BLKDG

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of e-commerce for a company that roasts and ships coffee daily to our customers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire BLKDG to accomplish for your e-commerce operations?

We originally hired BLKDG for a small project on our website to increase the speed of our online wholesale experience. After that project was completed, we went under a Shopify 1.0–2.0 theme migration.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

BLKDG rethemed our website to Shopify 2.0 in a three-month timeframe. We also underwent a brand refresh with the new website, which they helped us with. The team also audited our Klaviyo flows to ensure everything was optimized and redesigned with the new site. BLKDG provided wireframes, design files, and custom coding to ensure the brand worked under the new theme guidelines. The team set up several new UX features for us and worked to ensure everything was as smooth as possible as we transitioned to the new site.

What is the team composition?

We worked with several members of the BLKDG team. Alicia was our main point of contact for this project as our Project Manager but both Jonathan and E.J. who are the owners were also heavily involved on the project as well.

How did you come to work with BLKDG?

We found them through an online search. We chose them over other options because they had high ratings, were close to our geographic location, had a great culture fit, and had company values that aligned with ours.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from June–September 2026 on the Shopify 2.0 retheme project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our site speed improved tremendously, and our conversion rates and email flow revenue have started to improve. The UX is so much better, and we now have the ability to drag, drop, and update the site on our own. Our customers have been really happy with the updated functionality of the website.

How did BLKDG perform from a project management standpoint?

BLKDG’s project management was amazing. Alicia made sure everything was delivered on time and was on task from a week-to-week perspective. We communicated through in-person meetings, virtual meetings, and emails.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It was so nice meeting them in person since they were local. They took the time to understand what our needs were and delivered within the tight turnaround we requested. We loved our weekly meetings with them, where they gave us status updates and deliverables that were needed each week on our end.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they were amazing partners. We’re excited to partner with them on any future site development needs.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

We're the Co-Owners of RidgeRunner Antlers

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We sell elk, deer and moose antler chews for dogs.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire BLKDG to accomplish?

• Create a new website that is fresh and easy to use

SOLUTION

How did you find BLKDG?

Online Search

Why did you select BLKDG over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost

How many teammates from BLKDG were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

We asked BLKDG to overhaul our original website in design and functionality.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our sales have gone up since the new website launch. Our traffic is higher, meaning more customers are on our site at a single time then they were before. Average order total has gone up.

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

BLKDG went above the bar we set for this project. End result? A fantastic website that we are so proud of. Their project management style worked for us. They had good follow through. They kept us updated on the progress of the website for the duration of the project. Our meetings were informative and efficient. They responded to our needs. They were willing to call meetings or email extensively if a challenge came up that needed to be addressed.

What was your primary form of communication with BLKDG?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

They know their work. 

Are there any areas for improvement or something BLKDG could have done differently?

Honestly, the process we went through with BLKDG to build our new website was highly successful in our eyes. We love the end result and we plan to continue to work with BLKDG, so no. Not sure there is anything we'd ask BLKDG to do differently.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.
I'm the VP of marketing of a recreational equipment manufacturer that oversees 11 different recreation brands. We build playgrounds, site amenities, floating docks, and shade coverings.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with BLKDG?

We were looking to rebuild our website for our US shade brand. The site was built on the Umbraco platform and was going to be unsupported in our area at the beginning of this year. We were looking for a partner to build a really good WordPress website that was informative and helped increase conversions. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had a kick-off call with BLKDG to explain our customer journey and UX. The team helped us narrow down our segmentation and define the different types of customers we wanted to focus on with the different products. 

From there, we went on to the design phase, where BLKDG gave us different templates to select from. Once we approved a template, BLKDG made customized changes specific to the US business we needed. Then, we signed off on implementation, and the team added content and launched the site three weeks ago.

What is the team composition?

We worked with around eight teammates from BLKDG, including Brent (Senior Art Director), Nora (Account Manager), and Jonathan (President), who was involved in the initial kick-off. We also worked with a lead developer.

How did you come to work with BLKDG?

