Digital Guider

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of a photography equipment rental company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Digital Guider?

We needed help with SEO work.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Digital Guider was supposed to do some SEO to get us to the front page of Google. Also, they were going to provide social media creation, posting once a week for us.

What is the team composition?

We worked with three people.

How did you come to work with Digital Guider?

They called me.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $1,500 CAD (approximately $1,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from December 2021–February 2022.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

How did your relationship with the vendor evolve?

The main contact reached out to us, and once we hired them, he put us in contact with a project manager. Halfway through the first month, we had to repeat ourselves to them, but they didn’t adjust the scope. We fired the first project manager because he wasn’t listening to what we said. He was doing his own thing and arguing with us. The second project manager did a similar thing; they just kept doing the same things over and over.

How did Digital Guider address the challenges that arose?

They said they’d fix it, but they didn’t. We had to repeat ourselves repeatedly.

Describe the impact this engagement has had on your business.

They got us ranking on Google, but we haven’t converted any sales. They suggested we’d get more clients if we ranked, but nothing has come to fruition.

How was project management handled?

It was horrible.

Is there anything that the vendor did well or that you would consider a strength?

Other than giving us reports at the end of the month, I wouldn’t say that they did anything well. They never created any content nor posted on the social media accounts that we provided.

In what specific areas can they improve?

They need to work on their communication and listening skills.

What advice do you have for clients with similar needs to yours?

I wouldn’t recommend going with them. Make sure that the vendor is close by, not in another country.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a Psychiatrist, researcher and scientist from Ecuador, born in Guayaquil, Ecuador in 1939 and a Creator of the B.E.A.M. (Bi-lateral Electrocoagulation of the adrenal marrow) procedure. A surgical procedure to eradicate the symptoms of mental illness such as Schizophrenia and also Parkinson's disease.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired digital guider for SEO services and our goal is to be stand out in google search and generate online sales through effective SEO and digital marketing service.

SOLUTION

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

I got a mail from one of the salespeople from Digital Guider where they mentioned how can I take my business online and how it can help me to generate leads through SEO.

I was curious to know more about it and then we had a discussion over the call. He described me all the things in detail and I was impressed. I thought of giving it a chance as I was searching the digital marketing services for my business So I hired Digital Guider and, I am really happy with my decision as they really did a great job.

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

We agreed to work on a Gold SEO plan where they first did the keyword research and further went with a Website audit, On page Seo, Meta Updation, Google Analytics, and search console set up to track user behavior on the website and Google my business optimization, Content creation, backlinks creation. Monthly performance reports were shared with me and they have changed their strategy time to time to get more outcome.

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

There were a hierarchy of the resources on the side of the vendor where I always interacted with the project managers and salesperson regarding the project discussion and they pass on my requirements to their internal SEO team who actually did the amazing work for my business and never disappointed me as he always delivered work reports on time and I were also able to track the results.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

In Short, I want to say that they delivered me the best SEO results which I want for my US-based Mental Illness Clinic. I received many patients who were suffering from Parkinson's disease through their effective SEO strategy.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

It was smooth and effective.

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

Quick response and idea of understanding the business niche for delivering the best SEO results.

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

They need to improve the work strategy for the google my business page.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I own and operate a small pet food retailer, Kapidolo Farms. The specialty is organic sourced and non-GMO foods for herbivorous reptiles, primarily tortoises.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

SEO and webpage development.

SOLUTION

How did you select Digital Guider and what were the deciding factors?

George, one of Digital Guider's consultants, offered a reasonable level headed suggestions on improving web-space penetration. I felt like he was on my side to develop and implement a strategy that would increase on-line sales.

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

The team at Digital Guider provided a time line for web-space exposure, about three months, to see increased traffic with the idea it would increase sales. I don't know what technologies have been used. That's why a service like this is so valuable for me, a small business owner who is not tech savvy.

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

George, 'Business Development Manager', provided oversight, as best as I could tell. There were several people on the email 'reply all' list. Of those the primary contact was Nitin, a 'Project Manager' who has subsequently turned this project over to Twinkle, also a 'Project' Manager'. All have performed well in my opinion.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Actual sales vale is proprietary. I have gone from several sales a weekday and weekend with no difference. After incorporating Digital Guider's team, sales have gone to to 10 plus each weekday and near 100 over each weekend. This has happened from before Digital Guider's services to month 2 of their services. Month three sales are growing week by week.

