GR0

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Clutch Nails. We sell press-on nails online and to retailers like Target and grocery stores.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with GR0?

We hired GR0 to provide SEO services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

GR0’s team is responsible for writing blog posts for our website and submitting press releases to other websites for backlinking. They also do keyword research. Additionally, they’ve started to rate the organic content on our website as well.

What is the team composition?

Kevin and John (Co-Founders) are always asking me how the project is going — they’re the kindest people. Though we’ve worked with small and large groups from their team,  we have one person who’s in charge of our account. We also talk to writers occasionally.

How did you come to work with GR0?

I was referred to them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We initiated the engagement in June 2020, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Before they started working with us, our organic searches were minimal. The organic content and driving factors going to the website were a very small amount, so we were getting less than 10,000 unique visitors on our website a month.

Soon after they started, we surpassed a million unique visitors, and we now get several hundred thousand visitors a month. We’ve even stopped doing paid social media advertising. Right now, we don’t have any paid ads thanks to the organic content they’ve built.

How did GR0 perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate through email and have Zoom meetings every other week. They handle everything so well that we haven’t had to stay on top of them. They keep their monthly goals very clear and deliver on them. In addition, John and Kevin are always in contact, making sure everything is going well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve dealt with so many bad SEO companies, so it’s been nice to find one that cares about us. Everything they do is tailored to our needs because they listen to us and make sure that everyone on their team understands our business — that’s the biggest difference.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We could align more on what my team should be doing. They’ve written so many articles, and we don’t know in advance what those articles are about; hence, we don’t have photos ready. We now have like 50 articles that we need to create content for. It’s partly my fault because I haven’t been up to date with their work. Thus, I’d like to know exactly what they’re working on so that I can have photos ready and make sure that the articles don’t read like a scientific journal with no pictures on them. We’re a nail company after all, so people want to see pictures.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Just do it. Sign up with them and always stay on top of things. Also, make sure your website is ready for the content that they’ll make. We could maximize the work they do if I spent more time on my website.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder of a men's skincare brand that sells products primarily through our website.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire GR0, and what were your goals?

SEO content and site optimization.

SOLUTION

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

Their sales process was thorough, friendly, informative, and straight forward. I really enjoyed Jonathan's demeanor and candor around what we were doing wrong, what we could do better, and how long it would take to get results.

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

SEO Content, SEO optimization, SEO Site-Speed tweaks. This involves back-linking, keyword research, etc.

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

I work directly with my account manager, Colin, who has done a fabulous job scaling our SEO efforts and going above and beyond on a regular basis to deliver for my brand.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are driving an exceptional amount of traffic to the site as a direct result of GR0's content and SEO optimization efforts. We are ranking first for a number of important / critical keywords thanks to their diligent research and execution.

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

As organized as you can imagine. I receive weekly update emails alongside 30 minute bi-weekly calls as well.

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

The results. The SEO world is full of quacks and GR0 shoots it straight and gets results.

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

I know they are growing quickly, so perhaps just ensuring long term that their awesome level of service will continue is all I care about!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Our agency is the only marketplace connecting home sellers with a large network of investors and cash homebuyers, ensuring that homeowners get the highest possible off-market price for their home. My role at the agency has been to lead content and organic growth projects to raise brand awareness.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire GR0, and what were your goals?

We were looking for help getting our content out in front of more potential customers and to drive more people to channels from search engines. GR0 helped us develop a bespoke solution that fit our needs, leaning on a combination of keyword research, content strategy, and organic backlink building.

SOLUTION

How did you select GR0 and what were the deciding factors?

We received an internal referral and had a series of conversations. GR0 had very relevant experience working with another big player in our space. They understood our industry and business challenges well.

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

Our work was highly tailored to our needs. In general, the starting point involved a set of discovery meetings and a questionnaire. Then we held a weekly standup call to manage a series of ongoing projects.

Once we got going, relevant campaigns included things like proactive outreach to media, ongoing management of keyword lists, existing content optimization strategies, new content development, and tactical SEO activities. It was not always simple to manage, as the work required contributions from multiple people at GR0 as well as stakeholders on our side.

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

At least 4 members of GR0 worked with us at different times including the company principal, several SEO strategists, and a media coordinator.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since the beginning of our engagement, we've seen significant improvements in the following areas: organic search average rankings, total number of keyword impressions in search, SEO traffic, non-branded search traffic, and domain rating.

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

Their project management style was a good fit with my style. They were flexible and open to informal conversations. They kept a timeline and had weekly standup meetings to manage it, but it was never a problem to go off script and dive into new projects as needs changed.

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

I'd rather not say because I don't want to give away their trade secrets. But I liked their fresh way of looking at problems and unique proposals that differentiate them from many SEO agencies I've worked with. I think they did a great job of making the work very easy to understand.

