WebFX

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Lane Enterprises Technical Coatings Division is a large powder coating applicator on the south central part of Pennsylvania. My title is national sales manager.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with WebPageFX?

We wanted to expand and update our web presence. Our business is about color and making things look good, but we didn’t even look good online.

When I first came on, I was looking at our web page, which was set up probably 12 to 15 years before I came onboard and nobody had touched it since then. I wanted to update it, but I’m not very technically-literate. I contacted our marketing director at Lane Enterprises, and he told me to look into hiring WebPageFX. I told them what we wanted to do. I explained that we’re painters, basically, and don’t have a lot of computer literacy. We needed to rely on them to show us the way and do what’s best for us.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We pretty much tore apart what was there and rebuilt it from scratch. If you saw it back then and compared it to the new site, it’s like two different companies. The first couple of folks that we worked with at WebPage took our ideas and ran with them. They’d come back to us every week or every two weeks with new ideas of what we could put on the site.

We also had their developers come to our facility so they could see what we did. We could explain to them what our customers are looking for, and what we were looking to put out there in the marketplace. After we upgraded the site itself, we got into the SEO and we sat with two new developers and went over keywords. That’s been our focus in the last four to five years.

The original site was dull, and now it’s colorful. It’s got pictures, stories and informational sheets. They helped us with cut sheets that, as a sales manager, I can put in my briefcase and hand out to customers. We now get weekly and monthly reports of website hits, as well as a quarterly report on how we stacked up versus the last quarter. I’m the only sales rep, so I have to use my time wisely. The reports that they give me help determine where I’m going to spend my time in the next quarter.

WebPage took what we asked them to do, and their creative folks put stuff together. They always came back with two or three or four iterations that we could choose from. Our internal team consisted of three people and everything that we did was agreed on by all of us.

We now have calls to action on the site. WebPage came up with all of that. All of the requests for quotes are sent to my boss, my inside guy, and myself, that way we’re all aware of it. They helped us with the content on the site. In the project gallery, there’s seven different breakout areas. They came up with the idea to categorize them, making for a simpler user experience.

How did you come to work with WebPageFX?

We didn’t look at any other firms. I called the marketing guy at our parent company because I knew he was upgrading their website. I don’t think he was working with WebPage, but he heard about them. WebPage must have been pretty new, because they were still in the incubator in Carlisle, and were only 10 minutes away from our office. If I had a question, I could run over and see them, or they could send somebody over to explain things to us.

It was a good relationship because we were both small and growing, and they’ve always given us the personal touch. The rep that we have now, I don’t even have to tell her who it is when I’m calling. She recognizes my voice. I love that. I like when people know who I am and I don’t have to go through the whole thing.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started with them eight or nine years ago. We sign an agreement with them every year for SEO, and they also give us other services. Right now, we’re working with them on a visitor blog in a fabricator’s magazine. They author the whole thing. They come to me with any suggestions they have to make things better. They use us to train their new people because we’re small. We get a new person every eight to 12 months.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

We’re not sure how to track it, and we’ve discussed this with WebPageFX a couple of times. I’ve tried to get our insight guy to ask customers how they found us. In the last two years, we’ve gotten about 15 leads off of the website, where people have requested information or requested a quote. I’m a one-man show, and I cover 50 states. We don’t do business everywhere, but I’m pretty much everywhere.

Once WebPageFX started on SEO, we’ve always been at the top. When we do fall below, they take measures to get us back up to the top. If I have questions, I can call our rep. WebPageFX’s office is in Harrisburg, my coating plant is in Carlisle, and I live in the Reading area. To get to Carlisle, I have to go past their office, so there are times when I’ll call our contact person and tell them I’m going to stop by. They’ve never turned me down, and if she wants to get out of the office, sometimes she’ll come over to Carlisle. We talk a lot about our SEO and how we can increase our rankings. We’re usually in the top three with the keywords that we picked. We also review the keywords once a year to see if there’s something that we should take out.

How did WebPageFX perform from a project management standpoint?

Whenever they do something, they give me a timeline and they give us assignments. It’s usually pretty well-organized, and they communicate what they’re going to do. It always goes well. We usually finish ahead of schedule.

What did you find most impressive about WebPageFX?

I haven’t worked with any other web developers. The two Fortune 500 companies I worked for had their own developers, and I wasn’t really involved with any web design. I like WebPageFX's personal touch and their responsiveness. If I ask our rep a question and she doesn’t have an answer, she’s going to get me an answer by the end of the day or the next day. The three of us on our side are very untechnical, so they are our go-to people and we rely on them 100% to make our website successful.

