seoplus+

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a multimillion dollar retail boutique, offering premium home products to a loyal customer base, offering bespoke and concierge services. We partner with over 30 European brands and present over 3000 SKUs. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire seoplus+?

We have been a highly successful retail store for over 25 years, always innovating our retail experience and product offering to our customers to bring fresh experience.

It's time we launched a website but we had no experience to do this. We also worked with a web developer complete that could not deliver our needs and so we turned to SEOPLUS to help us with webdesign and strategy. 

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

As we are a small business, we needed an agile partner that can help us with both big and small problems, we also needed to be transparent with pricing and timing needs - SEOPLUS was great to work with.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

SEO Plus quickly understood our needs and helped us turnaround our website in a short timeline, with a design that aligns with our brand assets and positioning. They always came up with innovative solutions that fit the need and were proactive about helping us 'think long-term'.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We just launched our website - very pleased with the results. Their solutions and designs are long term and sustainable which is key to building an online presence. They delivered everything ontime and with great results.

We enjoyed working with the team in the past 5 months. We look forward to continuing to build on our relationship with them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a small group focusing on sponsorship, marketing, and consulting. We help people figure out what their sponsorship opportunities are worth, and what the best way of selling them is. We work with charities, non-profits, sports teams, and major events organizers.

I am the president and Chief Executive Officer of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with seoplus+?

My goal was simple in concept: to get to the first page of Google for chosen keywords. I came to seoplus+ with this clearly-defined issue.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

seoplus+ has provided 95% on-site SEO services. I had my own backlinks and guest-posting strategy. seoplus+'s focus has been helping me identify the right keywords. I had a bad mix which was pointing me to the wrong people. I was getting traffic, but not the right traffic. seoplus+ also worked on some backlinking, but that wasn't my focus.

I retained the post-writing tasks, using seoplus+ as an editing department. They go through my whole site, and make sure that my content is optimized. I do run pay-per-click, but I also handle it myself.

How did you come to work with seoplus+?

I looked at whether or not the SEO companies I was reviewing were active in thought leadership, out-speaking, and working with the community. It takes a certain level of intelligence and competence to stand out in front of a crowd, tell them how things work, and answer questions in real-time. Getting repeat speaking opportunities is a sign of a fairly evolved business.

seoplus+ lists the keywords that they rank for on their site. Those could have been very easy targets, so I wanted to do a search for myself, for what I thought SEO is associated with by the average person. seoplus+ consistently ranked number-one and two for those terms. I searched for their competitors, and those companies weren't there.

I talked to various companies about black hat SEO practices. Any competitor who mentioned using black hat was crossed off my list. I don't imagine that most people coming to digital marketing firms know this part of the activity, which can be a little dangerous.

seoplus+ has real-life, in-person thought leadership skills, they rank consistently for various keywords, and they're not secretly setting up a private blog network, or buying bad backlinks. To me, there was no other option in the field. The price that seoplus+ charged didn't play a factor at all, it was more about quality of product.

How much have you invested with seoplus+?

The cost of my package with seoplus+ is around $1,000 per month. I may not be using an off-the-shelf product, given that I traded some pieces. I handle my own writing, and I don't need seoplus+ to manage my social media.

seoplus+ is more costly than other firms. When I refer people to them, I often hear that they're pretty expensive. I can't tell if this is because those people have wrong expectations or not. When I was trying to decide if the work would be worth $10,000 per year, I did the math for how many hours I'd be spending doing the work myself. It isn't possible to not do SEO or write blog posts.

What is the status of this engagement?

I first met with seoplus+ in October 2015. We kicked off the work in December, and have an ongoing relationship.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Initially, I picked 15 keywords to target. I'm currently ranking high for 12 of the 15. I reconnected with the seoplus+ team in order to do a refresh, as my business model changed. We added a number of keywords, so I've come to rank for 16 of 30. Optimization for the new ones was only started this morning.

I'm on the first page of results for 6 of my keywords, and I'm in first place for 2 of them. seoplus+ did a good job of setting expectations, letting me know that that probably won't happen, but it did.

This time last year, I'd had 32 organic visits to my site. This month, I have 1,300 visits coming from SEO work. This represents a significant jump in organic searches. For me, each of those visits is worth 3 pay-per-click ones. They're so much more valuable.

Someone just bought one of my off-the-shelf products after googling a term. I've also received a request for proposal for a sizeable project after someone found me through an organic search. These 2 results will pay for seoplus+' services for 5 years.

How did seoplus+ perform from a project management standpoint?

seoplus+' structure may not be unique, but it's a huge advantage. I can onboard with a team of 6 people. Whenever I screw something up accidentally, it will be fixed by a web designer the same day, without charge. I think that seoplus+ expects people to foul up contact forms and so on. I have had access to on-call WordPress support. I have one point of contact, as well as a dedicated editor/writer. I can speak to someone about the technical side of writing, as well as the technical side of SEO. Those two things alone have saved me enough time in order to justify the cost, let alone ranking in Google. I can save 10 hours of work per month.

