SEO Brand

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I own and manage a small CPA firm in Hollywood, Florida. Our target market is mostly local.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SEO Brand?

We had used Yellow Book type advertising before, but the traffic was just to price shoppers. This was the first time we’d done any work on search engine optimization for our company.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I had an existing website, and SEO Brand redesigned the backend and frontend for me. It was a collaborative effort. They also did Internet marketing and keyword research with our input. SEO Brand was able to drive traffic to a more targeted audience.

How did you come to work with SEO Brand?

They were referred to me. When I met with them, I was impressed and felt comfortable on a personal level. I felt they were trustworthy.

How much have you invested with SEO Brand?

We’ve spent $70,000 over the past two years.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in May 2015, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We noticed significant increases after working with SEO Brand. We increased the inbound leads by over 200%. The types of leads we’re getting are also improving. We’re happy with their design, and we feel it optimizes lead conversion and traffic.

How did SEO Brand perform from a project management standpoint?

They delivered on time and the results have been great. We communicated through email and phone. I’ve been in communication with multiple people, and they keep us updated and report on the analytics.

What did you find most impressive about SEO Brand?

We’re not a huge company, but SEO Brand treats us like we’re important to them. That’s what attracted me to them and has kept me working with them. That’s in addition to the quality of their work. They’re good guys, and they’re very much on top of their game.

Are there any areas SEO Brand could improve?

I don’t have any complaints.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Clutch is a ratings and reviews platform that features companies in the IT, marketing, design, and development industries. Our main service is conducting interviews with companies' clients to learn about their experiences and collect feedback on the company's performance. We also continuously publish research on trends and best practices in the technology industry. I am the research manager.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SEO Brand?

Clutch is attempting to become more of a global platform. We’ve identified ten to 15 countries that we would like to grow in. We’re trying to figure out how we can rank well for Google searches from IT services buyers in those countries. The challenge is the native language is not English for these countries. We needed to find out if we could be successful with our current strategy in English and, if not, how difficult would it be to start translating our content into other languages.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I reached out to their CEO to try to get some advice. It was an informal, quick project. Mike was great. He offered to set up the call within a week with our whole team to talk through the basics.

How did you come to work with SEO Brand?

We cover SEO Brand on Clutch and we have helped them publish over 30 100% positive client reviews. We knew they had some expertise with international SEO because of their other clients. We were confident that they could do a good job for us as well. International SEO is a pretty niche service. Most of the SEO companies don’t offer it because they’re focused on local and national campaigns. SEO Brand has people with eight different languages on staff so that stood out to us. We identified them early as one of a handful of companies that could handle our request.

How much have you invested with SEO Brand?

The project was done pro bono. It was quick and easy. They wanted to help us out so there was no fee.

What is the status of this engagement?

We reached to them in early April 2017 and had the call in mid-April. We sent a few questions through email as well. I think it’s likely we’ll do another call in the future but there are no plans to continue as of now.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It was helpful for us so we know whether to dial back our efforts or delve deeper into it. The main metric is employees. We have four people working on the global team anywhere from 1/4 to 2/3 of their time. SEO Brand’s assistance helped us figure out that we wanted to generally dial things back a little bit and put our efforts into other areas. That’s worth one or two FTEs at a salary of $60,000 to $80,000 per year. In that sense, it was helpful and important because our employee time is very valuable. They were able to help us figure out our long-term strategy.

How did SEO Brand perform from a project management standpoint?

There was an expert and the CEO on the call. They were both early which was awesome. The expert even did a fair amount of Google AdWords research for the call to see where we ranked in major global cities like Athens, Greece, Rome, and London, etc. We were able to get some helpful tips right away because they did their homework. The call was productive because everyone was on time and prepared.

What did you find most impressive about SEO Brand?

Their depth of expertise is impressive. They have an expert who speaks Spanish, understood Latin America and understood how to perform SEO in English and other countries. There’s a fair amount of English search from other countries as well. That expertise was unique and there weren’t many firms that we thought could handle it. The fact that they were willing to do it and gave us time from one of their best experts was impressive.

Are there any areas SEO Brand could improve?

If we were to do another call, I think it would be more productive just because we didn’t tell them a lot about what we were doing. If we were to turn this into a larger engagement, we would get more out of it.

