OuterBox

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the marketing manager for Ultrasabers.com, a manufacturer and online retailer of toy lightsabers inspired by the Star Wars franchise. I direct all strategic initiatives for visibility and direction in our marketing efforts.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We have been in the industry since 2005, but our niche product wasn't widely known. As it became known, it was discovered by users who were searching for highly competitive keywords that are typically owned by the Star Wars franchise such as "Lightsaber" or "[Character name]'s Lightsaber".

In order to maintain visibility we wanted to keep association and ranking for those terms where we could as well as any others, while growing our authority in the emerging keywords such as "Custom Lightsaber" or "Build your own lightsaber". We signed on with OuterBox for their SEO knowledge and tactics to accomplish this goal.

SOLUTION

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

I needed a good SEO agency, so I literally did a search for "Best eCommerce SEO agency". I couldn't think of a more cutthroat and competitive keyword. Ranking first organically isn't an easy task, and everyone wants to pretend they're the best SEO agency, Obviously if you're ranking first for a keyword THAT competitive, you're good at SEO.

We had bounced between a few agencies over the years, and our own team has a fairly high level of knowledge of SEO practices and tactics. We met with the company's founder who immediately found holes in our website's plan and even gave us a few quick win tactics to try out during that initial meet and greet call.

It wasn't just that he was forthcoming and generous with the knowledge that appealed to us, but it was his ability to explain why doing something like "Adding the registered trademark symbol next to your business name" would improve your ranking (We now know that it's because users trust a business with this more than a casual name they've never seen, so they'll be more likely to click our result, so our click-through-rate would increase, which is an indicator for Google that a site is a good result).

The team here has been fantastic to demonstrate their knowledge and consistently backs it up with up to the date knowledge of the changing SEO world.

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

The team here spent their time reviewing our site, putting it through the paces from various tools like SEMRush, AHREFs, lighthouse scans, etc, and other manual reviews for usability, conversion rate optimization, etc and provided a comprehensive report of where we stood as a website.

They highlighted successes, and put a spotlight on issues that would need to be resolved, and even prioritized the order in which we should be tackling these issues. We spent quite a bit of time discussing the nuances of how we could present our business, and how careful we wanted to be to be clear that we were not associated with Lucasfilm or Disney.

Their team took no time to understand and even suggest the best way to market using industry keywords without stepping on toes to preserve our relationship with Disney. We identified a list of extremely competitive and some broad keywords that we wanted to rank for such as "Lightsaber" (singular and plural), as well as something more unique to our industry like "Custom Lightsaber".

Their team did not hesitate to set expectations around the difficulty in targeting broad keywords, but gave their commitment to try. Spoiler: We're currently ranking #1 for "Lightsaber". The most broad and competitive keyword possible for our company. Campaigns launched within 4 weeks of onboarding, and their communication was consistent through the whole process.

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

I work directly with two members of the OuterBox team: a Senior SEO Strategist and a Marketing Account Manager, but have worked with as many as eight at a given time ranging from PPC to Email services.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

In August of 2018 we had 156 keywords ranking in Google's top 10 placements. As i of October of 2021 we now have 3.8k keywords ranking in the top 3 placements. We've never had such a forward approach to our Organic growth and traffic, nor have we had such detailed planning and logical methodology to WHY we would take these steps.

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

We meet with the Outerbox team every-other-week, to review completed actions, discuss monthly performance, and to go over any upcoming opportunities for a change in our strategies. The team communicates regularly throughout the week when pertinent information is available such as news from Google about a change in the algorithm, a sudden shift in ranking, etc.

Work is managed in ActiveCollab where users are assigned and tagged with due dates. I think we've only had a single project go over timeline, but that was because I missed an email.

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

SEO just seems like a second nature to them. Nothing is "odd" or surprising. Most agencies want you to think they've got some secret sauce or put on a smoke and mirrors show so that you believe that they have some crystal ball or secret connection. It's ridiculous. Outerbox puts it in plain English.

The more the client understands, the less friction there is to accomplishing projects, and the faster they can execute their agenda. Their dedication to testing, experimentation, data collection and application for SEO tactics is completely unique. It seems that they've found a way to literally reverse engineer Google's algorithms through testing. We're very impressed.

