Straight North

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.:
Ecommerce Auto parts

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address?
Increase inorganic flow to my website

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement and team dynamic?
They took on my entire Google ads account

What's the status of this engagement?

I have finished working with them

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

How did your relationship with your partner evolve?
The management team ensured that I was completely satisfied with my results before ending our contract.

In what ways can they improve?
Having video call updates with people directly working on my account rather than a middleman.

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

Straight North has a focus on ad spend strategies, take your creative into your own hands and make sure it is good.

UPDATED REVIEW

This review was published on August 3, 2026.

Ian Rush

Owner, West Coast Classic Cougar

Automotive

Salem, Oregon

1-10

Apr 2026 - Jul 2026

Less than $10,000

Verified

Project summary

A classic car part retail company hired Straight North to manage their PPC campaigns. The team was responsible for increasing the client's Google Ads efficiency to boost qualified leads.

Feedback summary

Straight North's efforts resulted in a significant drop in conversions and ROAS for the client. The team's account manager lacked expertise and was unhelpful, and they failed to make amends. Straight North refused to refund the fees that the client had paid and did not explain the poor results.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Owner of West Coast Classic Cougar

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Sell new and used car parts for the 1967-1973 Mercury Cougar

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Straight North to accomplish?

• Increase qualified leads to our website

SOLUTION

How did you find Straight North?

Online Search

Why did you select Straight North over others?

Pressuring sales team

How many teammates from Straight North were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Attempted to increase out Google ads efficiency 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Straight North has an incredibly persuasive sales pitch. Even though I initially doubted they were the right fit to improve my Google Ads account, their sales team convinced me that I would be making a mistake to turn them down, so I signed on. Over the next four months, I paid their agency fees and drastically increased my Google ad spend (which was essentially the only real recommendation they made). The results were disastrous: my overall conversions dropped significantly, and my Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) absolutely tanked. To make matters worse, my account manager acted merely as a middleman for the people actually running my campaigns. He couldn't provide any concrete answers during our check-ins and offered zero insight into why my account was bleeding money. Our meetings were entirely unhelpful because his response was always that he needed to "talk to his higher-ups" to get answers. When I voiced my frustration regarding the poor results, they made no substantial effort to make amends. I saw zero proof of any actual industry expertise. They seemed genuinely surprised that their changes caused a drop in conversions, yet they couldn't provide a single intelligent explanation as to why it happened. I requested a refund of their management fees, and they refused. While they obviously cannot get back the pile of money they wasted on Google Ads on my behalf, my offer stands: if they reimburse the agency fees I paid them to disrupt my account, I will remove this review. Ian West Coast Classic Cougar

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

I only spoke with a low down employee who was not able to answer my questions. 

What was your primary form of communication with Straight North?

Virtual Meeting

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

NA

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

Do not sell to accounts who you have nothing to offer to

STAR RATINGS

Overall rating: 0.5 Lack industry expertise

Quality: 0.5

Cost: 0.5

Schedule: 0.5

Willing to refer: 0.5

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the President of Selected Benefits, Inc

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We offer group health insurance and ancillary products to both small and large business in Texas and Nationwide. We also offer individual and family health insurance plans.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Straight North to accomplish?

• Build a new version of our website
• Improve our domain traffic and conversions

SOLUTION

How did you find Straight North?

Online Search

Why did you select Straight North over others?

• High ratings
• Good value for cost

How many teammates from Straight North were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Straight North built a new version of our main website: selectedbenefits.com

They built it in such a way as to optimize SEO from scratch, rather than modify the previous version.  The results have been exceptional.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Over the course of 2 years, our website traffic was up about 300%. Keyword rankings for relevant terms also increasd by about 600%.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Yes, they always delivered on time and provided us with a real-time reporting tool. Also have monthly meetings to make sure we're always on the same page.

What was your primary form of communication with Straight North?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

The website performance. None of the other companies we've tried produced these results.

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

N/A

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Tour Operations Coordinator of Chicago Prime Tours

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Themed bus tour company. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Straight North to accomplish?

• Build new company brand
• Create visibility online
• Increase ticket sales

SOLUTION

How did you find Straight North?

