novi.digital

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the director of a coffee machine business located in the London area. We provide office coffee machines, maintenance and service, freshly roasted coffee and more to businesses. We primarily operate in and around London, although more recently we have expanded to cover other major cities in Great Britain.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Novi.Digital?

It can be difficult to reach potential customers with such a specific market, and since our website wasn’t generating enough traffic, potential clients couldn’t learn about our services.

We initially tried to improve the site’s performance ourselves but didn’t have the expertise to be successful. We still needed to increase traffic to the site and knew we couldn’t do all the work for it on our own, so that's why we started to talk to Novi.Digital.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

When we initially commissioned Novi in February 2017, we wanted them to explore PPC to determine if it could be profitable, as well as highlight areas for possible improvement. For example, they helped us tailor our keyword list and gave us more general advice about site maintenance and updates. They worked to improve our SEO while we continued to test and change an evolving brief of different practices, noting which worked for the business and which didn’t.

We recently stopped using PPC because it became hard to justify the cost, especially considering we have a good site at the backend, so we didn’t need PPC to determine a connection between sales and site activity. Once we ended that, Novi.Digital suggested advertising in other areas, like LinkedIn, blogging, and social media. Currently, Novi is helping us focus on maximizing the benefits of blogging and social media.

What is the team composition?

We work entirely with the Novi.Digital account manager overseeing our project, and they provide us updates and monthly status reports.

How did you come to work with Novi.Digital?

The team was recommended to us by a company that works in a similar business sector. We initially approached Novi because we knew they had the B2B experience we wanted. Their frontend materials were comprehensive and we found we appreciated their approach to communication. They work incredibly hard to make sure they explain things because they understand their clients aren’t experts.

How much have you invested with them?

Not including the amount we spent on advertising while doing the PPC, we invested about $700 a month, on average.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in February 2017 and the partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Though our website is still new, all of our metrics have improved since we started working with Novi.Digital. The number of total visits and unique visitors increased over 100%, our bounce rate is lower, and our session duration, though it was low to start, more than doubled. We attributed these successes to the SEO and backend work they’ve done on the site, rather than to an increase in page traffic.

How did Novi.Digital perform from a project management standpoint?

They manage their projects efficiently, and they’re open with us about the status of a project. They’ve started to produce site performance reports and we have monthly—soon they’ll be bi-monthly—calls with our account manager to review our schedule and goals.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their expertise and advice have been most impressive and useful. As a small business, it’s reassuring to know that you can trust the people working for you in the background, especially when it comes to SEO.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Novi.Digital sends us a monthly metrics report, but eventually, I’d like to have an ongoing status report that’s accessible to both teams at all times. It can be confusing when we make decisions regarding the site, but not everyone on both teams is aware of them. A report that gives an overview of everything we’re working on would mitigate the chance for those inefficiencies.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If someone is approaching a project with as little knowledge and expertise as I was when we began working with Novi, I’d caution him or her to not assume the solution is going to be simple or straightforward. I would suggest a potential customer be flexible as they learn about the process, and to always question whether their team is using the best methods for their project.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m part of the marketing department for an engineering firm that manufactures container lifting equipment for ports and terminals worldwide. Our role is to produce marketing materials and website updates for the company as a whole.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire novi.digital?

We hired them to handle general SEO [search engine optimization] and PPC [pay-per-click] campaigns.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to increase brand awareness for our equipment, particularly our bulk handling machine. Our company is not known in the mining and bulk handling industry, so we instructed them to carry out campaigns to improve our Google rankings.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We found them online. We looked at their reviews and Google ranking, which was on page 1.

Describe the project in detail.

We started off with a series of meetings to familiarize them with our brand and online goals. After a full audit of our website, they pointed out ways to improve it and helped us revise and increase our target group of keywords.

What was the team composition?

We had regular contact with their team members, including the project manager and the owner. They explained technical information in layperson terminology.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were originally ranking page 3 on various products and topics. Since they performed SEO & PPC campaigns, our rankings have improved to page 1–2, especially for our bulk handling machine.

