WDG - Web Development Group

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I was the former director of digital access for The Folger Shakespeare Library.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with WDG - Web Development Group?

We needed someone to provide us with web development services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

WDG built our main institutional website and three other platforms. We started with a discovery phase to learn about the infrastructure we had in place, and dove deep into our content and how we wanted to organize it.

They then started designing the wireframes of the platform, coding the website, testing its integrity, migrating the content, and implementing the functionalities. Moreover, they provided us with maintenance and support after the launch of our websites.

What is the team composition?

We mainly worked with project managers, information architects, visual designers, and coders from WDG.

How did you come to work with WDG - Web Development Group?

They were referred to us by another vendor, and we decided to hire them based on the professional proposal they put together and presented to us.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested about $300,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from May 2014–February 2015.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Thanks to WDG, we were able to see an increase in online engagement and book sales, so we were very pleased with the results of the project.

How did WDG - Web Development Group perform from a project management standpoint?

All aspects of the project were delivered on time and within budget. There were some delays throughout the partnership, but those were expected and more on our side.

We used Basecamp to manage the project and typically communicated through Google Meet, Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Skype.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We were impressed with their level of responsibility, transparency, and smooth approach to development resolution.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They were able to address all our issues, so there was nothing they needed to improve on.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

To get the most out of your engagement, I would advise you to keep your communications open and always maintain a level of transparency to establish trust between you and WDG.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

National Stone Sand and Gravel Association. Communications Manager

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire WDG - Web Development Group, and what were your goals?

Completely overhaul an outdated website that was stuck in the 90's. We were seeking a web development vendor to transform NSSGA's web presence to a sleek but functional website that can be scaled and expanded in the future.

SOLUTION

How did you select this WDG - Web Development Group and what were the deciding factors?

Cost plus the culture and WDG staff. WDG was unlike most DC B2B vendors with suited up sales reps and project managers on top of project managers that have little technical skill. At WDG we were able to work directly with the design and development team.

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

NSSGA decided to build the website on Wordpress which made it fairly simply to update and maintain. WDG guided us on every step of the way from discovery to design to development. Being able to work with their technical team and not having to go through a middle man project manager made the whole process very efficient.

How many people from the WDG - Web Development Group team worked with you, and what were their positions?

Roughly 5

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Everyone at NSSGA and partners were very impressed with the website. The website went from a bulletin board of PDF's to a modern day online hub of content ranging from pics, forms, blog posts, and videos.

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

WDG was great with communication. They were always prompt and I could quickly walk to their office if I wanted to discuss something. They were pretty chill and I didn't have to go through non-technical project managers who are simply a middle man.

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

Their youth and forward thinking. Other vendors at the time were showing up websites that already looked dated. WDG's staff was current on design and development trends. They've great recommendations as well as great taste in aesthetics.

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

no

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of marketing at Trusted Choice.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with WDG - Web Development Group?

We hired WDG to do a website redesign and content audit for us.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, WDG did a content audit of our website and developed a strategy to define our business objectives. Then, they made recommendations for our site. We also wanted to move it to WordPress, so their team fully designed, built, and customized a new WordPress site for us based on the business objectives we defined.

Throughout the process, WDG upgraded the functionality and UX of our website. Once it was done, they helped us migrate the content from our former website. Finally, they tested and launched it for us.

The purpose of our site is to support small businesses with their marketing. On it, we share Facebook graphics they can download. Additionally, WDG built a single sign-on functionality and an e-commerce functionality.

Now, WDG is in charge of our website maintenance and hosting. In addition to that, we’re currently working with them on a few other projects. These projects include building an LMS and customized training features on the site. Recently, they did a Google Analytics audit for us and installed some plug-ins like Hotjar to see how our members were engaging with our website after the redesign.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with 5–6 people from WDG, including the owner, a project manager, a lead project manager, a lead developer, a strategist, and a support person.

How did you come to work with WDG - Web Development Group?