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

I think as our relationship grew, both sides got a little complacent and fell back on successful routines. Perhaps a quarterly summit meeting or some other forum, where all the relevant players come together, could help inject new energy or continue to raise the level of the ongoing work.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I run marketing at CRS, a credit reporting technology agency.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with GR0?

We hired them for SEO. We wanted them to address our position at the naturally occurring search results.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

For SEO, they helped us with implementing strategies already in existence, helped with the development of strategies, and the eporting on the data. They also assisted with PPC management. They’re going to help me with other things, like LinkedIn and Facebook concerns.

What is the team composition?

We talked with a number of people and account managers at GR0.

How did you come to work with GR0?

I had a referral to them, and when I interviewed them, they were great. They’re also cost-effective.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began in May of 2020 and are still working.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our DA rose from 10 to 35. We also started rising in the rankings of our important terms. This isn’t a process where you stop and say, I’ve got it.

I’ve been monitoring the vanity metrics like the cost per lead, and the PPC wasn’t quite up to where we want. GR0 came in and did an excellent job. They’re reasonably priced and they’ve done really well. They’re incredibly knowledgeable.

How did GR0 perform from a project management standpoint?

They have extra customer service and are always available to answer questions thoroughly. The project management has been perfect. They set up reporting dashboards that we utilize.

What did you find most impressive about them?

No. If I ever have a problem, they immediately address it.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’m very direct. If I want to make a point or a critique, I’ll do it very forcefully. Their culture is very strong. They can respond to direct critiques without taking it personally, and then have the internal coaching to do a better job.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You want to go in with two things. Understand what do you want out of the relationship. Make sure it is metric-driven. Codevelop a plan on how to achieve them. Second, understand how you’ll do reporting.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the former senior vice president at Ritual, a health and wellness brand. We make multivitamins for women in every life stage.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with GR0?

We were looking to increase the amount of web traffic we get without having to invest in paid advertising.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

GR0 provided SEO and marketing services for us. Their team developed a plan to create content that would help us answer common questions people have about health, wellness, vitamins, and more. They help us write and publish that blog content on an ongoing basis and measure its performance using data from Google. 

Our teams collaborated on keyword research, although we leaned heavily on their expertise. GR0 also provides backlinking services.

What is the team composition?

I worked directly with Kevin (Co-Founder & CEO).

How did you come to work with GR0?

We looked into GR0 and really liked the experience Kevin had before starting the company. Kevin is also a good person who is really hard-working and passionate about SEO. We also appreciated that they were local and would be able to come into the office.

How much have you invested with them?

We have invested between $50,000–$100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing engagement with GR0 began in January 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our organic traffic grew by over 30% very quickly. We were able to rank first or second for 5–6 very important keywords. The speed with which we achieved our goals was far beyond our expectations.

GR0 is versatile, analytical, and creative. They really love SEO, and that passion has helped our team learn a lot as well. It feels like they’re a part of our team, which is unique for agencies. They built a good relationship with our team and provide a diversity of ideas and skillsets to everything they do.

How did GR0 perform from a project management standpoint?

Our teams used Google Docs and Slack to collaborate. There was a lot of planning and organization. But they stayed on top of everything. We had weekly meetings, but they were always available if we had questions.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They provided a lot of transparency, we always knew what they were doing and why. It made it easy to understand where things were going and why we were getting the results we did. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could continue to acquire better writers and content creators. They could also customize their offerings to companies in order to best complement their internal team.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure you have someone on your team who really understands content creation, so when you work with an outside organization, you’re setting yourself up for success.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the technical director for The Forked Spoon, a recipe website.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with GR0?

We were on track for a growth path of about 30% month over month, until Google updated in November 2019. Our audience numbers dropped by about 60%, something that other food bloggers and recipes websites also experienced. We hired GR0 to fix that.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, they did a technical audit of our online infrastructure, making sure everything was buttoned down as far as schema and internal linking goes. After that, they worked to build up domain authority, a broad term for getting more digital mentions.

Over time, we expanded into content auditing. They also helped with content writing and SEO projects as they came up.

What is the team composition?

We probably work with four or five people from their team on a regular basis.

How did you come to work with GR0?

I got a referral from somebody else in the industry. It was just the right timing to start.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve probably spent $50,000 at this point.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in January 2020, and are still working together.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

He caught us on a decline and helped us get leveled out. I’m comfortable with where the growth is taking us.

How did GR0 perform from a project management standpoint?

We used a plethora of different online services to track the projects and keep them organized. They made it easy to get an overview of what’s going on.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re consistently willing to go above and beyond. Be it late nights or weekends, they’re always there to help us get through projects and questions that need a rapid response.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We’ve been happy with their responsiveness and willingness to respect critical feedback. They rectify issues right away and put plans in place to address them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of RAPTV, a hip hop concert website.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with GR0?

