The SEO Works

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am an Account Director at a communications agency specialising in technology.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The SEO Works?

Web design and development / SEO

What were your goals for this project?

Our goals were as follows: - The website is our shop window and demonstrates credibility for member engagement, partnership activity etc. Requirement to significantly improve the look and feel of the website - Ensuring that both educational and technical materials are easier to access for all stakeholders - Expand the capability and functionality of the website to expand the available communication channels (ie blog post functionality)

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

My team conducted research into various website agencies (locally, nationally and internationally). We chose SEO Works as they demonstrated: - Clear understanding of the project requirements. - A commitment to transparency and an itemised scope of work (which was not provided by competitors). - A can-do attitude and willingness to take on a challenging timeline / project.

Describe the project in detail.

Once SEO Works were selected, we had an initial kick-off meeting to confirm requirements and timelines. As we were working on a very tight schedule, all aspects were accelerated. SEO Works demonstrated a significant level of flexibility to ensure that each stage of the project (design, SEO, build) could be progressed as quickly as possible while maintaining high-quality. SEO Works were also able to liaise with third party contractors to support the go-live process at short notice. This was invaluable and we would not have been in a position to launch without the support shown.

What was the team composition?

The team was headed up by Gabriel, supported by Ash. Alex was the lead on design and Natalie on SEO.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Received positive feedback from the Board and membership, and also internally. Have directly referred SEO Works to other client teams internally.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

I was always able to access the team and have questions answered throughout. This is included almost daily calls in the lead-up to go-live.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

This was my first website project and I really valued the support the team provided me with. In particular, I was impressed by the ability to troubleshoot and present me with solutions and not problems.

Are there any areas for improvement?

N/A

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Managing Director for a company in UK selling Cafe & Barista supplies. We have been trading since 2009 and as the market has become more competitive we lost our ranking due to the lack of work done on the site.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The SEO Works?

We hired SEO works for SEO giving them a number of keywords which were getting the highest traffic. We were trying to handle the SEO ourselves prior to us working with SEO Works which we thought was in our best interest but after seeing how well we are now ranking I wish we had been using SEO Works since the beginning!

We actually had them review the account in 2012 and we did not pursue as we thought we could have done it ourselves with what I could find online - but in reality we probably lost out on millions of pounds in revenue due to us trying to do the work ourselves instead of allowing the professionals to do it for us.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to improve our rankings for a number of keywords and increase traffic leading to increased revenue which SEO Works did 10 fold in less than a year!

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I had seen SEO works initially as they are in a prominent place in Sheffield so their signage is easy to see form the road, I could see they were expending and their reviews were good hence why we decided to try using them.

Describe the project in detail.


We were invited to see the team to show them the website and explain our product range to them - it was very in depth and helped us to allow them to ask any questions before starting the project. We were very keen on getting the ‘right’ customers on our site and they were able to make sure we could execute this.

What was the team composition?

We go through two team members, both of which are very helpful and always eager to do whatever is best for our business.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We are ranking number 1 for the main keyterm for our insustry and in top 3 for the majority of the rest within only 1 year of launching the project!

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Their team are always on hand and responsive and happy to jump on a call if we have any questions. Now we really leave them to it they are doing so well there is no need to interfere

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The caliber of their workforce impressed us. I feel the SEO team are well trained and have a wealth of knowledge in techniques which help us reach our target.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Nothing!

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are Nu-Heat and we specialize in bespoke underfloor heating. My position is a digital marketing executive in the marketing team, and I deal most closely with The SEO Works.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The SEO Works?

We have used various SEO companies before, and we haven’t always had the results we wanted or expected. We knew there was a lot of potential that we weren’t really exploring.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The goals obviously change depending on what we are dealing with at the time. In total, it would be to oversee and manage our SEO efforts, and so we work really collaboratively to set KPIs and expectations and we run a campaign at a time. They are always looking at the backend and the technical side to make sure that nothing is slipping which is really useful.

We had a good chat and they were clear on explaining the processes. Looking at the content gap, it was really clearly structured as to what we were going to expect over the next quarter, and that was clearly defined and we were happy with all the outcomes, whereas before, we worked with agencies where deadlines weren’t met and expectations weren’t very clear.

What is the team composition?

