings or ROI of campaigns) were given little weight in the evaluation. They really don’t make that clear.
Sour grapes that we (WebSourced) weren’t listed in the top ratings. Maybe. Unhappy that the report didn’t evaluate more factors. Absolutely!
Here is a copy of their press release:
“JupiterResearch, a division of Jupitermedia Corporation (Nasdaq: JUPM), reported today that Search Engine Marketing (SEM) agencies now direct the majority of SEM spending in the United States. Just a few years ago, most SEM spending went directly to the search engines. Today, SEM is becoming a more mature market like traditional advertising in which agencies play a substantial role. Indeed, while just 31% of search marketers use an agency to manage their SEM campaigns, those marketers account for 51% of the total spending on paid search, according to a recent JupiterResearch survey of search marketers. This marks a significant increase in the spending directed by agencies over the past 18 months.
The data was released in JupiterResearch’s Search Engine Marketing Agency Constellation report, which reviews and rates fourteen leading SEM agencies on market suitability, overall business value and agency size. According to the JupiterResearch report, Decide Interactive/24/7 Search, Did-It.com, Impaqt, Performics and AvenueA/Razorfish Search are closely grouped for top ratings in paid listings management. iProspect and Impaqt outpace all the other vendors in organic optimization.
“As search marketing grows in complexity and advertisers increase their search budgets, we expect the market for SEM agencies will continue to expand,” said JupiterResearch Associate Analyst Nate Elliott. “With so many agencies offering search engine marketing services, it can be hard for advertisers to choose the right firm. The SEM agencies that have built their own bid management and campaign tracking tools, and that use extensive data to create campaign strategy, are typically able to generate better results for their advertisers,” added Elliott.
The complete findings of this report are immediately available to JupiterResearch clients online. For more information on the report or JupiterResearch’s Online Search research service please visit www.jupiterresearch.com or contact Kieran Kelly, Vice President of Global Sales and Client Service at 1-800-481-1212 or researchsales@jupitermedia.com.”
Andy Beal is an internet marketing consultant and considered one of the world’s most respected and interactive search engine marketing experts. Andy has worked with many Fortune 1000 companies such as Motorola, CitiFinancial, Lowes, Alaska Air, DeWALT, NBC and Experian.
You can read his internet marketing blog at Marketing Pilgrim and reach him at andy.beal@gmail.com.
