WebFX

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a one-on-one personal training studio specializing in full-body strength exercise. We do everything by appointment, customizing it to each individual's needs, goals, and limitations. I'm the founder of this company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with WebpageFX?

I was looking for them to design and maintain the website, as well as do web marketing, specifically SEO [search engine optimization]. Over the years, we've had 4 different SEO companies help with our website. WebpageFX was the fourth.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They work on our website’s design and SEO. I’d had a friend make our website during the transition from the last company to WebpageFX, using Webflow as the CMS [content management system]. Even though they suggested moving over to WordPress, they haven't insisted on it. They're really good with working with us, being able to hold our hand, work with the current designer of the website, and have weekly check-ins with us to be able to keep up with each one of these monthly reports.

We have a reports page that we can go to, so we can look at the reports, add on different things, and really be able to grow with our business without having to spend too much and redesign the website completely. They also provide an auto email service that sends out a 3-sequence email to prospects and current clients.

What is the team dynamic?

It's been a very good experience since the beginning. There are two people we've communicated with, Jordan [Pritchard, marketing specialist] and another person. They made the trip to our studio to talk with us about the project. It was a great transition.

How much have you invested with them?

We initially spent $1,100 per month. We’ve since requested an auto email service that’s connected to the contact forms on the website and costs $200 per month, so we’ve been spending $1,300 per month now for the last 1 1/2–2 years.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working with them since 2014.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

In the beginning, when you start working with a new company and SEO campaign, it can take a while to see results. We not only saw results in 2–3 months with using WebpageFX, but we've also seen a steady increase.

I see positive reports every month in my inbox. Some months are better than others, but there is always an increase, and the reports are very detailed. Everybody's happy, the clients are happy. It's been good.

How did WebpageFX perform from a project management standpoint?

As we've grown, they've grown with their company too, and also now offer new products and services. I've been very happy with the progression. Our project management is customized. Some business owners don't even want to deal with any of this; they just want a website built, but I appreciate having input. I also appreciate having my hands held. In the beginning, we would have weekly phone calls, which was something I requested.

They also initially had a separate website, a marketing cloud. It's great, because not only can you see the initial stages with the SEO at any time, you can see updates from their team, things that they did to our site, and what’s happening. We used to check it every day, but over time, we didn't feel the need to keep going there. Now, we look at the contact forms or the prospects that are coming in from the website. You can see what pages those users visited and how long they stayed on them. There's even a section where you can watch a video of them on the website. The detail is incredible. It's a very useful tool.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I appreciate the personal touch. They are a mid-sized company, but they haven't lost that small business vibe. Some people don't like the personal touch, but we do. We told them we need them to check in with us and we want to know what's going on, and they do that.

I'm very detail-oriented, and they understood that. Other companies might act like they do in the first month, but WebpageFX has been able to always do that and customize it for us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I do not have anything to complain about. There's not a lot that I would do differently or say that they're lacking. If you asked me last year, I would have something. But right now, we've straightened everything out and set ground rules.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of Rvinyl, which is a company that sells custom automotive accessories.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with WebpageFX?

After the Google Panda update, we went from being the top-ranking site for our market to placing on page 10 on Google search. We needed to know whether our poor ranking was due to a recent website redesign, or an entirely different issue.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They initially did an audit for us to ensure our redesigned website was search engine and user-friendly. Their findings indicated that the website’s design was not causing our poor rankings, so we hired them to do SEO consultations. They provide us with a list of areas we needed to improve in order to get better search engine-visibility, and then help us execute those improvements, including assisting us in generating SEO-friendly content and effective marketing strategies. They’re helping us build out our backlink profile and are also working on our Google AdWords campaign and email marketing. Throughout the process, they measure our progress through SEO analytics and keep us updated with monthly calls. 

What is the team dynamic? 

Our main point of contact is the account manager. He provides us with content, and we’ll review it and suggest changes. He’ll then bring it back to his team of graphic designers, copywriters, coders, etc., and they’ll make the changes. That’s a very efficient system for us because we prefer to interact with one person, as opposed to the entire team.