We work with a couple of people. We work with Paul (SEO Executive) who is the account manager, as well as Natalie (SEO Account Executive) who is the assistant. We deal with Natalie more day-to-day because she works a lot with the copy. We work closely as a team really.

How did you come to work with The SEO Works?

We looked on Clutch, and The SEO Works had really good reviews. They seemed honest and they willingly gave us references. We needed to clarify some questions, and they were happy with that as well.

We looked for a new SEO company and The SEO Works seemed to be really good. From the start, they were one of our favorites. They were really open, honest, and had a good structure to their processes really from the start.

They’re based in the North which is a fairly competitive environment for SEO and they have won a lot of awards which I think gives them credibility especially since we weren’t sure what to expect, and without actually meeting people, it is the only thing we could go on. It was an indicator that they are good at what they do.

How much have you invested in them?

We have roughly spent around £25,000–£30,000 (approximately $31,000–$38,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in April 2019, and we are still working with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our KPIs included the number of sessions, conversion rate, and number of plans submitted. Success varied depending on the campaign. For example, we did a whole campaign around our floor heating page, and we set a KPI to increase the organic traffic by 20%. They achieved over 100%, and we did have a new website at the same time, so there were two contributing factors. It was really impressive, and a lot better than we expected.

How did The SEO Works perform from a project management standpoint?

They were really good and they are really approachable. If we have any questions about timeframes, we can talk about it and then set a deadline that we both agree on, and every time they have actually been met. It is a case of agreeing on it together. We have always been on the same page with The SEO Works and I don’t think they have ever missed a deadline, which compared to our old SEO agency, is really rare and it was impressive.

We use email regularly and have a catch up on the phone once a month to see how the month has gone and what to look forward to the next month. We have a monthly report from them which is sort of bespoke and we spend a lot of time working with them on creating that report so that it works for us internally as well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are really honest and open; they clearly state what can and cannot be achieved. They stick to their word which is really important when working remotely—especially because we have to trust each other. They have become part of our team because we completely trust and respect what they say, and it has worked for us really well. Before, with certain companies, they would try and hide things and weren’t as transparent.

Are there any areas they could improve?

If I was really picky, I would say they could be slightly more proactive in recommending campaigns and gaps in traffic. I realize at the same time it is quite difficult for them to be that proactive because we come to them before they come to us.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Know your own expectations to start off with. I think that is really important for any business so you know what you are going to achieve over the campaign. Trust them, because they know what they're talking about.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Lawrence David are the 3rd largest manufacturer of semi-trailers and rigid vehicle bodywork in the United Kingdom. I am the Group Marketing Manager.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The SEO Works?

We had to rebrand a division of the business that was not part of the sale of the company and we engaged The SEO Works to advise on the design and implement the build of our new website, compliance portal and e-commerce store.

What were your goals for this project?

Launch a website that is representative of the industry leading services offered by the rebranded business. Establish the business as the go-to resource within the market.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

The SEO Works we chosen out of three businesses as the most aligned to our company values and due to their capabilities. A combination of internet research and face to face meetings were used to identify vendors. The deciding factors were the quality of the initial audits conducted, the level of professionalism exhibited by all the staff I've dealt with and their capabilities. I was solely responsible for the decision to engage The SEO Works.

Describe the project in detail.

Rebrand LD Asset Management and LD Multi-Parts to Fleet-Serv and Part-Serv respectively. Establish the businesses on a standalone basis with respect to: brand identity, website, marketing campaigns, social media and promotional materials ready for launch. I managed the project from start to finish and was responsible for providing all the copy for the website as well as helping with aspects of the design. The SEO Works was responsible for the complete design, build and implementation of the new website and all the associated parts. They custom-built a document management portal for our customers and made several excellent suggestions regarding the functionality.

What was the team composition?

3 or 4 I believe. They were responsible for SEO and for the web design. I do not believe the size of the team changed. They collaborated with my preferred Creative agency, Strawman Creative, on the implementation of the branding.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Everything went according to our initial plan. The only hold-ups or issues stemmed from my company rather than The SEO Works. They met every deadline and allowed me to focus on other aspects of the project without having to worry. All other stakeholders were very impressed with their efforts and the professionalism of their staff.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Communication was also flawless. They were quick to respond to any queries we had and offered a variety of options on ways that we could collaborate more seamlessly - such as using their TeamWorks platform.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their attention to detail, passion and dedication are phenomenal. It's easy to see why they are one of the leading businesses in the UK. They are capable of producing outstanding work at scale, without losing the personal touch.

