Dray Web Services

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of a private fitness studio based in New York City.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Dray Web Services?

We needed a redesign for my website and SEO configurations for it.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Dray Web Services redesigned my site and has been doing SEO as well. We started with the website by giving them examples of what we wanted, and they took that to create a unique design for my platform. In terms of SEO, they analyzed the market in New York City, suggested keywords and added the ones I gave them, and then wrote the material within the site.

How did you come to work with Dray Web Services?

One of my customers referred them to me. I chose to work with them based on their knowledge of what I needed.

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve spent over $20,000 with them so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in November 2016, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve noticed a monthly improvement in their reports on Google rankings and analytics.

How did Dray Web Services perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management is excellent; they always find time to respond to me even when their team is on their personal time — I called someone from their team on their honeymoon and got the work done while at it, which I really appreciated. In terms of communication, we use email and phone calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their ability to pinpoint my requirements is outstanding; I’m a very busy person, and they don’t go through multiple iterations before completing a task.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think there’s anything they can improve on — everything has been above my standards!

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be sure of what you want; otherwise, you’re shooting in the dark. I gave them clear examples of what I wanted, and they were able to deliver that. Overall, if you provide them with a good starting line, they’ll get your project done very quickly.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Creative Director at LA Photo Party. We are an experiential marketing company that services corporate and private events with a suite of high-end entertainment services including photo booths, photo/video studios, virtual reality, and custom developed experiences. Our company has two additional divisions that sell our proprietary hardware and software to photo booth operators worldwide.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Dray Web Services, and what were your goals?

We hired Dray Web Services to improve our website functions, improve and expand our existing e-commerce platform, integrate a more user-friendly back-end interface, and manage SEO.

SOLUTION

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

We interviewed several companies in the Souther California region and Dray Web excelled at giving concrete solutions immediately. We saw a roadmap that would help significantly improve our website experience as well as a detailed plan that seemed fairly priced for our ongoing work together.

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

Josh's initial work started by integrating Elementor as our main design platform for page building. This would allow both our design team as well as Josh to seamlessly build new pages that we could manage on both sides. Josh focused on improving load times for each page and identified key problems in the existing site that were dragging down performance and Google ranking. He resized images and video content on each page to help improve overall load time.

Josh implemented SEO strategies and monthly dashboards to help improve our ranking and searchability. He investigated our competitor sites and targeted keywords that would help drive traffic to our page. He also improved the metadata on each page. Josh fixed our existing e-commerce platform, which was poorly built and needed significant improvements and restructuring to properly function. He also managed to connect our software purchasing with our custom built database, which allowed our new site to input new clients from our main website into our ongoing software work flow.

Additionally, Josh designed a new e-commerce platform for digital services we were offering. Josh integrated our new CRM softawre into the forms on our site as well as tracking. Josh has designed and integrated new pages in collaboration with our creative team. And Josh has been able to manage any real-time malfunctions or security breaches with a quick turnaround. He has made sure our website has maintained stability and full operation when Wordpress crashed and backed up our website to make sure we would be able to recover any lost data.

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

We primarly work with Josh. I am unsure how many of his staff, since we communicate directly with Josh.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our SEO ranking is the clearest indicator of our growth. Our website has had tremendous growth every single month. Every single month each of our priority keyword rankings climb at least 1-3 rankings and some have even climbed substantially more. Our website load times have improved drastically by 70%.

We now have a solid system for security and have capped vulnerabilities, which we didn't have before. We have a drag-and-drop design interface that allows our designers as well as our developers to easily make changes to our web design and easily build new pages.

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

We have a bi-weekly check-in to track progress and help to communicate new projects and ask questions. We chat constantly via g-chat and use Figma for reviewing mock-ups. We have also used Trello to manage major projects.

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

Dray Web Services and Josh specifically, have been so accessible to us. We will continue to work with this company because whether it's an immediate issue or a longer term project, we have been able to have consistent, productive communication to move through each project.

