SmartSites

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We provide the most accurate and trusted information on the firms and people essential to the financial services and insurance industries. I am a digital marketing specialist responsible for social media creation and management, PPC management, and collateral management.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We needed SS to help grow our amount of quality leads and help optimize our account.

SOLUTION

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

After seeing what SmartSites could provide, we thought that they would be a great fit to help achieve our goals.

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

PPC Management:

• Keyword Analysis
• Ongoing Negative Cleanup
• Optimization of Account
• New Ad Copy
• Bid Strategy

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

Two - Michael and Joel. They managed our account together.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have seen our quality leads increase in Salesforce and we've been seeing our CPL decrease.

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

Michael and Joel were always willing to jump on a call for us and/or shoot us emails explaining what we needed to know.

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

Their PPC knowledge is fascinating! They've taught me so much.

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

None come to mind.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of an e-commerce website. We are selling apparel and video and animation for education, entertainment, and art genre exhibits.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SmartSites?

We needed help in web development and design. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, we sent PowerPoint rough drafts to SmartSites of our ideas about the site. They then developed our e-commerce website using Magento. They’ve integrated Stripe for payment processing and ShipEngine to allow our users to get shipping rates. 

The development is ongoing, but it’s mostly because I haven’t been in a hurry to have the site up and running. 

What is the team composition?

I primarily worked with Ashley (CRO & Operations Manager) and another teammate. 

How did you come to work with SmartSites?

I searched for web development agencies online. As I looked at various websites, SmartSites kept showing up. I made a shortlist and included them since they had multiple reviews — I knew they weren’t fake. 

I spoke to all the shortlisted companies, and I chose SmartSites because of their reputation online and responsiveness. More importantly, when I spoke with them, I felt they really cared about our vision and mission, so much so that they wanted to partner with us. It was a no-brainer to choose SmartSites. 

How much have you invested with them?

I spent over $25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in September 2020, and it’s ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I’m delighted with SmartSites’ work. They’ve transformed our ideas into reality even though we’ve only sent them rough drafts.

How did SmartSites perform from a project management standpoint?

Our project manager has been phenomenal. She’s very patient and responsive, and she jumps on calls whenever I ask her to. She’s always punctual, and she follows up with me on emails that I send her about corrections and updates to the site. She ensures that things are to my liking. 

We communicate through email, Google Meet, and Zoom.

What did you find most impressive about them?

SmartSites’ level of service is impressive. I can feel that they’re really caring as a company. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything they could have improved on. However, I would’ve liked to meet the people who are helping us behind the scenes. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Look for someone who’s invested in helping you see your vision and cares about you being successful.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of enrollment at NFC Academy, a private Christian school that offers online homeschool programs.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SmartSites?

We needed their marketing expertise.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

SmartSites handles our digital marketing efforts to optimize our online presence. They manage our SEO and PPC pipelines by conducting link building and content writing to boost our traffic. Additionally, they regularly monitor our site analytics and identify any vulnerabilities to focus on in our future campaigns.

Their team has previously managed our Facebook ad campaigns, but we’ve decided to pause those efforts since we haven’t been seeing enough traction to push through. SmartSites has then focused on handling our ads on Google and Bing.

What is the team composition?

We work with about 2–3 resources from SmartSites.

How did you come to work with SmartSites?

We found their team on Google while looking for potential candidates to onboard for this project. SmartSites impressed us with a strong presentation, so we chose them among their competitors.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend between $6,000–$12,000 a month, depending on their deliverables.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing collaboration with SmartSites commenced in April 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I don’t have a lot of quantitative metrics to share at this point, but I can confirm that SmartSites’ team has professionally and consistently handled our requirements. We’ve been getting more organic and high-quality leads because of their customer-oriented marketing approach.

They incorporate our goals into each deliverable they produce and reward us with advertising materials that promote our school’s vision across our target audience — as a small company with dedicated offerings, that’s a big deal to us. 

How did SmartSites perform from a project management standpoint?

We mainly communicate via email and Zoom. SmartSites is a responsive and accommodating team — we’re not marketing experts, but they take their time in helping us understand every step of the process and simplifying complex marketing terms. Their level of commitment helps assure us where our money is going.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re most impressed with their communication skills — it gives us enough confidence to put our trust in their team’s work.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think there’s anything that they haven’t addressed already. They put a lot of effort into ensuring that the results they deliver meet our expectations.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The information you give their team is integral in making your project work — be sure to be thorough in relaying your scope and needs. SmartSites will listen attentively and take it from there.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm a digital marketing specialist that is working for a furniture company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We were aiming to grow our online presence and plan out a solid digital marketing strategy. They focused on social media advertising and retail channels. By that, we expected to reach a greater audience and grow our online sales.

