Comrade Digital Marketing Agency

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a real estate agent and the owner of a website that allows people to view properties for sale. It also teaches consumers about the process of buying and selling homes.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Comrade Web Agency?

I wanted to steer more online traffic and home purchase/sale opportunities to us and away from major real estate websites.  

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They built a new WordPress website for me. It’s a comprehensive site, with testimonials, information about me and my team, as well as all the home for sale in my area. They also included a blog. That’s about it at this point, but they’re doing some ongoing service for me as well.

Originally, they came to me with a questionnaire. I completed that, and they start coming with colors. They had a wireframe model that I could log into and request things to be moved or changed. We went through a lot of rounds and built the site in pieces, page by page.  

What is the team composition?

We worked with Reed (Senior Account Executive, Comrade Web Agency) from an account perspective and Anna from a development perspective.  

How did you come to work with Comrade Web Agency?

I got annoyed at my previous web developer and put out an RFP to a dozen firms near Chicago. A couple got back to me, including Comrade. Another company we were looking at told us we didn’t have the budget for them, but they recommended we talk to Comrade. They said Comrade would be a good partner for our complex desires and budget.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $25,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together at the end of June 2019. We’re still partnering together.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They were excellent, delivering what they said they would on time and on budget, which was my biggest concern. I’ve explored other web developers and marketers, and they fall short after promising the world. Comrade did what they said they would, and now I have a finished product that acts like I envisioned it would.

I’ve been sharing the site with colleagues and they say it looks fresh, memorable, and professional. They say it’s on the level of national company’s website, and I’m nowhere near that size.

How did Comrade Web Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re very good. When I expressed concerns over a couple of stumbling blocks, stemming from how comprehensive the site had to be, they replied quickly. They sought a solution and described it to us directly. I wasn’t nervous about vastly missing the launch date at all.  

There’s been lots of communication back and forth over email, along with a check-in every week or two. If they need something, they emailed and I would drop whatever it was in Google drive.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m not sure how to answer that because I’ve never used anyone else of their caliber. They took any problems by the horns and took ownership of them, however, which I appreciated.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I wonder if the stumbling blocks could have been avoided with more research upfront. They resolved the issue quickly, but I’m curious if we could have launched the site two, three, or four weeks earlier with more initial research.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Definitely have a conversation with them. They’re open to trying very hard to understand what you want to create and delivering that.

I would also say to keep an open mind. They’ve worked in many different fields doing digital marketing and web design. Let them talk you out of what you want sometimes because they know what will work for your goal. They’re very focused on your goal.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am an Account Manager at an advertising agency in San Diego, Ca. We are a small agency of 10 people who work on large scale projects. Being a small team we need to make sure we have a very solid bench of contractors who we can bring in to assist on projects out of our expertise.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Comrade Web Agency?

My company's previous web development partner was recently acquired by another agency, so we were looking for a new web development partner for a few months. One of our clients introduced us to Comrade Web Agency, who she uses for all of her development projects. We decided to try them out on a small website build for a government funded research laboratory.

What were your goals for this project?

Like most projects, we were working on an accelerated timeline with 5 weeks to design and develop a small WordPress site. The client had a Gala were they introduced the new site and invited attendees to provide their contact information via the new website.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

One of our clients introduced us to Comrade Web Agency because our longtime web dev partner was acquired by another agency. Comrade had a long history with our client so we felt completely comfortable testing them out on this project.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

The project was a pretty standard web design project. My team at the agency worked on all the copy and design for two weeks. We handed over all necessary files, specs and requirements for the dev team to hit the ground running.

Ivan, our main POC, was in communication with me through the entire development process, keeping me informed of progress or asking me questions that came up from his team along the way. They handled all the front end and back end WordPress development and thoroughly tested and pushed the site live.

What was the team composition?

