SEO Bingo

Reflecting on my previous post - Are UK Agencies Too Slow To Embrace Digital Marketing? I wondered if I had been too fast to judge. So bearing in mind that SEO is hailed as one of the key drivers of the Revolution - I applied the following logic. . .

If UK agencies are on the ball with developments in integrated digital comms, then (maybe) it follows that they will have their SEO house in order too. Anyway to cut a long story short - my brief interlude of SEO bingo suggested that my initial hunch hadn't been too far wrong.

Bang Digital Branding or Digital Agency into Google and none of the big, well known UK agencies appear - with the notable exception of Interbrand (those boys appear to be good at, well, just about everything). What you get instead is a crop of really fresh digital 'boutiques' of varying sizes - who's own virtual shop windows combine a mix of gorgeous eyecandy with some really smart thinking and lovely intuitive navigation. There are a couple who take the moral highground - and use the content argument, in order to excuse their lack of design.

Here are a couple of my favorites. . Rubber Republic, appeals to the kid in me and seem to have a family of services each of which does what it says on the tin. Then there's Agency Republic. These guys just blew me away - go and visit their client sites, particularly the Mercedes site, or for foodies the Hellman's sandwich bar. Just lovely work - captivating, to different audiences and for different reasons.

My view is that traditional agencies who are clued up will be frantically forging partnerships with smaller digital agencies - and white labeling bought in digital capabilities as their own. That, or they'll be busily boosting the freelance books in order to be prepared as and when the client briefs drop. In the meantime, it's ker-ching! for the digital boutiques as they cash in on their top spot on the digital leaderboard.