Referral

Why did you select Straight North over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me

How many teammates from Straight North were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Sell tickets for themed tours. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Increased brand awareness by 43 percent from June to July 2026 

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

My team communicted directly, and focused on our needs to align within our budget. 

What was your primary form of communication with Straight North?

Virtual Meeting

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

Straight North's personalized service and reporting metrics stand out.

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

N/A 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the president of Bigfoot Homes, a construction company. We provide affordable, sustainable modular housing solutions in California, offering eco-friendly features and handling sales, permits, delivery, and installation to address the state's housing shortage efficiently.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Straight North?

We needed help getting our Google Ads off the ground and running. We had zero advertising going when we started.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Straight North has helped us initiate a Google Ads campaign from scratch. They've set up the ad account and created ad copy. We also have regular check-ins.

What is the team composition?

We work with one teammate from Straight North.

How did you come to work with Straight North?

We found them through an online search. We chose them over other options because they had high ratings, their pricing fit our budget, and they offered good value for the cost.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in November 2025, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The number of inbound leads has been strong.

How did Straight North perform from a project management standpoint?

They deliver on time. We communicate via email and messaging apps.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're hands-on and deliver good results.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CMO of The Brand Consultancy, a company that provides branding services by combining research, analytics, strategy, and design to deliver actionable insights and measurable growth for clients, focusing on aligning brand strategy to business goals.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Straight North?

We needed help with lead generation.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Straight North provided SEO and paid lead generation services. The team delivered reports, landing pages, website optimization suggestions, and blog templates.

What is the team composition?

We worked with 2–5 teammates from Straight North.

How did you come to work with Straight North?

We found them on Clutch and chose them because of their high ratings.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from April–December 2025.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We received reports from Straight North, but we didn't see any measurable outcomes or leads.

How did Straight North perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicated via virtual meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Nothing stood out as impressive or unique.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Straight North's salesperson lied to get our business but delivered nothing. They could have had a more trustworthy salesperson.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Sales & Marketing Manager of Kelair Products, LLC

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a Manufacturing company that has two different lines we own and manufacture for. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Straight North to accomplish?

• SEO optimization
• Website assistance
• Overall Marketing assistance and analytics

SOLUTION

How did you find Straight North?

• Referral
• Other

Why did you select Straight North over others?

I am not sure I was not apart of that

How many teammates from Straight North were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

On the Kelair side of our business we manage and change/redesign the website and track the analytics associated with that. They write and publish blog posts, manage google pay per click and SEO, and help track calls and website submissions.

On the Woodlawn side of our business which we recently aquired they have been assisting in first making a splash page, and now creating the fully built out website. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We were successfully able to get many of our products on the first page of google. We were able for the first time to track analytics, clicks, calls, submissions, and all things SEO. We were able to put out relavant and helpful information as well as build one for our new company. 

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Calli was who we have been working with most. She goes above and beyond to hear our needs, and then implament them. She is very honest with us when things are working, when that are not, and how we can pivot/adust for the best results possible. She's creative and business savvy and we really enjoy working with her. 

What was your primary form of communication with Straight North?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

I find their communication style really works well with mine. We don't waste time, we tend to just get right down to the numbers and the needs. I find their turn around time and results they offer to be very impressive.

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

Not that I have for them!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am an executive of Royal Family Tours

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We offer VIP TOURS in Disney World Orlando, Universal and Seaworld. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Straight North to accomplish?

• I have a couple of complaints against Straight North

SOLUTION

How did you find Straight North?

Online Search

Why did you select Straight North over others?

Pricing fit our budget

How many teammates from Straight North were assigned to this project?

1 Employee

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Massive Financial Loss Due to Their Mistakes
One of their biggest failures was setting up our landing page and advertising campaigns with a non-working phone number. This meant that countless potential customers called a dead number, and we lost an enormous amount of revenue—especially during our busiest season.

This wasn’t a minor mistake—it directly impacted our sales, customer retention, and overall business growth. Because of their lack of attention to detail, we lost not only immediate revenue but also returning customers who would have continued using our services.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Google Ads Blocked Due to Their Incompetence
More recently, Straight North caused another major financial setback when they set up a contact form on our website that contained malware. As a result, Google flagged our site and completely blocked our Google Ads campaigns.

