RivalMind

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the president and owner of an insurance agency that caters to financial institutions.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We needed an updated website and wanted to increase our visibility to financial institutions. We also have the goal of using SEO to increase our reach to prospects and potential clients.

SOLUTION

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

We felt a personal connection with RivalMind and knew that they would have our best interests in mind as we designed a strategy to get more clients engaged with our company.

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

RivalMind worked with us to learn our business and goals. They also helped with keyword research and performed an analysis of our competitors. We met with "our" team and made changes to the website, started a monthly blog, and focused on product descriptions that optimize SEO. We hold ongoing monthly calls to make adjustments and talk through ways to continue improved results.

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

They assigned a project manager to our account along with several other teammates that all contribute to the success of our strategy.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since implementing our SEO strategy, we are ranking 1st or 2nd in several of our key product lines. Our site traffic is starting to grow and we are starting to have meaningful conversations with prospects. One of which has recently become a customer.

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

RivalMind is great at staying on top of the project and making sure we are completing tasks in a timely manner. Everyone I have dealt with there is easy to work with and very professional. We mostly email to communicate, but also hold monthly Zoom meetings share thoughts and ideas.

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

Their knowledge of the industry, professionalism, and willingness to learn our business stands out. They also have a genuine interest in our business and a strong desire to help us maximize our return on investment.

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

One of the challenges for us was the blogs. We have a very niche insurance business that is somewhat complex and hard to understand. We initially has some struggles getting the writers to create content that didn't need a lot of editing. However, we talked about that and they assigned a writer to us that seems to understand what we are trying to convey. The last blog they wrote for us didn't need one word changed!

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for a nonprofit that provides a number of services to pregnant individuals. I’ve served as the director of development and the director of product development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with RivalMind?

When COVID hit, we were primarily an in-person services company, so we started to think about providing our advocacy sessions online. We cobbled together a response, but we needed to make our website much more flexible.

We wanted to work with a research company that had a lot of experience with UX design and implementation. RivalMind supported all the engineering tasks that had to be organized and customized: whether the arrows weren’t moving properly, or whatever. We put together a hit list for them and they moved through it.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

When they built our initial WordPress website, they set up all our Google Analytics and provided monthly reporting on our statistics and growth. They also helped us research keywords and devise what kinds of blogs would attract more traffic.

For this new project, they've supported as we've developed our new platform on Duda with another vendor.  This is a custom build outside of our usual templates, so RivalMind works with us to make sure our design is implemented correctly. They recommended JivoChat as a chat system and ensured a proper integration with our new telehealth system.

It’s a simple website; it has blog pages, links to related organizations, access to free resources, and telehealth links, as we provide advocacy, and not healthcare. In terms of specific requests on our part, we needed the flexibility to go into the site and update whatever content we wanted. RivalMind provided training to allow us to make these changes.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with everyone: Matt (CEO), their main engineer, 2–3 writers, and about four other resources in total.

How did you come to work with RivalMind?

Originally, they were a personal reference. They were hired before my tenure began, but they were an existing partner from the time they were rebranding our organization. They continued to help the organization with maintaining the website and handling our SEO. We considered a few other options for this project, but we ended up going with RivalMind because of their history of providing results.

How much have you invested with them?

The total cost is around $10,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since May 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We expected a drop in engagement and traffic, as that always happens when you launch a new site, but we've actually seen about a 50% increase in traffic. RivalMind’s previous SEO work continues to deliver results.

We went from seeing about 250,000 visits every year to about 400,000. We implemented tracking that allowed us to capture conversion data — a capability we didn’t have before. Before this redesign, 95% of our appointments were in-person, and since launch about 80% of our appointments are online.

How did RivalMind? perform from a project management standpoint?

We use Basecamp to manage the project, and RivalMind is great about posting everything there that we need. They also use some kind of software to pull graphs and trends from our website, detailing visits, conversions, and more.

What did you find most impressive about them?