I only communicated with Ivan through the entire process, so I'm not sure of the size of the team that worked on this project. But it was nice having such a knowledgeable POC who clearly had a strong team behind him.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

Comrade Web Agency was able to hit our tight timeline to develop, test and launch the site in 3 weeks time for a Gala that our client was hosting. They had over 100 email sign ups that evening. Additionally, we've been contacted by multiple other organizations who attended the event who are now interested in a new website for their organization.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The Project Management was top notch. Ivan was in constant contact with me through the entire process and even checked in with me after the site was launched to make sure everything was a success.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I have to say i'm thoroughly impressed with how nearly pixel perfect their first round deliverable was. I've never given such minor feedback to a round one review. They definitely make my job much easier.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No real feedback on areas to improve. I was thoroughly impressed with Comrade Web Agency.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there. 

I'm the co-founder of BlueCrates located in Chicago. We offer on-demand storage services for people living in the city that lack closet space. We drop off blue crates and wardrobes and store them off-site. There's a digital catalog that allows customers to recall their items.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Comrade Web Agency? 

Our existing website wasn't robust enough for our needs. We needed a partner who could take our vision and produce exactly what we’re looking for. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

Comrade Web Agency designed and developed a new website. They built an inventory management system, as well as scheduling capability for both the customer and our backend administration. I believe they use PHP. They also refreshed the look and feel of the website. We've recently employed them to help us with digital marketing now that the site is live.

What is the team composition? 

Kiryl (Software Architect, Comrade Web Agency) is our project manager. We worked with one developer during the redesign, and two people help us with digital marketing. 

How did you come to work with Comrade Web Agency? 

One of my friends recommended them to me. He knew we were looking for a vendor because we weren't happy with our previous provider. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve probably spent $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement? 

Work began in 2018 and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

There's an improved ease of use on the new website for our customers. We used to field a lot of questions and have to intervene in the user experience process to let people know how to use the service. That’s tailed off significantly since we launched the new site. We've also noticed an uptick in business now that we started using their digital marketing. We’re absolutely seeing more people creating accounts and placing orders. 

How did Comrade Web Agency perform from a project management standpoint? 

Kiryl does a great job. We meet weekly to go over the project and to make sure that we’re staying on track. We'll text or email, and he's available whenever I need him. If I have an idea in my head, he's able to translate that into the zeros and ones of coding. He's really good at taking my vision and bringing it to a platform that functions in the real world.  

What did you find most impressive about them? 

Cash flow was a main consideration in our nascent stages of development. Comrade Web Agency was quite gracious about payments and keeping the budget palatable. The budget for this type of project can quickly get away from you. They did a good job of managing expectations and helping us along that path. 

Are there any areas they could improve? 

Not having a background in technology development, it's hard to reconcile what I think it would take to complete a project versus reality. The projects did sometimes run over but that’s likely because I didn’t understand what it actually takes to do the work.  

Do you have any advice for potential customers? 

Make sure you’re working with a good project manager. Sit down together and go over your vision and guidelines. Since this is a creative process, putting your vision on a storyboard will help them understand exactly what you're looking for. If you just say we need a website that does X, Y, and Z then you’re giving them the task of creating your vision. That's where things get expensive and timely. With anything, good planning leads to great execution.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of ZenSupplies Inc. We provide software that facilitates dental inventory management.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Comrade Web Agency?

Our homepage wasn’t generating enough traffic. We needed a company that could help us to rebrand our homepage and refine our overall message. We were looking reach 2,000-3,000 visitors per month and implement several calls to action as well. We could have done this internally, but Comrade saved us time by making changes quickly and guiding us through the process of improving our digital presence.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

After taking time to understand our target audience, Comrade completely redesigned our homepage and worked with us to adjust our messaging and reach a larger target audience. They also integrated Hubspot and various automation tools to simplify the user experience. At their suggestion, we went back to 15-20 former clients and gathered an extensive set of testimonials, which are now featured prominently on the site.

What is the team composition?

I was looking to work directly with a CEO for this project, so I asked Ivan (Co-Founder & CEO, Comrade Web Agency) to be present on the calls that I’m on. He has several project managers that interact with my team.

How did you come to work with Comrade Web Agency?