Are there any areas WebPageFX could improve?

Again, I don’t have experience with anyone else. Everything that we’ve done with them as far as we know is being done correctly. We’re very happy with what they’ve done for us and what they do with us. I can’t say anything could be improved.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work at the Miller Law Group, located in West Lawn, Pennsylvania. I am the office manager in charge of marketing. I’ve worked closely with WebpageFX, specifically Thomas, on the changes that we’ve made to the website.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with WebpageFX?

First and foremost, we want to be a resource with a strong Internet presence, since that tends to be the way that business is going these days. I would say most of our marketing efforts and advertising are through the Internet at this point. So, we have really tried to work closely with WebpageFX to optimize the website as much as we can, using their suggestions and expertise. Most of our clients are local. We do small- to mid-sized business law, estate planning, and cater to, more or less, the average person that would need an attorney once or twice in their life.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

WebpageFX did the web design and SEO work for us. They redesigned our website to freshen it up a little bit. They didn't redesign it in the sense of starting from ground zero and building. They took what we had and gave it a more modern look. They’ve also been working to build up the content on our WordPress site and doing other optimization work to get more visitors.

How did you come to work with WebpageFX?

Honestly, we found WebpageFX through a Google search. We had a local company working with us at the time, a one-man operation. But unfortunately the owner, who was doing a great job, started getting a little behind the times as far as learning the Google changes and that sort of thing. He was in the process of transitioning us to a bigger firm, and unfortunately he had a heart attack and died unexpectedly with all of his clients’ passwords and sensitive information still in his brain, because he never wrote anything down and he had complicated passwords and settings.

So we had to start all over, and we feel like we’ve been kind of running uphill ever since. Once that happened, we worked with several companies. We went to a larger firm, but we just didn't have a meeting of the minds there. They didn't necessarily do anything wrong, they just didn't grasp the content that we wanted. Then we went to a smaller company, but the guy there was just overwhelmed. That was when I started getting involved and started researching. We ended up interviewing different companies within a small area. I liked everything that I read and heard from WebpageFX, and they won us over.

How much have you invested with WebpageFX?

They charge us $1,200 a month for SEO work, and that includes a portion of the yearly budget for content building, blog posts, etc. In the very beginning, they had to go into the website and change some things, because we’re working on an older version of WordPress, and we haven't updated it. As things come up and they offer different services, they tell us upfront what the price is, and then we say yes or no depending on our budget.

Another thing that I like is that they use our budget really efficiently. One of the things we did last quarter was change up our strategy, and they took some budgeted money and moved it over to something more in-line with the new strategy. They optimized and indexed our sites for some smaller and less influential search engines. They built those profiles up for us so I didn't have to take the time to do it. They use the money that we pay them in the most effective way possible.

What is the status of this engagement?

I think we’ve been working with WebpageFX for about a year and a half, and we plan to continue working together.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

That’s a hard question to answer, because, like everyone, our business fluctuates. But, when we go through the monthly reports, we can see we’re getting a lot of hits and feedback, we just don't seem to be getting a ton of conversions. It’s just hard to quantify that.

What I can tell you is that, every month, we are seeing an increase in the number of times we’re viewed and how much time is spent on particular pages. You may not think that advertising is hard in the legal field, but it is, especially in the family law area; there are a lot of divorce and child custody attorneys out there. I know we have worked on that section of our site a little bit harder, just trying to get more of a presence out there. Again, that’s one of the things that WebpageFX has done with us. They do the analysis of the other local competitors, and they’ll see what kinds of numbers the other companies are getting. Then they come back to us and say, “We’re not getting the results that we’d like to, so let’s put a little bit more focus on this area, let’s build up this section of your website.”

Every month we have more traffic than we did the previous month. What they’re doing is working to get us out there, but it’s hard for us to tell when the people call or email how they found out about us. But we’re still getting people calling in, so something’s working, and that’s the main crux of our advertising now. What they’re doing is working for us.

How did WebpageFX perform from a project management standpoint?

