Lead to Conversion

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the owner of a company called InjectorRX. Our company cleans fuel injector countrywide, our website is our only form of advertising.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Lead to Conversion?

I previously used a well-known company to implement SEO. Then, our site was punished by Google because that company used Black Hat SEO techniques. Our previous company asked for even more money to fix their mistakes. My site instantly dropped in rankings and our business lost all exposure. I needed to gain back my search engine ranking.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Lead to Conversion developed a new website and implemented SEO. As part of this, their team took me step-by-step through the entire process, set up a timeline, and delivered a clear understanding of how they were going to increase my rank. They also provided technical support on any questions we had.

What is the team composition?

I worked primarily with Mark, a project manager, with the occasional assistance of the founder when my project manager was not available.

How did you come to work with Lead to Conversion?

We found them through an internet search. They were the first company in our search to respond to us. The owner of their company immediately understood our business’s problem and empathized with us. Unlike a lot of other SEO companies, payment was not the overshadowing aspect of our initial conversations. Getting us back in the rankings was.

How much have you invested with them?

I invested $25,000–$50,000 in total.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the engagement in June 2015 and finished June 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their SEO implementation ranked us on the first page of Google. Their team made sure my company survived and thrived. Since then, my company has grown 25% and on track to grow another 25% in 2018. Even today, I can still call up the owner for questions and he’ll provide honest answers. He will even check up on my SEO or other issues if I request it—with no charge. I am very thankful for their services.

How did Lead to Conversion perform from a project management standpoint?

My business was slowly failing, and it became a do-or-die situation. Thus, I was desperate and sometimes being extremely difficult with them because I didn’t fully understand SEO. However, they were patient, calm and always explained everything thoroughly. Their team made sure I understood what they were doing and took the time to understand my business’s issues. Overall, their project management was excellent. They didn’t always answer my calls immediately, but always answered back within a 24-hour timeframe. Lead to Conversion never tried to nickel-and-dime me and constantly brought a can-do attitude.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Lead to Conversion really cultivated a personable approach and always communicated honestly. Many times they didn’t give me the answer I wanted to hear, but the answers they did gave me was always the best for my company. Unlike a lot of other companies, Lead to Conversion really care about the success of your business.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Try to fully understand the processes involved when you outsource a project. Even the company doing the SEO work cannot change Google’s mind. Don’t get too frustrated if results aren’t immediate.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m a marketing manager at a telecommunications company. While we provide call center outsourcing support for all industries, we specialize in retail, e-commerce, healthcare, and automotive services. We have call centers in Ohio, North Carolina, and Maine.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Lead to Conversion?

We’ve utilized Lead to Conversion primarily for SEO to increase our online visibility and search engine rankings.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to improve our rankings in search results to help generate leads and drive additional business to our site.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We vetted out several companies. Compared to others, they had the most in-depth analysis and cost ratio.

Describe the project in detail.

Initially, they assessed our web rankings and provided us with a preliminary report about where we currently stood. From there, they audited our website and offered insights to many of our keywords. They adjusted our terms, which allowed us to focus on creating content that targeted potential leads. Currently, they continue to make site adjustments and offer suggestions on our content. They’re also assisting us with online advertising.

What was the team composition?

We typically work with their EVP, who is the most familiar with our business and geographical location. Additionally, we work with a digital marketing specialist assigned to our account as well as a lead developer as needed.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any statistics or metrics that speak to the quality of their work and impact of the engagement?

We’ve seen substantial increases in both our keyword and search rankings. Furthermore, we’ve also noticed increased traffic to our site.

How did the Lead to Conversion perform from a project management standpoint?

The team performs well, and they’re very responsive, responding to any question in a timely fashion. We usually have regular meetings to gauge our progress, report improvements, and address trends and changes. Rather than simply sending a list of statistics, they take the time to explain how the numbers impact us so that we can better understand SEO. This enables us to be informed partners.

What impresses you about the Lead to Conversion?

I appreciate the ease with which they convey information. They’re always willing to analyze and review our ideas for feasibility. The team is very approachable. They’re able to communicate any changes freely, which makes them feel like a true partner. They understand our desire to drive leads and have taken on that goal as their own.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, not at this time.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the digital marketing and advertising manager for Bob Gillingham Ford. We’re a single point car dealership that sells both new and pre-owned Ford vehicles, and we also have a full-service body shop. I allocate the marketing budget, handle radio and print copy, and do some graphic design.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Lead to Conversion?