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

Lean on their experts and be completely transparent and open about what your goals are. If you do that, they’ll come to the initial meeting ready with advice rather than starting out slower.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Miami Permanent Makeup sells equipment, permanent makeup supplies, and everything that’s related to body art, tattoo shops, and makeup artists. I’m the owner and president.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SEO Brand?

We needed more online exposure to bring more traffic to our company. We’re working with artists and tattoo parlors that are professional, so we wanted a good online presence.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

In the beginning, we just wanted help with our web design and website to bring in more customers. SEO Brand redid our online page because our old one wasn’t very professional. They completely redid the website in WordPress. I explained to them what I wanted and they gave me everything ready to use. Then we found out they did SEO and decided to move towards SEO for local artists. They also did our marketing as far as Amazon. They did a PPC campaign working with Google. They did everything that’s related to our online presence with regard to bringing more traffic to our store.

How did you come to work with SEO Brand?

They’re a block away from us and we wanted someone local in order to get good customer service. We didn’t want to go with a company with no contact.

How much have you invested with SEO Brand?

We have spent between $40,000 and $50,000 with them over the course of our relationship.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in April 2015, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since we started working with SEO Brand we’ve noticed a lot more people calling. We’ve also seen an increase in traffic and sales. We’ve gotten really good feedback from users.

How did SEO Brand perform from a project management standpoint?

They explained the project management to me and kept me updated on every step they were doing. They gave me weekly results on the SEO rankings and the progress of the work. We always knew where they were and the progress made through the projects. They gave me a timeframe every time for any work and they respect it, which I’m pretty happy with. They were very professional. A lot of people worked on the project. They separated the tasks because they have different departments like quality control, SEO, and project developers. I’m in contact with two or three people. It’s very well-organized.

What did you find most impressive about SEO Brand?

We’ve used other companies before to do the work but they were not as good as SEO Brand with regard to professionalism and customer service. I always had to wait a long period of time to get an answer from past agencies. The fact that SEO Brand is down the street, meant I could just walk over there if there’s a problem. Customer service has made a big difference because there’s plenty of people working. There’s always someone that’s going to answer pretty fast compared to the other companies we’ve used before.

Are there any areas SEO Brand could improve?

I’m happy with the work they provide. Of course, sometimes there are things we'd like different, but they always listen. I don’t have any improvements they can make because they respect deadlines and they provide good customer service. I’m really happy.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a real estate agent with Berkshire Hathaway Fox & Roach in and around Gloucester County, New Jersey.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SEO Brand?

My main goal is for branding. Also, because I’m a referral-driven agent, I want to get the word out that we’re based on integrity and customer service in order to attract more customers. Our referrals and dedication to our clients is optimal.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They did work on our website, Facebook, and Google. They did some marketing and website design.

How did you come to work with SEO Brand?

I did a Google search and saw their presence online. I loved the fact that they’re not narrowly focused. Because I’m an immigrant, I loved the globalization of their work and liked what I saw.

How much have you invested with SEO Brand?

We spent $7,500 on the website and I spend an average of $10,000 a year with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in June 2012, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I’ve been doing real estate for a long time and have seen the market change. The shift in the last 3 years has been the millennial revolution. Everything is about online presence and accessing Google and the social media aspect. One of the main things that has helped me is the digital presence but also the pages. There are dozens of pages bringing me to the forefront.

SEO Brand's work has allowed a good presence online. When someone Googles me and they see there are 14 or 15 pages on Google, I would think that gives the client reassurance. At first, I was able to keep track of the analytics but now I don’t have time to track them because I’m so busy. When I started with them, my volume was $9M and now it’s almost $50M a year.

How did SEO Brand perform from a project management standpoint?

Their responsiveness is excellent. I love their attention to detail. I love the fact that if I have a change I want to make, they’re quick to respond, which is the way I like to work myself. That makes my job easier.

Are there any areas SEO Brand could improve?

I can’t think of anything. I’m very happy.

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

Their attention to the client is wonderful and I would tell them to continue on that path. Sometimes when a brand gets too large, they can lose that focus.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a senior analyst with a government agency. I work on developing themes and narratives for our social media outreach team. These are the people who use social media to direct messages at audiences we’ve targeted, who are potentially susceptible to extremist influence. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SEO Brand?

Our goals involved security and reducing threats. We were trying to optimize one particular webpage. In my case, there were two aspects that were part of the contract. The first involved an international website. It’s an Arabic-language site that focuses on victim-centric stories as a way of offsetting the messages and propaganda that extremist groups try to convey. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The work was about 98% SEO, focusing on Google. SEO Brand gave us recommendations about website design, but they weren’t directly involved in the design enhancements or changes.

