Is there a problem with gender bias in the internet marketing field? It’s a topic that has been discussed previously, but these conversations often rely heavily on assumptions, a general feeling that women are being treated unfairly. The issue with such speculation is that it’s easily disregarded. Moz’s latest industry salary survey presented some thought-provoking information; their research revealed that women in digital marketing earn less than their male counterparts, even when education and experience are equal. This ignited some really great discussion, but again, skeptics might argue that men simply secure better positions due to superior skills, performance, or ambition. Is this truly the reality? I recently encountered internal data that was quite startling. I think it demonstrates that gender bias in our industry is not just present, but quantifiable. Let’s examine the data and discuss its implications and potential solutions.

Quantifying Gender Bias in the Search Marketing Industry

At nexus-security, we constantly analyze data to improve our practices. We routinely conduct a 90-day customer satisfaction survey. One question asks respondents to rate their satisfaction with their client service representative on a scale of 1-4 (4 = Excellent, 1= Poor). Last month, we analyzed responses from all clients who participated in the survey during 2014. We then categorized the data by customer service representative to identify our top performers. Here’s a representation of the data (client service representative names have been removed):

The results were completely unexpected. The average satisfaction score for all representatives, within this timeframe and client segment, was 3.11. Nearly every male representative scored above this average, while all female representatives scored below it. Moreover, the lowest-scoring male client service representative still outperformed the highest-scoring female representative. How could this be? The rankings displayed no intermingling of genders – men dominated the top, followed by women. My intuition screamed something was amiss. I expected a blend of male and female representatives with scores both above and below the average. I suspected gender bias was at play. Either that, or all men were inherently superior search marketing client service managers compared to women – a notion that seemed implausible. But how could I prove it?

Are Men Superior Search Marketers Compared to Women?

This is search marketing. Unlike many fields, almost everything is quantifiable. If men genuinely outperformed women in search engine marketing, we would expect accounts co-managed/supported by our male client service representatives to significantly surpass those managed by female representatives. (Our representatives don’t fully manage these accounts, they offer support and guidance. Account owners are responsible for the majority of the work.) The question then became, how do you measure an AdWords account’s success? That’s when it hit me. We have this tool called the AdWords Grader. (Apologies for promoting our own tool; I assure you that’s not the purpose of this post, it just simplified our data analysis.) The Grader is a free tool that comprehensively benchmarks the health/performance of your AdWords account. It analyzes numerous objective metrics within your account, including click-through rates, conversion rates, Quality Scores, account activity, and the use of best practices like conversion tracking and negative keywords. It then compares your performance to companies in the same industry with comparable budgets (ensuring fair competition). You receive a percentile score based on your ranking within this peer group (e.g., a score of 47% indicates you outperform 47% of similar advertisers, while 53% perform better than you). Think of it like Zillow, where you can compare house prices in a specific neighborhood with similar features – valid comparisons are drawn because you’re comparing apples to apples. My plan was to analyze all client accounts from the survey using our AdWords Grader, then determine if those supported by men performed differently than those supported by women. The Grader’s consistent and objective account evaluations ensured we wouldn’t rely on subjective opinions from representatives or account owners.

Surprise: Women Outperform Men in SEM [Data]

We analyzed the AdWords Grader scores for all accounts associated with survey participants and then separated the accounts based on the supporting representative’s gender. Here’s the resulting data:

Astonishingly, the AdWords accounts supported by women at nexus-security achieved Grader scores that were, on average, 9 points higher than those supported by men! This means that the accounts supported by our female representatives demonstrated stronger overall AdWords performance compared to those supported by male representatives. (Of course, clients are ultimately responsible for their own efforts.) Despite their clients achieving slightly better quantitative results, women still received lower subjective customer satisfaction ratings. Of course, this doesn’t necessarily mean women are inherently superior to men in managing paid search accounts. However, it might suggest they need to exert more effort to be perceived as equals, or even slightly less capable.

The Most Severe Gender Discrimination Occurs in the Middle

While compiling the account performance data, some disparities were truly surprising. For instance, [take a look at this account](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Nexusdecode/images-549143589519/main/1722548996513.html; charset=UTF-8). It’s performing incredibly well!