How did the novi.digital perform from a project management standpoint?

They were a great team to work with; nothing was too much trouble. They even performed certain duties that were outside the SEO & PPC scope. We were grateful for their additional support.

What impresses you about the novi.digital?

They were professional and understood the needs of our business.

Are there any areas for improvement?

They could further simplify how they explained their processes and resolutions. While it was sometimes due to our lack of understanding, it was difficult for them to explain jargon effectively.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Parry Welch Lacey is a small law firm based in northwestern England. We specialize in dangerous and prohibited dogs. We deal with prohibited, Pitbull type dogs, and those that have been fighting or have bitten other people, and their owners who are being prosecuted for having dogs that are dangerously out of control. I’m one of the partners of the firm. There are 4 of us in the office.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Novi?

We wanted to establish a national profile across England and Wales, which is a jurisdiction in which we operate. We wanted to be able to obtain cases from any part of the United Kingdom, which we have done through expanding our SEO profile and our web-based presence. We had another company doing SEO work for us. They were not reporting to us regularly about what they were doing and weren’t achieving our goals.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

They did a web-based analysis of our performance to date with our website. They suggested changes in our web text to incorporate more keywords to improve our ratings simply by altering those search terms. We changed the content because of our discussions with them. We have also changed the structure to make it more user-friendly. They helped us with pay-per-click, which has been successful in generating many conversions that we wouldn’t have otherwise have had. We had never had a pay-per-click campaign before. This was a new venture for us. Everything they do copy wise for us, they send for approval. We then approve it and send it back. Their copywriting has been pretty good.

What is the team dynamic?

Aaron [Managing Director, Novi.Digital] keeps a close eye on it. He speaks to us regularly. We always have one point of contact to allow us to get our work done. When our point of contact changes, they made sure everything flowed successfully.

How did you come to work with Novi?

I did a web-based search looking for firms that I thought I would find most likely to meet our needs. I narrowed it down to 5 and then had what we would commonly call a “beauty parade” to see which ones I felt provided the best results. They came on top.

How much have you invested with them?

We have spent around $11,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March 2017 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve lifted our web profile. The search terms that are commonly used by our clients searching for assistance now appear on the front page of Google with 3 listings on the first page. This has led to an increase in conversions and inquiries from web-based products.

We have noticed a significant rise in business coming from England and Wales. They pulled up our web-based referrals by about 50%. It’s a good sign that Local SEO's tactics are working because that’s not an area we would be otherwise known in or have any reach. By moving to their service, we also decreased the response time. The pages load much more quickly.

How did Novi perform from a project management standpoint?

It has been a good collaborative process. They’ve shown a great deal of interest in us and in the work that we do. They have worked very closely with us to identify the right outcomes. There have been no problems in managing our project. There were a couple of hiccups in transferring over the service, but they were difficulties that were created for them by our previous providers. Novi overcame those very quickly. We communicate via email and phone.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They come across as professional. They prove what they’ve done. We know what we’re paying for because it’s an intangible product. We don’t get anything in our hands to see, but they provide us with statistics and the backup to demonstrate where our money has gone. I’m impressed with the service they provided. From the beginning, they suggested things to us that we wouldn’t have considered. We went for niche markets rather than the more broader spread. That has proved to be very productive. We’re well impressed.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they’re working with us very well. There’s nothing I’d want to see done better. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I run a tree surgery company in Brighton, UK called Trees Understood. I am the owner of the company and we carry out tree pruning, tree planting, and diagnosis. We currently have 3 employees.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Novi.Digital?

Originally, it was SEO. I wanted to make sure that my company name came up at the top of the first page, ideally in the top three organic Google search results. This is the first time we worked with an SEO provider.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They wanted to find out the key search terms, which could be integrated into my website. They take care of my website as well. They wanted to know the key search terms of my potential clients so that they understood what kind of clients I was after and what search terms they may be typing into their search engine. In addition to the search term research, they redid my website so it was a bit more modern looking and easier to navigate. They gave me feedback every month on the performance of the website and SEO strategy.