We were switching website platforms and knew we needed to make some changes to the site. We wanted someone to help us transition smoothly, who was aware of the latest SEO trends for paid and organic searches, and who could optimize our site linking.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We brought them on board shortly before we changed site platforms because they had experience with the platform we were moving to. Our site receives ten times more visitors than our physical store, so we wanted their help to make sure we didn’t lose potential customers in the transition. They helped us optimize our keywords to improve organic searching and they’ve helped us strategize ways to assess how well our brand name performs in organic searches. They’re also managing a paid search campaign with us.

Partway through our collaboration, we ended up having to change platforms a second time and they helped us with that, too, even though it was outside the scope of our service agreement.

What is the team composition?

We primarily work with our account manager, but we’re going to start working with their AdWords expert soon as well.

How did you come to work with Lead to Conversion?

They were recommended by a friend of one of our employees. We met with their CEO in January 2017 and were really impressed with his expertise. We also learned that they did some work for another car dealership, so we asked several professionals there for feedback and their responses were overwhelmingly positive.

How much have you invested with them?

We pay between $4,500–$5,000 per month, which covers ongoing maintenance and data analysis.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in May 2017 and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve seen a lot of changes in the quality of our site traffic. Our bounce rate is about 15% lower than it was prior to hiring Lead to Conversion, visitors are engaging with the site for longer periods of time, and our load times are shorter. We’re also ranking well in organic search results for our local geographic area and we’ve seen about a 20% improvement in our organic traffic as a result of their SEO work.

How did Lead to Conversion perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re incredibly quick to respond to our concerns. Emails will come back within 10 to 15 minutes, and they’ll return phone calls within the same day. We exchange emails almost daily. We also touch base with our account manager by phone twice a month for about 30–45 minutes per call so we can discuss projects we’re developing a strategy for.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’ve interviewed several other companies that offer similar services and, while other companies seem to offer more bells and whistles, Lead to Conversion stood out because they’re local and understand our demographics. Their knowledge of our region helped us accomplish our specific objectives.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be as responsive as they are. They present a path to what they want to accomplish based on their review of where you’re at, so do your best to help them achieve that plan. The only times we experienced any lag or felt like we weren’t getting what we wanted, it was due to holdups on our end.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I oversee all the marketing for Koloa Landing Resort, a multimillion-dollar property on the South Shore of Kauai, Hawaii.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Lead to Conversion?

Lead to Conversion manages our SEO, conversion rate optimization (CRO), paid search, and social media.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to increase exposure for the resort.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We found them on a list of the best SEO companies in the U.S. We conducted a number of interviews before selecting them.

Describe the project in detail.

We've gone through multiple website launches with full redesigns with Lead to Conversion.

What was the team composition?

We work mainly with Matt (VP of Digital, Lead to Conversion) on SEO and CRO. When we design something new, we work with Kevin (VP of Creative, Lead to Conversion).

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any statistics or metrics that speak to the quality of their work and impact of the engagement?

In the time we've been with Lead to Conversion, we've seen our audience on social media grow to the largest in our market. Additionally, our web traffic has more than quadrupled from where we started.

Matt and Kevin are both positive and easy to work with. They offer creative ideas for expanding our business and ultimately, our revenue.

How did the Lead to Conversion perform from a project management standpoint?

The process is the best part with Lead to Conversion—it's easy and straightforward. We have bimonthly calls where we review results and strategy moving forward. Plus, they have fantastic follow-through.

What impresses you about the Lead to Conversion?

They are true experts in their field, with decades of experience and awareness of new trends. They give sound advice and keep our company pointed in the right direction.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not right now.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Our industry is in motion control and my position is in website management.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Lead to Conversion?

We needed to make our site mobile responsive.

What were your goals for this project?

The goal of the project was to make our English and Spanish page mobile responsive.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

LTC had the best price when compared to three or four other places. Doug also provided a thorough proposal with detailed work schedule and the number of hours needed for each task, which I liked.

Describe the project in detail.

We provided all images and PDFs that LTC needed in order to create a mobile responsive site in WordPress and move information over from the old site. They also suggested a call to action button on the page, but did not follow through. We later decided internally that we didn't need the CTA button. They also suggested a mega-menu, which we liked. We also provided them with a PDF on typos or changes that needed to be reflected when the site was moved over to become mobile responsive. We had to follow up with LTC after the project since some of these were not reflected.

LTC was responsible for moving over the site to look almost the same as the old site, and the only difference was for it to be mobile responsive. Due to WordPress issues, there were a couple of technical items that caused problems. For example, we couldn't change the size of the font to look the same as before, and the layout had to change.