SOLUTION

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

We searched clutch.co and shortlisted a few companies based on their success in digital marketing and CPC rates. After the interviews, we have decided to move forward with Smart Sites based on their thorough analysis.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and marking tools used.

We went through a discovery phase for them to have a better understanding of our brand. Then moved forward with what we can do better to take our brand a bit further in terms of digital marketing.

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

We worked with PPC operations manager and google account managers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

In general, campaigns had a successful outcome.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We had bi-weekly meetings to discuss the updates from both ends.

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

They are very responsive and enthusiastic which helped us grow our audience.

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

They were willing to improve in any areas that we requested.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We build mobile apps, and I run everything.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire SmartSites?

We were trying to get leads at an affordable level, due to the high competition of mobile dev ads.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I found them on Clutch.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

SmartSites did all digital marketing from scratch.

What was the team composition?

They had a few different departments working with us on this.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested over $6,000, including ad spend.

What is the status of this engagement?

The contract has been completed.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

How did your relationship with the vendor evolve?

It started out rough, but after we ended the contract SmartSites delivered what we felt was above and beyond their requirements to determine this was a successful investment for our company.

How did SmartSites address the challenges that arose?

They iterated and adjusted accordingly. 

Describe the impact this engagement has had on your business.

Not much impact, as we only ran the ads for 2 months.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We were in constant contact with the ads person and ads manager.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They resolved issues quickly and in a fashion we felt was above what was expected.

Is there any area for improvement or anything that could have been done differently?

Research on ad categories prior to working with a client.

What advice do you have for clients with similar needs to yours?

Make sure they are certain they can deliver for the type of market you are in.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of Flats Hound Fishing Charters. We cater to all clients and customize private, all-inclusive  fishing trips around our customers’ needs. We have multiple locations in Southwest Florida but we’re a small, local company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SmartSites?

We turned to SmartSites for our SEO and digital marketing needs.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We began with an easy introduction between us. SmartSites answered all of my questions, told me how they could help based on their work with past clients, and set the expecations for the project. Our goal was to increase the number of online leads, so they helped me with my online presence.

The team proceeded to perfect my website, going through all the errors and fixing them. They created direct links to TripAdvisor, Yelp, and Google My Business and updated my Google Maps listings since 80% of my leads come from local area searches. For the SEO aspect of the project, SmartSites researched keywords that are beneficial to my business. I went through the list and pointed out which keywords I wanted to rank for. 

Though we have an account across various social media platforms, I did not enlist their services for that. They did, however, do a lot of written content for me. 

What is the team composition?

Stephanie (Project Manager) always keeps in touch with me and seeks my approval for all daily and weekly implementations. The marketing manager, on the other hand, helps mw with all of my listings. I work directly with those two people but I’m sure they have a huge team working in the background. 

How did you come to work with SmartSites?

I’ve done SEO campaigns with other companies in the past but I wasn’t exactly pleased with the outcome, so I researched online for highly reviewed companies. I sought SmartSites out for our SEO because I was looking to attack this project aggressively. 

How much have you invested with them?

Thus far, we’ve probably spent around $10,000–$12,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in March 2021 and the project is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve been very pleased with SmartSite’s work and with the progress that we’ve seen so far. Since they’ve been involved, one of our secondary location has experienced a 40% increase in business. In that sense, they’ve really helped our other locations generate a considerable number of leads, whereas in the past, only our oldest location was claiming bulk of the work. 

How did SmartSites perform from a project management standpoint?

We mostly talk through email and do weekly or biweekly briefings to follow-up on our progress. Through video conferencing and screen sharing, we go through content, metrics, and other things that concern the SEO campaign. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

SmartSite’s professionalism and connectivity distinguish them from other providers. Getting ahold of them is never an issue and they are completely transparent with their methods, approaches, and progress. 

A lot of the SEO companies that we’ve worked with in the past were not so see-through, but SmartSites really keeps us up to date on everything. It’s comforting to work with a company like theirs. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything. I’m really happy with their work. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be clear about your goals. If you tell SmartSites what you want, they’ll be sure to do their best to make it happen.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the marketing director of a real estate development company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We were looking to get more leads for our acquisitions team. SmartSites helped us start up PPC campaigns and leverage our existing website.

SOLUTION

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

After researching a few companies, we landed on SmartSites and decided to give them a chance.

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

We took the existing website that we had and built a PPC campaign that would drive the traffic we wanted to the website to submit a lead form. When we weren't seeing great results at the beginning of 2021 we tried adding a different website/brand.

