My friend Jason Kilgore again posted the argument that Search needs a seat in the C-Suite. This lack of representation and support from for Search initiatives is one of the main reasons I walked away from Search Consulting. I am tired and frustrated with continuously explaining the importance of Search Marketing to senior management across the organization. In one case, board members brought me in to help them understand why they suddenly needed to spend 30 million that quarter on paid search and other digital advertising. The problem was simple: a creative director made “creative changes” to headings and the content length to make it “grazeable,” which destroyed their organic search performance.
During my presentation, the CMO argued that the website’s look and feel were more important to reflect its brand image than the “ever-changing requirements of trying to make Google happy,” which was supported by the CTO, who was tired of making these never-ending technical changes.
After those comments, I looked at the board members and said.
Out of frustration, I asked if having grazeable content and “more whitespace” was worth 30 million a month. Turning to the CTO, I asked how many engineers we could hire if we could save 30 million each quarter to handle those pesky search tickets. I don’t necessarily fault the CTO and CMO as they have strict KPIs and limited resources, and search does not fit into their bigger picture.
In the following paragraphs, I will explain why Search Marketing has failed to get support from the C-Suite, especially in monolithic enterprises.
Search is Not Aligned to Strategic Goals
As noted in the case above, The C-suite often does not prioritize Search Marketing, especially SEO, because it can seem disconnected from their high-level strategic goals or immediate business priorities. Executives focus on increasing Shareholder Value, which boils down to two tracks of activities – revenue growth and operational efficiency. Unless search performance is directly linked to these activities in a way that resonates with their concerns, it will be overlooked or undervalued. Like these managers, Search has not been designated as part of their strategic path and is negatively impacting what they believe to be more critical.
I once did a “Search Effectiveness Audit” on an enterprise Serch program and found zero alignment to strategic goals. For example, a major goal was to grow revenue in BRIC markets, yet there were no search activities, not even paid campaigns. The Global Search Manager was unaware that it was a strategic target, nor was he aware of the key industry verticals they told investors they were targeting. This was more of an executive communication problem, and there was a lack of understanding of search marketing’s strategic function in market entry and growth. I learned of these strategic goals by reading their annual and quarterly financial reports, specifically the “strategic actions” section, which outlines the key initiatives and projects a company plans to undertake to achieve its strategic goals and objectives. These actions are described in detail, highlighting how they align with the overall strategy and contribute to the company’s future success.
Search is Viewed as Tactical and a Long-Term Initiative
Search Marketing, especially SEO, is often viewed as a tactical or technical discipline, making it challenging to capture the attention of senior leaders. Search algorithms’ complexity and ever-changing nature can make SEO seem opaque or unpredictable, reducing its perceived reliability compared to other, more easily quantifiable marketing channels.
Furthermore, SEO is typically positioned as a long-term investment that may not deliver immediate, measurable returns, which can conflict with the C-suite’s focus on short-term results or quarterly performance metrics. A few months ago, I saw an SEO agency make two significant mistakes in their pitch presentation. The first was the need to pivot from any revenue and traffic reporting to how many impressions, featured snippets, and AI answers because of the changes in search. The second stated it would be between nine to fifteen months before they would see results due to the necessary research and audit tasks and Google’s move to AI answers. The executive responded that if we cannot generate revenue and leads from organic search, and if I cannot see results in the next two fiscal quarters, they would need to shift the budget to marketing activities that can satisfy those requirements. The agency quickly tried to backpedal with several reasons for both responses.
Communication Misalignment
If the search programs are not aligned with the strategic objectives or lack clear strategic communication from the search team, they will not get the attention they deserve. Search performance is often presented as a collection of metrics like rankings or organic traffic—without connecting these to revenue, customer acquisition, or competitive positioning—executives may struggle to see its relevance. Bridging this gap requires reframing SEO as a strategic investment that directly impacts the company’s bottom line, competitive edge, and digital transformation
goals.
Search is Not Sexy
The technical perception of Search Marketing does hamstring it, and unlike other forms of advertising, it does not come with many perks. I have seen clients shift advertising and marketing budgets to get tickets to the Grammy’s or the Master’s Golf tournament. A CPG CMO once told me that until there is a Cannes Lions category for Search, it will never be more than a checklist activity.
Search Marketing is Fractured
It still amazes me that in 2025, few companies integrated their search activities into a centralized function. Paid Search is part of advertising, SEO is relegated to either marketing or web development and Site Search if anyone claims ownership; otherwise, it is an afterthought IT function.
How to Get C-Suite Alignment?
There must be significant changes if we want to get the attention of senior leaders and position Search Marketing as a strategic play. The following are some suggestions for elevating search in the organization.
Secure an Executive Sponsor and Champion
Identify and educate a key executive who understands and can advocate for Search Marketing’s strategic value. An internal champion within or connected to the C-suite can influence peers more effectively and ensure search remains a priority in decision-making. Ironically, this champion is rarely the CMO or CTO but the CFO or Global Growth Manager as they are not invested in technology or marketing activities but in the return on investment and growing revenue. Especially with organic search traffic, the CFO will advocate for the lower relative cost of SEO actions vs. paying for traffic. I wrote this article: Does your CFO understand the cost of not ranking that addresses the need to discuss the opportunities and risks of Search Marketing with the finance side of the business.
Translate Metrics into Business Outcomes
Present Search Marketing performance in terms that resonate with the C-suite, such as how it generates revenue or cuts costs. Focus on total revenue and customer acquisition numbers. There are long sales cycles where you cannot directly tie actual revenue, so I would use “Search Influenced Revenue” using the same waterfall metrics as other forms of marketing that cannot show direct revenue. For efficiency and cost reduction, data points focus on the lower acquisition costs or customer satisfaction and support completions from external or site search that shows savings over call center or sales team questions. With consumer products companies, we would use “SERP Shelfspace” to represent multiple products listed, replicating physical store shelf domination and the competitive advantage of denying competitors visibility. Avoid industry jargon like “rankings” or “impressions” without connecting them to financial or competitive impacts.
I recently told someone about my experience with a Senior Vice President during a strategic planning session. I was showing opportunity models using that team’s waterfall calculations. It showed we could generate 12 million dollars in incremental revenue if we could increase organic traffic by 10 percent. The executive told me he does not get out of bed for $12 million. Anticipating his being underwhelmed, I showed the three choke points that resulted in ONLY 12 million. I demonstrated how the current monolithic process of trying to force information and offers upon people who wanted other information was a barrier to our success. We further demonstrated, using examples and a case study, that when we present those million-plus searchers who explicitly stated a solution need or interest in our products via their keywords and connect them with the information that satisfies that need and nurtures a forward action, our funnel conversion increases exponentially and would raise that measly 12 million to a minimum of 120 million—by pressing on his pain points of missed opportunity, competitive positioning, brand representation, customer growth, and risk mitigation and their contribution to an economic value for his level enabled us to gain his executive sponsorship to make radical infrastructure changes.
Leverage Risk Management
Refer back to the statements of risk in the financial reports as a lever to motivate management. I have had CFO’s nudge their counterparts to focus on the financial risk to profitability when Search is not well integrated into the organizational structure.
By reframing SEO as a vital, strategic business driver rather than a technical or marketing task, you can elevate its importance in the eyes of senior executives. This approach secures buy-in and ensures ongoing investment and support for search marketing initiatives.
Integrate All Search
By integrating the key pillars of Search Marketing, you will present a more uniform and cohesive offering and demonstrate the collective outcomes.
