Sayenko Design

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of Raymark Plumbing. We do service work for customers in the Seattle area.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Sayenko Design?

We had a very old website that wasn’t managed locally, and we wanted to redo it and bring it in-house.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We met on the phone with Mike (Seattle Web Designer, Sayenko Design) and he was a really great listener. He sent us a thorough questionnaire in which we outlined our wants, needs, and things we didn’t like. We sent in some website examples and talked about colors, fonts, design, and the timeline. He then presented to us what to expect, introducing us to the team and telling us what each person would do, including SEO.

They completed the website in August 2018, and we plan to go live in a couple of days. We’ll have a second phase after we roll out during which we’ll dive into SEO deeper and talk more about marketing.

What is the team composition?

I worked with Mike and one other person.

How did you come to work with Sayenko Design?

I Googled “best website developers in Seattle” and did research into the top 10. I weighed up what services they offered, what kind of references they had, what websites they’d done before, and if I liked them. Mike stood out as being not a salesman, but an interested and interesting person who liked to make websites and was a good designer. He had a lot of good ideas about color, audience preferences, and SEO, which is really important to us.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $23,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from June–August 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They did a good job. We had some ideas that Mike very diplomatically explained should not be used—they were maybe a little bit too unconventional, wild, and wouldn’t meet the SEO need or keep our customers on the site for longer. They were great at redirecting us toward really effective ideas.

How did Sayenko Design perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management was excellent, and communication was great—we communicated a couple times a month and a lot more in the beginning. We weren’t able to meet the deadlines on our end, but I had warned them that may happen.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The most impressive thing to me is Mike’s calmness. Anything can happen, but he’ll bring us back to the goal and the strategy in a very professional and calm way.

I asked them for a lot of advice, especially on SEO, and they were always really great about explaining why we would do one thing versus another. They’re professional.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Call them. Mike’s really good at what he does.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO of Concierge Care Advisors.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Sayenko Design?

Our website was very old-fashioned, so we were looking for a vendor to help us redesign the site.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, they learnt about our market and the persona of our clients. Then, they created the wireframes and redesigned our WordPress site, making it mobile responsive. They also helped us with content creation and provided basic SEO.

What is the team composition?

I mostly worked with Mike (Owner and Chief Designer, Sayenko Design) and Nik (Web Strategies, Sayenko Design).

How did you come to work with Sayenko Design?

We did some research on a number of companies. After I talked to each one of them, I realized that Sayenko Design would be the best fit for us.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $11,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them between September–December 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The new website is easy to navigate and we love its look and feel.

How did Sayenko Design perform from a project management standpoint?

We had weekly briefs and they did an excellent job keeping the project on track. We mostly used phone and email to communicate.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They understood our business and created very good content for our website. Also, they're easy to work with.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't think of anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They're great communicators and deliver everything on time. We were happy with the process.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm an orthopedic spinal surgeon at a private practice.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Sayenko Design?

I wanted to do more direct marketing to patients through SEO and an updated website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The first thing we did was discuss our objectives and goals, then Sayenko Design created a proposal that clearly defined the phases of our project. We started with mockups of different design layouts and then narrowed it down to three to finalize the site. The next phase was backend dev, creating the infrastructure of the site, keywords, and overall layout. I then created content and put it into the WordPress site, which I’m able to manage by myself.

What is the team composition?

We worked with two people, but there was an entire team behind the scenes.

How did you come to work with Sayenko Design?

We found them online when searching for web dev in our area. We considered a few other agencies, but I liked Sayenko Design’s previous work, so I hired them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $16,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from January–April 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I’m happy with the final results. We’ve put a lot of time into our keywords and SEO, but we don’t have any metrics on that yet.

How did Sayenko Design perform from a project management standpoint?

Initially, we met weekly, but then they started working on their own. Our interactions just depended on what phase of the project we were in. The owner was great at keeping us on track, and the team was excellent.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re a small organization that’s able to accomplish a lot of tasks, from dev to SEO. We worked directly with the owner, which made it an intimate and effective partnership.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Have a consultation with the owner to go over project details and determine if they’re a good fit.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a partner at a law firm that specializes in plaintiffs’ employment.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Sayenko Design?

Our company relocated from Kansas City to Bellevue, so we wanted to build a website more suited to our new local audience.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We provided their team with the content we wanted to feature on the new website, and they created a series of wireframes. Then, we went through an iterative process to finalize the logo, visuals, and structural elements. When we approved, Sayenko Design built out the site on a WordPress platform.