When we contacted Straight North for support, their team ignored our calls, failed to provide any specific details about the malware issue, and refused to take real responsibility.

For reference, when Google detects security issues, they provide detailed reports pinpointing the exact problem areas—but Straight North never shared any of this critical information with us. We had to reach out to WP Engine ourselves and discovered that the malware was embedded in the contact form they had built.

Because of their incompetence and lack of urgency, our Google Ads campaigns were completely shut down, meaning we couldn’t reach new customers, drive traffic, or generate sales for an extended period. This is unacceptable for any business that relies on paid advertising.

Zero Accountability and Terrible Customer Service
Their customer service is non-existent. In over five years of working with them, I have never spoken to their customer service representative. Emails go unanswered, phone calls are ignored, and when I finally got through to someone, I was given excuses instead of solutions.

At one point, I had to call six different people in their company, and not a single one picked up the phone. I reported the same issue multiple times, yet no one provided a real answer or took responsibility.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Final Insult: They terminated the Contract Without Fixing Anything
Instead of correcting their mistakes and restoring our Google Ads account, Straight North ended our contract without solving the problem. They left us with a website flagged by Google, blocked ad campaigns, and significant financial losses.

Warning to Future Clients: DO NOT Work with Straight North
I have documented proof of everything—emails, conversations, and evidence—should we decide to pursue legal action. I strongly urge other businesses to avoid Straight North at all costs.

Their leadership ignores clients, their team is unreliable, and their customer service is among the worst I have ever encountered.

If you value your business, DO NOT trust Straight North with your website, advertising, or digital marketing needs. We will be sharing this review on multiple platforms to ensure others don’t make the same mistake we did.

What was your primary form of communication with Straight North?

Virtual Meeting

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

there is nothing impresive with this company, they are terrible a customer service and delaling with mistakes and emergencies. they do not care about their cusotmers. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Founder of Elevate Counseling

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Mental Health counseling services

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Straight North to accomplish?

• Revamp the website to amore modern and functional design
• Improve the customer experience
• Improve SEO

SOLUTION

How did you find Straight North?

Online Search

Why did you select Straight North over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost

How many teammates from Straight North were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Completely redesign my current website into a more modern and attractive design, while improving functionality and SEO

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

They delivered a beautiful design that reflects my business's values, along with engaging content that attracts clients to the practice.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

The team at Straight North did an excellent job of informing me of their progress and providing a timeline that they successfully met.

What was your primary form of communication with Straight North?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

The design team listened to my business's needs and understood some of the challenges of behavioral mental health.

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

NA

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am a Manager of HDCI

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We design and sell heavy duty, commerical and industrial storage spaces. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Straight North to accomplish?

• Design a website for our new product launch

SOLUTION

How did you find Straight North?

Online Search

Why did you select Straight North over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Straight North were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

This was an initial website build. We determined a new product that we would like to begin marketing/selling. StraightNorth assisted us in:

• Designing a logo
• Building each of the pages that were needed
• They made recommendations on information and pages that should be included

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

• We were consistently provided with updates on the status of the new website build. 
• Our project manager was easily accessible for any questions that we had. 

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

• Yes, all of the items were delivered on time. 
• We would recieve responses and follow up in a timely fashion. 

What was your primary form of communication with Straight North?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

• The customer service that was provided by Straight North was outstanding. 
• Each team member that we have worked with is very knowledgeable and respectful. 
• They are always able to provide recommendations for questions that we have. 

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

N/A

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Natalie and the Straight North team was great to work with. Natalie really spent the time to understand our business and to help bring our site together. She was flexible and always hit the given timelines. We are super happy.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

No challenges as we started with a clean slate.

SOLUTION

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

Natalie was able to compile quite a bit on info and help lay out our site appropriately.

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

We had a kick off meeting and then filled out a questionnaire that helped the Straight North team understand our needs and our business. From there, the put together the website structure and helped us with some content.

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

Natalie was our lead and was great.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Nothing yet, we just launched

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

Very timely and helpful

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

They were flexible to our needs while still maintaining structure.

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

work more closely with godaddy and out IT company to launch