It is common knowledge that Google will set up and optimize an advertiser’s AdWords campaign. However, are they now offering SEO services (they do own an SEO company) as well, or are they simply misleading people, whether intentional or not, due to the lack of understanding some people have of the differences between organic and paid search?
12 Comments
12 Comments
Comments
Yikes. If that’s really happening, it could get U G L Y. Good story, David.
I read your entire post and found it very similar to my own (past) experiences in listening to clients. Thank you for sharing this. No - Google isn’t offering SEO nor are they going to. I will doubt that Google could or would ever offer SEO until I hear it from either Page or Brin (or Cutts) directly. The reason is not that they wouldn’t (be evil) but that they just can’t - not right now anyway - they don’t have the capability to do so. They hardly have the ability to sell, explain and assist with PPC campaigns. Their top reps aren’t very knowledgeable. (Though I hear they had great GPAs in college. ha ha) Maybe their engineers get it, but the account reps don’t - are these same reps who are going to sell me SEO when they are barely capable of understanding how to sell PPC? No! While it’s not that it couldn’t happen, but it’s just not practical. How would they ramp up to employ thousands of sales reps who’d understand what SEO is let alone be able to sell it? It’s not possible. Or likely. Or feasible. Or realistic. But thanks for bringing it up as it’s an interesting scenario - one that we should be sure that we watch out for!
sphunn because I hate idiot clients and I hate even more idiot competitors that mislead idiot clients.
It would be a major conflict of interest. Your client misunderstood Ad Words optimization for natural SEO most likely. Even when you explained it to them. Too bad...
That is what one would assume but then this story breaks - "Google Stealing Your Clients? Offers Proposal To Do Video SEO" (http://sphinn.com/story/1843)
What’s really interesting is that Google now owns at least one company with SEO consulting capabilities...
Sphunn - I’ve been there. I have a client that is adverse to listening and we had an impressively similar conversation about 2 months ago.
"It would be a major conflict of interest." My spidey sense tells me a lawsuit would be possible?
I also believe your client mistook Adwords Optimization for Organic SEO and was too stubborn to listen to or even comprehend your explanation. In that case, I wouldn’t worry too much about them anyway. They aren’t worth your time. If Google really approves of this it would be an enormous conflict of interest.
I came across this with Anheuser-Busch a year and a half ago. My contact specifically stated that she was informed by the Google rep that they would assist with both paid and natural optimization. After discussing the details, I came away thinking that she was speaking to an over zealous rep that was trying to "get the business."
This article was absolutely fantastic (and consoling for anyone who has been party to the agony of a conversation like that). On the Google thing, somewhere on my website or blog I have a list that’s meant to help small business owners avoid bad SEO companies. One of the items goes: "Avoid any SEO who tells you he has a special relationship with Google" Shall I now add to this: "Unless, of course, he works for Google." I seriously hope everyone is right about the PPC/organic fuzziness. I’d give this 2 Sphinns if I could. Miriam
This has been going on for years over at the plex: http://www.seroundtable.com/archives/002350.html I was very vocal about this issue two years ago and now have a lot more to say on the topic. Their ’direct sales’ channel is on the top of my list of the most difficult business units to try and actually do business with if you are an SEM/SEO or run an Interactive Agency. I now fall in the latter category and nothing has changed over there as far as I can tell with their ‘direct sales channel’. The issue is literally lies with their internal policy which states that they should try and always ’cut out the middle man’. At the same time, their account services team continues to operate as a boiler room for every client they have ‘serviced’: ‘we got the I/O signed so thanks for the good time last night, let’s just leave ‘em a note in the am reminding them to re-up next quarter.’ Their ’agency teams’ on the other hand have always been a dream (I am serious); thank you Google guys/gals on that side of the fence, I look forward to seeing y’all at the dance next week! -RL