I’ve managed several businesses and Ivan has worked with me on all my sites. This project was on a larger scale than others, so we got quotes from several other companies to weigh our options. Most competitors were charging the same or more, and they didn’t make the same effort that Comrade did in understanding the specifics of our market.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested $10,000-$15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started planning the project with Comrade in December 2017, and the main project was completed on March 15th.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It’s too early to share specifics on monthly visitors, but I can say they’re increasing significantly. Our Google ranking has increased as well due to improvements on our blog and the addition of video content.

How did Comrade Web Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

They were able to deliver on most aspects of the project ahead of schedule, which I’ve never experienced with a project like this. They worked very efficiently and kept us updated on anything they needed from us. I would’ve preferred that they included us in their project management tools to keep everyone on the same page, but that’s my only note. Everything else was executed properly.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were invested in what we were seeking to achieve, which was very important to us for this project. They always followed up with us and kept the project moving at a fast pace.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We ran into some issues around file sharing and keeping each other updated with spreadsheets, which could have been avoided by sharing Asana and Slack for project management and communication. The process went well overall, but parts of it could’ve been simplified by sharing these tools.

Advice for potential customers?

I would suggest that you ask to meet with the person that will be managing your project during the initial interview. Ask them questions about the project and make sure they understand what you want before starting development.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and founder of a marketplace for independent consultants, primarily in the IT industry. Our platform allows them to connect with project-based work. It automates the staffing process and makes it more efficient. The platform is accessible through direct login only.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Comrade Web Agency?

I did not have my own in-house team to develop the platform. 

Our marketplace is not a job board. Instead, a series of candidates in our consultant pool make themselves available on the platform. Based on client need, we match the consultant directly for a specific project. What we’re looking to do is find candidates that match 70% or more of the requirements for each project.

With other platforms, users post jobs and anybody can apply. In contrast, we only allow the most qualified candidate to receive messages. Our clients don’t look to bring in as many resumes as possible. Instead, they want to find the most compelling and accurate candidate to deliver the work. There are a couple of sites that do similar things relative to matching people. The most similar platform would be Hire.com.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I came to them with a set of functional business and technical requirements. We sat down and went through everything, from the process to the overall usability of the product. We worked on wireframes to show what the marketplace would look like and how it would function. We also designed how each profile and each buy would look for our users. Then, we worked together to design the platform, including the color scheme and button placements in the final product.

The platform is built with PHP on the Yii framework. Comrade was responsible for development and design. Ultimately, we use data to drive the matches. Comrade helped build the algorithm from a technical perspective. Comrade did come up with a marketing plan, but we haven’t had time to execute it yet.

I also use Comrade as my in-house development shop for another company where I’m acting as temporary CIO.

How did you come to work with Comrade Web Agency?

Initially, I chose a handful of vendors. I knew some of them, and others I found because of their good reputation online. I didn’t do an RFP [request for proposal] but went through a standard vetting process. Part of the process was to decide whether to hire an in-house team or outsource to a development agency. I met with each development team and outlined what I needed. I wanted to find the team that best understood my vision. It was important that they grasped what I was trying to do from a marketplace perspective.

I was comfortable with Comrade’s breadth of knowledge for frontend and backend development. They could also provide support on the marketing side. They had a holistic approach, which I found to be cost-effective. Using a team of developers and a team of designers provided a better product than if I just had 1 resource for each side. Comrade had the best price as well, although I wasn’t necessarily shopping by that criteria.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began development in November or December 2015. The platform went live in August 2016, but the project is ongoing. They continue to enhance the platform by adding features and functionality.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We now have hundreds of consultants signed up and dozens of clients. They all found us through word of mouth. The platform has ongoing placements, interviews, and matching. From a technology perspective, the success early on was exactly as we had hoped. I thought the quality of work is good.

How did Comrade Web Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

From my perspective, they’re very good at this, although I take on a lot of the project management. I work with their project manager, and I’m satisfied with the timeline and Comrade’s ability to stick to what we are trying to accomplish.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They ask me hard questions to make sure that I know what I’m doing before I spend any money. Comrade acts as a trusted advisor. They actively make sure that the solution is not only suited for 1 person. I don’t have a co-founder, so all the design and development ideas come from me.

