DPG Media operates more than 85 brands and processes over 300 million clicks a month, so scaling their data operations wasn’t optional, it was essential.
In this episode of The Undiscovered Metric, Simme Volkers, Head of SEO at DPG, shares how the team kept their strategy unified as they scaled, explains how marketing teams can keep their data foundations strong under pressure, and explores why impression share might soon matter more than clicks.
Check out the full episode below, or read on for Simme’s top five tips for building resilient, scalable marketing data operations.
1. Benchmark first, then build
When asked what marketers often overlook, Simme points to the lack of a solid foundation before launching new efforts. He believes benchmarking should always come first.
“You need to think about your data and your business case first,” he explains. Without that step, it’s impossible to validate what’s working or to align teams around a shared understanding of success.
He acknowledges that constraints like budget or limited access to data engineers can make this difficult. But skipping the benchmarking phase often results in inefficiencies and costly rework later on.
2. Data strategy and KPIs must align with product thinking
With so many brands operating under the DPG umbrella, alignment is essential. Simme says that one of the most effective ways to achieve this has been connecting data practices with broader product principles.
“Tracking needs to be done right, and there should be no questions within any team,” he says. “It should be really in the very core of your operation.”
Having external partners has also helped. According to Simme, someone outside the organization can help overcome internal politics and bring clarity to complicated projects.
At DPG, accessibility doesn’t just mean giving teams access to dashboards. It means getting everyone to agree on what matters. That starts with a company-wide set of KPIs.
“Every time we publish on an internal channel, we start out by focusing on these main KPIs,” Simme explains. Over time, this helps build a shared understanding and improves decision-making across departments.
New SEO hires are trained on these metrics from the beginning. This approach helps maintain a single source of truth across teams, reinforcing clarity in both strategy and reporting. “Just like you define product principles, you should define a clear set of company-wide KPIs, both technical and marketing-focused. Create standard reporting around those KPIs. A shared set of metrics is essential," says Simme.
3. Shared responsibility starts with a shared source of truth
Maintaining quality at scale takes more than just strong tech. It takes accountability across every department. For Simme, that starts with understanding your third-party data deeply and using it as a reference point for validating your first-party data.
“When you really know your third-party data at heart, you can expect your first-party data to behave in a predictable way,” he says.
Simme emphasizes the need for regular checks, cross-team collaboration, and a willingness to challenge assumptions. Cost is a concern, too. When multiple teams purchase the same datasets without coordination, it creates both inefficiencies and waste. Precision and shared ownership are key.
"You need to build your own single point of truth. Having your data accessible for multiple teams and educating them on how to collect that data is really important."
Simme Volkers, Head of SEO at DPG
4. Scaling exposes hidden weaknesses
All of this becomes even more critical when systems are under pressure. According to Simme, it’s easy for data strategies to unravel when too many teams are working in silos. “Different teams were operating independently and used different tooling - or worse, even the same tooling in different places,” he says. This created issues with cost control, data access, and outdated or duplicate solutions.
“With the help of Adverity, we managed to create one data entry point for all third-party data,” says Simme. “We push that data back into our Snowflake products. This resulted in some successful metrics. We’re saving a lot of time on reporting, approximately 860 plus hours, as we recently calculated. And of course, we improved data accuracy and consistency.”
5. Prepare for a shift in search behavior
With Google’s new AI-generated overviews, Simme believes the industry is approaching a major change in how users interact with search results. This shift could make traditional metrics less relevant.
“We’re actually on the threshold of a really important change, which is artificial overviews within Google,” says Simme.
“We’re moving into a world of zero clicks. So this means we have to change pace and rethink our main KPIs.”
Simme Volkers, Head of SEO at DPG
This change is already pushing the team to focus more on share of voice and impression share. “You need to know whether the market is growing or whether you are growing as opposed to the market,” Simme says. These metrics help reveal gaps and opportunities that might otherwise be missed.
Conclusion: Build for growth, not just for now
Simme’s experience at DPG Media shows that scalable data operations don’t just happen. They require intentional design, strong foundations, and a willingness to rethink metrics as the landscape shifts.
Whether you’re preparing for a zero-click future, trying to align global teams, or simply looking to improve reporting efficiency, the takeaway is clear: start with clarity, build for scale, and keep your data strategy tied to your business goals.