What I love about RivalMind is that, while a lot of agencies will only commit to a project if they can do all of it, RivalMind is more than happy to fill the gaps while working with our other vendors.

I’m very grateful that they are willing to work within our budget as a nonprofit. Their prices are very competitive, and they have a can-do attitude, especially regarding anything that is maybe outside the scope. They truly care a lot about reaching our goals and delivering the features that we want. They’re very flexible.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It’s difficult for these agencies sometimes to provide relevant content on a lengthy time scale. We sometimes have to do additional writing on the content because we know our customers best. This is a weakness for all agencies, however, across the board. Any issues that we have, we raise them with their leadership and they’re taken care of.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CIO at Night Light Inc, a landscape lighting company based in Chicago. My role is the equivalent of a general manager.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with RivalMind?

We hoped to increase our accessibility to our existing clients and be more findable by new people. At the time, we had an old site that wasn’t very functional and didn’t provide a lot of resources or access to us. The goal was for RivalMind to build something that connected with a lot of our other systems and helped customers get access to us much more easily.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

RivalMind completely rebuilt our website from scratch using WordPress. They created a portal for our clients to make service requests for us. The team also improved our site's SEO and helped with a lot of the copywriting. Our existing website didn't look like ours, so we asked them to brand our new site so that the theme and functionality would be consistent with our brand. Currently, they manage our website on a day-to-day basis.

What is the team composition?

I work primarily with a project manager. Through her, we've worked with several of their team members, including an SEO specialist and developers.

How did you come to work with RivalMind?

I had a personal connection with one of RivalMind's teammates, who was my friend in high school. Since I knew they built websites and did SEO, I connected with them to see if they would be interested and willing to work with us. From there, I got to meet with Matt (Chief Strategist). 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2018, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

RivalMind has made our WordPress site easier to navigate and more intuitive. Their culture and how their team interacts with us have a positive impact. Moreover, they can balance art and science in building and maintaining our site. 

During development, they led a very intuitive process to articulate our site’s functionality and structure. The team worked hard to understand who we were. They really listened to our input about our identity, then visually represented that and prioritized the information based on our conversations. We enjoyed the development process because RivalMind handled the science of building the site while allowing us the freedom to speak our way as an artistic company. Overall, they don’t put pressure on us, set clear expectations, and can translate everything we say into something tangible. 

How did RivalMind perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re really on the ball regarding project management. They give me all the access I need, and there’s always someone I can contact on the phone or by email. We’ve never felt neglected or like there’s a lag in the process; we’re always connected with RivalMind. Although the development process took longer than we expected, they were really consistent in the back-and-forth communication. The delay was also due to us changing or adding things.

What did you find most impressive about them?

RivalMind is a very special and unique company. Our previous web development provider had a structured approach without room for customization to meet our needs. Meanwhile, RivalMind always asks how not if. When we say we want a feature, they never just tell us no; they find a way and are transparent about the implications. The team always makes us feel heard and helps us make decisions – they’re a trusted advisor. Overall, working with them is an empowering experience. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

We wish the process had gone more quickly. Although development was smooth, it wasn’t as fast as we would have liked. That said, I don’t know if it would have been reasonable to expect that. Additionally, they could work with more of our team to help us understand how the site’s backend works. Although they taught me how to make small changes, it was only me, and it would be nice if they had more available education. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I advise letting yourself get saturated with the options and opportunities RivalMind provides. Let them tell you everything they can do because that’ll give context on considerations you might not have thought about but would be helpful to include. The team can offer a lot of support, and they’re very personable and easy to work with. I recommend transitioning as much work to RivalMind as you feel comfortable doing because they’ll take good care of you.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a partner at Wipfli and the former managing partner of Klein Hall, a CPA firm. In addition to the traditional tax and audit work that a traditional CPA firm does, we also offer fractional CFO and accounting services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with RivalMind?