How did you come to work with SEO Brand?

I wasn’t the one who made the final selection. There were four potential candidates that were researched by a small body within our staff. I think it was a combination of their reputation, price point, and capability of handling the work that we needed.

How much have you invested with SEO Brand?

The ballpark price for the contract was $300,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project began in October of 2016 and ended in March of 2017. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were satisfied with both our relationship and the results. Any of the results that we weren’t able to achieve from this contract were based on our limitations in resources and staff. There wasn’t anything that SEO Brand did that jeopardized the success of the contract in any way.

Based on the goals we had for the six-month engagement, the value of SEO Brand was more about them helping us determine where our shortcomings were and where our products were inefficient and ill-conceived. When it comes to the actual optimization of the site, we were only approaching that when the contract expired.

Part of the understanding of our relationship with them was because we were a bit adrift with our web product. It was under-developed, under-resourced, and under-staffed at the time that we asked SEO Brand to help us. The most critical component of what they did was identifying where a lot of the shortcomings were and making long-term recommendations, even though we won’t see results for a while. This particular site was so far in the hole that it would take a lot of digging to get it to a functional product.

How did SEO Brand perform from a project management standpoint?

Internally, we all have a very good opinion of SEO Brand. One thing we liked is that they were available night and day. Their senior leadership was always available and super-responsive. They were adaptable to the situation as well. Not only did they propose certain ideas and concepts, but when they saw our capabilities, they also were able to adapt and adjust their strategies to match them.

What did you find most impressive about SEO Brand?

On top of their availability and adaptability, we had a really solid relationship with them. They’re good people. Mike Salvaggio, their CEO, is a great guy who can level with us and talk in plain language on some pretty heady topics. He never made us feel that we were ever too far adrift from ultimately accomplishing our goals.

Are there any areas SEO Brand could improve?

In the run-up to our initial interaction with them, before the discovery session, there was limited discussion about setting parameters and expectations for this discovery session. Despite the fact that they did a technical audit of our websites, I think it would have been helpful if we had protracted conversations about goals from the outset to give them a better understanding of our physical working environment and some of the political sensitivities surrounding our product and outputs. This could have helped them tailor their SEO strategy a little more closely with our unique product.

We’re not your typical business. We have a product, outputs, an audience, and goals we want to reach, but due to the nature of what we communicate and what we “sell,” I think it requires a little more upfront to make sure you can hit the ground running with a message that’s tailored to our particular outfit. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Carrero Law Group is a general practice law office. We do civil and commercial litigation. I am the president and owner.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SEO Brand?

We wanted our website optimized for personal injury motorcycle accident cases, which is a very competitive market in our area. We don’t have a huge advertising budget so we don’t do any TV or radio ads. We needed specific targeted SEO [search engine optimization] and a website design. We had a website already but this was the first time we had done any SEO work.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They looked at our existing site and talked about areas that we wanted to improve, including contact forms, content, and appearance. It was a quick process. We wanted the site to be more mobile-friendly because the original site was very old and basic. I was also having problems with the contact forms, so that was the biggest issue. We had to work on some technical difficulties. They sent a draft and I only made a few small changes before we launched that.

SEO Brand is continuing the targeted marketing work and getting our site higher ranked on the search engines. I told them what my goals were. Our firm is small and I’m more interested in the quality of the cases instead of the quantity. I want one or two good cases a month. I went over my requirements with the CEO, Mike Salvaggio, and then I had some interaction with Michael Abitbol, Chief IT Executive Manager, as well. I only talked with the programmer, Jonathan, when we did the revisions.

How did you come to work with SEO Brand?

I was referred to them by another attorney who had used them.

How much have you invested with SEO Brand?

We spend $1,000 a month with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in January 2011, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The site is very functional. My business model involves only a couple of calls a month that are high quality, and that’s what I get. I get what I’m looking for and what I’m paying for. I don’t have any complaints at all about how it was done. The work was professional and quick.

How did SEO Brand perform from a project management standpoint?

The best part of the relationship was that whenever there was any issue, I dealt with the leadership and I felt that they cared. It’s their business and they want to see it succeed.

What did you find most impressive about SEO Brand?