The truth of the matter is that they have offered a tremendous number of tools to us, and the one thing that kind of tipped the scales for them in the early interviewing process is they told us that they’re very transparent, and I can tell you they are. They set me up with access to watching what they do at any point in time on my account. They keep notes, they keep a running record of every time that they get into my account, what they’re doing, why they’re doing it, how they’re doing it. I don't necessarily understand what they’re doing, but I can see what they’re working on. And I'm constantly getting emails that say something like, “Thomas logged on and did XYZ today.” They’re also constantly running tests and that sort of thing. It’s just a nice thing to be able to see at any point in time the work that’s being done, rather than just relying on somebody to tell you, “This is what I plan to do,” and, “Oh yeah, I did it.” In my research, I did not see or hear that that was something any other company was doing, and I found that to be beneficial in my relationship with WebpageFX. They have specific programs that they set me up with, and I get an email every week showing me what companies have gone onto our website, what they’re looking at, how long they spend on the site, and the different pages they read. It’s just kind of a nice, neat little feature to be able to see who’s checking us out and why. I don't know any other company that does that.

What did you find most impressive about WebpageFX?

They’ve done a really nice job for us. The biggest thing is that they are attentive to me. If I have a question, Thomas jumps on it right away, and sometimes they’re working on problems before I’m aware of them. For instance, he emailed me and left a voicemail this morning saying, “Hey, by the way, I noticed there was a little change, and we’re having some issues that we didn't initiate. Can you let me know?” What happened was our hosting company had made a change, which is not something that I would have checked on. But he is always on top of everything and just seems to care. Unfortunately, in today’s business world, customer service seems to be the last thing that people care about, and that is the one thing that Katie and Thomas both have put on the forefront. They seem to care about us as a business, not just as a customer. That in itself lends me to be loyal to them.

Are there any areas WebpageFX could improve?

Honestly, I don't know of anything WebpageFX could improve off the top of my head. I don't have a bad taste in my mouth regarding anything that has gone on, because any time we’ve had an issue, they’ve taken care of it.

Their services are not cheap, but they’re not outrageous either, and I think the value for the price is comparable to other businesses. Of course, everybody would like to pay less and get more, but I think WebpageFX is very well-priced considering their expertise and availability. Anytime we’ve run into an issue, Thomas is always available, and if he’s not, then I can find somebody that can talk me down or move me to the right department. When I have had a situation where I didn't think the numbers were coming back as high as I wanted them to be, or I didn't think that we were moving in the right direction, I would call Thomas and say, “I’d really like to sit down with you face-to-face,” and he would drive in from Harrisburg, close to an hour away, just to sit with myself and Larry Jr., the managing partner. We would go through everything and he would listen to the concerns we were having.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the sales manager for a quarry. We sell limestone for industrial, agricultural, and home soil use. Our brand is part of a global company that uses the quarry, and our limestone products are a by-product of that process.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with WebpageFX?

We are in the agriculture industry, and a lot of the older farmers don’t use technology like the younger generations do. We wanted to improve brand recognition.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Before I started working for the company, WebpageFX did a full redesign of the website to make it mobile-friendly. Now, they have designers who help create graphics for the site. For example, they produce banners that feature products for a certain period of time. WebpageFX also helps us with content. They add things to the site, including forms, information, and links. Everything is presented to me first for feedback.

WebpageFX tracks and gives monthly reports of the traffic that comes to the site. That helps us to understand how the website is working for us. If there are any issues, they do troubleshooting. We have online leads, and WebpageFX maintains those forms. They also help with search engine optimization. I don’t know who created the list; it was done before I was hired. We’ve been talking about social media presence as well to help broaden the brand.

How did you come to work with WebpageFX?

I don’t know how our company found them. The company was already working with WebpageFX when I was hired. They are a local company, which may have been a factor in why they were chosen.   

What is the status of this engagement?

I don’t know when we started working with them, but the work is ongoing. Since I started working with them, it’s been a great partnership.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

We’ve seen an increase in the usage of the site, which provides information about our products. More and more people are using the website for general information. Our business is very seasonal, but I’ve gotten comments from customers that the information on the website is very helpful. We get quite a lot of leads from the forms WebpageFX included on the site.

How did WebpageFX perform from a project management standpoint?

My contact is very easy to communicate with and very responsive. She answers any questions I have and makes sure that I understand everything since I’m non-technical. She sends suggestions that they may have come up with. We communicate mainly through phone and email. During our monthly call, she goes through the SEO data with me on the screen. If there are projects that we’re actively working on, she sends reports weekly for that.

What did you find most impressive about WebpageFX?

I was at their facility and saw that they did everything there. They have a great team that can handle design, project management, etc. It’s nice dealing with a smaller company and talking with the same person each time. They’ve done a very good job.

Are there any areas WebpageFX could improve?