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

Honestly, the biggest improvement we could have made is to have expanded our services with them from moment one. Had I known just how valuable their SEO suite of packages was initially, we would have invested in that immediately.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CEO of a retail company. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Dray Web Services?

We needed web development assistance. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Dray Web Services has developed our website and several landing pages from scratch in WordPress. Their team has developed all of our website content and integrated visuals into the site design. We’re also working with Dray Web Services on our SEO. I’ve provided their team with a list of competitors that they’re now using for market research to develop keywords. Dray Web Services also offers us some marketing services, but those aren’t central to our partnership.  

What is the team composition?

I work with four teammates from Dray Web Services, including Josh (CEO and Owner). 

How did you come to work with Dray Web Services?

I was referred to Dray Web Services by another individual. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested $40,000–$50,000 with Dray Web Services so far. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with Dray Web Services in July 2018, and our engagement is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The website Dray Web Services developed has an incredibly fast upload speed. Our lead generation metrics are also increasing to the SEO efforts Dray Web Services is spearheading. 

How did Dray Web Services perform from a project management standpoint?

Dray Web Services delivers within our timeline and budget. I know Josh uses several project management tools internally, but I’m not privy to them. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Dray Web Services has solutions to every problem we present. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I have nothing for Dray Web Services to improve upon. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’d advise any customer looking for web services to hire Dray Web Services. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder, editor, and publisher of Soundings Magazine, a general interest online publication.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Dray Web Services?

I had a vision of what I wanted my magazine website to be but no idea of how to achieve that goal. There was no set template or design available so we had to start from scratch. The challenge being how to do what we do without looking like everyone else in our niche.

SOLUTION

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

I interviewed a few web designers prior to talking with Josh Dray and found him to be genuinely interested in my project and solving the related challenges. The most important factor in my selecting Josh Dray Web Services was his willingness to thoroughly explore my vision as well as bringing his A-Game of experience and knowledge to the project.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

Once we decided to work together, Josh and I discussed how the home page and the individual blog pages should look and function. There was some back and forth discussion on design but that was minimal. I think we came to a consensus on that very quickly.

I also wanted to have a tiered level of paid subscriptions which I had no idea of how to implement. Mr. Dray set that up and I'm still using that system today.

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

I only worked directly with Josh Dray. I felt that I had his complete attention throughout the entire project. From the beginning I had made clear that I needed to be trained to handle the day to day operation of the site. When the project was complete, Josh set up a training session that he recorded.

This has served me well. And, on occasion, I still contact him for odd questions about updates or other issues and he is always happy to help me.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Since this was a startup, there were no metrics with which to compare performance. But from day one, we have been getting positive feedback from readers about our ease of use, clean design, and functionality. Just yesterday we got another comment from a happy reader.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Again, I only worked directly with the owner. They always gave me 100% of their attention, making me feel like I was their only client. I would say this workflow was very effective.

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

Individual attention from the company owner to achieve my desired goals for this startup magazine.

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

I don't think so. Not only is the site better than I had envisioned, but Josh's attention to training me made a believer out of me. He wanted Soundings Magazine to be a success as much as I did.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

DPN is a full service talent agency. We represent voice and on camera actors across many platforms.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Dray Web Services, and what were your goals?

Our website was created by a company that we no longer had contact. The website was not functioning properly nor did we like the layout or the aesthetics. We also continued to struggle with ranking for our website and talent recognition .

SOLUTION

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

Joshua was a referral from our IT representative. After receiving a glowing recommendation, we decided to give Joshua a shot.

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

Joshua spent countless hours with us to gather detailed information on what we liked about our website and what we felt wasn't representative of our brand. He connected us with a copy writer who assisted in the scripts of the site. He also sent examples of other websites to use as comparison when freshening up the the website's look.

He also assisted us with monthly SEO. He helped us rewrite some of the verbiage on the website so that specific words used, would attract more traffic. He walked us through every step of the way to assure we got the most out of his services.