If you want to talk to the guys in charge, you’ll get an email back from them. I’m the same way in my business. Both of our companies deal with customers personally. They make sure everything is done correctly and done to the client’s satisfaction. I don’t find many businesses across any field that do that.

Are there any areas SEO Brand could improve?

No. Everything I asked them to do, they did and did it quickly.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Base Commerce is an electronic payments business. I was president when I was with the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SEO Brand?

We wanted to create awareness of our brand online and to drive inquiries from software developers, application builders, and consultants. This was the first time we had someone help us with SEO [search engine optimization].

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We told SEO Brand what our objectives were and they suggested a plan to build a campaign and scale up the campaign in the most economical way. We were on a budget, so we didn’t want to spend a lot of money right away until we understood what our ROI [return on investment] was going to be. We started slowly, and as we saw results, we continued to ramp up. We provided postings on blogs, posted our code on GitHub, and created newsletters and press releases to create awareness in the market.

We gave SEO Brand a profile of our customer and what our customer is most likely seeking and they suggested what the optimal keywords would be. Our target market is freelance software developers, application software companies, app developers, and e-commerce businesses nationally who are looking for electronic payment and gateway services.

How did you come to work with SEO Brand?

SEO Brand was recommended to us by one of our customers that had used them.

How much have you invested with SEO Brand?

In 2016 we spent around $160,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with SEO Brand in July 2013. I left the company in February 2016, and I believe Base Commerce is no longer using SEO Brand because they are under new management.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

SEO Brand was very patient with us as a small client, and the quality was great. They let us ramp up on a stair step of success. That was really helpful. They didn’t push us to spend money we didn’t have or take risks without validating the strategy and the results. Our goal was to rank higher on the search engines. We brought in 8–12 large long-term clients as a result of SEO Brand’s work. The ROI was fantastic because the money we spent generated millions of dollars of long-term recurring revenue.

How did SEO Brand perform from a project management standpoint?

SEO Brand gave us a lot of guidance on what they felt the messaging and the positioning of the product in the marketplace should be. They had experience in the payment space, and they were able to give us solid advice regarding the positioning to help us narrow down our target customer. The relationship was very collaborative.

We had a phone meeting every week. We had a team of three people that were on the calls, and we felt we had a good handle on the project because of that routine. We reviewed our progress, how much money we spent, and the results that we were getting. They were very responsive to our emails.

What did you find most impressive about SEO Brand?

SEO Brand had patience and took the chance on a very small customer like us. There was no guarantee that we would be a material revenue client. Over time we felt confident expanding the program and being a significant client.

Are there any areas SEO Brand could improve?

No, I have nothing to suggest. We’re different than a lot of industries, so the dynamics are much different than selling hotel reservations or something. There were some hits and misses. Nobody is perfect.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

DJ Almanax is a DJ company. I used to use turntables and vinyl records, but I lost them in an accident, so I’m rebuilding my company electronically. I’m the owner.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SEO Brand?

I’ve been overwhelmed with the jump from analog to digital because I know nothing. I want to specialize in resurrecting old hits through slide shows. My initial approach was just to do that on YouTube, but SEO Brand helped me understand what that all entails and that I needed video to do that.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

A year ago, I thought I’d make a mix of songs that you can’t dance to and put it on YouTube. You can’t just post audio to YouTube. At first, SEO Brand helped me with this project along with a website and Facebook page. They’ve helped me direct my focus and allow me to be more creative while they do the dirty work and actual marketing. Having a presence on a website or Facebook was not enough. It wasn’t being seen, so SEO Brand has helped do the essentials while I focused on the art. That includes a lot of the incidentals I’ve stumbled across. I can’t just put images up without the images being licensed. I want to do things right which many DJs don’t do. I’m not launching anything until everything is legal and in place. I have to have the songs licensed too, so I can’t just take a song and post it on the internet. I take samples of a song, manipulate it, and then post it. Those are things I’ve learned through SEO Brand. My target market is people in their early to mid-50s. That’s why I want to do this right because a lot of people my age don’t know how to navigate the internet. SEO Brand will be a very big part of that when the time comes. Right now, we’re focusing on Facebook, SoundCloud, and YouTube, and then we’ll work on the website once we launch the other projects.

How did you come to work with SEO Brand?

I used to be a government contractor, so I have a lot of ads sent to me. There was a company I was working with that was using SEO Brand, so he referred me to them. The first time I called them, the CEO spent 15 minutes talking to me and I was impressed with that.