• Exceptional average Quality Score of 7.7/10!
• Remarkable account average CTR of 13.3%
• Extensive account activity in the last 30 and 90 days!
• Incredibly effective ads and landing pages! It scores a 99%. This means that out of 100 accounts in the same industry with similar spending (approximately $2.7k/month in this case), this account ranks in the 99th percentile. To me, this seems exceptional, yet this account is co-managed/supported by a female client service representative who received a mere 3/4 customer satisfaction rating. However, this is just one outlier. Analyzing all the data together revealed a more troubling pattern. For this phase of the analysis, we consulted our resident data scientist, Mark Irvine, who helped interpret the findings. Mark categorized our clients into quintiles (five equal-sized groups based on AdWords Grader scores), revealing two concerning observations:

Firstly, regardless of the client’s performance level, female account representatives consistently received lower ratings compared to their male counterparts. It seems women face an uphill battle. Secondly, and more alarmingly, the score discrepancy between male and female client service representatives in the middle and second quintiles is almost a full point! While initial outliers existed, clients at the top and bottom generally provided predictably positive or negative representative ratings, with a less pronounced gender difference. However, for the middle tier – clients with average or slightly below-average performance – the scores are strikingly polarized. These clients award their highest ratings to male client service representatives, while female representatives receive their lowest. My interpretation of this phenomenon is that discrimination in our field is subtle and insidious – there’s no blatant “women need not apply” sign, that would be too overt. Instead, the most pronounced bias manifested in “average-performing accounts” within our advertiser pool (accounts neither failing nor excelling). It appears that male client service managers are more likely to receive the benefit of the doubt in these cases, while female client service managers are rarely afforded the same leniency.

Women Might Be More Vulnerable to Gender Bias than Men

We also wanted to understand if both male and female clients contributed to this observed gender bias, or if it was solely men undervaluing women. We could investigate this because we know the rating client’s gender. Again, the results were startling. The gender bias was actually more pronounced among female clients, who rated female representatives an average of .82 points lower than male representatives (compared to a .43 point difference for male clients). Could it be that female clients hold female search marketing representatives to higher standards?

It’s also noteworthy that male client service representatives received notably higher ratings from their female clients.

Client Service Representative Tenure Doesn’t Matter

Mark investigated whether other factors might explain the observed gender bias. Experience level was the most obvious variable to consider. For example, could the lower scores be attributed to female client service representatives having less experience than their male counterparts, measured in months on the job? Here’s what Mark discovered:

The research clearly demonstrated that men were consistently favored over women, irrespective of their experience or seniority. In other words, neither seniority nor experience accounted for the score discrepancy.

The 21% Gender Valuation Gap: Quantifying the Undervaluation of Women

Our analysis suggests a 21% gender valuation gap within the search marketing industry. This means women are, on average, perceived as 21% less valuable than their male colleagues, despite comparable experience and performance. Lower customer satisfaction scores are just one manifestation of this Gender Valuation Gap. This bias likely influences numerous other areas. For example, a 21% disadvantage might give men an edge in:

• Securing job interviews
• Getting hired
• Receiving raises and/or promotions
• Gaining acceptance or invitations to speak at search marketing conferences And the list goes on. Over time, this compounds, leading to a disproportionate number of men in leadership and high-visibility positions within our industry, even if they began with equal abilities. Interestingly, the 21% Gender Valuation Gap aligns closely with the 19.7% average gender pay gap identified in Moz’s recent search industry survey:

Are female search marketers inherently less valuable, or does underlying sexism tarnish their perceived value within the industry? Our research points to the latter.

Impact of Gender Bias on Morale

We asked our female client service representatives the following questions to understand how this bias might affect them, assuming they were even aware of it:

1. Data reveals that men consistently receive higher customer satisfaction scores than women, despite not delivering superior results. (In fact, accounts supported by women performed better.) What do you think contributes to this?
2. Did your score surprise you? How did it make you feel? Does it impact your ability to perform your job effectively?
3. Have you ever experienced gender-based discrimination? Can you share an example?
4. Do you perceive any difference in how male and female clients treat you?
5. We suspect that gender bias is pervasive in search marketing. How can we address these issues? I was slightly taken aback by how readily some women on our Customer Success team seemed to internalize the blame. For instance, one respondent answered Question 1 with: Women often tend to be gentler, speak in higher-pitched voices, and may not always project confidence as readily as men. Men naturally have deeper voices, which I believe contributes to them sounding more confident, and women sometimes need to work on this. I’m constantly refining my tone and trying to adopt more assertive language. Another female staff member echoed this sentiment: I believe this stems largely from how men carry themselves and a differing level of confidence (or perceived confidence) between men and women. There’s sometimes a perception that men are more knowledgeable simply because they sound more confident … I think men, in general, excel at telling people what they want to hear rather than collaborating with empathy. Both women highlighted that men often sound more confident than women – whether they genuinely are is unclear. However, this might be a baseless stereotype. Another representative shared: I’ve encountered numerous situations where clients have requested second opinions on my advice. In these instances, I always ask [redacted] or [redacted] to join the call and provide the exact same recommendation I offered. Typically, clients readily accept it coming from a man. This representative clearly trusts her judgment – her clients simply prefer to hear it from a man. Given that women are biologically predisposed to having different vocal cords, it’s unfair to judge their confidence or the validity of their advice based on vocal pitch. It’s probably not that deep voices inherently exude authority, but rather our collective bias towards men leads us to perceive them as more trustworthy. (Put differently, if men naturally had higher voices, we’d likely place more trust in higher voices.) I know some readers might question whether our male representatives are simply more pleasant to work with than their female counterparts, regardless of their performance. However, this bias emerges before clients even interact with representatives. One representative, in response to “Have you ever experienced gender-based discrimination?” stated: Absolutely—from both female and male clients. I’ve actually had new clients explicitly request a different representative solely because they feel more comfortable working with a male strategist. On a more positive note, there was unanimous agreement that “awareness is key” and studies like this are a crucial first step towards resolution. One representative emphasized, “Continuing to educate people about gender bias in the workplace will highlight that it IS still a problem requiring attention.” Another added, “Once people acknowledge the problem, they’ll hopefully be more conscious of making unbiased decisions.” Another stated: I believe the only way to effectively address gender bias in any industry is through ongoing dialogue and demonstrating that women are equally capable of excelling in paid search. Case studies, data, and valuable insights from women will further prove that there shouldn’t be a distinction between representatives based on gender. While it won’t be an overnight fix, as women continue to achieve success and high performance, it will raise awareness. Additionally, highlighting successful women might boost our confidence, which appears to significantly impact how others perceive us. No one expressed deep distress or offense at the data. Perhaps the very reason this disparity persists is that most women take the valuation gap in stride – it’s subtle enough to be overlooked. Alternatively, as Kristen Yerardi, our VP of Customer Success, pointed out, maybe it’s so pervasive across industries that women learn to navigate it as a matter of course. She noted: In 2014, the American Enterprise Institute analyzed White House salaries. The median annual salary for women was $65k, compared to $73.7k for men, a 13% discrepancy. Regardless of your political stance, Obama openly advocated for resolving this issue. Yet, even a President committed to change faced such a significant gap that it seemed insurmountable. How can any corporation or government agency realistically close that gap?

Addressing Gender Bias: Potential Solutions

I don’t have all the answers. It’s a complex issue. From my perspective as the founder of an internet marketing company, I see two approaches: top-down and bottom-up. Can we improve our hiring practices? Examine your internet marketing team – is the gender ratio balanced (50/50) or skewed (e.g., 80/20)? If it’s the latter, action is necessary. My colleague Elisa Gabbert recently wrote, “If you’re involved in hiring, scrutinize your process – do you tend to eliminate more female candidates? Are you overly critical of their resumes? Could your job descriptions unintentionally reveal a bias that might deter women from applying?” Addressing these issues could help level the playing field from the outset. This isn’t about “affirmative action” or hiring less qualified women over men. It’s about questioning whether we overvalue men who aren’t genuinely more qualified. Can industry leaders nurture women within their organizations? The 21% Gender Valuation Gap implies that men will, on average, encounter more “lucky breaks” throughout their careers. This advantage becomes substantial over time. Therefore, one of my personal goals is to mentor female staff and help them secure their own opportunities. This could involve assisting them in refining pitches to land higher-profile, outward-facing roles. The data clearly shows their campaign management skills are on par with, if not better than, their male counterparts, so this isn’t about “rescuing” them or doing their work. However, if gender bias is a reality, we (men) likely have an inherent advantage, and we can leverage this to champion women within our companies. (Perhaps we simply need to ensure we’re not hindering their progress.) I’m not claiming to be exempt from these biases, nor am I suggesting that others aren’t doing enough. I’m also not implying that our clients are at fault. On the contrary, I believe we all share responsibility. It’s a systemic problem that manifests in subtle, often unconscious ways. However, acknowledging the problem is the first step towards change. That’s why I wanted to transparently share the data we uncovered. While you are free to draw your own conclusions, I urge you not to dismiss them as flawed or insignificant. For me, the key takeaway is that gender bias in search is real and affects us all. I always suspected as much but lacked concrete evidence of its impact on our collective psyche until now.

Acknowledgements

I extend my gratitude to my colleague Elisa and many others in the industry, including Jen Lopez, Lisa Barone, and Megan Williams, for raising awareness about gender bias and discrimination in online marketing. Without their persistent efforts, I might have remained oblivious to this issue. Thanks are also due to Mark Irvine for his in-depth data analysis, Miranda Miller for her input, and Kristen Yerardi for her support in exploring this topic.