Nothing that I can think of. I haven’t had any issues.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work with Greenwood Hospitality Group. We are a hospitality management company, and I’m the director of digital presence. I handle all the reputation management and a lot of the digital marketing strategies for our hotels and restaurants.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with WebpageFX?

The project is specifically referring to the restaurants with whom we work. Our goal is always to increase exposure for the business and drive additional reservations to the restaurants, ultimately with the goal of increasing profits. A huge portion of that can include things like ensuring our listings are all up-to-date, managing those effectively, and web presence, including search engine marketing, search engine optimization, and just general website and social media content.

We have restaurants across the country, but they are all individually branded. Any of the campaigns we do are generally pretty localized. We do have some that cross international borders, depending on their location, or cross into other cities or states, but those are still generally localized.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

In addition to SEO, pay-per-click, and online listings, WebpageFX has done blog content and, in some cases, has helped with our email marketing campaigns, depending on the restaurant. We have four restaurants with them at this time. We’ve done everything from pay-per-click marketing and online listings to email marketing and blog posting. We’ve been able to utilize the content they provided, including designs, across other platforms, such as social media.

How did you come to work with WebpageFX?

We have a very long relationship with them. They’re based out of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where we have a hotel and a restaurant. We’ve been working with them, through our restaurant, Bricco, for a number of years now, so the relationship started that way. They were a local company and we wanted to work as locally as possible. We’ve built the relationship from there, and now we have four restaurants with them, and that number will continue to grow.

How much have you invested with WebpageFX?

We spend around $1,000 each month for each project. It can fluctuate between $800 and $1,600.

What is the status of this engagement?

I came on the project just over four years ago, and we’d already had them at that point. So, the relationship began well over fours ago, but I don’t have the exact date. Our work with WebpageFX is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

We’ve gone through the design process with them; it was a very fluid and easy process. They’re very collaborative and attentive, and they can make changes or change direction very quickly, depending on our needs.

The website turn-out was really satisfactory, both to us on the operational side and on the ownership side. Everyone agreed that the website was what we wanted and expected. The functionality has been fantastic. It’s easy for us to make edits and changes. Our customers find the navigation easy as well. That process has been good.

We also took them on for blog writing, and that’s been another very positive thing for us. It has driven traffic to the website, and that traffic has increased significantly. We’ve seen a lot of those blog posts starting to perform just as well as, if not better than, other standard pages, such as menu and things like that. That’s also been something we’ve cross-utilized on our other initiatives, like our social media channels. We’ve increased our impact for the money we spend on that copywriting.

They’ve written all the SEO content as well. They did all the keyword research and wrote those keywords into the copy for the website. That’s all been doing very well.

What did you find most impressive about WebpageFX?

It’s really their team. We work with website and e-commerce companies across the country, and with some large hospitality brands, so we deal with teams like this on a regular basis. The joy in working with WebpageFX has been that they are very committed. You don’t ever feel you’re getting bounced around to a hundred people. They really take ownership of everything.

We work quite extensively with Kate Rolfes who is a fantastic representative of the organization, not only for WebpageFX but also for our business as well. Kate has made the design and buildout process for websites smooth and simple for us. Heather Brown is our Internet Marketing Specialist and coordinates all of our live site edits, SEO copywriting, and long-form content generation. They’ve taken our needs to heart and have been so attentive and helpful with all of that. The big differentiator for me is the attention we get from their staff.

Are there any areas WebpageFX could improve?

They provide a lot of useful information, and for me, it would be helpful to have that distilled down simply into a one-page document. While I might understand ROI and click-through rates, some of my operational team on the property doesn’t always. There’s a lot of information that we all dig through, and it’s a process we’re working through right now.

What advice or suggestions would you give a potential client to get the most out of a project?

Ask for everything you want. There’s not anything that’s too big or too small. Be collaborative in the process, because they want to make you happy. They will do everything in their power to achieve that. If they’ve promised something to you, and you’re not seeing what you want, ask for it, so you don’t miss out on the opportunity to get precisely what you want.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

My husband and I are the owners of a plumbing business. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with WebpageFX?

We were trying to get our PPC up. We had used a couple of vendors previous to them and they were costing us more than they were producing.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They manage our Facebook for us and post events and anything going on with our company to get more calls and clicks. They write blogs pertaining to sewers. They choose the topic, do the research and write the content. They submit it to us for approval. If something isn’t right, we clarify it and then it’s posted. We have two campaigns that we run with them. They do their research and the blogs are always spot-on. They help us determine our keywords as well. We shared those keywords with other vendors that we use. Our target market is local.