What did you find most impressive about seoplus+?

When most clients are comparing seoplus+ to whomever else, and expecting the results the next day, I can imagine it must be tempting to use black hat techniques. seoplus+ could bump my ranking tomorrow, and then completely destroy my whole website in 6 months. They'd be gone by then, so it wouldn't matter. I may unknowingly suggest something which turns out to be black hat, during a monthly strategy meeting with seoplus+. They will raise flags right away, telling me that it's a bad idea. I have someone to bounce ideas off of.

Whatever it is that seoplus+ has created by way of its structure, has gone well with its culture and philosophy, and it has made my life so much easier. I would have to receive an outstanding offer in order to consider moving to anyone else in the marketplace.

Are there any areas seoplus+ could improve?

Not for me. I know slightly more about the space than the average person, but if I was completely cold and had no concept at all of digital marketing, I would want more information from seoplus+. I can't say that seoplus+ hasn't provided enough information, because it isn't true. This remark is really disingenuous. I have no issues with seoplus+ at all. There are few areas in my business where things magically happen, and I have no problems. seoplus+ is one of them.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We're a medium-sized registered charity in Ottawa.

What is your position?

I am the finance manager of the charity.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with seoplus+?

We'd launched a new website and noticed a significant problem with our SEO afterwards. We lacked visibility and there had been many deficiencies which needed correcting.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

The original SEO work had been done by another company. seoplus+ was responsible for reviewing the site and making improvement suggestions. Their work was mostly on-site. We're cleaning up basic elements at this time and off-site work has been planned for the future.

seoplus+ has also given us some advice with regards to social media marketing, but there is a serious immediate problem which needs to be rectified quickly. After that, we'll move on to less serious issues.

How did you come to work with seoplus+?

Nothing speaks to the quality of an SEO company more than finding them as the first result after a Google search. They were the number one local company we found.

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

I cannot provide this information.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them a month ago. The cleanup process has mostly been completed by now and we are looking towards the next steps.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

We've seen immediate drastic improvements in our ranking as a result of seoplus+ and their work. We went from being in the third page of search results for our targeted keywords, to being on the first page.

What distinguishes seoplus+ from other providers?

I haven't dealt with a lot of SEO agencies but, when compared to other general contractors, seoplus+ is a pleasure to deal with. We're a small company, and they're a good fit for us.

Is there anything seoplus+ could have improved or done differently?

I can't think of anything.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

My organization does counseling, consulting, mediation, and coaching for individuals and companies.

What is your position?

I am the president and counselor.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with seoplus+?

I had a couple of Web designers, IT [information technology] people and social networking people who were okay, but they were amateurs. I found seoplus+ to be extremely professional and thorough. I switched everything over to them.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

They designed both my websites, and they linked them. They update two blogs every month. I'm on page one of Google, which is an advantage. There's some extreme competition here in Ottawa. They have a policy at seoplus+ that they only work with one company in a given category, which I find extremely beneficial. That's a great principle. If they were doing similar quality work for two or three others in my field, that would not be good. There was an issue of negative reviews on Google and they helped me there. I get lots of contact through WordPress, which seoplus+ hooked up for me. I get reports and tips from them every month. They watch Google AdWords. They always get back to me very quickly. They won best new small business in Ottawa for two years. 

How did you come to work with seoplus+?

It's been four years now. I just wasn't pleased with the ones I was dealing with. I was impressed by them on the phone. They were also physically near me. 

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

It's so variable. I don't want to provide that.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

I've been first on Google for a long time. The blogs that come out every month come out on the first page of Google. I always have six or seven people lined up on WordPress.

What distinguishes seoplus+ from other providers?

Their professionalism and customer service. seoplus+ understands problems and knows how to solve them.

In hindsight, are there areas in which they could improve, or things you might do differently?

I can't think of anything.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

VP, Business Development

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired SEO+ to help us with SEO optimization and increase our visibility in Toronto to get more traffic to our store.

SOLUTION

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

Pre-existing relationship from a previous project, Mobile Klinik.

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

About 5 people from SEO+ and various positions.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our ranking has been steadily increasing and we are seeing more organic traffic come through the door.

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

They've been great at keeping us in the loop with results and are always one step ahead to give us visibility into their ongoing work.

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

We've been impressed with their willingness to help and give honest advice.

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

Wish we could've engaged them earlier than we did.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Ferguslea Properties is a property management company in Ottawa. I'm the Marketing and Communications Manager for Ferguslea Properties and I oversee our marketing strategy.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire seoplus+?

Ferguslea Properties has been working with seoplus+ for over 4+ years. We hired seoplus+ to oversee our digital advertising strategy and SEO efforts. seoplus+ over the years has become a trusted and invaluable partner to Ferguslea Properties providing exceptional insight, advice and support on countless fronts. Their team is amazing.

What were your goals for this project?