We researched on Google for providers in the Denver area since our office is in Denver. We wanted to find someone local and could meet in person if we wanted to. We also had referrals from BLKDG's previous clients that we reached out to, and they had positive things to say about the team.
How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $65,000 on this project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with BLKDG on this project from June 2023–January 2024. We plan to work with the team on websites for two other brands in the future. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

BLKDG successfully launched our site, and we saw increased site traffic. Leads increased by 13.6% during the first three weeks. We saw more visits to the site and higher conversions on those visits. Our internal digital marketing director said our site speed was impressive. We received a lot of positive anecdotal feedback about the site's design, which helped us look like an industry leader. We haven't encountered any issues with the site.

How did BLKDG perform from a project management standpoint?

BLKDG adhered to the project's deadlines and stayed on budget. We delayed the project, but it was because we didn't upload content on time. Regarding project management, BLKDG did well. We communicated via email and regular scheduled Zoom calls.
Are there any employees from the service provider's team that you would like to give a shout-out to in this review?
Brent did an excellent job on the design of the site and the aesthetics. Our account representative, Nora, was very responsive and ensured the team stayed within deadlines. Jonathan understood our goals and asked the right questions. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was impressed with their ability to ask questions that helped them understand our business case in the best way possible. From a foundational standpoint, the team understood where we were and where we wanted to go. While I think many companies can deliver good-looking sites, it's important to understand the business's goals. BLKDG did due diligence to find out what we needed to do from a customer journey perspective. 

I was impressed by BLKDG's understanding of our customer journey and the emphasis on converting metrics through the site. Even before the team started the design phase, the team wanted to understand our site's purpose. BLKDG really honed in our request to increase conversion and had a fantastic understanding of our business and its nuances.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We delayed our content piece because we didn't have a good understanding of what was needed on our side. The team could improve by communicating better at the beginning of the project about how the content will be transferred from the old site to the new site.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

I recommend customers be transparent with their website's goals. Whether it's an e-commerce or B2B site, the more they share their business goals with BLKDG, the better the team will understand and help them create a road map to accomplish those goals. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Director of Marketing for an destination ski resort

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire BLKDG, and what were your goals?

We hired BLKDG to embody the essence and excitement of a $200M capital investment project through a new website. Our goals are to inspire guests to visit our resort in the long term and to build excitement for the future of our resort in the short term.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We had worked with BLKDG on a previous project and were excited to see what they could do on a new, non-e-commerce project.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

Design, code, develop, and launch a new website on existing URL using a Wordpress CMS.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

3-4 including the Principal, client services manager, and a few developers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

With only 4 days of the site being live, we don't have any measurable outcomes yet, but we are thrilled with the look and feel of the site. The functionality is spot on and it fully represents the project as a whole in a professional, exciting way.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

They built out an original contract and scope which we negotiated with, and then worked according to that set of expectations. We did see some delays in delivery of the project and did not receive much communication about the delays. We also met a few people once that we then didn't hear back from again.

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

They could design a brilliant digital interface in a fairly short timeframe with a somewhat limited budget.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

More consistent project management and communication. One clear point of contact with clear project timelines and checkins would be great.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of marketing and e-commerce at a company that sells high-end, vacuum-insulated stainless steel growlers and beverageware. We mainly operate in the craft beer industry, but we also sell directly to consumers on our website and Amazon.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with BLKDG?

Our website was built on WordPress and used WooCommerce for e-commerce transactions. It was like a Frankenstein website containing a bunch of plugins. In other words, it didn’t work for us, and our consumers’ shopping experience was poor. As a result, we decided to move over to the Shopify platform, and we hired BLKDG to help us. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

In the beginning, we gave BLKDG plenty of direction. We shared a number of documents with them to keep the project on track. They worked to keep things organized around what we needed to integrate and what new content we needed to add.

Our new website required a more straightforward and easier checkout process with fewer clicks. Given that, BLKDG found additional apps for the Shopify site to integrate customization on our products. To keep our budget low, we used an existing theme from Shopify. In other words, the new website wasn’t custom-coded by BLKDG, though they coded specific things about the theme that we wanted to change. 

Moreover, we’ve found an app that automatically upsells products to customers based on what they put in their cart. The app suggests a variety of things that customers might want to buy, and BLKDG has helped us integrate this app with the new website. 

At present, the website is live, but we’re still trying to figure out how to sell bundled products to our customers. Currently, we’re having issues with the way some apps integrate with Shopify and our ERP system. BLKDG is helping us solve this. 

What is the team composition?