I didn't have a list, but when they told me they needed to compile a list of search terms, we had about a week in which to do a bit of research myself. Although they knew about websites and SEO, they didn't particularly understand the technical side of tree surgery and what my clients might be typing in. It was a collaboration between my technical knowledge on the subject and their input with regards to the search terms.

They made changes to our website, mostly in terms of structure and for the website to user-friendly. They have got an outside agency that they use for copy- writing. Some of the content didn't sound very professional. Although I realized it couldn't be too technical so that members of the public aren't frightened off by big words, it needs to come across as professional. I ended up doing most of the content myself but they do offer that service if I need it.

They also helped us with PPC. They gave us options on how much to spend and the respective return. They helped me understand what the return would be given how much I spend each week. They gave me a graph of examples showing the more I spend, the more clicks I would get. We reached a happy medium between my budget and an effective pay-per-click campaign.

How did you come to work with Novi.Digital?

When SEO started around 2005-2006, I contacted a bigger company that I found on the internet. Aaron Crewe, who is now the MD of Novi.Digital, was working for them. He was actually the accounts manager who I dealt with. When he left the company, I got on with Aaron. I thought he was both professional and did his job. When he left the company, I searched for him and found out that he had his own company. That's how I got in touch with Novi.Digital. It was the personal connection more than anything else.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend $1,500 with them per year.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in June of 2013. That's when they changed their name to Novi.Digital. Before that, it was SEO 24/7. I've been with Aaron Crewe since 2006, but I've been with Novi.Digital when they changed their name since 2013.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I ask all my new clients where they've heard of me, and I would say that 90% of my new clients found me after searching on Google. We're based in Brighton on the south coast of the UK, and if someone searches 'tree surgery Brighton' or 'tree surgeons Brighton', which are two of my main search terms, I would come up on Google and that's how they found me.

This was a result of Novi.Digital SEO approach. We don't closely follow the other analytics they send us. To be honest, I do get a lot of analytics through email, and I don't have the time to go through them.

All that I know is that I'm running my own business, I answer all the calls, and the majority of my work comes from a Google search. Novi.Digital is heavily involved in that, which is why I continue to use them.

How did Novi.Digital perform from a project management standpoint?

They've always appointed a project manager for me. There's always one point of contact who I can email if I have any questions, or if I have any improvements to the website or pitches to upload. They're always available via phone or email. Overall, the communication has been good, and they always get back to me within an hour of being contacted.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have a good personal touch. I haven't worked with any other SEO companies because I've been with them since SEO first came out. 

I liked Novi.Digital's personal approach. You got a name, a number, and an email to contact. It's the same person every time. Aaron has talked to all the people that deal with me; they've talked them through my company. They know what I'm about and understand what my company does.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They subcontracted out the content writing to a content writing company, who I don't think I would want to use for my website. The content sounds a bit cheesy and unprofessional. However, I've brought this to their attention, so I don't think they would use them for my website again.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a co-founder of TeamworkIQ, an online service for businesses that provides workflow, task, and project automation. We turn emails and documents into automated checklists to streamline project and process management.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with novi.digital?

Our challenge was two-fold: we wanted to validate some potential marketing strategies, and we also wanted to test and launch our product.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

novi.digital ran a campaign that helped us identify a variety of terms that our target market would use to locate a product like ours. They quantified that collection and found that the top 10% of keywords were meeting the customer acquisition targets.

They also set up Google Analytics and helped with SEO and creating a framework for the site, such as landing pages, that worked in concert with our advertising but also worked off of organic search terms. The site is constantly evolving in terms of content as well as strategy, and novi is producing blog posts that we want to syndicate into social media.

What is the team dynamic?

We mainly communicated with our project manager.

How did you come to work with novi.digital?

