Coordinating CTV, SEO, and Search Teams

Your CTV agency claims wins. Search claims leads. Everyone's winning, but business isn't growing. No one owns the customer journey.

Everyone’s winning on their reports. But your case count isn’t growing proportionally. Welcome to the agency coordination problem. Channels optimize independently while leads fall through the gaps between them.

The Silo Problem

Most law firms work with multiple marketing partners: CTV/media agency for TV advertising, PPC agency for Google/Bing ads, SEO agency for organic search, social media agency for Meta/LinkedIn, and website agency for development and design.

Each operates independently. Each optimizes their channel. Each reports success by their own metrics.

The result: No one owns the customer journey. The spaces between channels, where leads actually get lost, belong to no one.

How Silos Hurt Performance

Option A

Option B

Attribution Conflicts

CTV reports 500 verified visits. Search reports 400 leads. Both claim credit for the same conversions. Total exceeds actual leads by 40%. Everyone’s “winning” but the math doesn’t work.

Timing Misalignment

CTV flight starts Monday. Search agency doesn’t know until Wednesday. By then, two days of CTV-generated searches went uncaptured. 75% of consumers search after seeing TV ads.

Option A

Option B

Message Inconsistency

CTV says “Fighting for families since 1985.” Search ads say “Aggressive representation.” Landing page says something else. Cognitive dissonance tanks conversion rates.

Budget Competition

Each agency advocates for their channel. CTV wants more budget because “awareness drives everything.” Search claims “we have the conversions to prove it.” No one argues for the system.

The Coordination Requirements

Making multiple agencies work together requires:

Foundation Elements

  • + Shared Calendar: When CTV flights run, creative changes, landing page updates, budget shifts
  • + Unified Reporting: Conversion definitions, attribution model, reporting cadence, success metrics
  • + Clear Ownership: Who protects branded search? Who owns conversion rate? Who manages tracking?

Regular Coordination

  • − Monthly/bi-weekly calls with all partners
  • − CTV reports flights and creative changes
  • − Search reports branded volume trends
  • − All discuss upcoming plans before they launch

These meetings often reveal problems (“wait, you’re launching new creative next week and no one told us?”).

Signs of Poor Coordination

Option A

Option B

You're Seeing

Channel-reported conversions don’t add up. CTV “works” but leads haven’t increased. Branded search CPCs increasing. Message inconsistency. Finger-pointing between agencies. No clear cost per case answer.

You're NOT Seeing

How CTV affects search volume. Full customer journey visualization. Attribution across channels. System-level optimization.

CTV campaigns deliver 23% higher ROI than traditional TV. But only when the conversion path is coordinated.

Coordination Models

Option A

Option B

Lead Agency

One agency takes coordination responsibility. Single point of accountability, but lead agency may favor their own channel.

Internal Marketing Director

You hire someone to coordinate all agencies. Neutral coordination with brand knowledge, but requires qualified hire and additional cost.

Option A

Option B

Integrated Partner

One partner handles multiple channels (CTV + search, or full-service). Built-in coordination with single strategy. May sacrifice channel depth for breadth.

Attribution Platform

Technology connects channels (Rockerbox, Measured). Data-driven coordination, but doesn’t solve execution timing. You still need human coordination.

Questions to Ask Your Agencies

Channel-Specific Questions

  • + CTV: How do you coordinate with search on flight timing? What's your attribution model?
  • + Search: Are you monitoring branded search volume changes? What impression share on branded terms?
  • + SEO: How are you tracking branded organic traffic? How do landing pages align with CTV messaging?

System-Level Questions

  • − All: How are conversions deduplicated across channels?
  • − All: What's our true cost per lead across the system?
  • − All: Who's responsible for the gaps between your work?

The Case for Consolidation

At some point, coordination overhead exceeds benefits of specialization.

Consider consolidation when:

  • You’re spending 10+ hours monthly on agency coordination
  • Attribution conflicts persist despite meetings
  • System-level optimization isn’t happening
  • Cost per case isn’t improving despite “winning” channels

An integrated CTV + search partner eliminates most coordination needs. The same team that launches TV campaigns manages search protection.

Making Silos Work (If You Must)

1

Create an SLA for Coordination

CTV must notify search 5 days before flight changes. Search must report branded volume weekly during flights. Monthly all-hands review.

2

Establish Shared Dashboards

All agencies access same data sources. Unified conversion tracking. Single source of truth for metrics.

3

Align Incentives

Don’t pay for channel metrics. Pay for system outcomes. Bonus structures tied to cost per case, not impressions.

4

Run Quarterly Audits

Is coordination actually happening? Are handoffs working? Where are leads falling through?

References