How did you come to work with WebpageFX?

My husband did research and found them to be the best company to use. WebpageFX had the best reviews and results. We called them and talked about what we wanted. The only thing they do is PPC and that’s why we went with them.

How much have you invested with WebpageFX?

We spend $7,000 per year with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in 2012, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

They do a great job. Quincy is our representative and we’re in contact with each other all the time. If there’s any changes or updates, she lets us know. We’re very happy with them.

How did WebpageFX perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate through email or conference calls. They’re very easy to reach and are always willing to help.

What did you find most impressive about WebpageFX?

Their customer service is great. I had surgery in January and they sent me a card and flowers. We deal with a lot of vendors and I don’t know any other vendor that would do that. They have a great rapport with their customers.

Are there any areas WebpageFX could improve?

No. We’re very happy.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Quintessentially People is an international staffing agency. We provide staff for high net worth and high-profile individuals and corporations around the world. I’m the CEO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with WebpageFX?

Our main focus was to get our search rankings higher. We hadn’t put any work into it ourselves and we had to spend some money to see some results from it. We also had to rework our website to do that.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They helped in terms of the content on our website so that we could achieve better results on Google. The website is intended to advertise our services. It’s aimed at clients and candidates. Candidates search for jobs on the site and clients use the information on the site to figure out what service they want to use and how it fits with their lifestyles.

We wanted to target high-network and high-level families around the world as well as private families and corporations. I feel they did a really good job of understanding how our company works and how to target our audience with relevant content on our website. They helped with PPC campaigns as well.

How did you come to work with WebpageFX?

We did research online and WebpageFX kept popping up.

How much have you invested with WebpageFX?

We have spent $50,000 so far with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in January 2016, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

Online inquiries have increased significantly since we launched our new website in January 2017. We had been getting one or two inquiries a month and that’s increased to three to five a week. We’re on page one now, moving up from page three or four.

How did WebpageFX perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re brilliant. We have an account manager and he’s a great guy. He gets what we do and he knows his stuff. He’s done a really good job. We communicate through email and monthly conference calls.

What did you find most impressive about WebpageFX?

I haven’t worked with an agency on this scale before. One of the key points about WebpageFX is their staff. They’ve been fantastic.

Are there any areas WebpageFX could improve?

No.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with WebpageFX?

Listen to the advice that they give you because they know what they’re talking about. They are very good at what they do.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the manager of marketing and public relations for a pizza restaurant, and I head up the marketing department.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with WebpageFX?

We wanted to start SEO [search engine optimization] services in order to enhance our online presence. We had a company helping us with SEO before, but were not seeing the results that we wanted and had some issues with the company, so we were looking for someone new.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We wanted to own the deep dish pizza market in Chicago, so we were focusing on certain keywords, not only pizza and deep dish, but also things like gluten-free and thin crust; we were also focusing on not only tourists but also locals here in Chicago. Our target market was really surrounding all of our locations and encompasses a pretty vast demographic. WebpageFX writes all of the verbiage for our location pages on our website, as well as helps us optimize our menu with language. We’ve been dealing with one person for the SEO efforts. More recently, we started to work with them a little bit more on the social aspect, but that's another contact.

How did you come to work with WebpageFX?

Our director of technology found them, but I'm not quite sure how. I think they reached out to us a while back, and we never worked with them. But when we had a need for SEO, we decided to give them a try. They showed us a lot of different case studies when we met with them in person, and it just seemed like the people there were the right fit for our needs.

How much have you invested with WebpageFX?

We definitely spend between $50,000 and $200,000 annually with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in May 2015. Our collaboration with them is still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

Before, we were coming up on Google search as the fourth or fifth option for Chicago pizza in most of our locations, and now we're showing up as number one, if not number two for sure, across most of them, so we've definitely raised in ranking significantly after their work. Our web traffic has also increased. There's been a 2% increase in web conversions. We also started a lot of online ordering offers at the same time, so it's hard to attribute it to one specific thing.

How did WebpageFX perform from a project management standpoint?

They do a very good job of keeping us informed of new platforms or ideas in the marketplace, and that's been the most helpful thing for us—just being in the know of industry trends. We have a monthly and bi-weekly call with a few different people, and they're always letting us know of new things as well as keeping us informed of how our current campaigns are running. We primarily use email on a day-to-day basis and phone conversations biweekly.

