BlueHat Marketing

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a medium-sized security company. We provide security guard services, concierge, loss prevention, and event security services. We’re not publicly traded. Our company relies on technology for monitoring the staff. Our overhead is very minimal and most of our work we charge the clients, we pay for the security officer which makes us very unique, and we have very high-end services. We’re known in Vancouver and have a five stars rating. Now we’re in the process to be accredited with BBB, and we should be accredited this week.

I’m the CEO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with BlueHat Marketing?

Before BlueHat, I had been dealing with multiple SEO companies and each SEO company provided me one thing, not everything. One of them was able to only do my Google My Business. They rated high, then the other stuff, they’re unrated. The other company told me they’re going to do everything. I waited three months without results. I tried GoDaddy but they promise so much and then disappear. They don’t address the concerns.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I wanted somebody to help me with social media, with Google My Business, with ranking my website, and with making the website sell more. I don’t want to just rank high and the website doesn’t sell. There’s no point in having a website ranking high and people go there and bounce back. They’re trying to fix the issues on the website, not only making it rank high. BlueHat gives me suggestions and they work on it. They suggested articles instead of blogs so that more people will look at them. What makes it great is that it’s a lot of small things. A lot of small stones build a building and they’re so focused on the small details and the big image. They are concerned. When I tell them a concern, they fix the problem.

How did you come to work with BlueHat Marketing?

I did research on Google and I tried to see the companies that are actually on top of Google and are capable of getting there. I went to the Clutch website and saw the top three companies. But the top three companies, none of them except BlueHat, are on top of Google. If they’re not able to help themselves, they’re not going to be able to help me. I found a few companies and some of them were located in Canada. BlueHat attracted my attention, so I reached out to them and talked to them. I got quotes from all five companies that attracted my attention.

There were multiple reasons that I chose BlueHat. I felt they were trusted. They kept following through with everything. I approached other organizations like WebPageFX. They told me a price then just before I signed up, they increased the fees when I read the contract. At BlueHat they told me I’m not going to be able to get a commitment and they gave me everything they told me. They stuck to it. I talked to everybody, and they had the same wording. They don’t have gaps in communication. The other ones you feel are just sales and they’re just trying to sell you something and they don’t care what they commit. Whatever they say that will make a sale, they will say it. They’re not focused on the goal at hand. BlueHat was consistent with what they promised.

I approached one of the companies that promised me four months or three months. I called to make sure three months was correct. I’m not trying to argue with him. I know he doesn’t have control over it 100%. Part of it is Google and what they do. He changed it and told me it would be one month. Once I saw inconsistency, that was a red flag for me. They’re dishonest. I’m an honest person, and I like to deal with honest organizations. If I feel there is dishonesty, I will actually back off. Even the sales person who I dealt with (his name is Patrick) told me, you’re one of the hardest sales I sold. Even before I called them, I searched 10 keywords on Google and each keyword it gives me different results. The same company that was on top of Google for six keywords of the ten keywords I chose, that was the top three that I approached, and BlueHat was one of them.

I made sure BlueHat didn’t deal with any of my competition in the same city. Also, they have to charge the same amount every month and there are no errors. You know how companies sometimes increase it and then tell you it’s a mistake? I don’t have that problem with BlueHat. They deliver what they promise. I don’t care that they promise so much, but whatever you promise me, just deliver it and BlueHat always delivers more than what they promise, which is impressive. Every time you get more, you feel it’s a bonus. I don’t like somebody to promise so much and deliver less. These points made me feel satisfied with their services. However, their contract is for a year and I have a right to terminate it if it didn’t work out for sooner than that, but I’m not thinking about anything except staying with them.

How much have you invested with BlueHat Marketing?

I’m paying $1,300 a month. The first month, they charged me $500 for set up. Most of the companies didn’t charge the extra $500.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in April 2017, 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 told me they were going to do 12 keywords and now they gave me 16 keywords, four more than what they promised me. They told me I would be on top of Google in three months. I’m on top of Google for ten keywords in the first position on the first page of Google in the 14 keywords out of the 16 keywords. It’s a very competitive business and some of my competitors are $600 million companies and they use SEO and update it weekly.  