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

I don't love the back-linking strategy. Essentially we are presented with a list of websites that come as recommendations for collaboration each quarter, but the costs to facilitate the blog posting and linking are an additional cost. With that said- the results cannot be disputed, and it is worth every penny. It is just an awkward conversation each time.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the marketing director for a B2B software company creating solutions to simplify PC management for IT departments in small to med-sized businesses.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We partnered with Trinity to scope, prioritize, and manage our SEO efforts. We did not have any in-house SEOs and had neglected this for a couple of years leading up to this partnership.

SOLUTION

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

We interviewed five SEO companies in search of a partner who could understand our highly technical IT audience and niche within the IT software space. Trinity was eager, creative, and had a proven track record of success with similar types of projects.

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

Our engagement began with a discover phase and we laid out our goals. They helped us with keyword research and performed an analysis of our competitors. From there, they made on-site changes and optimized existing content across our website. They also identified and proposed a number of on-page optimization A/B tests to run for CRO.

Through the course of our work together, they also identified that our website was not faring well with recent Google algorithm updates and was not meeting load speed and mobile optimization requirements for upcoming Google changes. In addition to our monthly SEO engagement, we engaged in an additional project with Trinity to assist us in a Wordpress overhaul, including the removal of WPBakery plugin, which resulted in our site reaching an acceptable site speed rating and various other improvements.

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

They assigned a fantastic project/account manager, Alex, and a very experience SEO specialist, Jay, who were our primary resources. As needed, additional specialists were brought in.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The Trinity team ran a number of A/B tests on the site producing anywhere from 1-5% improvements in onsite conversion rate. We also saw various SERP ranking improvements for core keywords, nothing earth shattering but this was in alignment with our expectations based on past SEO efforts. We also went from a Poor rating to a Good rating from Google with regard to site speed and performance as a results of the Wordpress WPBakery plugin removal project.

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

We held a weekly update and quarterly reviews and goal setting. For communication, everything was handled through their project management software, Teamwork.

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

Working with Trinity felt like a true partnership. It wasn't a one-way interaction where we told them exactly what to do or they told us exactly what to do. We worked together to solve problems in a creative, collaborative way.

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

Trinity was a fantastic partner and I wouldn't hesitate to work with them again. There may have been some more robust reporting that would have been helpful but overall, we felt that we were seeing ROI on this investment.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the sales and marketing contact at BLU3.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired Outerbox to assist with Google ads and website redesign.

SOLUTION

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

Outerbox was a recommendation. We had been impressed by the team during our virtual meeting.

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

We started with a general meeting and objectives for BLU3. Our conversations then moved over to activecollab.com. Outerbox set clear objectives and accepted feedback. Our website redesign started with a video call. Outerbox then sent us wireframe designs. We had been able to modify the layout using feedback on activecollab.com. The website redesign was a smooth process. It was a pleasure working with activecollab.

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

We worked with multiple people from the Outerbox team. We worked with the SEO team members, Web design team members and also our point of contact person at Outerbox.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I have worked with several marketing companies in the past. None compare to the level of service Outbox offers. They are able to communicate information effectively and perform tasks in a timely matter. Starting with the right marketing is important. We have been impressed with the whole team. We waited two years to start with Outerbox and sure wish we did not wait that long.

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

They've been great to communicate in a timely matter on all objectives. We have never had any delayed communication with the team. Super impressed our quickly the team is able to respond.

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

The level of professionalism and communication between the team is outstanding! They have also been able to find creative solutions for our projects.

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

They were an outstanding team.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Chief Marketing Officer for a tech startup based in the Silicon Valley. Our product is an app in the interior design and furnishing industry, utilizing technology such as augmented reality, artificial intelligence, etc., and is available on both the web and iOS.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired OuterBox for full-scale SEO. Our goals include growing our organic traffic, building the site professionally and meeting technical SEO needs, boosting conversions, converting signups, improving keyword ranking, etc.

SOLUTION

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

We chose OuterBox because we felt they were the most prepared. They asked a lot of questions to understand business, provide full bucket SEO, were founded in 2004 with plenty of experience, and are a Google partner. They also had the most flexible contract in terms of length, offered to sign an NDA, and gave us a full team to work with.

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

Our roadmap has begun with technical optimizations, low-hanging fruits, and setting the foundation on our website for SEO. This includes landing pages, internal linking, title tags, on-page content, and more. OuterBox has helped us ready our new website for Google, so that future tactics can make an impact.