I appreciate their ability to deliver work on time and within my budget. They never try to overcharge me, and there are few change requests, which is great. We have a great partnership, and I have even brought them other clients.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Early on, there were certain pieces of functionality that needed to be fixed, and we did that. They could’ve been fixed a little faster, but I think that we shared the blame for this situation. I didn’t push as hard as I should have because I didn’t have the bandwidth. In the end, the site is working as intended. I still use them today, and I wouldn’t do that if I thought there were any issues.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

In 2010, I cofounded a company that provides translation and data entry services. I worked as the director of operations. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Comrade Web Agency?

Comrade was the first company we hired to work on our online business image. We didn't know anything about marketing, and we didn't know anything about how to go online and make our website visible to other people, but we had a business plan so we knew it was a good time to start working with someone who could do that for us.

Comrade they did our web development (created our website), and they did our online promotion, SEO, and Google Ads. They did everything that was possible quickly and within a good budget. I think the website took about a month to create, even though we had agreed to a 5-week timeline. As soon as the website was live, we started working on SEO.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Comrade built us a basic website from scratch to show the online community who we are and what we do so clients can go online and get quotes from us. I’m not sure what was used to build the website. I think it was PHP. The main goal of the website was for us to accept orders.

The leads would go onto the website, place an order, and get a quote. In the translation business, you usually do a quote first, because there’s a big market. Once we saw the quotes, we started talking to the clients and providing them services. We were also hiring people to work for us through the website, so we also were accepting CVs from freelance translators and interpreters through the website.

We told Comrade that we wanted to be different from other businesses in our market, and we asked for their help. They asked us some questions and took it from there. The only thing we provided was the information about our company and what we wanted to do.

They rewrote that text to make it more attractive to visitors. At first, they showed us the initial design, we checked it out, we thought it was good, and we approved it. Then they sent us the text, which we also approved. We actually argued on the images, because it was hard to figure out what we wanted. Eventually, we came to a conclusion with that and figured out what images we wanted to use. That was pretty much it.

In terms of optimizing the site, that was a big issue when we started working with Comrade. They created pages for us, and we added a blog. The main thing was that they were creating and adding new articles every week about translation services, mistakes in translations, listicles, etc.

What I was seeing was that everything was organic. They showed me, “Here we have these words, and that will help us do this.” They were using the words in our company’s name as keywords in different articles. As far as I remember, the content was credible. They were doing a lot of SEO with our blog.

Comrade also put our company information out on different platforms, like Yellow Pages and other local resources, and they created profiles for us on different platforms. We got a few clients from those platforms too.

How did you come to work with Comrade Web Agency?

Comrade was a referral from a friend of mine who had worked previously on a project with them. He said they did a good job and were affordable. We had a limited budget because we were a small business. When you have a small budget, sometimes you have bad service, but my friend said Comrade could do everything for us and in a good way.

We called them to schedule a meeting, and they said we could stop by their office and talk, so we visited them. They explained everything. Actually, at that time, the person who was explaining everything was one of the owners of the company. He said, “I’m going to take the responsibility and create everything for you in a nice way.”

Their fees were not too high, so we decided to go with them because we were looking for the types of services they offered, but we couldn't afford the rates other companies were charging. I also liked that we spoke with the business owner and not some sales representative who doesn't care and just wants your email address. 

How much have you invested with Comrade Web Agency?

I think we about $7,000 for the website, which was a good price at the time. In terms of SEO services, I'm not sure of the total, but I remember we were paying $2,000 a month. So I think the total was around $35,000. We used them for more than a year, but I'm not sure for how long exactly.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Comrade at the end of 2010, and the project ended in early 2011.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I think within two months we were the first search result for the keywords “business translations” in Chicago, and soon after that, we were the first search result for “legal documents translation” in Chicago. SEO and marketing was the best experience because we got a lot of leads and clients. At that time, the only way to track customers was through SEO, and I loved it. 