How did you come to work with WebpageFX?

We used Clutch to find potential companies. We reached out to about five, and narrowed it down to three. We then took a five-hour drive to Pennsylvania to meet with WebpageFX because we wanted to see their offices and meet with the team we’d be working with. We really liked their business model and services, so we decided to move forward with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested close to $50,000 total.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in October 2016 and have continued since then. We intend to partner with them for a long time

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It’s taken well over a year of hard work, but we now rank on page one of Google search for most of our keywords, and our organic traffic has increased five fold. Our AdWords are up 300 percent which is an achievement we’ve never seen while partnering with other companies. Our first email marketing campaign we did with WebpageFX proved to be immediately profitable by a 10 percent margin.

How did WebpageFX perform from a project management standpoint?

They cater their reports to our needs with exact level of communication that we want, delivered in the exact format the we want. When we reach out to them, we get quick response that doesn’t feel canned and inauthentic. If our account manager is out on vacation, we have all the necessary information to continue our work. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Our account manager is fantastic. He feels like one of our own internal employees because he genuinely cares about our success. He’s fighting alongside us to ensure we achieve our goals.

Do you have any advice to potential customers?

Make sure that you set realistic standards for both your progress and your budget.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Bricco is an Italian restaurant. I’m the special events and marketing coordinator. I handle the social media, keep in touch with the website developers, and organize special events.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with WebpageFX?

We needed help getting our name out there, as we're a little off the beaten path of other restaurants in the city.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They designed our entire website. They currently do 2 blog posts a month, which we post to social media. They keep our menus updated and our pictures fresh and updated. They put our events up, using the right words so we come up in the best searches. They work to get us linked back on great websites by finding different backlinks for our site.

What is the team dynamic?

I mostly interact with Sarah [Account Manager, WebpageFX].

How did you come to work with WebpageFX?

I wasn’t involved in selecting them.

How much have you invested with them?

Around $30,000 a year.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together about 6 years ago.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their SEO efforts have definitely shown in our rankings in Google searches and similar. We come up number 1 on pretty much any search for a restaurant in the area. Our blog posts have great keywords that get a lot of attention, and we get many click-throughs on our social. One of their new features I like is being more involved in review sites. I get a monthly email stating our ranking on TripAdvisor, Google, and Yelp.

How did WebpageFX perform from a project management standpoint?

Sarah is always quick to respond and help us in any way. If I need a quick turnaround because I’m promoting an event and need an email blast to go out that week, she makes it happen, even if she has to write it herself. They use Basecamp, so I can log in and see the calendar or what they’re planning, review blog posts and emails and approve them, and communicate with Sarah.

They also do webinars, which gives me a better understanding of what they’re doing.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their culture and customer service are great, and they’re always available. They’re always enthusiastic and up for anything.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You can ask for anything, and they’ll let you know if it's possible. Don’t be afraid to tell them your vision—they will do their best to make it a reality.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the development director and marketing coordinator of Christian School of York. Our private school has been a part of the community for 61 years. We partner with parents to provide a Christ-centered education for children age two through grade twelve. My role encompasses all of our fundraising activities. I cultivate donors, plan events, and lead our social media and web marketing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with WebpageFX?

Our goal was to position ourselves in the forefront of parents’ minds when they searched for specific Christian schools, preschools, and early education centers. WebpageFX improved our website’s SEO and analytics to this end.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Since we’ve worked together, WebpageFX has helped us plan new projects and brainstorm content to highlight online each month. The team creates long-forms highlighting our program offerings, and generates key search terms to maximize SEO. During a visit, our primary contact gathered documentation to support his team’s content creation. They helped us work with our web designer to ensure site security and preempt Google’s new flagging attribution.

Our next scheduled project will involve taking pictures and potentially videos onsite. Ideally, our site will function as a resource for parents seeking alternative educational options for their children. Currently, we’re focused on boosting our academic section.

What is the team dynamic?

Our primary contact, Alec Marshall, needed a temporary replacement last summer. When a problem arose, that individual responded to me promptly. He conducted the necessary research, and guided us through the solution. The team had a system in place to ensure that our needs would be met, regardless of who was in charge.