Aside from EJ and Jonathan (Co-Founders), we mainly work with around five people from BLKDG. Andy (Scrum Master & Senior IT Project Manager) has been our main point of contact. Another person has worked on design tasks, too. 

How did you come to work with BLKDG?

I knew EJ through a friend of mine and met him many years ago. As a result, when we wanted to hire a web developer, I was already familiar with BLKDG. Since I knew EJ pretty well, I was confident in the work they’d do. This made me eager to hire them. 

Nonetheless, we compared their quote to other companies and vetted multiple web developers. In the end, they had the best package in terms of what we’d get for what we’d pay, and that ultimately led us to our decision of hiring them. 

How much have you invested with them?

For the website, we’ve spent just under $15,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We kicked off the project in early April 2021, and the partnership is ongoing. We’re in the process of starting a second project with them for phase two of the website. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The website has been launched only about a month ago, so we don’t have plenty of data to measure how it performs versus the old website. However, the BLKDG team has delivered on time, which is important for us. Many other developers have delays. By contrast, BLKDG has finished the project in under eight weeks — we’re happy with that. 

How did BLKDG perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management is good overall. We mostly communicate via email, and we have weekly standup meetings for about 30 minutes to make sure our projects are on track. We give them both sides of the equation and the next steps that everybody needs to keep in mind. This has worked out pretty well. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The quality of BLKDG’s work distinguishes them from other providers. On top of that, many of their staff come from backgrounds that include marketing and brand development. As a result, as long as we give them the right directions, they’ll be truly on brand. They’re not only going to build your site; they’re also going to build something that feels true to your brand. 

Further, it’s been delightful working with them. Sometimes, developers lack social skills, but we don’t have that problem with BLKDG. They’re easy to talk to and communicate with; we always feel like we’re on the same page. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

They should have a clearer delineation of roles and communicate that to us. That way, we’ll know who to touch base with and contact for updates. 

For context, we communicated much more with Jonathan in the beginning. Then, it seemed that Andy stepped up into the project management role. We didn’t know what was happening to them internally. In fact, we had some difficulties getting a hold of Jonathan, which was a bit frustrating. As a result, we had some lingering questions after the site launched. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure that you’re on the same page around your brand, and have a clear direction and scope of work — this is super helpful for BLKDG. Lead with that, and have regular communication with them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of communications for Bent Water Brewing, which is a craft beer company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with BLKDG?

We needed a company that could help us revamp our website. We were looking to change platforms and add a lot of content.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

BLKDG rebuilt our website on WordPress, walking us through the design process from brainstorming to the overall layout. Initially, we wanted to pull the look and feel from our old site, but we ended up going for a whole new look, instead. Their team took the time to get to know who we were so that they could make sure our new site would represent our brand. They also guided us on the content creation and launched the final product.

What is the team composition? 

I primarily worked with three people, including a project manager, designer, and developer. I’m sure that had more on their team working in the background. 

How did you come to work with BLKDG?

Someone within Bent Water recommended that we speak with BLKDG, so we talked to them along with two other candidates. Because they’d worked with craft breweries in the past, they were already coming in with industry knowledge. That meant that the team had a good idea as to what other breweries had done, which was really important for us. They knew how to showcase multiple beers to the audiences that we were reaching. In the end, the way that they’d set up the whole process really went well with our needs, budget, and timeline, so we chose them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from April 2020–January 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

So far, the website has been received really well by our distributors. It’s been helpful from a business standpoint because it gives our distributors a clear picture of our company and product offerings.

How did BLKDG perform from a project management standpoint?

The team was phenomenal — just very organized and time-sensitive. They made sure that they were clear about the deliverable deadlines as well as when the ball was in our court or theirs. In terms of communication, they were responsive through email and phone. Even though we faced a time difference, they stayed prompt in their outreach.

What did you find most impressive about them?

BLKDG exceeded my expectations. Their creative director was a leader for the team and really set the tone for the collaboration. It was an easy, seamless working environment because they understood that we were coming to the table with our past creative and brought their own design ideas to incorporate.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’d suggest setting expectations for the number of rounds a client might go through to produce the creative. There are always changes, so you never know, but it might have been helpful if they told us that it typically took 3–5 rounds to settle on a piece.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

BLKDG is so easy to engage with, and their communication is wonderful. You should go in trusting what their experts will bring to the table.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CMO of a community hospital. We’re a network of care with multiple locations, clinics, and services that care for communities in Colorado. We’ve been in operation since 1891 and have a long legacy of care for our community. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with BLKDG?

