SEO Image

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

I work for a publishing company. We have 16 online publications that deal with news, a couple of e-commerce sites, and some directories. We’re a privately held company with 500-plus employees.

What is your role and responsibilities?

My role here is senior manager of SEO [search engine optimization] strategy. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal for working with SEO Image?

I’m the SEO expert here, and I don’t really have a staff. We have a lot of editorial departments, so I would do monthly training sessions before. We had a lot going on, a couple websites being restructured, and I was pretty busy. I needed to bring in a SEO expert to help with training.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

We hired Alan [Rabinowitz, CEO and lead strategist at] SEO Image to come in and make an assessment of some of the properties, how editors are writing content, what they’re doing correctly or incorrectly, and how they can improve. He came to the office and gave a couple of presentations, explaining to editorial how they can use social media to leverage their rankings, how to write better, and how to do keyword research. He also gave us a report on what we can do better, and so on. It wasn’t too elaborate. He did two or three training sessions, along with the report.

In the sessions, he gave a couple of examples of titles that didn’t make sense, and showing how to do keyword research to find what people are searching for. He showed us how to use different descriptions and titles in social media to avoid duplicate content. These are things the editors don’t necessarily think of so we had to change their mindset. Alan gave them reasons why they should do things differently.

What was your process for selecting SEO Image with which to work?

I used to own an agency, and I met Alan a long time ago. I used him in the past and picked his brain about SEO topics. If I had clients I couldn’t handle, I would pass them off to him. He’s a very knowledgeable guy. We used to meet to exchange ideas and strategies. He’s a bright guy, and he’s somebody you want to keep in your circle.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

Around the $10,000 range. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the results of the project?

We engaged Alan in 2014, but I’m not sure of the date. Everything is completed. We may use him again at some point. We’ve just acquired a couple companies, and we’ve inherited probably 20 more websites, so we may hire him to do assessments on those new sites.

Do you have any statistics or metrics to track improvement from the project?

It was successful. When you work in-house, and you’re the person who’s always preaching, sometimes it’s nice to have an outside person come in to validate my lectures. Although he was basically giving the same information as I had previously, he has his own way of presenting it.

So, overall, it was a positive engagement. We received feedback from the editorial department saying that they found it valuable. He gave them homework assignments, and that worked out well. There are some employees who absorbed it and are using it, and those who understand but don’t utilize it, but that’s not his fault. I think overall it was a positive experience.

As far as metrics, we started monitoring a couple of brands after the training. We asked them to implement the techniques Alan had suggested, and there was a positive uptick of traffic when keywords were used more efficiently. It wasn’t a prolonged study, we just wanted to see if they were implementing it, how they were using it, and if they were using the information.

Is there anything unique about them that really makes them stand out, compared to other companies?

Alan is an old school SEO expert, so he has a lot of knowledge of things that today’s SEO experts don’t really understand because they’re new age. They’re up on the current things, but they don’t know the history.

Sometimes, knowing the history of SEO goes a long way when talking about the industry and how it works. He’s really knowledgeable about the changes through the years in this industry, and I feel like he’s in tune with what’s going on today also. Alan has tons of knowledge about penalties, issues, and what can cause problems.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or something that you might do differently?

I don’t think there’s anything we would change. I would have liked to have him onsite more, but we didn’t have the budget.

What advice would you give a future client of theirs?

He’s pretty sound in his method, and he knows what he’s talking about. So, I would just say to trust his judgment, and test all his strategies to find out which one works for you. There are very few people that have been around as long as he has, and that’s worth considering when hiring someone.

BACKGROUND

I run an automotive dealership, we sell used vehicles in large volumes around the New York City area. I am not a technical person, so I require help from outside vendors for search marketing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

I had worked with a couple other SEO [search engine optimization] firms and had terrible results. One firm stopped sending reports after a couple of months and didn't produce results. I also had another firm that messed up the architecture of my website.

I had focused on paid search with Google AdWords for a number of years. It seemed to be a waste of money, so I decided to focus on organic SEO.

SOLUTION

I hired SEO Image and decided to give them a chance to handle my organic search business for the long term. We agreed before the project to be patient because it would take several months to see results.

We started the engagement in April 2013. Their team began by fixing the back-end of my website to optimize it for search. The main goal was to generate phone call leads and the secondary goal was to drive more online leads through or website capture form.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

The engagement started out a little rocky but their team reminded me to be patient. Eventually, we started to see a noticeable improvement in leads and traffic. They actually have me in the top three results for many competitive phrases. My market is extremely competitive online, I have so many large competitors who are all using SEO firms.

I am happy to report that my investment has been positive so I will stick with SEO Image. They have always been very patient and courteous. Other firms didn't want to answer my basic questions about the SEO industry but they always been helpful and handled my account with care.

They also offer great monthly reports. They send those without request every month like clockwork. It is very difficult to find a reliable SEO firm, but I'm happy I found SEO Image.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a fundraiser in a personal charitable fundraising effort. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SEO Image?

I hired them to improve my SEO results. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

SEO Image has developed an SEO program based on the concerns and objectives I've shared. Their tasks include keyword research, content writing, changes to my website, and backlinking. The goal is to raise awareness for the charitable causes I raise funds for. 

What is the team composition?

I only interact with one teammate from SEO Image, though there's a larger team involved in the project.

Are there any employees from the service provider's team that you would like to give a shout-out to in this review?

I'd like to give a shout-out to Alan (CEO). 

How did you come to work with SEO Image?

I found them through a personal reference. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March 2020, and our engagement is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our project isn’t so much commercial — it’s more art than science. Therefore, I don’t have any specific metrics. However, I know SEO Image’s efforts are working due to conversations with contacts confirming a greater awareness and understanding of my project. 

SEO Image helps me further my fundraising efforts in areas where I lack expertise. I have complete trust and confidence in Alan and the SEO Image team. As a result, I don’t have to worry about SEO, and there’s value for me in that. 

The team is excellent about personalizing their approach and ensuring I’m aware of what they can accomplish every step of the way. They’re also good at listening to my concerns and objectives. Moreover, I appreciate that I only interact with one individual because they have a holistic view of my project.

Overall, SEO Image excels at managing expectations and has incredible knowledge and expertise in SEO. 

How did SEO Image perform from a project management standpoint?

We don’t really have set deadlines because things are constantly changing. We communicate through email and text messages. SEO Image provides a very personal touch, and I appreciate being able to communicate with Alan. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Responsiveness is SEO Image’s greatest strength. Although Alan is an expert in SEO, I most appreciate the team’s responsiveness since I don’t have much time. 

Alan also tells me what I want to hear regarding results and what they might take. SEO Image helps me understand enough for me to be clear that we’re doing the right thing without having to understand the granular detail. The team centers our conversations on what I want to achieve and maintain and less on the technical details. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Although I’m sure there’s something they could improve, I can’t think of anything. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be as open, direct, and upfront as possible, and don’t be shy about asking questions.