How much have you invested with SEO Brand?

I have spent over $10,000 with SEO Brand so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

I started working with SEO Brand in February 2016, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

SEO Brand explains to me how things will happen in 2017 and that’s important for someone who doesn’t understand. Due to the time and money I’ve spent with them so far, I have thousands of licensed images ready to launch. They helped me secure 50 licenses for tracks. I could launch now without SEO Brand, but I would fall flat on my face because I wouldn’t know what to do next to grow.

How did SEO Brand perform from a project management standpoint?

SEO Brand is my secretary because I’m just starting to understand digital music. It’s important for me to have them on board to answer questions. I have new questions every day. Other businesses I’ve dealt with can’t offer the services SEO Brand has.

We communicate mainly through phone and email. We use Basecamp to keep track of conversations which is great. When I deal with other vendors, I have to keep track of those things myself, but SEO Brand offers that as a part of their service. I think that’s honorable of them. Everything is transparent, and I know what’s going on and where my money is going. They use Asana to show how many hours they’ve spent on my projects and how much I’ve spent. They’re excited about launching as much as I am.

What did you find most impressive about SEO Brand?

SEO Brand is not ambiguous. I want to see an account of where their time and my money is spent. They’ve always been able to provide that.

Are there any areas SEO Brand could improve?

I think their logo looks like an R2D2 spawn. SEO Brand could work to improve that. They’ve been very good. They don’t pressure me about launching because they know I’m not ready yet.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

I'm a freelance storyboard artist working for major motion-picture studios.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with SEO Brand?

I wanted to optimize my website and use it to showcase my previous work. 

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

SEO Brand was hired for programming cleanup on my website.

How did you come to work with SEO Brand?

I made an online search. SEO Brand was a highly rated company and had won some awards, so I chose them.

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

The cost of SEO Brand's work has been around $20,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I started working with SEO Brand in 2016. The project is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

I’m getting a decent amount of traffic to the site. My Google traffic was next to nothing before hiring SEO Brand; it did take some time to get going, but it has definitely worked. I can see an uptick at the moment.

How did SEO Brand perform from a project management standpoint?

I was happy with SEO Brand's campaign and with our results. Whenever I reach out to them, they answer quickly. We communicated using phone and email.

What distinguishes SEO Brand from other providers?

Everyone on SEO Brand's team is very personable and bent over backward to help me out and answer questions.

Is there anything SEO Brand could have improved or done differently?

SEO Brand is a bit expensive, but they're awesome, and I would completely recommend them.

Do you have any recommendations for others considering working with SEO Brand?

Once a client starts out with SEO Brand, they should allow some time for the results to get rolling. After this, they will definitely start noticing the website traffic improve. I was skeptical initially, but SEO Brand reassured me that it would happen. Sure enough, it did. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We operate within the specialty spray-coating insulations industry. We build not only chemicals but also the machines that spray them. We sell trailer packages and a number of wholesale, retail, and distributorship products. Our target market includes anyone looking to have a specialty coating done.

What is your position?

I am the IT and marketing director of the company. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with SEO Brand?

We had some online marketing needs which were not being met by another company. 

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

We presented SEO Brand with access to our online profiles, and they did an amazing job at building us up from where we were. SEO Brand improved our online presence, including people's ability to find us on the internet. Everything was managed by their team.

How did you come to work with SEO Brand?

I googled different SEO companies, and SEO Brand came highly recommended. Hector Garcia, their founder, is what set SEO Brand apart for us. He was my first point of contact with the company and proved exceptionally intelligent, spoke clearly and concisely, didn't make false promises, and gave me a black-and-white image with no sugarcoating. He has always been able to get the job done, which is something else I appreciate about Hector.

We asked for a demonstration and for additional information. They provided us with both and also gave us some good references which we interviewed.

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

That is confidential.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

SEO Brand has done a phenomenal job during the short time we've been working with them. We have seen positive growth within the company from the services received.

How did SEO Brand perform from a project management standpoint?

So far, everything has gone according to our schedule and budget.

What distinguishes SEO Brand from other providers?

SEO Brand has a team being led by 2 individuals named Andy Bazan and Richard Castello. Both are amazing operators within their field—namely SEO and keyword research and development.

Is there anything SEO Brand could have improved or done differently?

I'd like to receive digital receipts with more consistency from SEO Brand.