We engaged them to help us develop our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They started from scratch because our existing website wasn’t living up to the expectations of our users and wasn’t as flexible as we needed it to be to accomplish our goals. There were a lot of boxes we needed to check with our new WordPress site. We hired them for planning and discovery, information architecture, design, development, and production. They provided a full scope of services as we rethought, redesigned, and redeployed our site.   

We requested they create the platform in WordPress because it would provide our team flexibility with the site while offering a safe and secure experience. It’s a very robust CMS that could be easily updated by our internal staff. It was important that our internal staff felt empowered to update the site on their own following the project without having to manipulate too much code on their own.

Starting from scratch, we had the opportunity to rethink our UX. They helped us reevaluate how a user would navigate through our site and find the information they’re looking for in the least amount of clicks possible. One of the unique features of our new site is a quick search that directly accomplished our goal of getting customer information quickly. On our homepage, people can search by location, physician, and service. The search is dynamic and allows for cross-referencing to keep our customers from having to wade through long lists of providers.   

What is the team composition?

We worked with different people in different phases of the project. Jonathan (Cofounder) was our main point of contact through the discovery, information architecture, and design phases. Once we entered the production stages of the project, we were in closer contact with Andy (Scrum Master/Senior IT Project Manager), who was coordinating the team and interfacing with our staff on a regular basis. 

How did you come to work with BLKDG?

It was important for us to go through an RFP process, despite the fact that I’ve worked with their team in the past in another position. Our provider needed to understand the local community and user base. Their team has roots here and has worked with other companies situated in our region. Because of that, I believed that they would understand our culture and community in their design of the site. 

They also brought a fresh perspective because they don’t solely work on healthcare sites. We wanted our agency to have some background in healthcare site design and also apply success in other consumer-based industries to our site.  

How much have you invested with them?

Our budget was $80,000, and they met that perfectly. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We kicked off our project in December 2019 but got a little derailed on our end in March 2020 due to COVID-19. It wasn’t until July 2020 that we were able to regroup and persevere, both at the hospital and with BLKDG, to finish the site and launch by December 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We measured success in several ways. We wanted a smooth web development process, a site delivered on time and on budget, clear communication, regular status reports, reachable contacts, and quick solutions to our concerns once communicated. Each of those metrics was absolutely met.

For the launch of the site, we wanted the platform to capture our brand, improved web traffic after launch, better user engagement, positive impacts to our SEO, improved patient appointment generation, better event participation, and more donor contributions. In less than three months, we’ve seen increases in user engagement with the site. All metrics are moving in the right direction, including bounce rate. The bounce rate had decreased by over 33%. More people are coming to the site and our content is more relevant to them. Some of our long-term results such as SEO, appointment generation, and donor contributions remain to be seen. If it’s anything like we’ve seen so far, we know we’re headed in the right direction.   

How did BLKDG perform from a project management standpoint?

Their team was just the right size to be responsive, nimble, and informed. There was always someone we could call to get a quick answer. They completed the site on time and were accommodating in COVID-related delays on our end. During the pandemic, we added Zoom standup calls to our normal schedule of phone calls and emails. All of the production was managed through Trello, which was extremely helpful in tracking the progress being made on each page of our new website.    

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re approachable and knowledgeable, which meant everything to a smaller organization like ours. We knew we could rely on their technical expertise, work with them in a collaborative way, and achieve our lofty goals. We were able to do all of that while keeping the process light, without layers of communication. We always had direct contact with them and could count on their expertise to be at an extremely high level. 

All the solutions we were receiving were the best they could be. In fact, they delivered some of our wishlist items in the initial launch. In that sense, they were able to overdeliver on features that we weren’t anticipating receiving so quickly. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

In any project, be very clear with your RFP. Build some time into the process for their team to respond to the RFP and get to know their capabilities. Having a back and forth allowed them to show their attention to detail very early in the project. Especially for those with robust, complex sites, properly vetting your agency is key.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the marketing director at a professional services firm. We specialize in audit, tax, consulting, and technology solutions for several industries, including financial and real estate.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with BLKDG?