Initially, Doug told us the English site project would be completed from August–September since we had a rush, but it took well into late October. The Creative Director's excuse was that they couldn't get everything done on time. On top of taking more than several weeks to move the site over to WordPress, the arrangement of buttons on the product page was jumbled, many links didn’t connect to the correct site, some needed HTML coding wasn’t done, and it took me one or two weeks just to check if every single page was correct and updated as we asked for.

We also had to move over our Spanish page into WordPress, for which we paid an extra fee (i.e., multi-language). LTC was supposed to notify us when it was done, but we did not get a notice. The Spanish site was also not moved over as the original site was, and links either went to the English page for the wrong product or the link was directed to an English page instead of the Spanish page. We learned our lesson. You get what you pay for. Next time, I think we should spend a little more to get better quality.

What was the team composition?

The creative director was our main contact. I initially spoke to Doug, the director of operations. The digital media manager was also part of the team, but he did not complete the work as directed and was fired.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What outcomes or results can you share that demonstrate progress and/or success?

The mobile responsive site made it easier for users to access our site from their phones and tablets.

How effective was the project management?

Communication during the initial project was every week. Initially, the proposal had a timeline with tasks and allocated hours, but it seemed the team only had three people working on our site instead of the five people who were assigned to the proposal. Also, staff assigned to our project changed without notice. We used Teamwork for communication. When we communicated messages on Teamwork for updates, we did not receive a response for seven days for most of them. I even complained to Doug, and he replied 2 weeks later and his initial response was, "Let me check with my team," after taking two weeks to reply.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The initial proposal had detailed phases/tasks and the hours allocated. The proposal was detailed and thorough. The cost was low compared to other companies.

What tips or recommendations do you have?

Communication is key! There was a lot of miscommunication between the Creative Director and our team, and response time needs to improve. A 7-day response time is a good way to lose business. We were also not consulted/notified of the new links, and we had to go through all of them to make sure that our Google ads matched. At least telling us about the new URLs would have been nice.

BACKGROUND

L'Nique Specialty Linen Rental is the premier linen rental resource. We offer an extensive selection of beautiful solid and specialty table linens in a variety of sizes, fabrics, textures, and patterns. Our products include tablecloths, overlays, napkins, charger plates, table runners, placemats, chair covers, sashes, and accessories. We service the Northeastern Ohio area including Cleveland, Akron, Canton, Youngstown, and Sandusky, with shipping available to outside of our delivery area. I started as L'Nique's director of marketing events in July 2015. I am responsible for all traditional and digital marketing and communications, including maintaining the L'Nique website.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Our website was long overdue for a redesign. As our company grew, we wanted to find a way to provide our full inventory to customers no matter their location. While we had more tangible items (a box of linen samples and a catalog), these items quickly went out of date. Having a website that we could keep updated with 100 percent of our offerings at all times was important in providing the next level in customer service as well as reaching new clients.

SOLUTION

Lead to Conversion was contracted to assist with the design of our new site, including integration of aspects of our existing website, creation of an online inventory gallery, mobile integration, and introductory SEO [search engine optimization] strategy. We appreciated that LTC was a fellow Northeastern Ohio company, making it easy to communicate with them in person, on the phone, or via email. Our owner was relieved to be able to speak directly with the representatives designing our site. Due to the quantity of items we carry, this was a large project that LTC completed with our high standards in mind.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

We have received incredible feedback upon the launch of our new website that Lead Conversion produced. Our customers love being able to see all of our inventory as well as so many photos displaying our linens. They have commented that the site is easy to use, and many prefer the online option compared to the box of swatches or paper catalog. Our employees love having such a high-quality website to send clients to preview linens. We've been told by an industry leader that our website is now "the best linen rental company website" they have ever seen.

BACKGROUND

I work for a personality assessment company in Boardman, Ohio. I am the Marketing Manager for this small business whose target markets include both businesses and individuals.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Lead To Conversion [LTC] came to us with a plan and suggestions for our website, marketing, and strategies. We have taken many of their suggestions, and are very happy with the detailed manner the suggestions were presented to us.

SOLUTION

Our Chief Executive Officer [CEO] wanted to be on the first page of Google for specific keywords that fit our industry. We hired LTC to work on our SEO. We have two different sites, and want both to rank in search results. Our budget was very limited beyond paying for their services.