What did you find most impressive about WebpageFX?

They keep us in the loop of different industry trends. I've worked with several companies in the past that have done a good job keeping our current campaigns up and running. We’ve told them that we want to have them rewrite our website copy or run a campaign, and they’ve done a good job of it, but the difference is that WebpageFX also offers other ideas that they can also do that might make a bigger impact in addition to that. It's really nice to know they're using our dollars the best way that they can to try to get the best return, not by just doing exactly what we tell them to.

Are there any areas WebpageFX could improve?

The only thing to potentially improve upon is in explaining results in reports a little bit better because I am not well versed in technology. I've talked to them about this and they have gotten much better.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m director of marketing and communications at a faith-based nonprofit in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. We work with people in 60 countries around the world, planting churches and doing relief work, schools, hospitals, and offering medical care.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with WebpageFX?

We were dealing with a few issues. People often said we were the best-kept secret in our business, which isn’t what you want to be. We knew there was a space online that we could potentially own, optimizing some keywords and things like that, but we weren’t sure how. We didn’t have the expertise in-house. We engaged WebpageFX for SEO [search engine optimization] to help get our name out there. A lot of nonprofits don’t necessarily take advantage of it, so we thought we could have some good wins.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’ve had a partnership with WebpageFX for several years, and they’ve helped us with a variety of projects. They’ve done SEO work with us and PPC [pay-per-click] campaigns. They secured a Google grant for us to help fund some of those initiatives. They’ve also built some microsites for us. They’ve been tracking our analytics and metrics, making sure that we are getting the traffic that we want. They are creating some different goals, and then conversions, ensuring that we’re growing in the spaces we want. We’re getting more people to give and to volunteer with us, and we’re meeting some of the organizational goals we’ve had.

How did you come to work with WebpageFX?

I was looking for a firm that would work with us and had a good reputation. WebpageFX rated really well; it seemed that other people had great experiences with them, and that’s been true for us as well. They have accommodated us and bent over backwards. There is almost a friendship that has developed. I have the rep’s cell phone, and he answers calls on weekends and at night. He’s put in odd hours when we had emergencies, just to make sure we’re getting incredibly quick response time and the information we need.

When the president came to me and wanted some data about one of the web pages, I contacted our rep at WebpageFX. Within five minutes, she had pulled the reports we needed and gave them to me in several different forms. They’ve definitely been incredibly responsive and helpful. I think they’ve gone above and beyond compared to what I’ve encountered with of our other vendors.

How much have you invested with WebpageFX?

We pay about $600 monthly, and we’ve been with WebpageFX for six or seven years, so thousands of dollars. [Approx. $43,200–$50,400 in total]

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in 2010, and our relationship is ongoing. I was out on maternity leave recently. In my absence, there was an issue with billing. My budget for 2017 got messed up, and we were going to have to end the relationship with WebpageFX, which I didn’t want to do. Our account rep came to us and offered a variety of flexible and accommodating options so that we could continue the relationship. It was incredibly generous on their end to try to maintain the relationship. We were able to work out a creative arrangement to continue using their services for this year.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

When we started, we had maybe 50 keywords that were ranking on Google significantly. Now we have 2,000. In some cases, we’ve taken over very reputable companies. For instance, for one term, we rank higher than NPR [National Public Radio]. That was impressive to us.

How did WebpageFX perform from a project management standpoint?

The team at WebpageFX is incredibly organized, very helpful, and great at communicating the steps along the way. I think they’re also patient in working with an organization like ours. We’re kind of small, and people like me wear a lot of hats. I’m not always the best at getting back to them, but they’ve been patient and accommodating with me, and still able to meet deadlines, even when I’m the source of a delay.

What did you find most impressive about WebpageFX?

The integrity of the people I’ve met at WebpageFX is incredible. They’re energetic, have a great work ethic, and are incredibly responsive. They provide a helpfulness that goes above and beyond good customer service. They really try to develop a relationship with us. I think we’ve gained a lot from our partnership with them. When I say partnership, I mean that. It feels like it’s mutual. They’re happy to give what we ask of them, and then also help us think about things we’re not even considering. They bring strategy to our organization and identify stuff I’m not an expert in, but to which they bring expertise. They point out ways we can best use our resources and time, and that’s been awesome. Having somebody just do what you tell them to is fine, but when you can have an expert point out the things you don’t even know you should be doing, that’s where the real value comes in.

Are there any areas WebpageFX could improve?