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

We have worked with 4 total team members. A sales consultant who helped us get onboarded, an account manager, and two SEO specialists.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We've begun to see some fluctuation in keywords. We have made big progress in the technical side of our website, finding errors and optimizations that will help us in the long run. It has been only a few months, so there are no measurable outcomes yet, but the firm has provided many optimizations that will contribute significantly to our website conversion rate in the coming months.

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

We have a monthly call but communicate daily through their platform and email. Communication has never been a problem, with same-day responses and answers to all questions. Everything is organized on their platform, and it is easy to view all tasks at once.

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

Knowledge of SEO. Ability to adapt to our unique product and understand business is something key. Responsiveness is greatly appreciated, as I ask many questions and have many back and forth between internal teammates and OuterBox.

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

Not yet, everything has run smoothly in the first 4 months.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder and chief executive officer of In Ink Ghostwriting. The team at In Ink Ghostwriting specializes in every step of the book creation process, from drafting, writing, and editing to design, layout, and printing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

My goals were to increase my company's visibility among potential customers and to drive more sales. I hired Outerbox to help me revamp my website and to harness the power of Google Ads.

SOLUTION

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

I wanted a company that was a verified Google partner and where a dedicated team based in the United States would work on my account. I also wanted a company with a proven success record. Outerbox met all those criteria.

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

Our engagement began with a discovery phase where my designated Outerbox team learned about my company, my goals, and the issues I was facing. Then, they developed an SEO and conversion optimization plan that would increase traffic, leads, and conversions for my company.

Outerbox also outlined how they would make these tasks happen, which included creating Google Ads campaigns, implementing a robust SEO strategy, website code updates, and recommend new content to target specific keywords that target my top pages. Throughout the process, my Outerbox team has delivered on these goals and we have adjusted our approach as conditions evolve.

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

I work with a dedicated sales consultant, a project manager, an SEO strategist, a marketing account manager, and a paid media specialist.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since implementing our SEO and PPC plan, In Ink has seen tremendous growth in site traffic and visitors. Many visitors tell us that they have found us by searching for specific keywords online.

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

The Outerbox has clearly managed my expectations and met deadlines. We use an internal communications forum called ActiveCollab to communicate and send materials to one another. We have a monthly reporting meeting where the team updates me on ongoing projects, implemented changes, and plans for the upcoming quarter. My team is always planning for the next 12 months, and each month is another step towards meeting my goal of boosting visibility and increasing client conversions.

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

The Outerbox team is professional and fully understands the challenges my company faces. And if I ask a question that doesn't have a readily available response, someone from the team does the research and answers my question. They follow through on their deliverables and seem invested in the success of my company.

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

The ActiveCollab communication function is a little wonky sometimes, but that's a technical issue rather than an area where the Outerbox team needs to improve.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the head of digital marketing and product for an online custom sign manufacturer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired OuterBox to help drive increased visibility through SEO and PPC efforts. We operate in a very competitive space and we needed a dedicated team of experts to grow quickly and efficiently.

SOLUTION

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

We researched many different companies and talked to existing customers before moving forward with OuterBox.

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

We asked OuterBox to help develop and implement a methodical SEO and PPC strategy to improve the ranking and performance of our website both organically and in paid advertising .

We set up initial calls to review goals and expectations, consulted with them on a quarterly strategy plan, reviewed all necessary documents and site updates before implementation, developed a blog and content plan, and so much more. Each of our plans were supported by regular meetings and deliverable reviews and discussed monthly on a performance review call.

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

We were assigned an account manger, marketing manager, an SEO strategist and a PPC strategist. The team was further supported by others at their firm.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We've only been working with OuterBox for a year and since implementing our SEO efforts, we're ranking on the first page for many of our top, most competitive keywords. Our web traffic has grown dramatically and we are generating a bigger return on our direct and organic traffic than ever before.

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

They have been great at keeping us up to speed and communicating via email and our project management tool ActiveCollab. Responses are not only quick but helpful. Monthly update reports are always delivered on time ahead of our standing performance review call.

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

They truly are experts in their fields and the team we work with genuinely cares about our business. They work hard to ensure that our money is well spent on areas that drive good results.