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

Informational conversation lead over their selling me on what they could do. I was offered details on what would be done, and the likely impact it would have. Each phone call is followed with an email recap. My schedule is to hectic to arrange phone calls, the people at Digital Guider have called and speak efficiently so whatever message is delivered quickly, with that email follow-up.

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

I got and continue to get pitches frequently to improve web-space saturation. Most seem to be some sort pf phishing expedition. George's initial reach out offered a review of my webpage's impact, and what his team could do. That was followed up by a few phone calls. I decided it was a good risk, based on George's manner and confidence that the money spent would be worth the risk.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I have no direct comparison as a point of reference. I've spoken with friends who are web-page developers and have reviewed Digital Guider's expenses and outcome. They all tell me I am getting great value for the money spent.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner of an appliance parts retail store.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We were a small company starting up and wanted to reduce search engine errors and increase the ranking and online visibility of our website, thereby increasing the number of calls to our brick and mortar store.

SOLUTION

How did you select Digital Guider and what were the deciding factors?

Selection was made searching online initially, and then consulting on final details with Dexter Coley of Digital Guider

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

Steps were to optimize keywords, increase keywords, and add links and backlinks. Articles and Guest Blogging.

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

I was in constant contact with the Sr. Manager of Projects Prerna Jha and was well apprised and informed of all steps of the campaign

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since implementing the SEO effort we're ranking on the first page for many more key words and our site traffic has grown

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

I was kept well apprised of all steps by email and by regular conference calls. Very transparent and informative.

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

Eager to listen to my input and doubts. Very refreshing.

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

None come to mind

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner/broker of Premier Tropical Realty, LLC in Fort Myers, Florida. A residential real estate company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Digital Guider?

I wanted to create an upscale/unique website for a new high end real estate development located in Fort Myers.

What were your goals for this project?

Create a unique website with detailed custom content to attract potential buyers of new homes in this specific new community.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

After researching multiple website developers, I found Digital Guider via an internet search. I was impressed with several examples of websites they were creating.

I engaged into conversations with one of their representatives about their ability to meet my needs and associated costs to develop what I was interested in having created. I also wanted to work with a company who used Wordpress as their development platform, since my previous website I had was based on the Wordpress platform, and I was familiar with it.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They worked in conjunction with my vision and input of what the new website would look like and the content I desired to have in the website. Their project manager Twinkle and her associated team did an excellent job at taking my input and ideas and making them become a functioning website with my ongoing input and desires.

They always responded in a very timely manner. The development of the site took longer than I anticipated, due to the fact they relied on and needed Me to provide the necessary content to implement creating the site, which of course makes sense.

My ability to provide content was based on how busy I was in my real estate business. So it could have been completed much quicker had I been able to provide content quicker.

What was the team composition?

My primary contact was the project manager Twinkle. She was the person I communicated with on a regular basis, and then she communicated to her team members my goals, desires and content.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

This site just went live on 7.17.2020. I have engaged Digital Guider to do my SEO, for an initial 6 month period of time. I am very optimistic this website will have a very positive impact on creating more leads and business for my real estate business.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

See my comments above. A project manager was assigned to my website development. She then communicated my goals, vision and content to her team of developers/content creators.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was most impressed with a couple details. First, their ability to take my vision and ideas, and put them into actual website creative content. Second was their responsiveness. They were very responsive and were quick to create the content once I provided it to them.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I found I needed to review spelling with the text I provided carefully. There seemed to be more spelling errors than I might have anticipated. Overall, I was extremely impressed and happy with everything they did, and their creative abilities.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Our organization works to promote a procedure that my father created and founded.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Digital Guider?

We have a web page and had started to get a lot of queries from people in the US and other countries about our treatment. Digital Guider has helped us to improve our performance there so that we can reach a much wider audience.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They provide comprehensive SEO support for our web page. We started with a list of keywords that we wanted, and they made suggestions based on what they thought were the most common searches related to our keywords as well. From there, they worked on our site to create content and organize everything, as well as on social media and other channels to help engage people with our materials.

What was the team composition?