We haven’t had any issues with WebpageFX in the six or seven years we’ve been with them. They’ve gone above and beyond to correct any glitches we’ve seen. We’ve been very happy.

Do you have any advice for potential customers who may want to work with them in the future?

My background is in journalism, and I inherited social media and website, lots of things that are outside my area of training and expertise. We have leaned heavily on WebpageFX to help us fill in the gaps for our organization. I’m not necessarily prepared for things I don’t even know. I don’t always have the right questions to ask. I’ve learned a lot from just listening. They bring the information to the table and are happy to educate me when I don’t understand. Don’t be afraid to jump into online marketing if you don’t know much about it. I think that’s something WebpageFX really succeeds in; helping customers who maybe don’t know anything.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of All Natural Tree Experts. I orchestrate all the marketing for the company and I oversee all the jobs and safety for the crews. I’m involved in everything to do with the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with WebpageFX?

In my line of work, it’s always about getting that next lead. I went to WebpageFX and told them that I just wasn’t getting enough leads to keep my guys busy. We could finish jobs faster than I was getting them. I needed more customers.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They started doing SEO [search engine optimization] and I noticed immediately that my site was ranking higher on the first page in several places for all sorts of keywords. They told me that it would take a little bit to get the ball rolling, so I talked to them about starting a PPC [pay-per-click] campaign. We’re at the end of that phase now, and I’m already seeing results. It’s only day three, and I’ve already gotten an increase in phone calls from the PPC ad. It’s definitely helped my business. I’ve noticed nothing but an increase in sales from everything they’re doing. We’re getting more and better jobs, with bigger clients. I don’t know how they target people, but it seems like the clients are a lot better than they used to be.

We’re focusing on driving traffic to the website right now, so there’s on-page and off-page SEO and search engine marketing going on, creating back links and just making the site rank higher in Google’s eyes. They have also changed a lot of content on the site. They do offer video and imagery services, but we’re not at that point yet. We’re just trying to do lead generation and get more traffic to the site, which is the most important thing. I already had a good-looking site, so there’s no need to change, but if I asked them to do it, I’m sure they would.

How did you come to work with WebpageFX?

I’ve been in business for quite a while, and I actually started studying SEO and marketing myself. I wanted to learn as much as I could about it. I tried to do it myself, and I had all kinds of companies through the years that just weren’t working. They always overpromised and under-delivered. I was online one day, researching some of the top marketing companies in the world. I saw that WebpageFX was one of the top marketing companies in the US, so I figured I’d give them a call and see what they had to offer. From day one, they’ve been on-task. I can call them at any hour, and they just answer any questions I have. It’s been a good partnership ever since.

How much have you invested with WebpageFX?

The PPC campaign is $13,000 a year; $10,000 goes to Google, and they take the other three. We’re also running the generic campaign for the SEO, and that is right at $13,000 as well. I’m very happy with it.

What is the status of this engagement?

I started working with them January 1st of 2017. We’re still working together, and I think the relationship will continue for years to come.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

We’re still early in the campaign, and we’ve already had a 15% increase so far. I expect that number to rise a lot more. When I did a PPC campaign by myself before, I averaged seven calls a month. With the campaign launched by WebpageFX last Friday, I was already getting calls on the first day. On the third day, I’d already gotten three phone calls. So, I’m averaging a call per day just from the PPC ads.

We’re averaging probably nine phone calls a month just from the website, which is a big increase for us especially only after four months.

How did WebpageFX perform from a project management standpoint?

WebpageFX uses Basecamp. I’m able to look at the calendar and actually share screens with my representative. She can lay out the schedule, day by day, of what we’re going to do, and that’s what I really like. They put everything on the calendar, and they even put hours on it and how long they spent on each task. You can really see what they’re doing when they’re doing it, how long they spend on it, and who is working on it. You don’t get that with traditional marketing companies.

What did you find most impressive about WebpageFX?

When I talked to our representative, she explained how WebpageFX has their own library, study groups, and study sessions where all the employees can learn and read to their heart’s desire. You just don’t see that with your local marketing companies; they’re just not like that. The company actually invests in their employees’ education about marketing, and I think that’s very impressive. They have a good training program in place for each employee. Everyone I’ve ever talked to at WebpageFX knows what they’re talking about. I like how knowledgeable everyone is there.

Are there any areas WebpageFX could improve?

Not really. I think they’re doing a great job. The only thing I would ever suggest is maybe some more content creation, in order to create some new and fresh content updates on a regular basis.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with WebpageFX?