I hired them to do all the content writing.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They were doing content writing, backlinking, and keyword strategy. They manage the whole website — they built it too.

What is the team composition?

I worked with around four people. This included John and Kevin (Founders), Maria (SEO Manager) who handled backlinks, and Greg (CEO) who is handling building our website.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve probably spent $150,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since May 2020 and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I’m happy with our website. We went from no traffic to 30,000 visitors a month.

How did GR0 perform from a project management standpoint?

They were communicative over email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was impressed with the relationship we built. They’re very consistent.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I’m happy with everything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure you’re communicating properly. It’s pretty straightforward.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm a co-founder of Rosaluna, which is a mezcal brand that launched in October 2020. Our goal is to share the magic of mezcal, which is an all-natural, handmade agave spirit distilled in the rolling hills of Santiago, Matatlán—the heartland of mezcal in Oaxaca, Mexico.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire GR0, and what were your goals?

We hired GR0 to improve our organic search rankings for relevant keywords/terms around mezcal.

SOLUTION

How did you select GR0 and what were the deciding factors?

We selected GR0 based on their impressive roster of clients, previous track record (Kevin had successfully helped me with a few projects/clients in the past), and commitment to our success.

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

We've engaged GR0 in an ongoing monthly engagement, where their team helps us create relevant content focused on mezcal, receive backlinks from credible sources, and improve our ranking/authority with Google as a trusted source.

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

We work with a close-knit team of 5 people who help us in various capacities from client management to content creation.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Yes, the results have been impressive in the early going. We're now officially ranked for all the major keywords/terms around mezcal, and we're tracking nicely to our overall objective of ranking #1 for mezcal organic search results in the future.

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

The GR0 team has been consistent in their over-communication, transparency around goals and progress, and commitment to our success.

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

Their team do simple things at an elite level. They understand SEO inside out, communicate and simplify it so our team can fully understand what's being done, level set expectations / don't take shortcuts, and deliver on what they commit to/promise.

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

No specific areas of improvement — just continued commitment to our success as we move into 2021 and beyond.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Founder of a D2C brand in the skincare and haircare space. I'm the co-founder of the brand.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire GR0, and what were your goals?

We hired GR0 for our search engine optimization for our Shopify store. We then went on to also use them for their influencer campaigns.

SOLUTION

How did you select GR0 and what were the deciding factors?

Well we had used a ton of agencies before but GR0 was the one who finally gave us the best and most stable Search Engine Optimization services for our brand.

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

Search engine optimization for our entire Shopify store. Meta tag optimizations. Page optimization for relevant keywords. Development of a blog on our store with relevant topics. Constant content blogging to keep topics and keywords ranking going.

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

3–4 people worked on the project. The founders - both worked on our project. content specialist AMP page specialist Keyword optimization Specialists.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have started getting Top 3 positions for all our relevant keywords within the first 4 months of working with Gr0. Has been a fantastic working experience.

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

Highly organized and constant communication with both the teams.

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

The founders take a personal interest in the success of their clients. They were more of partners to our brand than an agency.

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

Well, we hope they keep up the service levels since we have been growing into other categories within our niche.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CEO of JUDY, an emergency response equipment company. We create and sell emergency kits and other products.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with GR0?

We were looking for SEO help. We wanted to capture users with a high-intent for purchasing but have no clue we exist.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

GR0 provides SEO services. The first week, they performed a deep dive on our brand. They researched what it takes to get a customer in the door and then came back with a content, keyword, and backlink plan for us. We were able to use their research to reverse engineer what our potential customers are looking for. 

Their team went on to put together content and upload it to our site. Additionally, they built landing pages and optimized our collection and product pages for SEO.

What is the team composition?

We worked with four members of their team. Our main point of contact was John ().

How did you come to work with GR0?

We chose GR0 because they really understand how to create content that drives people to us. 

How much have you invested with them?

We invest about $6,000 per month.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing engagement with GR0 began in August 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our organic traffic has increased and we get a lot more top-of-funnel engagement. This increased traffic helped lower our cost per acquisition. We also have seen increased press pickup because of how highly we rank now. I’ve worked with tons of SEO agencies over the years, and this is the only engagement that has lasted. GR0 really does it all and is very startup-friendly. 

How did GR0 perform from a project management standpoint?

They took our preferences into consideration. I prefer to not use project management tools, so while they use them internally they communicate with me via text. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

GR0 provides a red carpet treatment for their customers. They always get it done without prompting. Their team has a good system in place that really works.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, everything has been great.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Understand what you want out of your SEO. GR0 is really good at working backward from a  goal. Once they understand the KPI, they can take care of the rest.