Search Engine People

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the founder of Aligned Relationship Counselling, a group practice in Vancouver that provides individual and couples relationship counselling.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Search Engine People?

We needed to have a steady stream of leads to fill a group practice of 2–5 counsellors.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Search Engine People has helped us rebrand our website, which has included technical website changes. The team has also optimized our site for SEO and GEO, ranked us for relevant keywords, and helped us show up as a top search in Google. Search Engine People has given us a list of content ideas with relevant keywords and reviewed our ads to ensure they're performing optimally.

What is the team composition?

We've worked primarily with one teammate from Search Engine People, but have met a couple others.

How did you come to work with Search Engine People?

We found Search Engine People through a referral. We chose them over other options because they had high ratings and were a great culture fit.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent less than $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Search Engine People in September 2025, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Search Engine People has revamped and optimized our website, reviewed and optimized our ad campaign, and given us an extensive list of content. We've seen better and more quality leads.

How did Search Engine People perform from a project management standpoint?

Search Engine People has delivered on time and fast-tracked our project. We communicate via virtual meetings, emails, and messaging apps.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Everyone on Search Engine People's team is super friendly and great to work with. The team has gone above and beyond and provided support in multiple aspects of our business, including ads and website rebranding.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I'd have to nitpick. There's not much they can improve on.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Owner of Broken Rice

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Broken Rice is a modern Vietnamese-inspired quick-casual restaurant based in downtown Toronto. We serve fresh, customizable rice bowls and balanced meals designed for busy customers looking for quality, consistency, and great value in a fast, approachable format.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Search Engine People to accomplish?

• Increase local visibility
• Drive consistent traffic and sales
• Build a strong, long-term online presence

SOLUTION

How did you find Search Engine People?

Online Search

Why did you select Search Engine People over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Search Engine People were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Google ad, meta ads

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

improve our local search visibility and ad performance

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Their project management has been organized and reliable. Deliverables have been shared on time, and communication has been clear throughout the process.

The team has been responsive to our questions and requests, and Trevor in particular has been quick to follow up with helpful advice and direction whenever we needed clarification or adjustments.

What was your primary form of communication with Search Engine People?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

What stood out most was their responsiveness and how practical their advice was. They took the time to understand our business and local market, and the guidance they provided felt thoughtful and actionable rather than generic. Their transparency and willingness to adjust based on feedback make the collaboration easy and effective.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Search Engine People could have done differently?

At this stage, there aren’t any major areas for improvement. As with any partnership, there’s always room to refine strategy as more data comes in, and we expect that process to continue as the campaigns mature. Overall, the experience has been smooth and collaborative.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Marketing Manager of Besso Floor & Decor

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Besso Floor specializes in providing high-quality flooring solutions, offering expert installation and a wide range of durable, stylish flooring options for residential and commercial spaces.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Search Engine People to accomplish?

Bring local homeowner or contractor to our store

SOLUTION

How did you find Search Engine People?

Referral

Why did you select Search Engine People over others?

Referred to me

How many teammates from Search Engine People were assigned to this project?

1 Employee

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

 Scope of Work & Key Deliverables

Search Engine People was engaged to provide backlink building services aimed at strengthening our website’s off-page SEO performance. The scope of work included developing and executing a strategic link-building campaign focused on acquiring high-quality, relevant, and authoritative backlinks that align with our industry and target audience.

The work began with an analysis of our website’s existing backlink profile, competitor benchmarking, and identification of link opportunities. Based on this research, Search Engine People developed a customized outreach strategy to secure links from reputable websites, publications, and industry-relevant sources. All link acquisition efforts followed white-hat SEO best practices to ensure long-term sustainability and compliance with search engine guidelines.

Ongoing monitoring and reporting were part of the engagement to track link quality, placement, and impact on domain authority and organic performance.

Key deliverables included:

• Backlink profile audit and competitor analysis
• Link-building strategy and outreach planning
• Acquisition of high-quality, relevant backlinks
• Regular reporting on links acquired and performance metrics
   

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The project delivered measurable improvements in our website’s off-page SEO performance. We saw an increase in the number of high-quality referring domains and overall backlink authority, along with improvements in domain authority and organic keyword rankings. 
As a result, organic search visibility increased and several target keywords began ranking higher in search results. The backlinks acquired were relevant, authoritative, and aligned with our industry, demonstrating sustainable progress rather than short-term gains.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Their project management was well organized and professional throughout the engagement. Communication was clear and proactive, and they were responsive whenever we had questions or requested adjustments. 

What was your primary form of communication with Search Engine People?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

What impressed us most was their deep expertise in SEO and their transparent, data-driven approach to link building.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Search Engine People could have done differently?

