No, No… We’re Digital, Too!
March 25, 2008
Quickly… ad agencies are busy revamping their websites to show of their digital skills?
We commented on how much we dug Modernista’s site in a No Wukkas post. It’s truly innovative, the best of the best if you ask us, but Hal Riney recently redid there’s, too. We noticed that today sadly, because of the news of Riney’s death. It’s a pretty sire, but kind of annoying. KB+P has a new look sans flash. Smart kids over there. Way to keep your eye on the SEO thing. Grey New York hasn’t totally changed their site, but has added some new flashy pieces.
We’re sure there are only more to come.
As ondownlow points out, clients don’t sign onto your agency for the pretty pictures you can make. They buy-in for your ability to strategize and sell their shit. Hmm… we agree, but don’t. It’s good to show off that you think beyond the box, a la Modernista. Your site can do a lot to encourage brands to take a closer look at what you can do for them. However, if you can’t sell their shit in the long run, most clients will jump ship. That is, unless they are a mega brand like those behemoths beneath the death star’s banner. You know – the ones who think talking to their consumer is revolutionary. They’re just looking to keep floating through the galaxy. In that case, who cares about innovative thinking or whether or not you know a damn thing about social media? A totally confusing, completely unfriendly and overly complicated website will be just fine. Just fine, indeed.
March 25, 2008 at 10:04 pm
Love the new Modernista site.
I’m not sure if we’re looking at the same KPB site, but what I saw at the link was not very digital savvy. Main content is image, instead of searchable text. More of an f*you to SEO*. They do use flash on all the client subpages to display the work.
Of course, flash and SEO are not mutually exclusive if you’re coding using current best practices (content in xml file, use of swfobject). But you already knew that cause you’re not a digital n00b.
* code from kpbwest.com source, take that SEO:
March 25, 2008 at 10:58 pm
pour one on the curb for ol’ hal
March 25, 2008 at 11:52 pm
I’ve often blogged about how poorly done many agency websites are and how they make it next to impossible to find the one piece of information I suspect most people go there for: the agency’s address and phone number.
Two well done, very functional sites: Goodby and Wieden. Both of which make it very easy to find the phone #.
March 26, 2008 at 2:28 am
These guys haven’t a clue about SEO… they are so technology-ass-backwards that they don’t even understand the ROI with a text based site.
90% of the time we are hired out to fix these company sites… forcing the company to pay double.. once for the flash-trash site.. and again for our SEO’ed site.
March 26, 2008 at 9:55 am
SEO the emperors new cloths. Lets be realistic here. I want someone to show me of the last major account an agency has won on a free text google add search, anyway flash can be made to be completely SEO compliant. What is more interesting is how buy using Wikipedia for their about us, Modernista that is. They opening up their brand to direct feedback. Wonder what the edit history is on that page. Nice to see an agency embrace the different challenges and avenues for both the distribution of content and leveraging free software to make their site easy to update.
March 26, 2008 at 2:02 pm
I totally agree with yeti on this. My account guys constantly burp up SEO as the holy grail. It is great for retail (say I want to buy a computer in my neighborhood). But if a CMO has a few hundred million to burn, I doubt he/she will start their search by typing in “ad agency” in Google. Modernista’s take shows that a brand does not live on one website. It is everywhere on the web, and most likely out of your control.
As for Hal Riney, it is interesting, but I just can’t get past the pregnancy test plus (x) and the flowing blood. Sorry, a little early in the morning.
March 26, 2008 at 2:58 pm
For an agency, SEO value doesn’t just come from attracting new clients. What about attracting talent… you know the lifeblood of any good company? As a creative, looking at a lot of agency websites can confirm one thing: this is exactly the kind of place I would _not_ like to work.
A couple of top prodco’s have abandoned their flash motherships in favor of clean searchable sites (which makes too much sense if you’re searching for a director’s work). And even a couple of agencies know what they’re doing both design and SEO wise.
March 26, 2008 at 10:15 pm
Uh, are you guys awake today? The Grey site is new from the ground up. And it’s been up for two months.
March 27, 2008 at 4:49 pm
Grey’s new site nav that links to G2 is broken. How….appropriate?
March 29, 2008 at 3:33 am
Skip the site and go right to a blog, which is better for SEO anyway.