A member on our board of advisers recommended novi. Before we even hired them, novi helped us adjust our original business plan, and we appreciated their data-driven approach and focus on results, so we hired them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend under $1,000 a month on general management, and they charge a percentage of our ad campaigns when they help on them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We partnered last October, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Some of the terms they identified perform at 4%–6%, where industry average is normally 1%–2%. They found ways to get the traction we wanted, like click through rates and sign-up conversion.

Plus, they achieved those numbers at a fraction of the average cost by focusing on a combination of keywords instead of just individual ones. For example, they found “checklists for sales teams” was more relevant to our product than just “checklists,” and it also cost about a tenth of the price, which was a fantastic discovery. novi’s strategy achieved volume at a lower than average cost.

How did novi.digital perform from a project management standpoint?

The project manager knew us and our needs well, and she was always prepared to analyze and advise. She wasn’t just facilitating a process but understood the data and economics of our campaign. We have a weekly meeting with her, and she’ll bring in specialists whenever needed.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their ability to make informed decisions based on data is absolutely vital to our success. Before we hired them, we had a few different keyword ideas, but their research revealed that the market wasn’t thinking like we were. novi helped us see those trends in the data and made positive recommendations that steered us in the right direction.

Their business is set up so that their success is aligned with our success. They make more profit when we do, so it really feels like they want what’s best for us. Bigger agencies can’t give the same amount of focused attention as novi, and it makes me confident that they know what we need to succeed.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Our project manager left in the middle, but that’s not really novi’s fault.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Nexus Drinks Systems distributes various drink machines UK-wide, particularly single-serve options such as Flavia. My name is David Thompson, and I am the managing director. The company has 10 employees, and we’re based in Rochdale, near Manchester.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with novi.digital?

The biggest challenge in the UK, when trying to work with a specialist SEO company, be it pay-per-click and/or organic search, is that the market is full of dishonest people. We needed to find someone that was honest, and also someone we could work with. We achieved this with novi.digital.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I told novi.digital what I wanted in terms of which brand needed to be prioritized. I shared the simple observation that, unless we’re on page one, we might as well set fire to our money.

In the context of the business, the challenge was to maximize sales from PPC [pay-per-click] while minimizing cost. Secondly, while doing this, we wanted to get our organic placement higher. This was done in part by sharing the information with Google, because unless it’s being told not to look for certain coffee machine brands, it will look for every brand, then charge us without letting us know. This was taken care of from the beginning, and it has saved me thousands of pounds.

I asked them to use their knowledge in order to refine the keyword lists we had, eliminating phrases which were either a waste of time or not cost-effective, while maintaining the level of inquiries. The work is essentially done on our shop window, although we also have an e-commerce site. The objective is to sell B2B, so we want people looking for a coffee machine to find us and contact us by either email or phone to start the sales process.

They’ve had pages on the site added and removed, and have also made updates on products on a regular basis. I am able to leave this work for novi.digital to manage and do.

What is the team dynamic?

We communicate via email and phone. It’s not too much, but it’s frequent enough to reassure me that the work is being done. I have an account manager, and occasionally speak to Aaron, novi.digital’s managing director.

How did you come to work with novi.digital?

I found them by accident 4 years ago, when we’d decided to start an e-commerce site for coffee-machine drinks called CheapCoffeeSupplies.com. I had to find a company which could build the website since I knew nothing about it, and ended up with a Magento developer in Lancaster, where novi.digital is based. During a meeting, I asked them if they knew anyone who could handle SEO, and they referred me to Aaron. I had a meeting with him and started the engagement on a trial basis. It was successful.

How much have you invested with them?

Excluding the PPC cost, novi.digital’s fee is around $33,000 per year.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with novi.digital in February 2014, and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I first started using PPC more than 10 years ago, and, at that time, I was spending $200,000 per annum. The number of sales recovered that cost, but everyone is using Google now and wants to be at the top position, so it’s a lot harder. Currently, I don’t spend even half of that amount, but, based on my knowledge of the market, still get my fair share of what it is up for grabs.