When I was the manager of Klein Hall, we needed to improve our brand recognition, and we also needed help with SEO to improve our positioning on Google.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, I called RivalMind and told them what we needed. Then, their team came to us, and we had a discovery meeting where we talked about our challenges and end goals. After that meeting, they came back to us and proposed a solution.

From there, RivalMind took care of implementing the solution entirely, being in charge of handling and maintaining our SEO efforts. Our engagement grew over the years, and they made a lot of things for us; they even built our website twice.

What is the team composition?

We worked directly with three people from RivalMind, including Matt (SEO Consultant & CEO).

How did you come to work with RivalMind?

Matt was a client of mine before we became a client of him. When I became unhappy with the provider I was using, I reached out to him and asked if his team at RivalMind could help me.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them around 2007, 15 years ago, when their firm was called differently. Over time, our engagement grew. However, my firm merged with a top-20-nationwide CPA firm towards the end of 2018. We still used RivalMind two years after that to help us with the transition, but we no longer work together.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We realized that our engagement was successful when we started asking people where they had found us, and some of them told us that they had found our site on Google. On those occasions, I knew that RivalMind was behind those leads; I knew that the SEO work they were doing was working.

How did RivalMind perform from a project management standpoint?

RivalMind’s project management was phenomenal. They were very client-facing, always made time for us, and never made us feel like we were asking dumb questions. We definitely would still be using it if it wasn’t for the merger, and I’ve recommended them to a lot of clients.

Once a month, Matt met with us and went over the analytics to show us where we were at and the progress we had made. From those results, we either continued with what we were doing or made some changes they recommended. I always felt in the loop of what is going on.

What did you find most impressive about them?

RivalMind’s customer service was impressive, and they were very good at what they did — they know their industry and their work. For example, during the discovery phase, they were great at explaining everything in detail. I’m not a very technical person, so I originally didn’t understand much about the technical aspects of SEO. However, they did a great job of simplifying the steps we would take so that I understood what was going on, helping me see the value they would bring to my company.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have any constructive feedback for them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure to make the time to have the discovery meeting; you’ll realize that there is more to your project than you originally thought.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an executive at a custom flooring company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with RivalMind?

We wanted to refine our website and generate more business leads.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

RivalMind redesigned our site from scratch and created content and blog posts for it. They also are currently managing our SEO, PPC, and social media.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with 3–4 members of their team, including Matt (CEO), Harley (Lead SEO Strategist), and Andrew (SEO Strategist).

How did you come to work with RivalMind?

They were referred to me by another member of my industry.

How much money have you invested in this partnership?

We’ve spent around $100,000 with them so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2018, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve created a professional website with an appearance to our customers that distinguishes us from our competitors. They’ve also helped us generate leads through PPC and SEO, which allows me to follow up with those potential clients with our sales team.

How did RivalMind perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re excellent with project management; they’re very organized and have an internal system where we collaborate. We also have regular meetings to keep everyone in the loop and on the same page.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re a flexible team, which distinguishes them from other companies; RivalMind is honest, upfront, and transparent with their approaches. Overall, I never feel like they take advantage of me.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think I have feedback for them — they always handle everything with integrity and ethics. Also, Matt is a great leader to his team and has our best interests at heart; for him, it’s not about making money but what’s best for us.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Ensure to have enough resources allocated to help move the project forward on your side. The more information you provide, the more tools you’ll give RivalMind’s team to advance.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the general manager and director of operations at Exceptional Events, an events company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with RivalMind?

We needed a company that could develop a website for us. We wanted a site that would attract business and give us the image that we were looking for.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

RivalMind designed and developed a website for us from scratch. We needed to create a new image for our new business, but we didn’t have anything, so we had to come up with new photos and ideas for the site to look the way we wanted it to.

What is the team composition?

We worked with 5–6 people from RivalMind. Every single one of them was professional, kind, and understanding.

How did you come to work with RivalMind?