How did you come to work with WebpageFX?

Our school's partnership began before I started my current position, where I’ve worked for a little over five years.

How much have you invested with them?

Our monthly expenses are a couple hundred dollars. We spend less than $10,000 a year.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing engagement has exceeded five years.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Improving our website has fostered a greater online presence and increased enrollment in our programs. Each long form we produce generates significant search queries, and even improved our organic traffic. We've fostered a more robust understanding of the site’s functionality under their pedagogy.

Adding more extensive information to our website saw an immediate spike in program enrollment.  One of our initial endeavors, highlighting our early education center, continues to see monthly improvement.After completing a project focused on last year’s summer camp, several newly enrolled families indicated they’d found us via a Google search.

How did WebpageFX perform from a project management standpoint?

We’ve worked with three different employees. Our initial contact limited communication to monthly reports, which we now supplement with follow-up calls. Since he’s led our efforts, Alec has further expanded this engagement. Multiple times, he’s come all the way from Harrisburg for on-site visits. After an initial tour, he met our principal while building the academic program page. He works closely with his individual team members. His thorough knowledge of our organization enables him to make the best possible recommendations for us when advising his colleagues in other departments.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Cultivating a deep familiarity with our school and mission empowers them to accurately represent our school and mission online. He does thoughtful, considerate things unprompted, like bringing us coffee. I know we're not Alec’s only client, but he treats us like we are, and makes us feel valuable.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the co-founder of Specialized Dentistry of New Jersey. We provide dental care. I’m not a dentist however, and am extremely involved in the day-day administrative and marketing aspects of the business.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with WebpageFX?

Our website wasn’t performing the way we wanted it to.  We had recently left another web and multimedia company and were looking for somebody who could help with website optimization, and drive phone calls to our office.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They provide SEO and PPC management. We use Google Adwords for keyword tracking, and they provide monthly reports that include our impressions, as well as which keywords are being collected. We’re frequently adding and taking away words, removing words that are of low value and putting budgets onto words that are high value. We're always changing the position of things on our website to see what's going to get people to convert or click on our phone number.

Even more than that, we frequently talk with our main developer, Katie, about different ways to reach our clients which might not be “included” in our package. She’s set me up with MailChimp templates and provided training on how to use them. That’s helped optimize the blogs we write. They go above and beyond, and at the end of the day they want our metrics to be moving in a positive direction.

What is the team dynamic?

I’ve interacted with 2 people at WebpageFX, the first was Travis. He brought me on board and since then, I’ve been working with 1 person for the past 2 years who has been managing out site.

How did you come to work with WebpageFX?

I found them through a Google search. I had called several different companies, and when I spoke with WebpageFX, I had 1 contact person who I was speaking with throughout the process of trying to determine what they could offer that suited us best. That person was always kind and courteous. It sounded like I had his full attention, and like he was never talking to me on speaker phone.

They took the time to hear about what I was hoping to do with our website and they came up with a specific package for us, whereas all the other companies gave a flat fee. WebpageFX really helped us to get to the roots of what we needed to do to our current website platform, and what it would be like going forward from month-to-month to stay ahead of the industry standards so that we’re always coming up on our Google searches. They tailor what I need to our industry and more specifically, my business, and how I wanted our website to perform than getting a cookie cutter plan.

How much have you invested with them?

Between $15,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January of 2016, and it’s ongoing. It never ends – it’s always changing, evolving, and updating. We’re always adding new resources, videos, newsletters, content, and patient education.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

When we started working with them, we were at an all-time low of 10 new patients a month and this month; we hit an all-time high and have scheduled 36 new patients. Their efforts on the website, has more than tripled our volume. We’ve also experienced an increased in web traffic.

How did WebpageFX perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re very hands on and extremely response. If I want anything updated, say our smile gallery – it’s right away. They’ll ask what we want to do and what we’re looking for, and get right to it. They’re really quick to act. They act with the same sense of urgency that I come to them with, which is really fantastic.