Besides web development, Sayenko Design went above and beyond to provide several SEO services, including keyword analysis and homepage copywriting. They also supported and trained our team in setting up our Google Search Console free of charge in addition to educating us on how to optimize a page for keywords.

What is the team composition?

I worked with two people from Sayenko Design.

How did you come to work with Sayenko Design?

I searched for vendors online and considered about five. After looking through their ratings and reviews, I shortlisted two. Out of those, I decided on Sayenko Design.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent over $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked on the project from August–October 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We don’t have any hard metrics yet; we’re still working on getting recognized by the Google algorithm. Anecdotally speaking, the new site is a clear upgrade from our previous iteration. The color scheme is better, the formatting is better, and the content is better. Overall, it’s more professional and user-friendly.

How did Sayenko Design perform from a project management standpoint?

They were great. We communicated on a need-by-need basis, so our interactions varied according to our workload. Primarily, we spoke via email and tracked the project with a management tool. We also held a phone conference at one point to go over additional details.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m happy with their ability to deliver. Their work is professional and high-quality.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not that I can think of.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the senior director for Honoring Choice Pacific Northwest.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Sayenko Design?

We needed a new website for the public with a behind-the-scenes portal where our partners could access information. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

When I joined the project, we took the initial steps of figuring out and aligning our goals and deciding how to manage the project. We spent the bulk of our time on the iterative process of the design phase. 

I give Sayenko Design significant credit for being so flexible with us. When we first approached them, we didn't know exactly how we wanted the design to look. We ended up building it during the process of working together. Sayenko Design helped us brainstorm and find the best ideas for our audience. 

What is the team composition? 

We mainly worked with two people, Mike (Web Designer, Sayenko Design) and Kyle (Web Developer, Sayenko Design). A few other designers were involved in the beginning. 

How did you come to work with Sayenko Design?

I came in partway through the project, so I wasn't there in the beginning when we hired Sayenko Design. From my understanding, we selected them through the RFP process. Presumably, the fact that they're local was a factor in hiring them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $20,000–$40,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working together since March 2018. The website is slated for release within the next few weeks, probably by December 2018. Sayenko Design has finished the vast majority of their work. At this point, most of the responsibilities left are ours, like internal stakeholder reviews we’re conducting over the next few weeks. 
 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The new site is much cleaner from an aesthetic perspective than it was before. The old version was arranged very hodgepodge, and it was nearly impossible to find anything. We worked hard on improving the readability with large fonts and contrast because seniors make up a large part of our readership. Our revamped platform includes clear links and a lot of pictures to show users what they're looking for. 

How did Sayenko Design perform from a project management standpoint?

Sayenko Design had a useful project management tool set up from the beginning. They were very communicative and highly responsive. It varies depending on the stage, but we usually communicate on a weekly basis. 

We did have a lot of back and forth, probably because I wasn't there at the beginning which required some transition internally. We changed the scope multiple times to incorporate everything we needed within the site, but they helped us get it done, and we're happy with the results. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I've been especially impressed with Sayenko Design’s ability to learn about our company's work throughout this process. They gave us specific guidance about what we were trying to do, which became hugely beneficial towards the end of the project. Having a clear understanding of our content helped them set it up in an intuitive format. I really appreciated their support. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Looking back at the process overall, we could have done a better job of aligning at the beginning. I think that's more related to our side and internal transitions than specific to their team, though.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

In hindsight, defining a better concept of how we wanted the end product to look would have been helpful. Sayenko Design was very patient about building it as we went, but having a more precise idea on both ends could have been more effective potentially. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CIO for REX Electric & Technologies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Sayenko Design?

We had a poor web presence and a very outdated website that we needed to update and modernize with new technology and content.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Sayenko Design was our web design partner throughout the project and helped us with several things, including brainstorming, implementation, and taking the website live. They used WordPress and strictly handled the design layout and backend.

The project started out with very high-level discovery sessions where we talked about the possibilities, what we were trying to communicate, and our plans for the website. The website is basically an online business card for us, and due to our B2B structure and the way we work with clients, we didn’t need a large lead generation piece or a means to seek lots of conversions. We needed a professional, up-to-date presence to match our company size and our place in the Chicago market.