How did BlueHat Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

Every deadline they gave me, they finished it before. Every time they told me that I would be on top of Google for a certain keyword in a month, in two weeks I was there. They always beat the timeline by a few days or a week. I don’t know if all the clients get this treatment, or if I’m a special client. They make me feel special, which is a very good thing.

What did you find most impressive about BlueHat Marketing?

I’m impressed by how they’re handling all these accounts. I’ve learned a couple of things from them. I talk to the sales person a couple times and ask him how they run stuff because I like how they operate. It’s high value, especially with social media for certain accounts. I want to know how they handle it and the business. It’s very organized. Other organization, I talk to a person and it gets lost. The other thing is, your account manager doesn’t show up and all your information is gone. I don’t have that issue with BlueHat. They’re reliable. I’m very impressed.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the business development manager of an accounting firm. We do year-end tax accounting, bookkeeping, and management consulting.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with BlueHat Marketing?

We were trying to get as much traffic as possible directed to our website. We weren’t being found through Google and needed help with that.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We subscribe to BlueHat’s SEO services. We started off with certain keywords which we wanted our site to rank for, both organically and in any other way we can be searched for. We gauged the traffic on the website, and how long people stay on it. BlueHat gives us a dashboard where we can see all this information.

When our website was developed, it used another framework that wasn’t effective for SEO. BlueHat basically rebuilt it so that it would perform better and more fluently. Since then, we have updated our staff and financial calculator sections. Our website is mainly informational.

They also work on our blog for us and host the site, making any changes and updates we require. BlueHat has access to our social media, but I’ve continued to post most of our content there myself. We’re not using lead generation at the moment.

How did you come to work with BlueHat Marketing?

I googled them, and they were highly ranked. BlueHat wouldn’t have been good at what it does otherwise. I tried to find local companies, but there was no one out there with an even remotely comparable product. When I called them, BlueHat gave me an audit of the website and made a very good first impression.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with BlueHat Marketing around one year ago. The collaboration is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We weren’t ranked for any of the keywords we wanted. Now, we’re on the first page for all of them. Typically, Newfoundland is a bit behind the trends, and we didn’t have a lot of competition in terms of SEO, but the original site wasn’t built with this in mind. BlueHat did enough to it in order to get it working and allow us to compete with big national brands which were coming up higher than us locally.

How did BlueHat Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

There has been some give-and-take on deadlines. We’ve been late in giving things to BlueHat, and vice versa, but there was nothing serious. Deadlines go missed on both ends, but there was no misunderstanding on when things should be delivered. Overall, the communication has been superb, and our rep is a great person. I have no complaints in this sense. We used email and phone for communication.

What did you find most impressive about BlueHat Marketing?

They had good processes for communication. I could call BlueHat and reach someone on the front line and was assigned an account manager. The group is a well-oiled machine; everyone does their part. BlueHat was the highest-ranking SEO firm on Google, and I was looking for the same thing for my company. It made sense to call them.

Are there any areas BlueHat Marketing could improve?

The person who performed the audit on our website didn’t recognize that it had been done in another format. I’m not sure if this was because of a flaw in their process, but it did cause a delay. I can’t think of anything else.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the Senior Vice President of sales and marketing at an asset management firm. We partner with some of the largest asset managers around the world to bring investment ideas to Canadian investors. We specialize in emerging markets, but we also do mutual funds and institutional products as well.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with BlueHat?

We compete with some of the largest banks in Canada, so one of our biggest challenges in branding. If you think of a large bank, for example, they’ll have mutual fund solutions, but they also have an extended distribution network through their retail channels. We don’t. We have to be able to do a lot of branding, and one of the most effective ways to do that is through our website. We have some limitations in what we can do since we’re essentially a B2B, so branding is important. Everybody knows the big brands; we have to build our brand using technology in an innovative way to pass our competitors. Having a good marketing team and a good SEO strategy is key.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We do paid search; we do social media. We also do all the traditional stuff, PR and all that. We started working with them two years ago and at that time our website wasn’t well maintained. We didn’t have any SEO strategy. My goal was to get them to put us on the map, get our rankings up, get us some authority and in effect train us. For two years they set us up so we could compete with our peers. Now we have specialty in-house, but they were instrumental in setting us up.

How did you come to work with BlueHat?