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

We worked solely with Joshua.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since working with Joshua, our website runs much more effectively. The speed is top notch and the mobile version of the site is very user friendly. He has also been successful of upping our monthly traffic to the website. overall the

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

Joshua sent us a monthly report to showcase the continued success of pushing more traffic to the site. He was always available if and when a new project idea popped up. He is very detailed in describing the process required for any projects, as well how to set realistic expectations on delivery of materials.

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

The one on one contact and the speed in which he was able to deliver.

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

Not at all. His service was above and beyond our expectations.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Exam.net is a digital exam software company, and my role as the president is to lead our business efforts in the US.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Dray Web Services?

We were looking to better communicate our company ethos, benefits, and products, so we needed someone to rebuild our marketing website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Dray Web Services is our primary development partner. They’re working with a creative agency to come up with content and visual designs, but they’re mostly in charge of bringing those ideas to life through technical development.

They’re essentially collaborators that implement certain aspects we want on the website, as we continue to add new components. They’ve set us up to make tweaks of our own, but they’re still highly involved in two of our big projects.

What is the team composition?

My main point of contact is Josh (CEO & Owner).

How did you come to work with Dray Web Services?

Dray Web Services was recommended by our creative partner to become our technical collaborator on this website.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing partnership started in April 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve produced a lot of dramatic improvements to our website and as a result, our software became invaluable for teachers during the pandemic.

We went from only offering our product in Sweden, to having paid customers in over 100 countries.

How did Dray Web Services perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re great from a project management standpoint, as they have a hands-on approach to setting expectations — they’re really careful when it comes to moderating timeframes and cost.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re impressed with their technical delivery and creative collaboration. They’re not only able to develop our project from a technical perspective, but also involve themselves and execute the visual aspect of it.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything specific they need to improve on.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

As with any project, I advise you to be specific with your needs, work to set clear expectations up front, and iterate the project quickly so you can identify and work out flaws.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Marketing Company, I am the owner

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Dray Web Services, and what were your goals?

We hired Dray Web Services to create Google Adwords Landing pages

SOLUTION

How did you select Dray Web Services and what were the deciding factors?

He was referred and came highly recommended

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

We asked Josh to create effective Landing pages for our Google Adwords campaigns

How many people from the Dray Web Services team worked with you, and what were their positions?

Just Josh

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The landing pages were excellent and highly effective

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

great communication, ongoing support was excellent and he was quick to change and edit deliverables based on client feedback

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

Josh is professional, his designs were excellent, high quality. The team was easy to work with and delivered what they promised.

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

No, we were very happy with our entire experience.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Executive Director of a non-profit ultrasound clinic for pregnant women.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Dray Web Services, and what were your goals?

Our existing website needed refreshing and revamping.

SOLUTION

How did you select Dray Web Services and what were the deciding factors?

The vendor was recommended and endorsed by the company that handles our Google advertising.

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

Zoom consultations, text and emails were used to communicate our needs and provide feedback as the project ensued.

How many people from the Dray Weeb Services team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We worked directly with the owner.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The improved website included many updated pictures and videos that the vendor sourced. There were graphics added that were not part of our original website and that added clarity for our customers. The result was a fresh and attractive website that has driven increased traffic to our site and delivered customer online appointments.

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

Very hands on and responsive. Work and the work day was not constrained to 9-5. Ability to receive feedback on creative changes didn't result in bruised egos.

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

Their understanding of the nature of our business was key to delivering the right product was impressive.

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

We really have no negative feedback to provide.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the President and owner of Jim Gardner Construction Inc.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Dray Web Services?

Josh had worked for me on an ongoing basis for several years developing and maintaining our website, doing SEO work, some email marketing etc.

SOLUTION

How did you select Dray Web Services and what were the deciding factors?

Found him doing some online research and like his skills and way he presented himself and it seemed like a good fit.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

Dismantled and reconstructed my website, added substantial content, Did SEO work, some email marketing, etc.

How many resources from the Dray Web Services team worked with you, and what were their positions?

Josh Dray the owner and a couple of his vendors.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Traffic to me site and Google rankings have improved substantially over time.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

It was good

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

They are able to effectively communicate our results and progress over time in an easy-to-understand fashion.

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

No.