They have a work board for our website which contains a calendar, allowing me to see exactly when they’re working on our project. I can verify that deadlines are being met that way as well. It’s a very transparent process, whereas other companies more often give 10 hours a month to your site and you no accountability. You don’t know what those hours equal to. WebpageFX is different in that, all the work being done is very transparent because they share their work board with you.

I couldn't be happier. I recommend them to a lot of people I think they're fantastic and they're great company. It’s been a wonderful relationship. We’ve been in business and had a website for 10 years, and it was the first time a person who manages the website came out and visited our office for a personal meeting. We outlined our goals for the following year in that meeting, which was unique. I felt like that was really over delivering in client service to us.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They over deliver in client service. They’re very personal in their service, and if you call them you will speak with your contact. We’re able to work closely with them; the lines of communication are very clear and everything that we pay for is transparent. There is no guessing if our website is being taken care of appropriately, I’m confident that is always is.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. I can’t say enough nice things about this company, and I wish more companies behaved the way they do. It’s really top-notch.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

One Point Partition LLC sells toilet partitions and bathroom stalls. I’m one of the owners.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with WebpageFX?

We needed help with online and digital marketing. We needed to improve our presence and bring in more conversions and sales.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started off with SEO and they’ve been doing that for about a year. They spent quite a bit of time researching different keywords and looking at what our competitors have done. They came up with a list of keywords to focus in on. We both went through that list, reviewed, and approved the different keywords. They created in-depth blogs with lots of content. They also did link building and producing links in different places.

A few months ago, we had them freshen up our site and make it more mobile and SEO friendly. They started off with me filling out a questionnaire and talking about the business, conversions, and how we do things in regard to keeping track of the customers and the sales process. Then they came up with 2 different options for an overall concept or design. We chose one and they started building it out to look very similar to our current site, but with a different seam and layout. They used WordPress. We went through a couple different revisions. Currently, we’re in our last round of revisions and getting ready to launch.

How did you come to work with WebpageFX?

We searched online. I went outside my local area and decided to find a good, established company that had some horsepower behind them. I talked to WebpageFX during the negotiation and proposal process and got comfortable with what they were capable of doing for us. Compared to the other companies, they took a few days to research our company and our market. They came up with a pretty in-depth proposal that showed that they did that research and found good strategies for us. 

How much have you invested with them?

Around $40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October of last year and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

With the SEO work, we went from nothing to several organic clicks and organic traffic. There are conversions out of those, which is fantastic. We’re on our way up to where we want to be. The blog articles they’ve written and the links that they’ve put out there are high quality. They flushed out our website with more content by changing and adding navigation. I didn’t have to give them too much input either. They did all the research their own to create the different bathroom partition related content. 

How did WebpageFX perform from a project management standpoint?

They had a pretty rigid process on how they handle keeping track of revisions and the communication during those revisions to make sure they get done completely. They use Basecamp. I appreciate them keeping track of what’s going on with different due dates. It keeps everybody accountable and on schedule. I get monthly reports on the SEO and campaigns that we’re doing, which are very well defined. It’s something they built internally to capture all the different data and analytics and I’m impressed with that. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The project management is the biggest thing: their use of Basecamp and ability to keep track of their different tasks. You can tell they’ve done many different projects and know how to handle them. I’m familiar with other companies being gung-ho at the beginning and then it starts to taper off. WebpageFX doesn’t do that. They document the work and the status of the project in the project management system. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

When they first prepared the site for my initial review, I found a lot of mistakes. The developer should have taken their time and gone through and made sure the link work and the words are spelled correctly. The work involved copying a lot of content from the current site to the new site and there were pieces missing. Also, with some of our forms that we have on our website, they should have tested to make sure they functioned exactly like the current site. I was a little upset that that didn’t happen. It took a couple rounds to get that fixed. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of VibraScreener, which designs and produces industrial vibrating screeners and sifters.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with WebpageFX?

I was looking to build a presence online. We had been using pay-per-click and tried a firm for SEO [search engine optimization], but it didn’t work out.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had an existing website for which WebpageFX helped with SEO. They’ve focused on links and content, creating new, high-quality backlinks every 2 months. In the beginning of our campaign, they did a lot of work on title tags for the website.