Are there any areas for improvement?

They met every marker I set and completed each task on time. No issues with communication or any other aspect of our relationship. Honestly, no. Nothing to improve.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the marketing director for Sheffield High School for Girls, an independent school based in Sheffield, England. We cover ages 3–18.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The SEO Works?

Our website is one of the main routes that people use to find out more information about the school. We wanted to make sure that our site was achieving high search rankings, so we needed to hire SEO experts.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

When we started working with The SEO Works, we had a different website. They highlighted several shortcomings on the site, which ultimately led to us building a new one.

Another company developed the new site, but The SEO Works was very involved in the process, contributing advice and recommendations on structure, metatags, and content.  They helped launch the new site and made sure we didn’t drop in rankings during this transition.

The SEO Works optimized the site around certain keywords. Following the new site launch, we underwent a few business changes. For instance, we added a preschool, and we needed to let the community know about this new offering. The SEO Works helped us improve our ranking with related search terms.

Currently, The SEO Works provides SEO on more of a maintenance basis.

What is the team composition?

My team mainly interacts with the account manager, who specializes in DevOps. We occasionally interact with the business development team. We’re aware of other people on the team, and we drop in to see them now and again.

How did you come to work with The SEO Works?

The SEO Works came highly recommended to us. We spoke to them and believed they could do a good job for us. We contacted a few other companies, but The SEO Works definitely stood out.

The SEO Works did an initial audit, and the report that came back was really impressive. They definitely understood our business and had experience in the education sector.

How much have you invested with them?

My company has spent £30,000 (approximately $37,100 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in September 2016, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The SEO Works helps us stand out in a competitive environment. They’ve improved our rankings and the number of visitors to our website. Since launching the new site, we’ve doubled site traffic year-over-year. Following the launch of our new website we went from 12,000 visitors a year to 24,000, which was amazing. They’ve been able to maintain this level of traffic and keep it where we want it to be.

How did The SEO Works perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management is brilliant. They’re diligent about sending very comprehensive monthly reports that give me all of the information that I need to show what they’ve been doing. They’re good at scheduling phone calls when they need to go through specifics with me. We have face-to-face meetings a couple of times a year, which is really useful.

Our account manager has changed a couple of times in the three years we’ve worked with them, but that’s always been very smooth. I’ve been impressed by the handovers; they haven’t had to involve me, and there’s never been any change in service.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The work that they do is an incredibly valuable part of our digital strategy. If we stopped working with them, we’d see a serious decline in our web performance.

When we were working on our new site, the site developer was really impressed with The SEO Works’s performance and contributions. We established a great collaboration and all worked together.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I’m very happy with them. They do a really good job.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’d definitely do the audit; it was a really useful piece of work that they did for us.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of online at Rab, a UK-based company that specializes in technical outerwear and equipment for extreme conditions.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The SEO Works?

We needed to open ourselves up to a broader market. We hoped to reach new customers through digital advertising and SEO.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The SEO Works provides on-site SEO. They do some backlink and seeding tasks, but most of their SEO work is on-site. They also do PPC using the Google Display Network. Our teams collaborate on the creative for Google Ads.

The SEO Works also does social advertising on Facebook. My in-house team creates the display ads, which The SEO Works uses to set up our social campaigns.

Until recently, their efforts were UK-focused, but we just started working with them on US-specific SEO because we have a subsidiary in Colorado.

What is the team composition?

As the head of the online department, I work primarily with Alex (Sales Director, The SEO Works). My company’s content person and developers work with a team of 4–5 people from The SEO Works. Each team member has a specialty, like SEO or PPC.

How did you come to work with The SEO Works?

The primary reason we chose them was because they were a good agency and checked all of our boxes. We looked at the work they’d done and the clients they had, and we compared them to similarly sized agencies around the country. The SEO Works is also from the UK town where our brand originated, so that was a good commonality.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about £200,000 (approximately $248,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

Our partnership began in May 2017, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It’s fair to say that our organic search traffic has doubled since we started working with them. Over the past year, our paid search traffic has seen a 35% increase. We set forecasts, and they tend to hit those numbers.