We have reduced costs, but I cannot know if we’ve improved traffic as a result of novi.digital’s work since it’s a matter of what’s available at any time in the market. It's also affected by the economy and number of competitors spending more money. The question is whether novi.digital is doing the best job with the money being spent, and they probably are.

They have been able to get us on the first page of results for our keywords. We were more successful with the e-commerce site since we can use Google Shop there, and list pictures and prices of what we’re selling, whereas trying to attract traffic through a shop window is more difficult.

How did novi.digital perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve constantly delivered new blog content for the organic work, but I have had to remind them to actually do what they promised during meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I appreciated their honesty. We are working in a market filled with a lot of dishonesty, and I get a phone call each week from people promising to get me better Google rankings. There is always call-center noise in the background from 100 other people typically calling small businesses, getting them to pay money for something which isn’t going to happen. Various people come and go, but novi.digital has been constant for years. They’re honest, professional, and do what they say they will. I can’t say they’re the best ever, since I can’t compare their performance to others. I just have to trust them, which is why the honesty factor is important.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They have presented lists of what they would do, and then not followed through. As an example, we had to measure the number of people making direct inquiries since that would be hard for novi.digital to pick up. I asked for a spreadsheet detailing the information we had to provide for this task, but they never sent it. It’s a weakness they need to be aware of—managing all the details and follow-up points from meetings.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Security Direct Products supplies and installs roller shutters, security doors, and security grills nationwide. I’m the managing director.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Novi.digital?

We used to have a company that focused on PPC, one that focused on social media, and another one that did SEO. We wanted one company to manage all of those initiatives. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

On the PPC side, they reviewed what we were currently doing and came up with a new strategy. We started focusing on certain areas of the country more than others. We reviewed all the keywords that were being used. We also spoke to them about customers using the website. We do a lot of the website internally and have our own terminology. It was good to have them look at it to see how things flow and what information we had. They spent some time altering the site from a user’s point of view including colors, logos, contact details, etc.

Our previous SEO agency was focused more on blogs, content writing, etc. We were spending too much on content writing and nothing else. Novi does some content writing, but their main strategy is on the technical side. They do site audits and check the blogs on our website.

They just started a new keyword list. We’ve had big digital agencies managing our PPC before who had thousands of keywords. We’ve also had small agencies managing it who have been more generic with only a few hundred keywords. They reviewed it all and monitor conversions closely. They’re on top of everything a lot more. The problem with large digital agencies is you’re just a number. You have an account manager and their software turns everything out. Novi has their own systems. They use some automation, which is necessary, but they have a personal touch as well.

How did you come to work with Novi.digital?

We went to one of our suppliers’ marketing days, and the marketing representative there was Novi’s digital partner. We were looking for a new agency at the time. We asked if she knew anyone, and she told us about Aaron [Managing Director, novi.digital]. We met with him and he showed us what he’d done for previous clients. I liked how positive he was. They’re not too big or small. I’m a bit reluctant about the big agencies. We got along really well, and that’s why we went with them. We started doing PPC to start with and added SEO later.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend $2,160 per month.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in February 2017 and the collaboration is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve seen an increase in the quantity and quality of inquiries, which is how I judge their performance. Things are getting tweaked all the time. We might be converting slightly more. We did a lot of our social media and other marketing ourselves before we hired Novi. They know what my budget is and how to get the best conversion. I get an update every month from them.