We have worked with Mark in their SEO department. Mark and I meet each week. He goes through analytics and uses other tools to find errors on our site. Marks also goes through our best and worst performing pages to find what is working for our web visitors, and what we can improve. He then provides specific changes that he would recommend. We choose to make these changes in house, however, LTC can provide this service.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

We now come up on Google search for a very difficult keyword. Our CEO is pleased. Our marketing team has learned from the LTC team. We continue to rely heavily on the LTC team for their expertise on difficult SEO issues.

By simply following the changes Mark has suggested, we went from one of the worst performing sites to coming up on the first page of Google for the terms we initially mentioned to Mark. Our CEO is ecstatic with these results. On one of our sites: sessions have increased 400%, pages/session has increased 6%, and revenue has increased significantly. On the other site: sessions have increased 40%, new users increased by 35%, bounce rate has decreased by 5%, and our revenue has also increased. I frequently recommend LTC, and Mark Alperin specifically to others.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

Real Milk Paint provides a wide range of natural paints, finishes, waxes, strippers, oils, and brushes for a growing group of environmentally conscious customers. Founded in 1995, our company makes paints that are versatile, easy to use, environmentally friendly, and nontoxic. We always try to develop the most natural product solution for finishing wood, furniture, walls, and concrete.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Lead to Conversion?

Our website needed to be updated and made more mobile-friendly while not losing our strong SEO [search engine optimization] position. We had been working with a different developer who could not meet our time lines and who, frankly, did not have the technical ability to produce a viable new website. Since I was already working with Lead to Conversion for SEO, mobile, and social media, it was natural to turn to them for help.

SOLUTION

What is the status of this engagement?

We are currently working with Lead to Conversion to switch platforms to create a more interactive and mobile-friendly website. The work is ongoing, and we have no plans to stop.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics, metrics or other feedback from your work with Lead to Conversion?

They met our target deadline, and our SEO impact was minimal. Our growth and the associated metrics have continued upward since we launched the new website. Our metrics for keyword rankings are way up during the past two and a half years, and we just had the best sales month we've had in a long time. Lead to Conversion has been a big part of that.

How did Lead to Conversion perform from a project management standpoint?

Lead to Conversion helped move the project along with excellent design and speed.

What distinguishes Lead to Conversion from other providers?

They are up to date with the latest SEO updates and are continuously adjusting web metrics to help us grow. They offer proven and conservative strategies. Lead to Conversion does not just follow the latest trends – they think for themselves and test everything.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We're a health care organization. We operate hospitals in four states, along with mission locations that support our ministry mission.

What is your position?

My role is product manager of external-facing web.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Intrapromote?

We've been working with them for several years for SEO [search engine optimization], optimizing mercy.net. 

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

They've been helping us with organic search primarily. They've helped us in the past with social media, advising, and giving some input on some PR issues that we've seen from time to time. They've been able to help us move into a schema-type arrangement so our content is optimized for Google to pick up our schema. We've had many different types of work with them.

They also advise on content structure, as far as organizing our site and what makes the best sense for search. They don't do paid search, but they have been advising on paid search with us recently. We're trying to get Google Premium stood up right now. It's been a large process, trying to get everything turned on. We flip a switch and expect one result but, sometimes, we get crazy outcomes.

How did you come to work with Intrapromote?

We put out a request for several SEO agencies and interviewed all of them over the phone. They were really the standout that seemed to be able to support the way we work.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

I have to be honest with you. I pass those invoices off to our administration assistant. I'm sure they can probably offer feedback on how much we spend.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started with them probably before we launched our existing site in September 2011. It's never going to be done. We can always improve.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

Intrapromote has been incredibly responsive. We've been changing up our reporting model recently, trying to get into more markets, become a little bit more global, and they've been guiding us through that process of troubleshooting strategy. We have been making of lot of changes recently and created opportunities to learn key techniques.

What distinguishes Intrapromote from other providers?

Kyle [account manager] has always been willing to ebb and flow with our workflow. Just because we're doing it one way right now doesn't mean it has to stay that way forever. I can't say that I've got a lot of experience working with other agencies. I've had a direct report that did come from a large SEO agency, and I have to say that Intrapromote's work ethic is significantly better than even hers.

Is there anything Intrapromote could have improved or done differently?

No. I think that if there's ever been any shortfall, it's been lack of resources on our end in order to be able to respond to things that they're guiding us on. Sometimes, we're not as responsive on our end as they are on theirs.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We are a marketing, communications, advertising agency located in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. We are a small-sized agency of about 13 or 14 people.

What is your position and responsibilities?