How did The SEO Works perform from a project management standpoint?

We work with The SEO Works on a daily basis. The team is very proactive; they always come to us when things aren’t working well or if they have suggestions. They’re fastidious and great at communicating.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re most impressed by their results, as well as their straightforward and friendly approach. They’re conscientious and efficient. I’ve worked with 2–3 agencies, and The SEO Works is the easiest to work with. They have great expertise and insight.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing stands out. Our working relationship and the way we manage projects is constantly evolving. The SEO Works is continuously improving, whether that’s by using new communication channels or different kinds of project management systems. They take suggestions well, and if there are issues, we generally resolve them quickly.

Any advice for potential customers?

Working with The SEO Works has little to no negatives. I wholeheartedly endorse them. If you want someone who’s straightforward, friendly, and gets results, then they’re the company to hire.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Our company offers a platform with which people can take more control of their health and wellbeing, all from the palm of their hands. The personal health record app is used by over half a million people in the UK - and it's also connected to all three major GP systems in England, providing online patient-facing services across the country. The app also allows people to monitor their health and fitness, record allergies, medications, and store medical documents and letters.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The SEO Works?

We wanted to hire an SEO company in order to attract more customers to our website, ensuring that we are visible and ranking for the main keywords for our industry.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to improve the ranking of our keywords, so that we appear higher in search results and obtain higher traffic to our website. We also wanted to achieve sales through our PPC ad campaigns.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Through previous working relationship with the CEO Ben Foster, who we trust as a reliable and knowledgeable source to help achieve our goals.

Describe the project in detail.

The SEO Works conducted a keyword report for us, helping us to target the most important terms for our industry in health and wellbeing. They regularly update the keyword research with new recommendations as trends change.

We meet every month to discuss our objectives and requirements from them and analyse numbers from the monthly report. The SEO Works team provides helpful guidance to help us achieve our goals, including content and structural changes to the website.

We have restructured several areas of our website, which The SEO Works have helped to optimise as well as offer advice on how best to restructure. They presented us with ideas and options based on an in-depth competitor analysis.

The SEO Works have also provided us with regular content in the form of articles to publish on our website blog. These focused on topical subjects that could attract more traffic to our website. They have also assisted with finding opportunities for outreach work and collaboration with bloggers/influencers in our industry.

What was the team composition?

We have regular communication with the managing director and our account manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We are ranking number 1 for four of our main keywords and 2-5 on 10 of the other keyterms. This has helped us to gain significant traffic to our website for these terms and improved visibility on search results with Google.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The team is very pleasant to work with. We enjoy our meetings and they are always quick to respond to our queries. We meet every month by Google Hangout using a video call. We occasionally (once or twice a year) visit each other in person at our office or their office to discuss more significant projects, such as website redesigning.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The professionalism and knowledge of the team are where The SEO Works really stand out. When the team are presented with any project or problem from us, they are efficient at presenting back coherent solutions. They are a reliable and flexible team.

Their help with analytics has been very useful, where they even set up a workshop and Q&A to iron out all our issues with using Google Analytics. This helped us to improve our confidence with using the platform.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Sometimes it is difficult to communicate remotely, but this can be solved through in person meetings.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm a Marketing Specialist at a company that designs and manufactures high quality, bespoke solutions for interior environments. I manage the marketing channels there.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The SEO Works?

We are aware that Google is a key place for being found as a business. We don't have the expertise in house to do this, so sourced The SEO Works to help us get more exposure.

What were your goals for this project?

We weren't on page one for key search terms that relate to our business, so the goal was to get us there. Also we didn't know if PPC would offer a sustainable way of delivering leads to our business so we wanted to see if this was achievable.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We initially did some online research to understand who was out there. Also websites like Clutch helped to verify our shortlist. Then we invited a few in to see us and work on a proposal.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

It was to set a strategy that would help us start to gain more exposure from Google. We're a traditional sector so needed quite a bit of hand holding to understand how things worked. They also consulted with us in terms of how to put the right tracking in place so we could measure it. They they set up PPC and SEO campaigns, and delivered a monthly campaign. We are in regular email and phone calls. They report monthly on progress and we meet face to face every 6 months or so.