I initially interacted with a member of their sales team, and then they assigned us an account executive who has been my main point of contact for the project. They have a team of people working on the project behind the scenes, but I’m not sure how many people there are in total.

How did you come to work with Digital Guider?

We received an email from their team offering their services to help improve the performance of our website on searches in the US. We started talking to them and ended up deciding to buy one of their service packages.

How much have you invested with them?

In total, we have spent about $6,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in August 2019, and we are continuing to work together.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Some of our goals included reducing the bounce rate and increasing traffic, and we have seen improvements in both of those metrics. We are now targeting an increase in our conversion rate as well, which to us is indicative of great progress. At first, it was difficult to justify the investment because we weren’t seeing a lot of results right away, but as time went on, we started to get better and better reports and have been pretty happy with everything since then.

Just last month, we went from around 50-100 visitors a month to close to 10,000. That change was reflected from finally reaching the first page in a few of our keywords, and we couldn’t be happier with that result. The pandemic has obviously been a roadblock to that, but we are looking forward to continuing to improve as the world gets back to work.

How did Digital Guider perform from a project management standpoint?

We recently changed account managers and have been really enjoying the experience since then. Our new point of contact gives us reports more frequently and has a lot more patience to explain to us the things that we are not as knowledgeable about. She is always willing to talk through different ideas with us and responds very quickly, which we really appreciate.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their ability to explain concepts no matter how simple they might be to some people, without judgment or impatience is a really significant asset to the engagement. We do not have a lot of internet expertise, but that has never been a problem because of their willingness to work with us to improve.

Their willingness to improve the quality of reports and provide other information we ask for has helped a lot. They also do a great job of making themselves consistently available to help, no matter what time it is where they are, which is in a very different time zone from us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I wish the process could move a little bit faster, or if we could figure out flexible rates depending on the results that we are seeing, but either way it’s not necessarily a problem with the work they are doing.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They are a good company overall, but make sure you advocate for yourself to work with a good team because some are not as good as others. You can definitely be successful with them, but don’t be afraid to ask for more in terms of reports or responsiveness or whatever you need.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a sourcing and manufacturing company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Digital Guider?

We wanted to increase our website ranking.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I bought a package from them that included backlinks and posts. It was all organic advertising.

What is the team composition?

I work with two people from their team.

How did you come to work with Digital Guider?

I found them on LinkedIn.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested $500 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in April 2020, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I’ve been tracking my site and we started out worldwide above 10 million. In one month, they got us below 1 million.

How did Digital Guider perform from a project management standpoint?

They communicate well in writing and verbally. They’re timely and always ask me what I want to be done, and then take care of it. We communicate via phone and email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re effective and responsive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I haven’t noticed any areas for improvement yet.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice is to have strong communication. Tell them what you want and what you’re trying to do. That’s all you need.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the managing partner of a supplemental retail company. We carry a wide range of products.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Digital Guider?

We wanted to get on the first page of Google. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

In the beginning, they told me they were professionals that knew how to get my website ranked on the first page of Google. They would send me reports of our landing pages, keywords, and backlinks. 

However, we stopped working with Digital Guider for two reasons. It had been 3–4 months, but we hadn’t gotten any orders yet. When I searched for anything about my company, we wouldn’t come up on Google. 

I was hoping that the Digital Guider team would give me advice about things that were important to SEO. For example, they didn’t tell me that Google crawlers won’t pick up images like a trademark logo.

One time, they emailed us a list of keywords. We asked her how to pick which keywords to focus on. Her answer started with, “These keywords are per your package only.”

What is the team composition?

I had one point of contact and she was emailing with another person. My main point of contact was an amazing person with a great heart. But, I’m not sure tasks were being completed to their full potential. 

How did you come to work with Digital Guider?

Initially, we were working with another SEO company. But, communication was much too slow. So, I canceled with them, and then I found Digital Guider. It seemed like a really good deal, and it seemed like they would do everything that was offered in the package.

How much have you invested with them?

They said they would give us the premium plan for the first month or two and then drop the price down to the gold plan. The premium SEO package was $1,249. It was an automatic payment structure.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in December of 2019, and the engagement ended in March of 2020 as we couldn’t afford to keep paying them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The premium plan said they would work 165 hours per month on my website. Not including weekends, that means they would have to work 8.5 hours per day. Realistically, I think they were working about 2–3 hours per week on it.