After the discovery sessions, they came back to us with ideas. We moved on to wireframing the designs for defining the layout, how to categorize content, and identifying the parts and pieces of the website. Then, we had a live demo phase in which we placed some generic content on the site as well as some graphics, and underwent user acceptance testing. After that, they turned it over to our team to flush out the content, which was a long process. We finally went live recently.

What is the team composition?

Their web designer in Seattle was primarily in touch with us. We also had one call with two other members of his team.

How did you come to work with Sayenko Design?

A sister company of ours had worked with them and obtained positive results, so we decided to move forward with them based on that recommendation.

How much have you invested with them?

We have spent $10,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January until April 2018. We’ve communicated with them over the last few months, especially since they helped us go live.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

After our internal launch, we immediately received good feedback. It was well overdue based on our place in the market versus our competitors. The initial reactions from our stakeholders have been very positive to date.

How did Sayenko Design perform from a project management standpoint?

They managed the project very well. They seemed to have some really great tools at their disposal to keep track of all open tasks and have everyone on the same page. During the height of the project, we communicated twice a week.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are knowledgeable and had the ability to quickly help us through this process thanks to their deep experience. It was clearly evident in their work that we could get through the design stages fast with their help.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Sometimes, some of the tools were a little hard to use. When we’re looking for a quick answer, it was a little tricky for us to find something. However, things were really great, for the most part.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be open to suggestions and use their team’s experience to your advantage.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We make charcoal and burning products for barbecues, home cooks, and restaurants. I am the digital content manager.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Sayenko Design?

We were trying to modernize our website and change it from a non-performing platform to a WordPress site.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started in the discovery phase with a basic site and worked closely on design. They helped us shape the site into a real solution. We discussed our target audience and our goals, focusing on three main areas. We outlined standard branding and information about the products, worked on a store finder that integrated information about the outside retailers that sold our products, and added a highly customized section for brand ambassador profiles. Now, each of our brand ambassadors has a profile page and are able to add blog posts to the site.

What is the team composition?

We worked with a designer during the design phase and then moved on to work with a developer.

How did you come to work with Sayenko Design?

We did an extensive online search and interviewed three companies. Sayenko Design had a really good grasp of SEO and understood our platform. They had systems in place with the latest technologies and best practices.

What is the status of this engagement?

The work lasted from April—July 2018. We were able to meet our target launch date.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our website has acted as a foundation to unify the brand across all other aspects of our marketing. We’ve applied their design to our social media and into our products. Not to mention, we currently have a better platform for our brand ambassadors, and our site views are up.

How did Sayenko Design perform from a project management standpoint?

They did really well; we had no communication delays or issues. They did all of their project management through Teamwork. Everything was transparent and clear, and the platform was easy to use. We spoke every week or so when they were coding and communicated daily while populating the site. They sent us notifications when they needed us to do testing or answer a question. The expectations were always clear and we worked really well together.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They delivered on their promises on time, within budget, and to specifications. They gave us exactly what we wanted, which is refreshing.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they’re very good at what they do.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They may seem a little expensive, but you definitely get what you pay for. They deliver well-polished work that is worth any extra time or money.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the sales and marketing consultant for Eagle Pest Control.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Sayenko Design?

We needed to develop a new website to replace our old one; the previous site was antiquated and difficult to manage. We wanted the new version to include updated information on our company's technical services. Ultimately, the site redesign was for lead generation purposes. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The first stage of the project focused on gathering information about our company and understanding our overall goals for the website. They used this knowledge to formulate suitable ideas for us, which took a few weeks. The next stage was to build a framework to allow for future changes. After developing this, their team worked on the fine details of the finished product until it was ready for launch.

What is the team composition?

We primarily worked with Mike (Owner, Sayenko Design), but, occasionally, there would be an additional teammate.

How did you come to work with Sayenko Design?

I researched multiple web development companies. We looked at Sayenko Design's numerous reviews and decided to select them because of their high reputation.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested around $10,500.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from June–August 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

While we’ve delayed the launch for SEO purposes, the site has received glowing praise for its new look and feel. People in the field have called it a work of art, and we agree with that. The difference between the old and new site is like night and day.

How did Sayenko Design perform from a project management standpoint?

They were incredible at managing the project. In the beginning, we met daily and then transitioned to meeting a few times a week. We could reach them over the phone and through email. Mike’s responses were quick, precise, and helpful.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their professionalism and attention to detail were impeccable; they never missed a thing. Mike was available for discussion whenever, which was very important to me. They also produced exactly as advertised, so working with them was money well-spent.

