SEL: Google to SEM Firms: You Don't Own Your Clients, We Do!

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Search marketing in the new media era.

April 07, 2005

Google to SEM Firms: You Don't Own Your Clients, We Do!

Disturbing news circulating the SEW forums about Google's attitude to search engine marketing firms. We've known this for a long time and it is common knowledge among most SEMs, yet few people realize that Google and Yahoo are constantly trying to "absorb" clients brought to them by an SEM firm.

Here's one startling post about an SEM that had even passed the AdWords Professional qualification...

However, some days ago he signed a new very large corporate client, so he contacted his partner rep at Google to set it up but was basically told: “No, that client we want! It is too big for you and we don’t think you can handle it.” Natural to say, he was shocked! How can they say he cannot handle the account after he just passed the test? (Not to talk about the fact that he, like many SEMs I know of, optimize AdWords campaigns much better than any Google editor will ever learn!)

Furthermore the rep made it very clear that Google consider his client to be theirs – not his! So, Google think they know better than the client that chose the media agency and the media agency that picked my friend to manage the campaign. In fact, Google did not even ask the client in question about this. Google just knows better, right?. Or maybe, they are just greedy…?

Speaking to MSN about this situation, they seem to understand that the SEM is the client, not the advertiser we bring to them. In fact, senior execs at Microsoft were shocked when I described similar situations to that above. Google and Yahoo need to change their act, or a lot of SEMs will start turning to MSN.

Danny has more on Google's meddling in SEM.

Andy Beal | permalink | +marktd |

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