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

None

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Director of Marketing for a mid-size pharmaceutical company that produces and sales products direct to consumer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired Outerbox to build SEO and PPC for a new product launch.

SOLUTION

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

We interviewed three different agencies and chose the one we thought would be the best fit for our company and the project.

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

Their team took the time to understand our brand, our product, and our ROI goals. There were several phases, meeting to outline the correct tone of the brand, competitive analysis, project outlines, and strategy meetings.

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

Two project managers, a writer, an SEO strategist and a PPC strategist.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their team took the time to understand our brand, our product, and our ROI goals. They made themselves an extension of our marketing department, which made our jobs easier. After a short time, our product appeared on top of search results, our brand awareness built, and sales increased.

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

All work and communication go through an OuterBox online portal that outlines all projects, what needs to be done and the status.

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

Their approach and knowledge of the SEO and PPC landscape were unlike other agencies we have used in the past.

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

Nothing that I can think of.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner of the company. We are many things but the pertinent thing is that we have an online hardware store with over 7,000 products that we ship from our brick and mortar store.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We opened a new website in November. It was carried over very poorly and our rankings continued to decline so after six months I decided to hire a firm to help.

SOLUTION

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

This vendor had been contacting me through the spring basically asking if I would be interested in their service and that at site like mine had a lot of easy quick wins they could set up and get me moving back in the right direction.

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

Outerbox has done design work on my website that made it look far more professional and "high end." They have done significant research into my company and spent a lot of time talking to me by web video so that they fully understand what my goals are and my products. Overall they have had obvious initial success with the rankings of my store and my impression of their operation after seeing results and spending hours on calls with them is that they are highly competent.

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

I have worked with or spoken to 5 or 6 members of their team through the process. One from sales, one from some sort of strategy planning position, one from design, and a few from the technical SEO area.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have trended up consistently since they started working on my website and it is during the time of year that historically our search traffic is in a downtrend. So I believe they are making a significant impact on my search results from what I've seen over the first four or five months.

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

The give me clear guidelines on what to expect. They have me approve it and make modifications if I have input (which happens often), and then they give me full reporting on what has been done once it's implemented. This makes it very easy for me to see what I am getting and where the work has been done.

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

Overall I think it seems they have a very efficient running operation. As a business owner I know what wasted time and energy costs. They get a lot done quickly with a clear and concise workflow. But they are also professional enough that it does not seem hurried It is efficient and progress naturally moves right along for them and for me. I don't feel like I wasted time on any calls with them.

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

Saying they could do better would be to assume an industry standard that is very high I think. So no.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Founder/CEO of Flush Packaging. We design and distribute custom packaging for e-commerce businesses.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired OuterBox to help us with our initial SEO growth efforts. Due to our small team size, we knew it was going to be difficult to give SEO the attention it requires and OuterBox played an instrumental role in making sure we were

SOLUTION

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

It was fitting that we found OuterBox through a Google search. They showed up as a top result which helped solidify our confidence in their ability to help us achieve great Google results, as well. They were willing to work with a small but growing company which was a condition we required in order to work with an external team.

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

The team at OuterBox researched our products and helped us develop a strategy for addressing the "low hanging fruit" on our SEO checklist as well as provide us with a macro perspective of what a healthy SEO campaign would look like for us. They helped us establish a baseline for where we currently stood and outlined multiple campaigns around keywords that we were able to track month to month.

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

We worked with a project manager, an analyst, developer, and copywriter. Each had unique perspectives to offer. When we met via video calls, everyone was present to discuss their contribution to the project and debrief our performance for the month.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were able to rank in top positions (positions 1-3) for many of our highest-value keywords all through the development of content on our website and tailoring of page titles and descriptions.

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

Their project management tools helped track everyone's contribution to a task and made it very clear to see what still needed to be done by who. There was a little bit of a learning curve and at times felt redundant but it did keep our projects organized and on track.

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

I was very impressed at the level of enthusiasm towards the success of our company. It felt like they were a part of our own team who wanted us to succeed. The team was very personable, as well.

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

In our experience, it seems that towards the end of our engagement, their was less pro-activeness and more of a "cruise-control" perspective of our request, although I am positive this was a result of our budget restrictions. At the end of the day, we experience significant growth and put in place many practices that we use in-house today.