Any advice for potential customers?

Doing your research is important, but I recommend choosing Sayenko Design over the rest. They'll give you the best service.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the marketing and communications director of a youth organization.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Sayenko Design?

We were performing a website redesign. The version at the time had been done by a previous agency and we wanted to position the website in a strategic way.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We began the project off with a broad questionnaire about our club’s goals. They took that and developed a strategy for us. They then built some generic design templates based on our brand guidelines and our business information. We developed different iterations of that content, then developed around those. I wrote all the web content.

We wanted to use the site as a way to highlight our programs, mission, and organization, as well as use it as a communication tool. There is a blog functionality on it. Our organization is quite big, operating 29 clubs, so we wanted to have something that could tell the story of the overall business, but also highlight specific clubs and their identities using the blog.

What is the team composition?

We worked with three members of their team. There was a fourth member of the team but they left. 

How did you come to work with Sayenko Design?

We reached out to a few vendors in the Seattle area. Sayenko had great pricing, as well as very good design services and the digital marketing sense to build a website that could be used in the way we wanted. We chose Sayenko Design based on this expertise.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost of their work was between $15,000–$20,000. It was paid in stages.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in September 2017. The site was launched last Friday and we’ve been continuing to make small tweaks and fix errors.  

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re tracking analytics so we can make informed decisions about how users are interacting with the content and how they flow through the site. We’ve seen a huge improvement. We have integrations with search engines and with digital marketing, as well as the ability to build landing pages for content and various campaigns throughout the year. I can foresee all the benefits that the site will bring. It’s a lot easier to manage and I’m sure it will increase and drive our revenue in 2018.

How did Sayenko Design perform from a project management standpoint?

They did a great job of managing it—the process was challenging at times. As with many of these projects, we uncovered things, learned, and adapted. It might have been helpful for us to have a clearer understanding of the full scope and its different steps. However, they had their systems dialed in and were flexible with us. We communicated every 1–2 weeks.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their artistic skill and their ability to incorporate strategy into the project are the two things that stand out about them

Are there any areas they could improve?

It would be helpful for them to really understand the complexity of our business and be creative with it. In many ways, they viewed us as a very small business, but we’re extremely large. This was understandable, given that we hadn’t had a big web presence before. I didn’t do a good job of initially explaining the complexity of our business. I should have stressed it in our questionnaire that it was important to build something that would work for our size. Overall, they did a fantastic job in the end.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Clients should be clear about what they’re hoping to get and let Sayenko do their amazing creative work.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of IT for Chugatch Alaska Corporation, an organization that serves the interests of the Alaska Native people of the Chugach region.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Sayenko Design?

We needed help with numerous web development projects.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’ve done four jobs with Sayenko, but the most recent was an aggregated job portal. Our organization has various different companies, each with their own job board, so Sayenko pulled all the job postings together to display on our website. They had to figure out how to scrape all the sites in a streamlined manner and present the results in a way we liked.

Typically, when we work with Sayenko, we give them our requirements, they develop a proposal, and then we agree on the work. From there, we have an iterative process that allows our stakeholders to view and make comments on the work. Sayenko has worked on lots of different projects, including SEO.

What is the team composition?

The team varies a bit each time, but the latest project had two people.

How did you come to work with Sayenko Design?

We interviewed 4–5 web dev firms we found online. Sayenko stood out to us because they were close to our time zone, had a good reputation, and charged a fair price.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend about $15,000 a project.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our latest project lasted from November 2017–February 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Sayenko’s product met all of our criteria and does exactly what we needed. We don’t have any complaints. It hasn’t been live long enough to give quantifiable metrics, but it’s been a fantastic product.

How did Sayenko Design perform from a project management standpoint?

They were responsive and got things done the first time we asked. We communicated 2–3 times a week, depending on the project. We used their project management tool to send messages and track progress.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They accomplish results in an industry that tends to drag far beyond expectations. Their prices are fair, even with change requests. They’re professional and results-oriented.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. If we had complaints, we brought it up to them. We wouldn’t continue to partner with them if their work wasn’t high-quality.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Keep your stakeholders small and remember your requirements. Don’t change your mind after they’ve finished a substantial portion of the project because that will delay things. Sayenko is extremely responsive and doesn’t need much oversight to work effectively.