We had a terrible website before BLKDG came into our lives. I inherited it from the exiting marketing director. We had always been with WordPress, and our CMO said that we needed to get off the platform. We were just working with a poorly implemented site that was a nightmare to update.

I’m experienced in WordPress, but a lot of things were locked down from the backend. We weren’t able to update our site to reflect our services, and it wasn't nice for our customers to use. We knew that we needed to rip everything out and get it all done.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The team designed, developed, and deployed our website. From our end, we’re creating all of the content. They’ve assisted us on an ongoing basis with updates and maintenance support.

What is the team composition?

Jonathan (Partner) is the lead on the project, but we’ve worked with other people in their company. We’ve interfaced with their content team and designers.

How did you come to work with BLKDG?

We looked at a bunch of different local companies in the Denver area. We searched online and found BLKDG’s portfolio. We ended up doing scoping calls with five different firms, and BLKDG was clearly the best. Compared to all of those companies, they were the most responsive and seemed to provide the best service.

Their price was also very reasonable. They weren’t the cheapest, but we thought that what they were charging for their expertise level was super fair.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent over $27,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We signed with them in October 2019, and the official site launched in May 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their fresh take on our industry was exactly what we were looking for. A lot of people think accounting and finance is boring, but a lot of clients comment on how refreshing the design is. It’s easy to use.

They listened to our feedback in that stage, giving us something that we were looking for. Unlike other agencies, they seem to push the envelope.

Their ability to explain the technical side also works well for me. I’ve been an analyst before, and I’m very familiar with WordPress. They weren’t condescending to me like other firms, and they did a good job of bridging the gap. They’re a modern firm.

How did BLKDG perform from a project management standpoint?

If we need updates, we just email Jonathan, and he takes us to whoever we need. Right before we implemented, there was a very technical aspect where their team was talking to our IT team. We were grateful to them for that.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their design expertise sets them apart. Their ability to make things easier in the backend also separates them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

When we had multiple changes we needed, occasionally, they wouldn’t make them all at once, and we had to remind them. We ended up using a Google sheet to keep track, but it was ineffective. At the end of the day, they got it done, but we had to remember on our end what was missing.

They could organize that process a little better to make sure they’re executing all of the points instead of just half. Their team also didn’t know our industry that well, which wasn’t a deal breaker. But the changes we wanted had to deal with were industry-specific.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

For future clients, have most of your content ready because they ended up working a little faster than we expected. I would also say to leverage their expertise when it comes to organizing your site. Our business's nature makes it so that if our site isn’t organized well, it makes it hard to tell what we do. They had a lot of helpful suggestions for that.

If you leverage that expertise early in the engagement, it will make things go smoother. Keep an open mind.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the director of marketing for CareerWise. We're building a youth apprenticeship system, working as an intermediary between the school system and industry. CareerWise started in Colorado, but quickly expanded to New York, DC and Indiana and are continuing to add additional communities.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire BLKDG, and what were your goals?

BLKDG created our website on WordPress. We had a number of custom elements that we requested--and continue to request. We started with a single site in Colorado, but have scaled it to be a network of sites with complex content sharing requirements.

SOLUTION

How did you select BLKDG and what were the deciding factors?

BLKDG came recommended from another agency, in fact. Once we connected with them, the decision to work with them was an. easy one. They're good people.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

BLKDG created our website on WordPress. We had a number of custom elements that we requested--and continue to request. We started with a single site in Colorado, but have scaled it to be a network of sites with complex content sharing requirements.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We have a project manager that expertly handles most of our daily interactions, but pretty regularly work with the partner/founder/boss, too.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

Our measure of success on the website isn't necessarily quantifiable; but I can tell you that BLKDG enables us to be responsive to our affiliate communities' needs. BLKDG is responsive, smart and consultative in addition to doing beautiful work.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timelines.

BLKDG is nimble--they're always there to take our call and respond to emails extremely quickly.

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

BLKDG is passionate about doing good work. I can see it in the product, but I can also hear it each time we have a meeting. They come with great ideas and are fantastic partners in making those ideas a reality.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

I'm sure there's room for improvement somewhere (we all can. get better, right?), but from where I sit I don't know where that is. Everything is smooth, everything is quality.