How did you come to work with WebpageFX?

I read a lot about how a website can be grown organically and found a white paper that they’d written. I spoke to one of their contacts on the phone, possibly an account manager, and asked a lot of questions about the process. It took me three months to make a decision since I didn’t want to make another mistake. I’d spent a lot of money in the past and didn’t get any results, so I wanted to choose the right firm for our business. WebpageFX had the right combination of price, knowledge, and expertise.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $1,000 per month during the first 6 months. Currently, I’m paying $750 per month for their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with WebpageFX 2–2 ½ years ago, and I plan to expand the scope of their work.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve seen increases in organic searches almost every quarter, and we’ve been ranking higher for some of our keywords, sitting in the 2nd or 3rd position. Our site traffic has gone up by 10%–15%, with around 2,600 visits per month. We’ve also gotten a lot of leads. Since things can always be better, there’s a lot more work to do.

How did WebpageFX perform from a project management standpoint?

Their first account manager was very responsive and always willing to help. We’ve had a change in managers this week, and the new person is good as well. They’ve provided a customer management system where I can review the schedule and tasks. I also receive a report from them every month.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re good at creating the right content and identifying the best keywords. They’ve analyzed which terms were easier to rank for and which ones would bring the best results.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I want to have more backlinks, but they’ve told me I need to pay more money for this. I can understand this, from a business perspective. Doing more pruning on the website’s title tags and other elements would be another improvement. WebpageFX did this in the beginning, but they haven’t made any changes in a while. Tweaking things a bit would help.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the advertising and marketing manager of Drayer Physical Therapy, an outpatient physical therapy provider. We have outpatient centers in 15 states on the East Coast. We promote these services through online searches, or directly to patients. In our department, we have printed supplies that go out to our regional marketing places, as well as online digital marketing components.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with WebpageFX?

WebpageFX assists us with our online visibility.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They did a redesign for our website on WordPress. We had another third-party company that redesigned a very basic website, and the functionality wasn’t there. They make individual location pages for each of our centers, work on optimization for local search, and provide SEO for organic search terms. They do monthly maintenance and make suggestions on different ways to make the website more interactive for the patient’s experience.

The SEO work that we’ve done with WebpageFX also helps us with link building. They add keywords to the backend of our websites, and also set up how and what we should include. They have a couple of image sliders and different plugins that they’ve put on our website as well.

We had a listing of our centers before, but they never had their own landing page, so we weren’t able to market individual centers. Everything WebpageFX offered has helped organically. We’ve set up some Google Plus pages for every single center, and WebpageFX helped make that happen. They’re also continuously adding testimonials, pictures, and directional sentences, which have been of the most help to us.

What is the team composition?

We have a general rep and an SEO rep.

How did you come to work with WebpageFX?

Our previous CIO started using WebpageFX for some changes, and he informed me that they’d been named Technology Company of the Year. That’s when internally IT was maintaining our website, before we switched it over to our marketing department. We likely found them through local search or familiarity with their work.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve been on a retainer that runs just under $1,000 per month for the past 2 years. This cost covers our SEO and regular website maintenance. We’ve also had separate payments for projects. The WordPress redesign cost around $5,000, and we’ve also spent around $2,000 for various projects, including migration of existing websites into our CMS.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working with them since 2014.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

In terms of SEO, each time we look at our traffic, it’s usually doubled [year over year]. We’re definitely growing, and we can attribute it all to our website optimization. We were in a really bad place in the beginning, but WebpageFX helped us grow by adding so much more to our presence. Their last report shows our average session duration as over 1 minute, with 2 pages per session, which we try to keep on the higher side. Our total website traffic in December increased by 94% compared to last year, with the sessions increasing from 12,000 to 23,000.

How did WebpageFX perform from a project management standpoint?

Our SEO rep is great. She meets with us monthly and goes over the reports regarding our site visits in a year-to-date or month-over-month comparison to see how traffic has changed and what patterns are being formed. Her communication style is good, and she always lets us know what she’s doing and what we’re responsible for.

