• DM News, Tuesday, February 19, 2008 12 PM

According to this face-off-style article, the answer depends on the size of the business and how much search figures into its overall marketing strategy.

For small businesses, Webvisible's David Reeve argues that the software-as-a-service (SaaS) model works best. Using an automated campaign management tool (which tackles bidding, organization and analytics) may be the best thing for a small business owner who doesn't have the budget to devote to a dedicated search agency--but needs help tackling the nuts and bolts of SEM on a daily basis.

But for larger companies, MediaWhiz' Jonathan Shapiro argues that nothing can beat the knowledge, experience and strategic thinking that an agency brings into the equation. "By using an SEM agency, an advertiser can leverage the agencies' typically excellent relationships with Google, Yahoo and other engines, as well as the internal technology that agency has created that can enhance the advertiser's search campaign," Shapiro says.

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