We had about four or five different companies present to us, and some of the questions I was asking those questions weren’t being answered in a satisfactory manner. When we got the proposal from BlueHat, it was really what we were looking for. From a business side, they were ready to bill in the way I wanted them to, and also in terms of the reporting side, they were willing to do the things that I was looking for and to match our expectations for how the campaigns would go and what we wanted them to fix.

How much have you invested with BlueHat?

The way we looked at it is, it costs less than hiring an internal person but it’s five or six times the value because they have more people and more solutions and different expertise. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started in 2015. We don’t currently have an agreement with BlueHat, but they put together the framework that we’re working with today.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

My intention with BlueHat was to use them to get us up and running and then do this work in-house, but if we hadn’t developed our own team we’d certainly still be using BlueHat today. We were probably something like 20-millionth in the Canadian space, just not recognizable at all. Within a couple of months, we were going up and up, and I think we ended up in the 400,000-500,000s, which is totally acceptable. Traffic-wise, we went from 300/month to 12,000-17,000. We could do more, but part of our problem is that we can’t go retail. We have to stick with that B2B area, which isn’t a large universe. But it’s still decent, 17,000. Our visibility went up in terms of keywords rankings. People aren’t as excited as they used to be, but we’ve got a lot of the keywords up there.

What did you find most impressive about BlueHat?

They went to great lengths to understand our business at first. They team does come around; they do understand your issues. They have expertise on their end.

Are there any areas BlueHat could improve?

It’s like with any company: there’s a lot of attention in the first part and you want that kind of attention more. It always comes at a price and you always get to that discussion at some point. But if you know that your base is going to be $20,000/month and you know what you want to get for that amount of money, you’ll get it.

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

I would say that if you have a good understanding of the process it’s better because you can’t guide a team to work with you unless you understand it. You probably won’t get enough out of it. If you do your homework, it’ll go a lot better. Understand your expectations. If you want to get in millions in website visits per month, it’s going to be expensive. If you can geographically target, you can be very successful. And I would also say to puck back if you don’t like the quality. Tell them you’d like it to be reviewed.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We design and manufacture decorative light fixtures for both residential and corporate clients. My position here is CEO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with BlueHat?

We wanted to increase our rankings on Google. Our business here in North America is very young compared to our parent company in Australia, so we wanted to make sure that we were doing the best we could with getting our name out into the public forum. We employed BlueHat Marketing to help us get there.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our website was fairly young, so we used BlueHat for SEO. They also assisted in giving direction for how we could improve our website to optimize rankings and visibility in Google. We didn’t do any pay-per-click. They advised against that, actually: they thought we’d rank higher if we went just with organic searches and rankings. Most of the time their work is behind the scenes and I don’t truly know what it is. They originally did some blogging with us, and we weren’t happy with the direction they were taking it and the format and the way that we were presenting the company to the world in the blog, so we decided to take that over for them. Now they just give us some guidance on what we need to include in the blog to help us with the rankings.

How did you come to work with BlueHat?

We found them through Google search and then doing some reviews of their previous work with other companies. They’re local, as well. We did look at a company out in Calgary and one in Philadelphia that we considered, but I didn’t want to look too far afield from where we are.

How much have you invested with BlueHat?

We’re investing about $2,500 Canadian [approximately $1,900 USD] monthly.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began January 2016 and we just finished.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We wanted to be on the first page of Google, and we achieved that in the first six to eight months. After that, we worked on getting higher on that page. Before BlueHat came on board we were many pages further back. We’re absolutely satisfied with their work.

What did you find most impressive about BlueHat?

They’re very helpful and they’re always available, and they helped us achieve the goal that we set.

Are there any areas BlueHat could improve?

Not from what we had used them for.

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

I was happy with what they did. They advised us and we made any changes that they suggested, and I found that very successful. I wasn’t too strict on the way our site needed to be, so with that flexibility, they were able to suggest any changes and we were able to implement them within a certain time period, which helped us get to where we wanted to be.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a plumbing and heating company with a long history on the market. We are located in California. I am the owner.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with BlueHat Marketing?

Our team is busy and is being pulled in many different directions. We needed help with online marketing.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

BlueHat Marketing built our current website and is working on a new version. They've also managed our PPC [pay-per-click] lead generation campaign.

How did you come to work with BlueHat Marketing?

I'm not sure what the selection process was since I was on maternity leave at the time, but I believe BlueHat Marketing was referred to us by another company. It ultimately worked out great.