We interviewed several web companies. RivalMind had the most insights, and they were extremely patient with us. Someone from RivalMind also came to our office, and we showed him a couple of the concepts that we liked. He explained which ones were feasible for the budget that we had and the functionality that we needed. He was just so calm, collected, and professional, and he answered all of our questions. We were sold on his professionalism and knowledge.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from January 2022–June 2022.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The website is very easy for our potential clients to navigate. We put a questionnaire on there, which made it very easy for our prospects to leave information about the events they want to book with us as well as their contact information.

Overall, that website is key to our image, and it will show our clients a lot of the venue before even stepping point in there.

How did RivalMind perform from a project management standpoint?

RivalMind was phenomenal in terms of project management. They were always on top of things and provided us with constant updates about what they were working on and what they needed from us. Everything was on time from their end.

What did you find most impressive about them?

RivalMind was very fluid with how they function and their roles. If we had an issue, we would go to our project manager, who would then delegate the problem to whoever had to work on it. They handled themselves professionally throughout, and not once did they give us an attitude. 

We also really appreciated how open they were to any suggestion and how they were always down to discuss our ideas, no matter how big or small.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think there’s anything they could have done to make everything flow more seamlessly. But if I had to say anything, my boss was a little confused with RivalMind’s payment structure.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure you hire a writer to get all your information to sound the way you want because that's not part of RivalMind’s job of developing the site.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior marketing manager of J.D. Power, a data analytics company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with RivalMind?

We needed someone to update our website and update its pages.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

RivalMind is our primary web development and SEO partner. They provide us with web page creation, content development and updates, and digital campaign management.

Moreover, they deliver reports on the engagement and traffic of our platform, as well as the performance of our keywords and phrases.

What is the team composition?

Our main point of contact is the project manager.

How did you come to work with RivalMind?

Matt (CMO) used to be an employee of J.D. Power for a number of years before he branched off to start RivalMind. They had plenty of knowledge of all our websites and strategy points, so hiring them seemed like a good fit.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend about $3,500 a month.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing partnership started in January 2022.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since partnering with RivalMind, we’ve updated a lot of marketing leads on a daily basis. The synergy between my staff and theirs has been great, and they receive high marks from me in terms of turnaround time.

How did RivalMind perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re great from a project management standpoint, as they accomplish any tasks that get assigned to them. Moreover, they’re highly proactive when it comes to urgent matters, which is always highly appreciated.

What did you find most impressive about them?

What I like about them is they take the time to ask questions concerning their tasks and their ability to adapt to our feedback.

Are there any areas they could improve?

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

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would advise you to take a good inventory of what you’re asking them to do and all your web properties, so they can have a good path moving forward.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the business development manager of a sugar distribution and manufacturing company. I oversee the logistics of the purchasing and sales process.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with RivalMind?

We were looking for new search engine optimization opportunities to help people use our website more effectively.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

RivalMind is our primary development and digital partner for SEO and web development. They’re also providing us with ongoing web maintenance and support, as well as LinkedIn and social media management.

What is the team composition?

We mainly work with about 10 people from their team.

How did you come to work with RivalMind?

We came across RivalMind through a referral.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested about $10,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing partnership started in July 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since partnering with RivalMind, we’ve seen a significant increase in sales, traffic, and digital engagement.

How did RivalMind perform from a project management standpoint?

They perform well from a project management perspective, and we typically communicate through Slack, Zoom, email, and phone.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re impressed with the diversity of their services.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything they need to improve on because they’ve done a great job for us so far.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would advise you to keep communications open and discuss every aspect of the project.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of a construction supplies and equipment company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with RivalMind?

We wanted people in our service area to know that we’re available to ensure that they could see our products and use us. We had an old website, but it was terrible.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

RivalMind has created a whole new website for us. We started with nothing, and they did everything from there. The website people see today is what they did. Initially, we went through what we wanted to showcase, what our company does, and what we wanted to highlight.

Now, they’re doing SEO, which involves different topics. They write articles for our website, which are published on Google.

What is the team composition?