How did Comrade Web Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

Comrade performed very well from a project management perspective. They communicated with us very nicely. They were calling us all the time and showing us where they were in the project and what had been completed. It’s not like we paid them, and then three months later there was nothing to show for it.

We did a down payment with them on the website development, and then we paid the rest after the work was done, which was also a big deal. In addition to the emails and updates about the progress, the co-founder/co-owner also called me once every two weeks or so during the SEO work to ask me if I'm happy with the results we were getting and if we were getting clients or if Comrade needed to make changes.

I was happy we decided to work with Comrade because they did everything nicely. They were always following up with us; we didn't have to follow up with them. Every week they would say, “We’re at this step already.”

The website only took a couple of weeks, but we were working on SEO with them for more than a year, and during that year, they would send me a report every two weeks that detailed where they stood with the project and how our rankings were improving.

What did you find most impressive about Comrade Web Agency?

I can tell that the guys at Comrade know what they’re doing. They’re professionals. I think both of their founders majored in marketing and web development. They’re also friendly and have good project management skills, and after working with them on this project. I worked with them on a few other projects, and I referred them to other people because they’re reliable. 

Are there any areas Comrade Web Agency could improve?

I’m not sure if there is something they could improve now. During my experience with them, everything was smooth and good, and I loved it a lot. I think everything was OK. I’m not sure what experiences other people have, but for me, everything was nice.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a co-founder and the CEO of Inventum Digital. We are a science and technology avant-garde digital media agency, creating and implementing world-class designs, 3D animations, and interactive solutions in the pharmaceutical, bioengineering, and medical marketing fields.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Comrade Web Agency?

We needed a partner for a marketing campaign with product development elements. We wanted to focus on the development part primarily.

Our client sold concert, theater, parking, and sports tickets. We were trying to figure out why they weren’t making money and identified a couple of problems: their platform was bad, and they needed a better strategy to sell tickets.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our client’s biggest sales point was sports tickets, so we created different brands for them. Comrade led the entire social media strategy and brand-awareness campaign. We were on the content side of things, producing the material for the campaign and the website. We had content marketing in place and also started a pay-per-click [PPC] campaign with banners and retargeting.

How did you come to work with Comrade Web Agency?

I ran into Stan, their co-founder, at a networking event and talked with him about a project we had in the pipeline. I asked if they could handle SEO and get the brand out there. He told me to look up “web agency Chicago,” and I did. Comrade had the top spot in the search results and was also among the first 2 positions in Google Places. I was impressed, and they certainly grabbed my interest.

Stan gave good direction for the project, and I met a few people on Comrade’s team at a more superficial level. I loved their culture; everyone knows their stuff, and they’re all work-hard-play-hard people.

How much have you invested with Comrade Web Agency?

The cost of their work around $7,000–$15,000, closer to the higher figure.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Comrade in April 2016. The project took 3 months to complete. We initially asked them for help with SEO around January, but Stan advised against this strategy, as we only had 6 months to complete the project, and it would take a year for SEO to take effect. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I don’t have numbers off-hand, but I remember gaining more views and engagement on the brand’s social media. We had some discussions about the engagement continuing, but my co-founder knows more about the nitty-gritty.

How did Comrade Web Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

We used a project management software called Wrike and had an intense collaboration. Everything was set, down to each half an hour. Comrade honored our requests in this respect.

What did you find most impressive about Comrade Web Agency?

Even in cases when Stan might have shot himself in the foot during a sale, he remained honest. He could have easily started SEO right away, but we would have needed a year to implement it, and the client deadline was 6 months away.

Every business wants to make money, but Comrade told us what we really needed to do, even if it meant going to someone else for the service. I appreciate this a lot. Their integrity made me trust them.

Are there any areas Comrade Web Agency could improve?

I don’t have anything negative to share off-hand. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a small law firm in California specializing in trust and estates and securities litigation.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Comrade Web Agency?