How did Novi.digital perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate as needed. They’re in touch if they have any issues or questions. We have meetings every four months. They communicate well. They also communicate with our web developer if there’s anything technical with the website. I can’t deal with all the reports on a monthly basis. I’d rather speak to them monthly and spend five or ten minutes going through things.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have the efficiency of bigger agencies. They know what they’re doing and have people that specialize in certain areas. There is also a personal touch because they’re not too big. With the big digital agencies, you don’t know what they actually do for you. You just keep paying them every month huge amounts of money. With Novi, they’re a small team but are on top of things. We can actually speak to the person taking care of a specific service. With big agencies, you speak to one account manager and get nowhere.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not really. They do what I ask them to do. We work quite well together. If we need any changes, they do them right away. We work well with the web developer.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Established in 1989, Mainstage Ltd has continued to produce a tried-and-tested portable staging and seating range that delivers a winning combination of simplicity, strength, and flexibility. Our strengths in planning, production, and delivery are demonstrated through our wide range of customers throughout the UK and Ireland, in schools, colleges and theatres, community and religious groups, leisure facilities, and councils. From our large premises on the outskirts of the city of Lancaster in the North West of England, we plan, manufacture, finish, and despatch the complete solution, all from under one roof.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Novi Digital?

We originally contacted Novi Digital (formerly known as SEO24/7) to solve a branding issue, which could have posed serious complications if not dealt with in the correct manner. The issues began from having two websites – one of which was Mainstage’s main site and the other that endorsed the popular staging brand Topdeck Systems. The primary issue we encountered included a breakout of confusion as to who our customers perceived us as – where we Mainstage or Topdeck? Another concern we had was that our main website had a low-level domain name, which inadvertently had a negative impact on search rankings. All things considered, Mainstage and Novi Digital had to make a decision to rectify these problems.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

In order to eliminate any confusion breaking out, we liaised with the Novi team on numerous occasions to develop strategies and to problem solve any issues that may be encountered. Having considered a range of options, Novi advised registering a new high-level domain name and proposed migrating the site across to this new address by performing a 301 re-direct. Novi-Digital explained this is the correct way to approach this matter; being a fairly complicated process, it needed to be performed by experts to ensure a seamless transition without any repercussions.

How did you come to work with Novi Digital?

We were unhappy with our previous digital marketing agency and wished to make substantial improvements to our site, so we decided to research potential candidates in the local area. We narrowed the list down to three and decided to go with Novi Digital since they demonstrated a vast wealth of knowledge and provided tailored solutions to best suit our needs.

How much have you invested with Novi Digital?

On a monthly basis, we pay approximately £3000, including PPC. So, we've spent roughly £36,000/year over about 4 years. They also managed to cut in half our AdWords budget, and our PPC campaigns are running better than ever, which in turn has subsidised the standard cost involved for Novi to manage our website.

What is the status of this engagement?

Since Novi Digital is based in the Info Lab at Lancaster University, we have easy access to them and continue to meet on a regular basis, which is perfect for discussing and maintaining our online strategy. We are very happy with the continued success this company has helped us achieve, and we look forward to continuing our great relationship with Novi Digital over the coming years. Our plans for the future include working together to develop export strategies and continue to maintain our website and digital marketing requirements.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

As a result of successfully re-directing and preserving the search rankings on our new Mainstage website, Novi Digital managed to outdo themselves once again. The website had started to generate more leads and enquiries than ever before, all of which can be seen in our analytics reports. In addition to the boost in our organic listings, Novi has re-vamped our PPC campaigns to function more effectively at a much lower cost whilst still increasing our conversions, visit duration, and lowering bounce rates, compared to previous years.

How did Novi Digital perform in terms of project management?

When discussing our projects, Novi schedules suitable deadlines to ensure our projects are finished in a timely manner. Each specific task is assigned to a designated specialist within the organisation to make sure everything is implemented correctly and to the highest standard.

What did you find most impressive about Novi Digital?

Aaron and the team demonstrated a vast wealth of knowledge in their specialist areas, which allows you to trust any decisions and suggestions they put forward. They also keep up to date with all the latest practices and the ever-changing Google algorithms so that our website does not suffer any loss of rankings or conversions.

Are there any areas where Novi Digital could improve?

We have had no issues.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with Novi Digital?

We would strongly suggest that any organisation that is serious about boosting their web presence and generating more business should have a chat with the Novi Digital team. Their friendly approach coupled with their unrivalled skill set is certainly one to consider.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We are an online shop that sells bathroom equipment.

