This might sound strange, but here it goes: we’re about to stick up for some of our competitors.
Yes, really.
Now, don’t get us wrong, there are plenty of bad apples out there. Some are just plain incompetent. Others are full-on scammers. But believe it or not, there are some honest, well-meaning marketing folks out there who actually know what they’re doing. The problem? Even they can end up sounding like snake oil salesmen… and it’s not always their fault.
Let’s talk about why.
When Words Don’t Mean What You Think They Mean
One of the biggest issues in digital marketing today isn’t shady tactics or overpriced services, it’s language. Over the years, scammers and clueless marketers have tossed around industry buzzwords like candy at a parade. Terms get twisted, misused, or misunderstood until they mean something totally different to different people.
And that’s where things start to break down.
You think you’re asking a simple question. The marketing person thinks they’re giving a straight answer. But really, you’re both speaking different languages, and neither of you realizes it.
A Conversation That’s Not Really a Conversation
Here’s a common example:
You say, “I want to outrank [insert-evil-competitor-guy-here]. We need to beat him!”
That sounds clear enough, right?
But what you really mean is, “I want to compete effectively online, without spending a fortune.”
Meanwhile, the marketing person hears your question and thinks you’re asking how to dominate every corner of the internet, 24/7, which, spoiler alert, would take an unlimited budget. So they say, “You’ll need to spend a ton of money.”
Now you think they’re either clueless, lying, or just trying to get a fat payout from you. They think you asked a billion-dollar question. Nobody’s wrong, but nobody’s on the same page either.
Another one we hear all the time:
“I want to rank #1.”
Do you mean #1 in the local map pack? #1 in the regular organic listings? In paid ads? On mobile? Desktop? On Google? In ChatGPT? All of the above? Because to us, those are all very different things, and they require very different strategies. But to you, it just means, “I want people to find me first.”
It’s not your fault. Industry terms like “map pack,” “knowledge graph,” or “blended search results” don’t mean much to most people, and why would they? So folks make up their own terms that make sense in their heads. The problem is, sometimes those made-up terms already mean something else to the person you’re talking to.
The “Checkmark” Confusion
Here’s another one that gets people riled up:
“How do I get that little green checkmark next to my name on Google?”
Simple answer: that’s part of Google’s Local Services Ads program, which means you have to buy into their lead system. But when we tell a client that, they might think we’re just trying to sell them something extra. All they wanted was the checkmark. What they didn’t know is that the checkmark comes with the program, not separate from it.
Nobody’s lying. But again, it feels like we’re having two different conversations.
A Quick Story (and a Good Laugh)
One time, we had a client, let’s call him Bob, who kept saying his service needed to be “above the fold.” That’s a classic design term that means the content should be visible on the screen before someone starts scrolling. But Bob thought it just meant something should be prominent so people know it’s important. After we kept telling him that it simply wasn’t possible to have EVERYTHING above the fold, he replied with “I get that, of course, so just move it further down the page.” (In other words, below the fold.)
Cue confused faces.
Turns out, he totally misunderstood what “above the fold” meant. He’d just heard it somewhere, thought it simply meant “prominent,” and started using it. And hey, we get it! But it’s a perfect example of how quickly the wires can get crossed.
So What’s the Takeaway?
Even though it might feel a little strange to stick up for our competitors, here’s what we’re really asking:
Be as specific as possible when you make a marketing request. Try to leave the jargon out unless you’re absolutely sure you’re using it correctly. Instead, just describe what you want in plain language.
Why? Because when you use an industry term, especially one that sounds polished or technical, the person on the other end of the phone might think, “Ah, this person knows exactly what they’re asking for.” And they’ll take your question at face value, with no need for translation.
But if what you meant is different from what that term actually means, the conversation heads in the wrong direction before it even starts.
The clearer you are, the better we can help, and that goes for us, and yes, even for the good folks on our competitor’s teams.