We needed to bring in calls, good leads, and clients that want to use our services. We hadn’t been getting calls, so the traffic stopped. There wasn’t anything else we could do on the website to generate more leads so we had to make a change. It was an old website that hadn’t been changed for a very long time. The only thing we were really doing was more blog posts, and that stopped working too.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They were responsible for the full redesign of the site. We told them what we do and what kind of consumer we were looking for. They came up with all of the creative work. We wrote the content ourselves but they gave us guidance on what we should write. We’re subject to very strict ethical rules, so I don’t know if it’s possible for anyone but a lawyer to write the content for a law firm’s website. They also implemented new SEO [search engine optimization] and PPC [pay-per-click] marketing strategies and provided tools to track client leads.

How did you come to work with Comrade Web Agency?

I Googled law firm website design and I was looking for experience. It seems to be an industry where there’s a lot of young people. I called a place that was very prominent on the web, and I couldn’t get a return phone call. I’d fill out the online form or I’d call, and it was a phone service that would answer. They told me to fill out the form and I told them that I had I filled it out three times already and was not filling it out again. Then I got a call from the sales director who’s in his car telling me how great they are, and it just didn’t give me a feeling of stability. I called the marketing director, and he asked to call me back after his guitar lesson. This was not the kind of killer instinct and professionalism that I was looking for in a long-term partner. When I called Comrade Web Agency, they answered the phone and spent an hour on the phone with me. They said they’d get me a proposal in a couple of days, which they did. The proposal wasn’t just an email. It came via email but it was ten pages and it looked like some thought had gone into it. It seemed to be a more stable, professional operation.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

In one year, our leads went up dramatically. All of our attorneys are busy, and our revenue is up significantly; we’ve also hired another attorney to handle the new work. Comrade Web Agency is serious but fun to work with and incredibly responsive. I would recommend them to anyone.

How did Comrade Web Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

They were excellent. Everything they’ve done has been excellent.

Are there any areas Comrade Web Agency could improve?

No. Since I know so little about SEO, I just know what’s on my screen. I’m sure they’re always trying to improve but from the customers’ end, I have no complaints. I can’t think of anything they could improve.

BACKGROUND

Could you describe your company and your role?

I’m the president of Digital Ad Agency. We do branding and digital strategy work for Fortune 500 companies.    

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

When you approached Comrade Web Agency, what was the business challenge that you were trying to address?

Finding a quality Web design and development firm.

Was there something about your old website that you wanted to improve specifically?

I had a decent website, but I don’t think it matched really well with what the company was trying to do and represented it well. So, I really wanted to go to a branding and a design process. I was able to handle the branding, but the design required more.

SOLUTION

Do you know which content management system that they used to build the website?

They used WordPress.

Did they also provide training and ongoing support service for the website?

They did. It wasn’t very necessary. WordPress is pretty straightforward.

How long did the project take?

Sixty days from start to finish.

When was it completed?

At the end of 2012.

What was your process for selecting Comrade Web Agency?

I reached out to some network people on LinkedIn and Facebook.

Comrade was given a good reference of quality work, good timing in getting it done, and keeping to the statement of work, which are all things I was looking for.

Can you give a sense of the size of this initiative, either in a cost estimate or a personnel work hour figure?

It was about $22,000 or $23,000.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

In terms of the results, are there any metrics that you can share that indicate the success of the project?

We saw an increase in website views, probably 30 to 40 percent.

And how would you describe their performance?

Fantastic. I recommend them highly to everybody I do business with.

Is there anything unique or special about them compared to other vendors that you may have worked with in the past?

No. Quality is quality. They were able to present the design options and implement them quickly. They have a pretty good knowledge. Sometimes, the Web firms know design, but they’re not really good with development; or vice versa. What I like about Comrade was that they had a nice mixture of design and development.

Looking back on the project, is there any area that you think Comrade could improve on or that you would do differently?

Working through the process of how somebody contacts your site and then requests for more information would have probably been better, but maybe not their fault. It seems like when you get someone to your site, maybe there’s a way to capture more data.

Is that something that you might have approached them about?