How much have you invested with BlueHat Marketing?

We have a $50,000 annual budget for the PPC campaign.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with BlueHat Marketing 5 years ago, and have an ongoing relationship.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Revenue-wise, our company has been stagnant, but this is related to the local economy. We've definitely increased our reputation in the market. BlueHat Marketing has done a good job at representing us online, moving us up in terms of rankings. We're always within the top 3 positions for important keywords and most times in the first place.

When we started working with BlueHat Marketing, one of the challenges was surpassing a particular competitor. BlueHat Marketing was able to do it. Since then, anything other than the first position is not satisfying for us, and BlueHat Marketing can do it within our budget.

How did BlueHat Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

I don't fully understand BlueHat Marketing's business, but I believe that they've grown a lot since we started working together. Even so, we still receive personalized service from BlueHat Marketing's principal. We were never assigned to a rep, which is quite amazing.

What did you find most impressive about BlueHat Marketing?

We have worked with other companies in the past. Many of them just want to take clients' money, but BlueHat Marketing has aimed to deliver. They're great to work with, and they want us to succeed.

Are there any areas BlueHat Marketing could improve?

I don't think so.

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

Be open and clear with BlueHat Marketing about what you want, check with them on a regular basis, and watch what's happening in the market. It's important to bring up ideas, allowing BlueHat Marketing to with them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Our family-owned sign company was started by my father many years ago. We have a team of 7 employees that produce signage and print material. I am in charge of file management, sales, design, and production.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with BlueHat Marketing?

We needed to improve the site's ranking so that we would be better seen on Google.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

BlueHat Marketing designed and developed our website. They also provided organic SEO for it, while I was in charge of the social media end.

How did you come to work with BlueHat Marketing?

BlueHat Marketing was found by another employee through an online search. After a few conversations with the candidates, she eventually recommended BlueHat Marketing to me.

How much have you invested with BlueHat Marketing?

The cost of BlueHat Marketing's services was $10,000 per year, on average.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with BlueHat Marketing in 2015. The contract has been recently terminated.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

BlueHat Marketing greatly improved our Google visibility. Because we were dealing with organic traffic, there wasn't a big improvement immediately. I've mainly seen it within the last 8 months based on the analytics provided by BlueHat Marketing. 

How did BlueHat Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?

Over the course of our 2-year relationship, BlueHat Marketing was very professional and available. They did exactly what we asked for and provided advice for our site's direction.

What did you find most impressive about BlueHat Marketing?

Nothing in particular.

Are there any areas BlueHat Marketing could improve?

I can't expect BlueHat Marketing to understand my business as well as I understand it, so we've had to work together. I can't think of any improvements for them.

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

Google does work, so, if someone is contemplating not advertising through the search engine, they should reconsider it.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a custom jewelry designer. We also do catalog jewelry and repairs out of a physical office. I am the owner of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with BlueHat?

My online marketing is one of the key components to my business and I need it done properly. The SEO is to bring people to come in for appointments. I wanted to make sure we’re in the top 3 rankings on Google.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I’m doing all my own PPC but BlueHat handles the organic side of our online marketing.

How did you come to work with BlueHat?

I searched for the top SEO companies online and BlueHat was the top 1 on the list.

How much have you invested with BlueHat?

I spend $21,000 a year on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

I’ve been working with them since August 2016 and the project is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

BlueHat has been awesome. They’ve been instrumental in setting up some marketing funnels that they didn’t charge me for. That’s been a good addition to what I was doing. They’re very straightforward in what the results are and how the results are working.

What did you find most impressive about BlueHat?

For an IT-based company, they have better social skills than others I’ve worked with.

Are there any areas BlueHat could improve?

If they had a larger team, they could finalize projects quicker. Their blog writing could also use a bit of improvement.

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

Make sure you don’t hold back on your opinions—explain what you want to be done in detail. You need to stay on board with them as much as they’re on board with you. It’s a two-way street.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We're a residential plumbing services company. I am the owner of the company. I am also in charge of marketing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with BlueHat?

We only handle service calls, and not new construction or renovation. Because our jobs are smaller in nature, we rely on a heavy volume of calls. BlueHat ensures that our website is ranking within the top Google and other search engine positions.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

BlueHat built our site, is providing SEO for it, as well as social media marketing on sites like Facebook. 