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

I only worked with one account manager, Connor.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since implementing the PPC campaign, we've driven a lot more traffic to the site and seen a bit of an increase in our leads.

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

They've been great at managing our expectations and meeting deadlines. We mostly use email to communicate, and they're always quick to respond and implement changes. We have a biweekly meeting and review where we're at and where we want to be.

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

Their level of professionalism and overall knowledge of the industry stood out.

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

More accountability.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Owner and General Manager of a regional outdoor refinishing company that services all of Southern California.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hires SmartSites to optimize and manage existing PPC campaigns while also enhancing our SEO efforts. Goal were to increase traffic and ulitmately quality conversions.

SOLUTION

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

I looked at many firms (more than 10) and narrowed my choices to 3. SmartSItes was always the most responsive and the least pressuring when making my choice. The price was in-line with others and very reasonable for the services offered.

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

We set goals, established a stratetgy and then commited to monthly activities to meet those goals. On the SEO side, SmartSites produces at least 5 pages of fresh content each month while also adding about 5 high-quality backlings to existing pages as well. On the PPC side, we have increased CTR, decreased Cost-Per-Click and decreased Cost per Conversion.

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

I work primarily with Ashley Ismailovski on the SEO side and Danielle Denman on the PPC side. They are both exceptional to work with, providing timely responses and quality results.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Traffic has increased 80%, conversions have increased 50%, Cost per Conversion has gone down by 25% and my total PPC spend has decreased.

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

Regular monthly updates that are both number-driven and qualitative. Always on time with results and new copy.

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

Their consistency, approachability, and willingness to adapt impressed us.

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

Not that I can think of.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of an IT support company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SmartSites?

I sought a digital marketing agency primarily to handle my PPC ads.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

SmartSites constructed a landing page to compel more traffic and conversions. Their team also reviewed and revised my Google Ads campaign. They currently manage my PPC ad initiatives, which include Google Ads and Microsoft Advertising.

What is the team composition?

I solely work with Kristina (Senior PPC Analyst).

How did you come to work with SmartSites?

I spoke with several companies and almost settled for one when I saw one of SmartSites’ ads on Google. I had an initial call with one of their sales representatives and then another call with Kristina. We had a good rapport, and she seemed to have integrity.

How much have you invested with them?

So far, we’ve spent $2,000–$3,000 on their services. The landing page cost $750, and we spend $500 per month for PPC management.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together around December 2020, and it’s an ongoing partnership.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since SmartSite began managing our PPC campaigns, we’ve gotten more calls and more conversions. I’m satisfied with the direction in which our campaigns are headed. I’m also quite pleased with the landing page their team made and their efforts to continuously tweak it.

How did SmartSites perform from a project management standpoint?

We have bi-weekly calls and frequently communicate via email between the calls. They also report on metrics monthly, so I evaluate the performance metrics such as views and conversions. Kristina’s quite responsive, usually answering emails the same day.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their team is honest, passionate, and takes pride in their work. Kristina genuinely wants us to succeed. I'm impressed by her knowledge, analysis, and suggestions. SmartSites also has reasonable prices.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of any ways for them to improve.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a co-owner of a beverage holder company and t-shirt brand.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SmartSites?

They handle the PPC for all of our brands and SEO for our beverage holding company.  

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They set up all of the PPC campaigns on Google Ads, Facebook Ads, and Pinterest Ads. They occasionally come up with ideas for the ads, but I usually come up with most of the content myself. They also handle all of the SEO for our e-commerce site.

What is the team composition?

We have two people working on PPC, one person working on SEO, and one account manager.

How did you come to work with SmartSites?

I did a Google search and saw them on a couple of lists. We called them and another company, but we thought that SmartSites offered a fair price and had an impressive portfolio. After interviewing them online, we liked how energetic and professional. While we spoke on the phone, they reviewed our account and gave us some advice. They shared their screen so we could watch how they worked and they seemed to be really knowledgeable. Ultimately, we decided to work with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in October 2020 and our partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Overall, we’re happy with their work and plan to continue our partnership. They do seem to be performing better than the last partner we worked with. We have seen improvement since this time last year, but it’s difficult to determine how much of that is because of their work. We had just opened our store last January, we’ve only been working with them for a couple of months, and COVID-19 really impacted our sales.

How did SmartSites perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicate via email and they’re very responsive. Once a month, we have a phone call to go over metrics and our budget, but we can reach out to them at any point.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very responsive and they communicate with us on almost a daily basis. They’re energetic people, so they work well with our company. They’re very passionate about what they do.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think there’s anything they need to improve.