Providing more detailed reporting or insights

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a digital marketing specialist at PAR Technology Corporation, an integrated technology solutions provider for restaurants and retailers. We offer point-of-sale, digital ordering, loyalty, payments, and hardware solutions to streamline operations and enhance guest experiences globally.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Search Engine People?

We hired Search Engine People to assist with our website's SEO and provide support with SEO strategy development and execution. Our previous SEO vendor's progress stagnated, and our metrics steadily declined over the last six months of our previous engagement. We needed to transform the negative trend into steady growth.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Search Engine People has conducted a comprehensive SEO and technical audit of our website and provided a thorough list of recommendations for us to implement. Once completed, the team has assisted with page-by-page keyword research and leveraged that research to optimize the content on each page. Following the completion of the 'low-hanging fruit,' we've balanced priorities to include a greater focus on backlink building.

What is the team composition?

We work with 2–5 teammates from Search Engine People.

How did you come to work with Search Engine People?

We found Search Engine People through an online search. We chose them over other options because their pricing fit our budget and offered good value for the cost.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Search Engine People in June 2024, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Following the algorithm change in June 2024, which significantly reduced our traffic, we identified measurable traffic growth within six months of starting the engagement and within four months of implementing Search Engine People's content and technical recommendations. Within 9–10 months, our traffic organically returned to the same levels prior to the algorithm change in June 2024. When comparing a given month year-over-year (YoY), we saw traffic growth as high as 67% YoY. Our trophy keyword rankings have also improved by 1–3 pages on Google's SERP.

How did Search Engine People perform from a project management standpoint?

Search Engine People delivers on time and is responsive. We primarily communicate through virtual meetings, emails, and messaging apps.

What did you find most impressive about them?

When we ask for it, Search Engine People gives us the attention we need and is often proactive during busy times.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We've had to transition account managers twice since our engagement began. We feel that the outgoing account managers could've done a better job of preparing their incoming colleagues.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Managing Partner of Sunset Docks & Lifts Muskoka

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Sunset Docks Muskoka is a premier waterfront solutions expert headquartered in Muskoka, ON focusing specifically on boat lift solutions.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Search Engine People to accomplish?

• Increase market share in the boat lift industry
• Maintain a strong presence on Google
• Triple sales from previous year

SOLUTION

How did you find Search Engine People?

Online Search

Why did you select Search Engine People over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost

How many teammates from Search Engine People were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Search Engine People's main focus is on generating meaningful, measurable growth for Sunset by increasing inbound calls, qualified leads, and overall conversions. Their strategy is built around strengthening our online presence through targeted SEO, local optimization, and content improvements—ultimately expanding our organic reach and driving higher-quality traffic to our website.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Search Engine People have played a major role in our success, helping drive revenue from $1.7M to $5M in one year while delivering a significant surge in phone leads that dramatically increased our overall conversion rate.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Search Engine People consistently deliver work incredibly fast, respond openly to constructive feedback, and always take the time to explain their recommendations—setting them apart from others in the market with their clarity, expertise, and professionalism.

What was your primary form of communication with Search Engine People?

Virtual Meeting

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Search Engine People are exceptionally customer-focused, taking the time to listen before they speak and ensuring every strategy is shaped around our needs with care, attention, and a genuine commitment to our success.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Search Engine People could have done differently?

Provide more forward-looking roadmaps, giving clearer insight into what the next 3–6 months of SEO work will focus on so we can plan our internal marketing around it.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the project lead of Asteras Kings

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Asteras Kings is an exclusive, hyper-luxury minimalist residential building in West Hollywood providing a low-volume, highly private lifestyle supported by a dedicated 24/7 concierge team.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Search Engine People to accomplish?

• Strengthened SEO strategy & execution
• Deep brand & audience understanding
• Higher website search rankings
• Increased organic traffic
• Enhanced brand visibility in the luxury real estate market

SOLUTION

How did you find Search Engine People?

Online Search

Why did you select Search Engine People over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Search Engine People were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Search Engine People delivered a fully optimized SEO strategy for Asteras Kings, including enhanced website performance, improved search rankings, increased organic traffic, and strengthened brand visibility within the Los Angeles luxury real estate market. Their work included in-depth brand and audience analysis, data-driven insights, and ongoing strategic recommendations to keep our digital marketing aligned with long-term goals. With proactive reporting, detailed performance updates, and hands-on account management from Carlie, SEP effectively elevated our online presence and became a trusted extension of our team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The project produced clear, measurable improvements across organic visibility, keyword rankings, and search-driven performance. Organic traffic increased significantly between the earlier and later reporting periods, rising from 318 (desktop) + 331 (mobile) sessions in February 2024 to a combined 908 organic sessions by October 2025, demonstrating sustained long-term growth rather than short-term fluctuation.