I haven’t talked to them about it. It’s something I probably do need to chat to them about. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the President of The International Kitchen, Inc

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a tour operator specializing in international cooking vacations and food and wine tours. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Comrade Digital Marketing Agency to accomplish?

• Increase online visibility
• Increase conversions
• Grow our brand

SOLUTION

How did you find Comrade Digital Marketing Agency?

Referral

Why did you select Comrade Digital Marketing Agency over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Comrade Digital Marketing Agency were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Comrade worked with us to increase our online presence and continues to work with us on content optimizaiton, AI consulting, and website and database design. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Met all project milestones. Recouped traffic lost during a previous website redesign. Updated current website to meet new technological standards. 

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

They consistently met deadlines and communicated effectively. 

What was your primary form of communication with Comrade Digital Marketing Agency?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

They are very responsive when we have questions or new ideas. We can tell they care about the success of the business. 

Are there any areas for improvement or something Comrade Digital Marketing Agency could have done differently?

I cannot think of any thing at this time. 

UPDATED REVIEW

This review was published on March 16, 2020.

Peg Kern
Vice President & Owner, The International KitchenHospitality & leisure

Chicago, Illinois

1-10

Apr 2019 - Ongoing

$50,000 to $199,999

Project summary
Comrade Web Agency performs digital marketing tactics with the aim of improving organic website traffic. This has involved pinpointing issues and implementing strategies such as enhancing the site's speed.

Feedback summary
Website traffic has increased significantly since the engagement began, along with the ROI and leads generated. The vendor leads a research-backed, thorough approach complemented by well-structured task management. They go above and beyond, doing everything they can to help stakeholders succeed.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the co-owner and vice president of the international kitchen. We are a small, boutique company that specializes in food-themed tours around the world.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Comrade Web Agency?

We did a complete website redesign the year before with our digital marketing team that we’d worked with for 11 years. After that, our traffic tanked. We tried to fix the backslide in our traffic for months. Eventually, we decided to find another company. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, they pinpointed areas where we had been performing well before the site redesign. At that time, we were mainly focused on increasing our organic traffic. Later on, we started adding some PPC with them as well.

After tracking which pages were under-performing, they made whichever changes were necessary to recoup that traffic. This involved creating new pages and changing the way pages work on our website, such as creating static URLs. They also enhanced the content and page speed. They worked with backlinking and breadcrumbs. 

What is the team composition?

We usually work with 2–3 people, which includes a project manager and two technical people we speak with about certain tasks. A fourth person comes in periodically when we need to strategize form a birds-eye perspective. They also have a team of programmers that we’re periodically in communication with if there’s something very specific we need to talk with them about.

How did you come to work with Comrade Web Agency?

We had a personal recommendation to work with Comrade Web Agency. They felt their business had improved since hiring the team. 

Also, we liked what they said they could do for us. They seemed very confident they could quickly identify the places where we had been losing traffic and help bring it back. They came up with a lot of specific information about our website before we even hired them. They freely shared the problems they had identified and how they would fix them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested between $50,000 to $100,000 with the team.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with the team in April of 2019, and it's an ongoing partnership.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We do monthly reports, which have been easy to track. Also, our organic traffic year-over-year has increased significantly. Some months, the traffic increases by as high as 50%. Our return on investment has been high, along with the number of leads. 

How did Comrade Web Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re super on top of project management. They periodically give me homework that they have to nudge me on. They also make it clear what’s needed from me in order to complete a task, including giving me a deadline.

They communicate what they’re doing, why they’re doing it, and when they expect to have things completed. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The Coronavirus has impacted our entire industry globally. They were immediately in conversations with us about how they could help, including cutting back our monthly expenditures. They think outside of the box about how they can help us overcome obstacles.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, we’ve been really happy.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You should ask lots of questions. We had several conference calls with them before we hired them. During that time, they were happy and willing to answer questions until we felt comfortable with the decision.

STAR RATINGS:
Overall rating: 5   

Quality:  5  

Cost: 5   

Schedule: 5  

Willing to refer: 5