We use Basecamp for project management. The work isn’t as consistent because we’re not continuously giving them updates. Sometimes, we don’t really know where our monthly maintenance is going, but for the most part, they accomplish tasks which we assign to them.

Currently, the website is finished and running. We just recently sent some changes, and the SEO rep has been good about giving us a timeline and letting us know how things are going. Their project management is good, and they provide transparency to their progress.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their communication is great. They have a team where everybody is an expert in an individual area. When we’re speaking about SEO, our rep can go back to the developers, ask for changes, and find out if the changes coordinate with SEO efforts. Having an expert in each area is nice, because we can get everything we need in one place.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I suggest clients be more proactive in regards to staying up to date with technology. Sometimes, we’re catching up with what’s already going on. We knew local search was already happening, so we had to involve ourselves quickly.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We fabricate countertops, and I’m involved with outside sales and marketing. We do digital templating of the area where the customer wants a countertop, then we create and install them. We’re heavily involved with social media.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with WebpageFX?

WebpageFX’s owner spoke to our owner about SEO and the benefits of the backend helping the frontend of our website. We started out with a basic package from them, and saw immediate results.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They first assessed the backend performance of our website, starting with keyword research and optimization. They guaranteed us that 10 of those keywords would be in the top 3 results within a certain amount of time. They also wrote copy for us, and we began to see results in terms of how people were discovering our business. We knew that while we didn’t understand everything they were doing, that their services were starting to work in our favor.

They realized that I was doing the blog and that it would be better to incorporate it into our website. They moved it for me, and also created some awesome content. One that really stands out was Will’s [President and Founder, WebpageFX] idea regarding homemade granite and stone cleaner. He did research to see if people were searching for that topic, then used it to bring people to our website. The more people that land on our page, the more Google will recognize as a value to the industry.

After he wrote the content, we actually started making our own granite and stone cleaner based on the article. We’re now off the charts in terms of the amount of volume for those keywords. We now use it for marketing, and we also give the cleaner out to customers during our kitchen tours. It helped us stand out from competitors, because they only talk about industry prices.

WebpageFX also managed our PPC ads this year, but we’re not currently very active because we switched gears. Right now, Will’s working on a piece for us involving white countertops because it’s in high demand right now. People have a lot of questions regarding what material to use in their kitchen and how those products behave differently, so it will bring a lot of traffic to our site. WebpageFX is going to do the research and writing with our input, then they’ll go back through and make edits and put it on the website. I’m positive that we’ll see positive results from that.

What is the team dynamic?

Will always explains everything to me. If I have a question, or if I’m confused about something, he always walks me through whatever I need to know.

How did you come to work with WebpageFX?

Our owner was approached by WebpageFX’s owner. In the beginning, we were thinking about if we needed to use SEO, and if we did, how we could get the most benefit from it. Before hiring WebpageFX, we investigated within the market so we had something to compare. In my opinion, the work they do is intangible, so it’s not something that is easily understandable. We researched and interviewed different companies, but we had an immediate connection with WebpageFX. There was a certain trust in the engagement, and they shed light on their process and what they would do for us, ultimately making it more tangible and measurable.

How much have you invested with them?

We’re paying $800 per month. Our budget is very flexible because if something isn’t working the way we want it to, or if we want to increase our activity, Will is very accommodating. He does try to work within our agreed budget, though.  

What is the status of this engagement?

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

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our website ranks in the top 4 results. They show us organic versus paid on the reports they provide. The reports also go into detail regarding keyword increases and decreases. There are also metrics for the blog regarding which posts are garnering positive results. We track everything, then they crunch the numbers and show us what is or isn’t working.

The internet marketing report is available to me every month, and it goes over traffic via unbranded organic search and gives me the monthly and yearly trends. It also gives me the goal conversion rate. The year over year conversion rate is up 35.76%, and our new users have increased to 35.99%. Our sessions have increased from 2,200 to 3,000 in the last year, and new users have increased from 1,717 to 2,335. I’m pretty pleased with the outcome so far.