The total users increased by about 2–3% for April. I did see paid ads for my company on the Internet, but I can do that myself for less money.

How did Digital Guider perform from a project management standpoint?

They sent us a monthly progress report every month via email. I wanted to trust them to do what they were supposed to do when I’m wasn’t around, but that wasn’t the case.

What did you find most impressive about them?

My point of contact was very on-point with punctuality. Even if she was busy, she would always schedule a follow-up call and call me on time. She would answer all questions I had. But, I didn’t have the background knowledge of SEO to understand her answers, so I just took her word for it.

Are there any areas they could improve?

If it was my company, I would want my business to be credible. If I’m telling someone I’m going to work 165 hours per month, I would hire people that are going to follow-through with that. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would hire a floor manager that’s on top of the employees to make sure they’re doing what they’re supposed to do. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of a company in the travel industry. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Digital Guider?

We were looking for people who could give us technical assistance in the US. We work for US clients, where most of the airlines, consolidators, and travel agencies are using airline reservation systems (ARS), and they’re mostly using the Sabre global distribution system (GDS).

I wanted to hire someone from the US who was very good with technical things that would have a good idea about the International Air Transport Association (IATA) rules.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Digital Guider mainly provides development services. We’re working on a B2B platform for travel agencies in the US, a mobile app for a yoga and wellness program, and a custom in-house CRM.

We gave them our existing platform, they analyzed it, and they gave us a lot of suggestions on how to improve it. They’ve also provided content and SEO services.

What is the team composition?

I’ve interacted with 4–5 people from Digital Guider, and I estimate the total team size to be 15–20 people. The project manager is my main point of contact, but I’ve had contact with others on the team.

How did you come to work with Digital Guider?

One of my friends was running an airline consolidator agency and recommended Digital Guider to me. I initially tried to work with 4–5 other vendors in India, the Philippines, and the US. The basic problem was that they weren’t able to understand exactly what we were looking for, but Digital Guider was able to define the problem and get to a solution.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Digital Guider in February 2019, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’re friendly, cooperative, and helpful. They made an effort to keep our timelines in this epidemic situation. They do great work, not only for the monetary part but because they want to keep the relationship.

I’d definitely recommend them to someone else, but I need to wait until all our projects have been completed and they start the aftersales and maintenance process, which is a crucial part.

How did Digital Guider perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re not outstanding, but they have normal performance. I check the progress on a weekly or bi-weekly basis and give them feedback. They’re working smoothly. I have an in-house technical team, and Digital Guider is coordinating with them. Their developers and technical people are great. We mainly communicate via email and phone.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was in a bad situation. No one was able to understand my requirements or expectations. I tried 4–5 other companies, and it never happened. When I spoke to Digital Guider, they understood my requirements exactly.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They don’t have a lot of expertise in the travel industry, but they’re generally good. They’re technically strong, but it would be awesome if they put together a team specialized in airline reservation systems and travel agency reservation systems.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

The best advice I could give is to ask multiple questions and discuss the requirements and whatever problems there are. If they understand exactly what needs to be done, then they’ll definitely fulfill it. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the manager of Locaka Shoes.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Digital Guider?

We reached out to Digital Guider to design and develop our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Digital Guider designed and developed a website on ASP.NET in 40 days, incorporating APIs like PayPal and a login that allows me to easily make edits. I initially wanted to build the site on WordPress, but they recommended ASP.NET based on the functionalities I wanted to achieve. 

What is the team composition? 

I mainly worked with one project manager.

How did you come to work with Digital Guider?

I found them through an online search and decided to reach out to them based on their portfolio of work. After they provided a reasonable quote for the project, we gave them a small down payment and got started. 

How much have you invested with them?

We invested between $5,000–$10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from June–July 2018. They turned the whole project around within an impressive 40 days, but they continue to make themselves available to us whenever we need help. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They delivered everything as promised. The site they built is easy for me to manage, user-friendly, and perfectly meets my needs. 

How did Digital Guider perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very responsive and accessible via phone and email. I even received responses from them over the weekend. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their responsiveness sets them apart. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not really. I have no regrets working with them.