I’ve done a lot of research on SEO companies. I can save other people the hassle by recommending WebpageFX. They’re the best company I’ve ever worked with so far. I’ve worked with 10 other companies, and they’re the best. Save yourself a headache; go ahead and sign up with WebpageFX. Your money will be well invested. You can have your own plans, but just trust what they say. At the end of the day, it’s what they do every day. It’s a good partnership because they’re willing to listen, but they know how to make what you want into a reality.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Reflexis Systems Inc. is a software development company primarily in the retail operations space. I am the marketing manager for the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with WebpageFX?

We were looking to take our company to the next level. At the time when we brought WebpageFX on board, we were not using any SEO [search engine optimization]. We brought them on board in order to increase not only our traffic to the website but the right people to our website as well.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They were fantastic from day one. In fact, one of the great things about them was that they were proactive and actually came to us with suggestions instead of waiting for us to come to them. They analyzed our website and they helped us create goals that were attainable and which we were very happy moving forward with.

It was a collaborative effort in coming up with keywords. They actually came up with the first round and sent it over to us. We made some suggestions and it was actually an educational process for us because many of my team members had never had any experience with SEO. A lot of the words that we suggested to them weren’t necessarily the best fit and there were reasons for that. WebpageFX took the time to educate us on what keywords will work best and why. It wasn’t just a back and forth, and here’s what we think you should use. It was very much an education for us. Our target market is global.

How did you come to work with WebpageFX?

We found them through organic searching. We knew we needed an SEO company, so we went down the process of looking at different websites, seeing who ranks the best on different review sites. Time and time again we kept coming across WebpageFX. We had shortlisted two or three companies; I had meetings with them and WebpageFX definitely came across as being the best fit for us just through talking to them. Everybody will tell you that they can essentially do the same thing. It’s SEO, so there are checkboxes to hit and everybody can hit them. However, it was through my conversations with them that I realized that WebpageFX would be the best fit, not just from a price point but also by what they could provide us.

How much have you invested with WebpageFX?

We spend less than $10,000 per year with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in December 2013, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

Some of our goals were to increase traffic and increase our conversation rate. Not only did they meet those goals, but they actually exceeded them. Before, our main product was showing up on page ten of Google. WebpageFX got that not just to page one, but on the first result of page one. Many of our other pages have also appeared on the first page of Google when searching our keywords and phrases. I think they set a goal of ten pages and I think we hit about 17 or 18 pages.

In the first year, I believe we had an 86% growth in organic traffic. We’re now in year three, and we’re still seeing a 40.26% organic traffic increase year over year. The quality of their work is fantastic. They deliver anything I ask for, and then something extra that maybe I didn’t even realize I wanted but they just knew. They go above and beyond and create reports for me based on our conversations. They take the initiative to give me the answers that I need and then they give me more than what I ask for; it’s something extremely helpful for us. As far as the quality of work, I’ve never had any complications or any issues with them in these three years.

How did WebpageFX perform from a project management standpoint?

My main point of contact is our client advocate. Her responsiveness is fantastic. If she happens to be on the other line, she calls back 10–20 minutes or emails me to let me know she can’t answer at the moment in case of a really long call. Their customer service is by far superior to many of the vendors I’ve worked with in the past. When I have special projects or any questions, I contact them via phone. They also send me monthly reports via email.

We have a constant collaboration which is something I really like about them. We end up having calls with them once a month, or once every 4–6 weeks at most. Our conversations are not always about the SEO efforts. I was talking to them one day about a problem I was having on my website. It didn’t actually have anything to do with WebpageFX; it was something on the development side, but we weren’t too familiar with it and didn’t know how to proceed. They took it upon themselves to do a lot of the research for us as well, and they ran it all the way up to their CIO. Their CIO got in touch with me and actually pushed me in the right direction to be able to complete a project that actually had nothing to do with them. It’s those extra services that they provide that separate them from everyone else.

What did you find most impressive about WebpageFX?

Their customer service is impressive. They really do make you feel like they woke up that morning to work on your account. You never feel like a number; you always feel like a VIP. They are a very proactive, not reactive, company. There are times where even though we have goals in place, I’ll get a phone call or an email out of the blue to let me know other ideas they might have in terms of goals. They’ll actually approach me with new goals for our website rather than them waiting for me to come up with my own ideas. They’re constantly coming up with ways to increase the success of our website.

Are there any areas WebpageFX could improve?

No.