I am an account executive, client service specialist. I am a liaison between our clients and our creative teams. I also work with vendors like Intrapromote.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Intrapromote?

We work with Intrapromote specifically for SEO [search engine optimization] projects that we perform for clients. We have SEO capabilities in-house for building sites that are SEO friendly, for coding, and we understand best practices when it comes to basic SEO in developing the sites. We turn to Intrapromote when we've got a more in-depth and complex SEO project that a client needs assistance with. 

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

We work with Intrapromote as a strategic partner to help us in achieve goals that needs a little bit more in-depth execution and strategy, specifically as it relates to content development, keyword strategies, and research. They do some of the SEO work on the back-end. For one project we had, they also did a lot of competitive research, which involved reviewing competitors' websites and social presence. That work involved a lot of social media insights and intelligence, to identify what's actually relevant and important to note in competitive research. They're very helpful with that.

After they did the research, they were able to provide good recommendations as far as what the next step should be for the client. If the client wants to handle that on their own, they can, or Intrapromote would be able to handle the work. Therefore, they would also be able to handle the next step, as far as content creation that would be more SEO friendly and, hopefully, lead to better search results and rankings.

How did you come to work with Intrapromote?

I wasn't involved with the procurement process. I think their name came through our director of digital interactive who has a personal relationship with Intrapromote. I think Intrapromote may have come to us first, seeking website design and development assistance. I don't entirely know, but as far as the most recent project goes, we were between two SEO partners. We did select Intrapromote because of how thorough and in-depth we knew they would get on the project.

They provided examples to us of similar reports and projects they've done in the past that were similar to what this new client was requesting. We were able to check out their past work and see that it was in-depth and exactly what the client wanted specifically in this case. This client wanted a lot of details and understanding of how every little bit came together. Because of that level of detail that Intrapromote could provide, we chose to work with them.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

It's interesting because a lot times there might be an upfront cost and then an ongoing cost. For example, this one project we did was around $10,000 for a one-time social, competitive, and SEO audit. The end deliverable was a recommendation strategy of how to move forward.

Now, if the client had then gone on to phase two, there would have been a monthly fee for ongoing SEO maintenance and development. That probably would have been around $3,000 to $5,000 a month, so that would be more in the second range for a yearlong partnership.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've had a relationship with them probably the last year or so. It's a symbiotic relationship. If someone comes to them with a website design project and SEO work, they'll turn to us and give us the referral. When we have a website design or SEO project come our way, we'll hand off the SEO to them.

We've been offering opportunities back and forth during the last year or year and a half. Most recently, one project that we've wrapped up took maybe six weeks or so, start to finish.

The client was very happy with the results. Intrapromote has been providing excellent customer service when they're working directly with the client, so it's been going really well.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

Because we just finished up this one project and the client hasn't implemented the recommendations to the site yet, I don't have stats on how their business or site performance has changed or not.

They've always been very available for client questions. If the clients had a lot of follow-up questions and discussion they wanted to have, Intrapromote has been more than happy to jump on the call, answer emails right away with insights, information, quick answers – whatever is needed for the client to feel really satisfied with the information they've received. As far as me, sitting here and managing the client and vendor relationship, it's been working perfectly.

How did Intrapromote perform from a project management standpoint?

However, as far as Intrapromote's work process, they were always very quick to respond and very timely. In this last project, we had a quick turnaround time, about four weeks, and there was a lot they had to get done in those three or four weeks. They were able to complete it on time, they did it on budget as far as their accounting goes, and they were willing to do whatever it took to get the job done on time. There were even emails coming in after normal work hours. They did what they needed to do to get the job done well and to have it done on time. Intrapromote is very trustworthy and reliable, as far as the attention to detail and service they provide and making sure the work is done.

What distinguishes Intrapromote from other providers?

I really appreciate how professional they are, but still very easy going to get along with and work with. I think that makes a big difference as far as how pleasing it is to work with a vendor or a strategic partner. I think a lot of that is based on their demeanor, friendliness, and willingness to answer questions. Sometimes, it can be inundating, but they're always more than happy to answer questions and figure it out.

They're pleasant to work with, but at the same time super professional in what they end up delivering, very in-depth, very thoughtful, and thorough. You can tell that they really understand the client's work and took the time to invest, to dig into the project and really figure out what they needed in order to deliver a strategic end product. I think that is special about Intrapromote, as far as they're good at what they do, and they're great to work with, too.

Is there anything Intrapromote could have improved or done differently?

I don't think that in this past project there really was much room for improvement. I think they did a good job.