What was the team composition?

2 account specialists, one for SEO and one for PPC

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Well before we started, we didn't rank on page 1 of Google. We worked on a focus of 20 searches that match the sort of customer we are looking for. It has been gradual progress but now 11 of these are on page 1. With the PPC, we are finding that we can get a regular stream of leads into the business, around 3 per week, but thats based on our limited click budget. As we are quite specialist at what we do, it doesn't take too many to become paying customers.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Good, their strategy documents were really clear and it was easy to see how they were working. We use slack too which keeps it all in one place.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their proposal was the most comprehensive and we were reassured that they have been doing this sort of thing for over a decade. Their account team is also really friendly.

Are there any areas for improvement?

If we had more budget there are loads of other things we could do with them, but we are satisfied for now.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the digital marketing manager at a pottery company, responsible for all digital marketing efforts for our four brands.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The SEO Works?

We migrated onto a new Oracle platform and needed support to manage our search visibility and SEO efforts. Being a site primarily rendered in JavaScript, and being a multi-site, single page application platform, we had our work cut out for us. We needed help from an agency who understood our challenges and could help us to find creative search solutions.

What were your goals for this project?

Ultimately, we wanted to drive traffic to our site and acquire new customers/more qualified traffic. We have strong brand awareness in the UK but are at a very early stage of the journey in the US. Therefore, we required a different keyword strategy for both these accounts to influence customers at different stages of the conversion funnel.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We vetted a number of different companies, looking for a cost-effective agency that could help us achieve all we wanted and more.

Describe the project in detail.

We receive monthly reports monitoring in-depth performance of any technical, content, or link-building changes we make to our site. It also details any PPC ad campaigns we run: remarketing, display ads, shopping, non-branded terms, YouTube video campaigns. SEO Works has helped give us the confidence to dip our toe into new spaces and formats and to continue to evolve our digital marketing campaigns. 

What was the team composition?

We work with an account manager and an account executive on the SEO side. For PPC, we interact with another account executive and account manager, in addition to their paid search lead.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Their PPC work is only about 6-months old, but we’ve seen palpable efficiency improvements, with spend decreasing YoY and revenue holding steady. We’ve also seen huge SEO keyword improvements and visibility, even after replatforming.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We converse face to face and over email, phone, and shared Google docs. I always feel up to date with budget sheets and project plans, as they’re constantly updated.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They’re friendly, down-to-earth individuals that explain complex topics simply. They give you confidence in the investments you’re making, with the results to back it up. Feedback is received well and used to make positive changes. They’re quite flexible.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Keep communication up and be on top of reporting on our internal campaigns

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We're an award-winning company in the recruitment to recruitment space. We support the following sectors of recruitment: construction & property, rail, education, IT, health & social care, engineering & manufacturing, oil, gas & energy, sales & marketing, and commercial services. I'm responsible for getting more clients on board.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The SEO Works?

Although we still very much rely on traditional methods for generating new clients, we’re aware that digital is an area where we don’t have any expertise. We saw that we needed to improve our organic search rankings and that we were missing out on pay-per-click (PPC) opportunities. We hired The SEO Works to help us in this area.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal is to get more visibility for our company in the right places online to ultimately generate more business.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We used sites such as Clutch, and The SEO Works came up as a recommended firm. We created a shortlist and then invited three agencies to come in and pitch to us. The SEO Works came across as the strongest.

Describe the project in detail.

We started with SEO and eventually added PPC to the mix.

What was the team composition?

They have a project team with one lead account manager who serves as our point of contact.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We were ranking on the second and third page for various searches, and now most of these have moved to page one. It’s taken a year to get to this point, but The SEO Works was clear in setting expectations on this.

We've managed to get the PPC working at an effective cost-per-lead in only a few months. They’re continuing to gradually optimize the performance of our PPC ads.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Communication has been great. We use Slack for regular communications and meet face-to-face every few months.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They give realistic targets and don’t over promise while still delivering results. Also, their experience shines through; it’s obvious that they’ve been in this industry for over a decade.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Initially, the reports lacked some of the details that we wanted to see. They’ve been responsive to our feedback and have customized their outputs accordingly.