What is your position?

I'm the director of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Novi Digital?

We sell our products exclusively online. I wanted to raise our online profile organically and through paid search to bring in more customers. We wanted to do this on a cost per acquisition model. We are limited in the amount that we can spend for bringing new customers in.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

They've broken it down into three separate sections: organic search, social media, and paid advertising. We treat each section differently within the campaign. We target different things each time. Essentially, they are rated on their performance, based on each of those three factors.

How did you come to work with Novi Digital?

We looked at a few things: firstly, they were local to us. I wanted to be able to speak face to face with them. They came recommended by more than one business acquaintance independently. When we met with Novi Digital, they said all the things that we wanted to hear. The thing that impressed me the most was that, even though they are very knowledgeable in the industry, they would be willing to admit that they don't have all the skills and resources necessary. What they have been able to do is employ people specifically for certain roles within the business. This brings a breadth of knowledge. If I require copywriting for an article, there will be someone within the company that is brilliant at this. If I want someone to look at my social media, I will go to a different person.

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

The total amount has been below $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working together for two years. This is an ongoing project. We don't have an end-goal. The idea was that they would continuously help us improve our growth. We have a large market to tackle, and we will never reach a size at which we will stop using this kind of service.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

We didn't set targets in the first year. We simply worked with them and saw improvement. After that point, we considered it to be more sensible to manage those targets and set goals. Novi Digital has more than exceeded all of our organic traffic and PPC targets. One of the goals for the previous year was growing the organic traffic by 10% each month, they easily exceeded this target and removed our Google penalty quickly.

We did this because, when we first approached Novi Digital, we were under a Google penalty which was causing all kinds of problems. They put all of their efforts into initially cleaning up our profile. Comparing to previous statistics wouldn't have been meaningful at that point. They just got the penalty lifted. From the lifting, it took a full year to start seeing any benefits from our work. Google wouldn't recognize the traffic for almost 12 months.

After we started measurements, Novi Digital exceeded the 10% target every month, by a good number. The social media side is a bit smaller in terms of activity. They're trying to build up a profile of likes and followers. I don't target that too much, because there's not as much financial benefit to it. For pay per click, we mainly target the conversion rates brought from the added traffic, and the cost per acquisition. Novi Digital have always exceeded those targets.

At this point, we're trying to maintain the traffic to the current level. It's high enough that it can't be improved much more. It's now a matter of expanding on what we've obtained, and trying to grow the paid traffic, without exceeding the limits we've achieved.

How did Novi Digital perform from a project management standpoint?

They were organized and have been great at meeting our goals after we set them properly.

What distinguishes Novi Digital from other providers?

As much as we look at the results, I prefer to invest in people. I've dealt with many persons that I wouldn't give the time of day to. With Novi Digital, we find that they are nice people, who do what they promise. You can be straight with them and they will listen and act on it. As much as they've stuck to their targets, ultimately, they are simply the people that we want to work with.

They have a breadth of knowledge in this business, and are not afraid to admit if there's ever a gap in that knowledge, and employ someone specifically for the purpose. We were trying to rewrite a lot of our descriptions in order to stand out from the competition. At the time, they were struggling with the writing, and we pointed that out. In a matter of two weeks, they employed someone from a big online retailer of kitchen appliances. It was clear that the person had been specifically chosen because they fit what we wanted. They found a gap and filled it.

They've learned a lot about our business. They take interest in what we do, and why we do it. It's not simply a question of numbers. Novi Digital looks at the surrounding marketplace. If I was to choose someone else now, and move away from them, that could cause an issue. I might find someone bigger and more experienced, but they would never get the depth of understanding that Novi Digital have built over a long time.

For what we pay them, we could employ one marketing person full time. I am not going to get anyone with all the skills that Novi Digital gives me. I'd rather employ each person in the group for a few hours, rather than having full-time person in-house.

Is there anything Novi Digital could have improved or done differently?

The relationship has been really good. I can't complain.