We’ve mainly dealt with Matt (Director of Operations) and Harley (Lead SEO Strategist & Account Manager). George (Account Strategist, SEO & Google Ads) handles the direction of our SEO on the website.

How did you come to work with RivalMind?

I was looking at different websites. A contractor I knew used them, so I thought I’d give them a shot. I liked the way their site looked.

How much have you invested with them?

The initial website cost around $15,000, and we pay $1,500 monthly.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in March 2020, and our relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We get updates every month. We’re always going off about the metrics. When we started the project, they told me a bit more about how long people stay on the website. Now, people are staying longer. Also, the views and search words are way up.

Moreover, the website turned out fantastically. I look at it occasionally just for fun and still think it’s one of the best in the industry. We’ve got a ton of feedback from the website. We have an email feed, and people ask tons of questions, sometimes leading to some business. Honestly, we didn’t expect to get much out of it, so it’s been a positive experience.

How did RivalMind perform from a project management standpoint?

The RivalMind team is fantastic to work with and the results exceeded my expectations! I was the one that slowed things down during development because I didn’t have time. They were ready to do it quickly; they would’ve ended the website faster if I had kept up on it.

What did you find most impressive about them?

In the past, we had two different web providers. They were one-person shows. We initially dealt with them nicely, but then they stopped answering. It led to nothing because there was no professionalism. RivalMind is different. First, they’re local, so we can go to their office, which is fantastic.

Moreover, they have multiple people that specialize in different things. Matt might run everything, but we also get passed down to other people. In fact, they offer more services than we can actually use them for. Overall, they’re very professional.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything. It’s been a seamless process.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They’ll bug you, but you’ll get more out of it. A company can only pull off so much for you; there are things you’ll need to do. Our biggest problem was that I couldn’t keep up with their speed.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of two companies. One is a service company that paints and repairs all types of furniture, and the second one is a custom design company. We design and build custom furniture for commercial and residential purposes.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with RivalMind?

We weren’t large enough to have our own IT department that could handle all of our website marketing and SEO.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

RivalMind is currently revamping both of our websites. Before, our websites were created on an old WordPress system. They’ve implemented a new system that allows updating and quick changes of copy and photos. Also, it makes it easier for Google and SEO to read.

Along with the websites’ changing esthetics, they’ll also handle all the keywords and logs to rank higher on Google. Once we initiate the program and get past the first phase, they’ll do all of our social media, including LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, or wherever we want to be present. Additionally, they’ve put together a program to create posts for us, monitor them, and give us feedback on their performance. Overall, they provide solutions for us and give us ideas of what we can do.

What is the team composition?

Within the last five years, we’ve worked with 5–6 people from RivalMind on our projects, including Matt (CMO).

How did you come to work with RivalMind?

My old business partner met Matt through the Naperville Chamber of Commerce.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $20,000–$30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began our partnership in December 2018. When COVID-19 hit, we downgraded some of our stuff. Then, we needed to pause for financial reasons, and we started back up with them at the beginning of this year. We’re currently working together.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’re great at their work, especially the esthetics and way they produce. When we first started with them, our SEO improved considerably in the Google rankings for some of the keywords and searches they did. Overall, their service and process are excellent.

How did RivalMind perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management is excellent; they’re very organized. They stick to a process and ask the right questions to get the right information, which helps them do their job better. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’ve got good people and a good level of personalization. Having a good relationship with them and communicating is very easy and fluid. With other companies, it’s awkward. They don’t try to get us, or they only try to sell us something. RivalMind feels like they’re our next-door neighbor. We can talk to them about anything, and we feel a great level of comfort that has nothing to do with the product or their quality, just with their people. They’re just human.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Honestly, I don’t have any comments.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Overcommunicate and make sure you’re aware of what you want. For example, we design and build custom furniture, selling more pieces by finding more people who wants them. If you can communicate the expectations about your industry, you give them more things to do. If you don’t have enough information, they have to go out and find it, which takes longer because they’re not as familiar with your industry as you are.