How did you come to work with BlueHat?

We were one of the first plumbing companies to have a website, while the other big players of the time were invested in Yellow Pages. We could operate within a less-competitive market. Once Yellow Pages started investing in SEO, we lost our top-3 ranking. I was referred to BlueHat by a colleague, so I gave them a try.

How much have you invested with BlueHat?

The cost of BlueHat's services is around $5,000 per month.

What is the status of this engagement?

I have been working with BlueHat for 4-5 years, and have no plans to stop the engagement.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

BlueHat could get results within a matter of weeks, compared to other companies, which couldn't do the same in a year and a half. I was highly impressed with BlueHat, so we've continued to grow our campaign. I've referred BlueHat to many people so far.

We've always held the top 3 positions for some of the most competitive keywords. BlueHat has maintained our rankings, continuing to add keywords and adapting to Google algorithm changes. We have seen the best return-on-investment out of all our marketing campaigns. Our SEO has almost been like a pay-per-click campaign, given how fast BlueHat was able to get us ranking.

How did BlueHat perform from a project management standpoint?

BlueHat's account manager has always been there for me. I never had to wait for results or updates.

What did you find most impressive about BlueHat?

Aside from BlueHat doing a good job, they're easy to deal with and responsive to anything I require, like website changes and edits. I've dealt with other companies, where I wouldn't receive responses for 2 weeks at times.

Are there any areas BlueHat could improve?

As a consumer, I will always want more, but BlueHat has done an extremely good job.

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

People will normally interview 2-3 companies when deciding on an SEO partner. It's a long-term commitment, so gauging results takes time. It's difficult to decide whom to trust with the next 6 months of a business. I would strongly recommend to start with BlueHat Marketing first out of your list of potential companies to save a lot of time, frustration and reap faster results.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We're a mortgage lending company. I am the president of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with BlueHat?

We needed to better-reach clients over the internet.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

BlueHat is handling our site's hosting and SEO, as well as our pay-per-click campaign. BlueHat has made minor changes to the site.

How did you come to work with BlueHat?

We found a few different companies through Google searches. We found a clutch.co review of the top Canadian SEO firms, and talked to business associated with the companies they're using. After interviewing a few candidates, we chose BlueHat.

How much have you invested with BlueHat?

This is confidential.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with BlueHat 2 years ago, and have an ongoing relationship.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

BlueHat's results can best be compared to the company we were using previously. With a similar budget, BlueHat has been able to achieve better results. We're ranking higher for many of our keywords, and are receiving more applications from clients wanting to apply for a loan. We're satisfied with our return-on-investment. 

How did BlueHat perform from a project management standpoint?

BlueHat has given us good reporting, and they're responsive in general. Our account manager deals with issues actively and gets things done.

What did you find most impressive about BlueHat?

Something I've appreciated about BlueHat is that they are very responsive to correcting any issues which may come up. It's important to us that, if things do occur, BlueHat will understand the urgency of getting everything working properly.

Are there any areas BlueHat could improve?

We initially started our work with BlueHat on SEO and pay-per-click. After moving our site to their servers, we had some issues initially, which really shouldn't have occurred. BlueHat bent over backward to fix and monitor our problem. There was testing done before the migration, but it may not have been done properly. Overall, BlueHat has been responsive and understood the importance of fixing the issue. I'm satisfied with how they handled the situation.

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

Clients need to be clear on what they're objectives are, for the task to be implemented properly.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am an executive at GoSite

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We offer software and websites that support the expansion of small business owners.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire BlueHat Marketing to accomplish?

• Site Migration
• Improve/Maintain Rankings and restore our internet visibility

SOLUTION

How did you find BlueHat Marketing?

Online Search

Why did you select BlueHat Marketing over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Good value for cost

How many teammates from BlueHat Marketing were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

We used Bluehat Marketing to make sure the transition of our website from Strapi CMS to Hubspot CMS went smoothly. Our goal was to consolidate all of our online properties under a single domain and avoid losing any of our visitors.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

No Drop in Website Visits

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

They are very responsive to our changing timelines.

What was your primary form of communication with BlueHat Marketing?

Email or Messaging App

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

Adaptability to changing needs

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

None that I can think of.