IMPAQT Provides A Focused, Boutique Search Marketing Solution
IMPAQT was among the select companies that Forrester invited to participate in its Q4, 2006 Search Marketing Agencies Wave™ report.
Executive Summary
The smallest vendor in our study, IMPAQT counters competitors’ larger full-service approach with one dedicated to search and holistic customer service. Although IMPAQT falls in the middle of the vendors we reviewed, its predictive click fraud monitoring and ability to manage enterprise bids through technology and market mix models fit large companies trying to optimize performance across competing brands and thousands of keywords. Additionally, its training products, consulting services, and roll-up-your-sleeves work ethic make IMPAQT a good choice for marketers seeking a hands-on partner or those who need a trusted source to educate in-house staff.
Target Audience
Interactive marketing professional; eBusiness, channel and product management professional; direct marketing professional
IMPAQT Works For Enterprise Marketers Seeking To Out - or Insource
IMPAQT is a privately held search marketing agency founded in 1999 and headquartered outside of Pittsburgh. Although it’s the smallest vendor in our study — 2005 revenues were at $7 million — IMPAQT is a well-known boutique agency focused on paid search, search engine optimization (SEO), and search marketing consulting.
Forrester evaluated IMPAQT’s current offering and strategy for SEO and paid search (SEM) management against 56 criteria (see Figure 1). We also evaluated the vendor’s process and technology for solving four hypothetical client scenarios, spoke with two client references for each vendor, and reviewed the natural search results and paid search ads for reference clients. 1 The vendor ranks right in the middle of our evaluation, providing a solid strategy and an acceptable current offering, which is best for marketers who:
- Support large, enterprise companies. Although IMPAQT’s current clients are split evenly between enterprise and mid-market companies, the vendor’s tools and services best fit the 1B+ market. For example, the vendor takes second place in paid search because its bid management tool — BidWise — manages click fraud against high volumes of keywords by automatically adjusting keyword bids when click volume over-reaches a predicted threshold. IMPAQT also provides enterprise bid management services, which maximize parent company exposure by placing paid search ads for competing brands on the same keyword pages. Additionally, the vendor can customize its reporting interface to individuals within a client company. For instance, a search manager could have access to cross tabs and historical keyword performance, while a CMO could see return-on-investment (ROI) metrics comparing search to other media.
- Prefer a search marketing boutique. While some larger vendors have separate research, creative, and Web development teams, IMPAQT takes a more holistic approach to its client work. Account leads who will be managing a client relationship are part of the sales process; and executive team members act as senior auditors for all client accounts, helping craft program strategy and managing any errors. And instead of monopolizing all of a client’s work, the vendor becomes a trusted concierge by providing training workshops and recommending partners. Client references say this approach makes the vendor feel more like one of them than an agency partner: “IMPAQT folks are like our own employees. They really live and breathe our business.”
- Don’t need all the bells and whistles. IMPAQT’s boutique approach means it does not provide some of the advanced features and services of leading vendors. For example, IMPAQT does not create customer personas or provide creative outside of writing ad copy. BidWise does not have API-integrations with search engines outside of Google, Yahoo!, and MSN or automated error management. However, marketers seeking a vendor with a clear focus on helping clients improve their paid search and SEO results will find IMPAQT an unpretentious partner to outsource to or hire to train internal staff.
To see how IMPAQT stacks up against five other competitors, see the Forrester Wave™ evaluation of search marketing agencies. 2