Over the years, we have seen significant improvements and results related to our SEO, and digital advertising performance.

SOLUTION

How did you select seoplus+?

Ferguslea Properties put out a Request for Proposal to a number of providers. There were four companies being considered and seoplus+ was the standout. Their team, expertise and their loveable leader Brock made it an easy choice.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

The overall scope of the work was digital advertising, SEO, content creation and web support.

What was the team composition?

The team was comprised of 6 people.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We saw significant improvements to our digital advertising efficacy, and SEO.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The seoplus+ team is great to work with, very responsive and supportive.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Amanda Murray is the best! Incredibly knowledgable, helpful and just a delight to work with.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The company does all the fun activities with their staff and they don't invite their clients. :)

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the business owner and Physiotherapist

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire seoplus+?

Search engine optimization on my website. Website construction and design. Website content and keyword strategies.

What were your goals for this project?

To improve ranking on key search engines in Toronto for certain search terms used by potential patients. To drive increased website visits by patients looking for physiotherapy and Pilates in Toronto.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

They were recommended to me by another marketing company that provides courses for small business owners.

Describe the project in detail.

SEO custom project;

1. improving onsite SEO
2. keywords and optimizing URLs
3. Optimizing content in web pages and blogs.

What was the team composition?

SEO specialists, web designers, and account manager

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Website design improved and SEO onsite structure
• Improved rankings overall in targeted keywords
• Improved organic search results. Increased business

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs? 

I was given a monthly plan on a spreadsheet and all work was completed. Regular follow-ups were provided by email and phone. Monthly reports showing results and data.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They have a great team approach. The account managers and leads direct the work to the right person. Everyone seems on the same page and work is completed in a timely manner. Work requests are reviewed and estimated costs provided so I can budget.

Overall, a very professional and efficient delegation of projects. They have worked very reasonably with our budget and have helped us focus on other priorities.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Gifford Carr Insurance Group - President

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We had reached a plateau with our previous web company and needed a boost. SEO was tasked with increasing our reach, expanding our rankings, increasing web traffic, and tracking/increasing goals.

SOLUTION

How did you select seoplus+ and what were the deciding factors?

We selected them based on their reputation, immediacy of results, and relative competitive cost given their experience in the field.

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

Back links, Adding pages, meta data.

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

6+ various positions within their specialized disciplines.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

While we are in our infancy, web traffic has already seen increases of 16% year over year and we are seeing double the amount of completed goals.

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

All email communication, timely, and on schedule.

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

The immediacy and transparency of their results was impressive.

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

Not yet.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the president of Hansen Lawn and Garden LTD- we are a landscape design build maintain company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire seoplus+?

SEO plus -- looks after our online presence - website - through to ad words

What were your goals for this project?

Increase traffic- google standings - and make it easier for clients to find us

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

It was easy - SEO plus was professional and clearly understood their market and how to make your life easier. No question they were very honest about how their process worked.Our entire team was very comfortable with their presentation.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Changed - upgraded our website - made the site far more defined and clear. Also added customer contact forms which made a huge difference - they listened to us, and clearly acted on what they heard. For our online presence they monitor and make adaptations as required.

What was the team composition?

Sales team - and that was clearly handed off to a production team. Both worked in unison to insure we always knew what was going on - and asked for feedback where required.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

They now hold all of our marketing dollar -- everything goes through them.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

It was clearly laid out in the beginning and executed to perfection.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

communication and ability to handle issues or small concern we had along the way

Are there any areas for improvement?

This question is tough -- what I see from them is a constant quest to be better / learn more -- so they are improving by adding value to themselves and all of their staff.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the financial controller and manager of Rowat Insurance, an insurance broker in Canada.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire seoplus+?

We needed help with our online presence to build our brand with the public and reach potential new online clients.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to increase traffic to our website, including both customers and those browsing for information on finding coverage. We need these online leads to get quotes from our website, to have more reviews of our company on Google, and more traffic to our Facebook page too.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

They were referred to us by a colleague. We’d originally dealt with them successfully on previous projects, and they provided us with excellent service.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

They conducted an online audit to find out where we were, where we wanted to be, and what goals we wanted to achieve. Once these benchmarks were set, they put together a plan of changes to our website, Facebook, Google Analytics, and Google Ads campaigns. They then provided continuous updates and additional ideas to optimize this plan as time went on.

What was the team composition?

Several people were in contact with me, including the account manager/team lead, content marketing coordinator, and SEO specialists.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve experienced very positive outcomes from the project. The focused online marketing campaign has led to an increase in clients.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

It was very effective. We received immediate responses from them and monthly reports on all areas of the SEM campaign.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was impressed by their ability to identify what we needed to do to reach our target audience and their expertise in developing a plan of action to meet those goals. From the start, they made themselves available and ensured that we achieved what we wanted to.

Are there any areas for improvement?

It would be nice if the project was completed more quickly, but an effective SEM campaign takes time, with a long-term commitment.