We have a free repair estimation page, so we’re also able to measure how many people fill that out. We’re also doing call tracking and organic calls on our contact page. If a new user comes to our website and they’ve never used Gmail before, the website will show a different type of phone number. This allows the call to be recorded when they contact us.

How did WebpageFX perform from a project management standpoint?

They are excellent with project management. In the very beginning of our relationship, they asked us how we wanted to receive information and who to send it to. From there, I’ve been the primary contact who receives all that information, then I consolidate it and give it to our owner and business manager. WebpageFX always asks how they can do a better job.

We use Excel and Google Drive to share all of the reports, which allows us to have easy-to-use file folders that work better within our overall system. They also have something called Marketing Cloud that I’m able to go in and look at.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re good listeners, which speaks volumes to me. Will is always open for new ideas and input. If I don’t understand something, they’re willing to accommodate my needs and change what they’re doing. They always find a solution, and there are never any problems working with them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The only thing I ever faced with them was needing more simplified and shareable reports. They took care of the problem, and continue to address whatever I need.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for PlayPower, an outdoor recreation play company that also provides outdoor commercial shade structures and indoor play. I manage the Eloqua marketing automation, the Salesforce CRM [customer relationship management], and the PPC [pay-per-click] and remarketing through AdWords.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with WebpageFX?

We needed an SEO [search engine optimization] and PPC provider for our newly acquired brand.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Primarily, I work with them on the PPC and remarketing side of things. They also do our SEO.

I don’t have to really manage them. They know our brand. When PlayWorld was acquired by PlayPower, they then became very knowledgeable on all of those brands. We expanded the scope and opened our contract to include all the brands, and allowed them to take on all the work.

What is the team dynamic?

We’re occupying most of their web development team. There are multiple players involved now, as far as our team members, and they understand all the politics between the brands and they work with that. It’s like they’re a part of our team.

How did you come to work with WebpageFX?

When I came on board, we were already working with them. I was a little hesitant because I come from an agency background and am very critical of other agencies. However, I really found out that they are tremendously good. They got on board with our other brands so quickly, even with all the other clients they have.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend around $100,000 to $125,000 on brand management. For AdWords, we’ve allotted between $75,000 and $100,000 for the year. The whole PPC remarketing spend for 2018 will be around $250,000. That doesn’t include SEO, which we’ve also tried to ramp up.

In total, it comes to under $800,000, not including ad spend. We’re one of their larger clients.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together for the PlayWorld brand in 2013. We’ve had them working on the other PlayPower brands since 2016. The work is ongoing and we hope to expand it further.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Everything on our AdWords account has climbed positively and all our SEO has been positive too. I can’t cite anything that hasn’t improved since we brought them on board. It’s been a significant improvement. They know the business almost as well as we do. 

They’re very good at juggling their workload. You wouldn’t even know that we’re just one of many as they’re good at keeping that personal feel. 

How did WebpageFX perform from a project management standpoint?

They are incredibly proactive. I don’t have to ask them to check in about brand performance or hold their hand on anything. As long as we pay our invoices, we get a solid performance from them. I feel very confident to let them run with it, especially as we haven't been as perfect as we could have been on our side, which made it a little more challenging for them.

We have bi-weekly meetings. If I ever say we need to meet weekly or we can just cancel this meeting, they’re very responsive and flexible with all of that. We’ve gone to visit their office and they were very hospitable. They have come to visit our office as well. Any meeting that we’ve had with them, whether it’s on the phone or in person is very productive. They’re approachable.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have an incredibly happy team. When we say we need to have more meetings or contribute a little more time to this, they don’t immediately ask for more money. They’re flexible in that sense as well. There’s some loyalty with them. We truly have a strategic partner with WebpageFX. 

They’re also understanding and their relationship with us is fantastic. We have thrown so much at them with the acquisition and they took it all in their stride. They worked with us and went out of their way to get things in front of us. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

One of their disadvantages is location. You wouldn’t think that such a powerhouse of a company would be located in central Pennsylvania. They are comparable, if not better than the big hitter advertising agencies that I’ve worked for in New York. Everything from the work that they do to the environment that they have and their overall business model. I have no complaints, which is incredible.