Keyword rankings showed even more dramatic progress, with highly competitive terms like “luxury apartments west hollywood” improving from position ~36.2 (six months before April 2024) to position 8.91 in April 2024, and ultimately stabilizing within the top 10 positions by October 2025.

Search Console performance strengthened significantly over time, with branded visibility rising from 182 clicks and 813 impressions in April 2024 to 570 clicks and 15,600 impressions in October 2025, demonstrating strong growth in brand demand. Non-branded visibility also expanded, increasing from 86 clicks and 10,617 impressions in April 2024 to 176 clicks and 10,816 impressions in October 2025, indicating a broader reach among high-intent luxury apartment searches. This upward movement in both branded and non-branded categories reflects meaningful gains in search visibility, greater keyword traction for competitive terms such as “luxury apartments West Hollywood,” and sustained improvements in overall organic engagement, which is clear evidence of measurable SEO success!

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Search Engine People’s project management has been exceptional throughout our engagement. Their team consistently delivered work on time, kept us informed at every stage, and ensured that all action items were completed promptly and with accuracy.

Our account manager, Carlie, was especially attentive. She responded quickly to every question, provided ongoing strategic guidance, and anticipated our needs before we even had to ask. Her proactive communication, detailed updates, and data-driven recommendations made the entire process seamless, and we always felt supported and prioritized. Overall, SEP demonstrated a high level of professionalism, reliability, and responsiveness, making them feel like a true extension of our internal team.

What was your primary form of communication with Search Engine People?

Virtual Meeting

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

What impressed us most about Search Engine People was their ability to truly understand and cater to a niche luxury real estate market, a space that requires a nuanced approach, high attention to detail, and a deep grasp of how affluent renters search, evaluate, and engage online. Their strategies were never generic; they were tailored specifically to the unique positioning of Asteras Kings as a low-volume, boutique luxury property in West Hollywood.

A special shout-out again goes to Carlie, whose expertise, intuition, and commitment elevated the entire partnership; she consistently delivered insights and recommendations that felt both highly strategic and uniquely aligned with our brand’s identity.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Search Engine People could have done differently?

We don’t have any criticisms of their work; SEP has consistently exceeded expectations. Any “improvement” would simply be expanding on what’s already working, continuing to push into even more niche luxury-market tactics as our brand grows.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Principle of Thornton Design

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Boutique Interior Design Studio specializes in renovations.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Search Engine People to accomplish?

• SEO Optimization

SOLUTION

How did you find Search Engine People?

Referral

Why did you select Search Engine People over others?

Company values aligned

How many teammates from Search Engine People were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

uring months 1 - 3:
- Google Analytics Review and Goal Setup
- Google Console Review (Setup if necessary)
- Keyword Research
- Competition analysis
- One-time Google My Business Page optimization 
- On page optimization for up to 10 key pages (in the form of written Title Tags, Meta descriptions and 
H1 Tags, as well as content recommendations where applicable)
Starting Month 3 and ongoing (Authority Building/Off Page SEO):
- Building an average 3-5 links per month from relevant articles writing and publishing included 
$1,200.00 + Tax
per month
AI (GEO/AEO) SEO - Timing is 6-12 months to achieve Monthly ROI Budget
Month 1:
- In Depth Keyword Research and Competition Analysis. Discover further Keywords you’re not ranking
 or being cited for that can drive great opportunity on Google and LLM’s like Chat GPT and Perplexity.
- Google Search Console setup 
- Google Analytics Set Up
- Google Tag Manager Set Up
- Google Business Profile Optimization (content related to website keyword strategy)
Month 2:
On page optimization for 10 pages total (this is not monthly but 10 pages total) – Meta Tags, Title Tags, 
Header Tags, Alt Description Tags, Content Advisement (focus on keywords and AEO questions) 
Month 3 and Ongoing:
- Link Building – 4 - 5 links from relevant websites (help to increase Domain Authority) – Includes Article 
Writing – 200 – 400 word Article
- 8 -10 Citations monthly
- Digital Reporting accessible 24/7
- Monthly reporting and a call with a dedicated Account Manager – Analysis and Updates
- Quarterly Strategy Reviews

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Potential clients are using the website’s Calendly link to book complimentary discovery calls, with the goal of converting these conversations into full client projects.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

So far, it has been great! Ahead of schedule on all markers. 

What was your primary form of communication with Search Engine People?

Virtual Meeting

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

They are a personable team with strong attention to detail, making the setup process easy and approachable—even for someone without technical experience.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Search Engine People could have done differently?

No far, so great!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Digital Marketing Manager of Homesalive.ca

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Premium pet supplies retailer servicing Canadian pet owners.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Search Engine People to accomplish?

• Enhance our e-comm and content SEO strategy

SOLUTION

How did you find Search Engine People?

Online Search

Why did you select Search Engine People over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit

How many teammates from Search Engine People were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

After auditing our existing SEO strategy and overall site performance, SEP helped us identify areas of opportunity and supported us in targeting keywords and optimizing pages that have the largest impact on click rate and conversion. SEP has contributed to improved organic rankings and traffic for our core keywords through on-page improvements, growing our backlink profile, and assisting with local SEO campaigns to support our brick-and-mortar visibility in our target markets. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We have seen a noticeable improvement in overall organic rankings for branded and non-branded keywords leading to an increase in traffic and revenue.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

The team is responsive and provides consistent and up-to-date reporting. They consistently modify and personalize our reports to help us identify successes and areas of opportunity. Brian and Alistair are always willing to research and provide helpful feedback and recommendations on the fly and come prepared to meetings with updated metrics and highlights of our progress so far.

What was your primary form of communication with Search Engine People?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

The team is great at troubleshooting and providing fast and helpful recommendations as we try to diversify our SEO strategy.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Search Engine People could have done differently?

We focused a lot on YoY growth in our reporting this year, which is great, but we did end up pushing for a more granular style of reporting so that we can keep a closer eye on trends and competitor movements. I think it comes down to understanding that different types of businesses and industries have to measure success and monitor growth a little differently. That being said, SEP was very good about helping us customize our reporting to help us track indicators that can easily get lost in the natural ebb and flow of SEO in our industry.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Fractional CMO of Think Mitch Think

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

I am a fractional CMO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Search Engine People to accomplish?

• Rank in Top 5 position in Canada and US for our top 5 non-branded keywords

SOLUTION

How did you find Search Engine People?

• Online Search
• Referral

Why did you select Search Engine People over others?

• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned
• Demonstrated that they understood our core challenge and provided outstanding communication

How many teammates from Search Engine People were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

As a fractional CMO I brought in SEP to very specifically help my client get into Top 5 ranking position in Canada and the US for our top 5 non-branded keywords.  This was the driving goal of all our actions.
As our website was extremely well laid out and technically strong, their primary role was aggressively building out backlinks for us.  They also provided very detailed recommendations for us to take to optimize our core landing pages where most of the backlinks would point.  
Specifically, they delivered detailed on-page optimization recommendations for the 4 core backlink pages as well as 8 other pages on our site and have delivered over 80 backlinks for us.
The goal was to get to Page 1 position in 4 months and Top 5 position in 6 months.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

All of their reporting, backlinking and on-site optimization recommendations were delivered on time as planned and in an extremely thoughtful way.   
Importantly, we are tracking exactly against our goals/targets as we see our rankings move up from the depths of search towards the first page (we had a long way to go in a competitive space).

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

They had a fantastic spreasheet that covered every section of their work, their outcomes and links to other important documents.  It was obvious that this was a system that has been developed over time as it was very well thought out and easy to use.
The spreadsheet included a blocking chart that showed their deliverables and due dates for each month - marketing them from red to green once they were completed.
Every one of their items were delivered on time as promised.  They were also extremely responsive to all of our questions and occassional needs to move calls.  They never missed a call or ever failed to respond to any email or message in an extremely timely and helpful manner.

What was your primary form of communication with Search Engine People?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

What was most impressive was their willingness to stay lazer focused with us on the outcomes, vs just the deliverables.  They were very happy to be accountable, along with us, for the impact of thier work vs just getting their jobs done.
They were also just a lot of fun to work with as people. It's always nice to work with friendly people who obviously care about your results and who do great work on time and on plan.  Alistair and Brian were our key reps and they were fantastic.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Search Engine People could have done differently?

Anything I would say for improvement would just be a niggle - overall it was a great experience from A to Z.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the President of Fragrance Canada

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Fragrance Canada is Canada's Largest Online Fragrance Distributor Offering Wholesale Prices Direct To Consumers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Search Engine People to accomplish?

• Organic Ranking
• E-Commerce Traffic
• More Sales

SOLUTION

How did you find Search Engine People?

Online Search

Why did you select Search Engine People over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Search Engine People were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Search Engine People helped us optimize our product pages brand pages and other seo strategies for us to organically rank higher. They also provide banklinking services and other various strategies which are ongoing monthly helping us rank higher organically.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Monthly increase in traffic and sales. Continued growth in all aspects month over month compared to previous year since we began our partnership. 

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Response times are same day. SEO takes some time to see results but after a few months results spoke for themselves as sales and traffic organially grew. We are ranking on first page for many keywords and brands. 

What was your primary form of communication with Search Engine People?

Virtual Meeting

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

The results and their professionalism are impressive. Monthly meetings showing results is what we were looking for and what they have delivered. 

Are there any areas for improvement or something Search Engine People could have done differently?

We are very happy with the way things have gone and could not ask for more.