We were looking for a company that worked with associations like ours and was knowledgeable about WordPress. We launched an RFP to three companies we found, and WDG came back with the best proposal.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent close to $300,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in February 2020 and launched the site in March 2021. Our engagement is still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

After engaging with WDG, our website’s functionality increased exponentially. The great features they’ve implemented have led to much higher traffic, which has increased by 30%. Additionally, we’ve experienced higher conversion rates because people are now easily accessing our resources and getting a much better UX. Our members have been very impressed with the UX as well, and my team is very satisfied with the site’s backend because it is very easy to use. Overall, it has been a very positive outcome.

How did WDG - Web Development Group perform from a project management standpoint?

WDG’s project management has hit all the marks; they perform very well. They use Jira to manage the project and Google Meet and phone to communicate. Initially, we had weekly meetings, but our communication is not as frequent now that we’re on a maintenance contract.

What did you find most impressive about them?

WDG is known for being very strategic and supportive. They’ve been very helpful in taking our needs and translating them into an end product with a great UX. Additionally, they have very talented developers, which has been helpful for the technical side of our project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. They’re great partners, and they’ve met all of our expectations.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have those early conversations upfront and ask questions. WDG is very helpful and knowledgeable, so they can guide you to define your needs and keep realistic expectations.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Management Sciences for Health (MSH) is a global nonprofit advisory organization that provides governments, health organizations, and the private sector with the strategies, tools, and management support to effectively and efficiently deliver high-functioning health systems. I'm a Senior Graphic Designer at MSH who was responsible for managing the MSH website redesign project and acted as the project liaison with WDG during the development phase.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire WDG - Web Development Group, and what were your goals?

We hired WDG to help us redesign our website (msh.org). The old MSH.org website was launched in 2012. The look and functionality had become outdated and inefficient. Furthermore, the website was extremely difficult to update and maintain through the Drupal backend administration section. The information architecture was congested and no longer reflected the expectations of our industry. Engagement on the website suffered because of these problems.

As we approached our 50th anniversary in spring 2021, MSH was looking to roll out a fresh, more contemporary, vibrant website that conveys our impact, what we do, and who we are. We had three primary business goals to address with the website redesign: Increase downloads in the Resources section; increase website performance in general (bounce rate, average time, sessions, users); and increase e-newsletter subscriptions.

SOLUTION

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

MSH sent several RFPs to web development agencies that were recommended to us, one of them being WDG. After reviewing the proposals that came in, it was clear that WDG was in a league of its own. They are a one-stop-shop that has a proven track record of delivering conversion-driven solutions, a knowledgeable team of experts, and an extensive portfolio to back it up. MSH quickly decided that WDG was the best company to assist with its long-awaited web redesign.

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

The scope of work included design and development of a new website in WordPress. On top of that, the website needed to be launched before the end of 2021, which would provide WDG with less than four months of development time. First, MSH and WDG had a kick-off meeting to discuss goals and objectives. Next, WDG’s strategy team had weekly calls with the MSH web redesign core team, where they provided insightful recommendations based on UX best practices. The team helped formulate a new information architecture and assisted MSH with migrating hundreds of resources.

The design team provided wireframes for the primary pages/templates that were agreed on, followed by a desktop design for the home page. After a few design iterations, their team started the development process in WP. Some of the key features requested were automatic multilanguage translation; custom WordPress blocks; a robust filtering system for the resources, events, and global search sections; and e-commerce for online donations. Because of the tight deadline, MSH and WDG worked in tandem to address bugs, while the MSH team added content to the remainder of the website.

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

Eight people from WDG worked with MSH. A project manager was our main point of contact throughout the process. There were:

• three people from the Strategy & UX team (Strategist Lead, UX Researcher, IA Specialist);
• two people from the Design team (Creative Director and Web Designer); and
• two people from the development team (Tech Lead and full-stack developer).

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The redesign process was relatively smooth, and MSH has been very happy with the website performance so far. To date, the website boasts more than 1,700 pages, with more than half of those being resource pages. It receives a monthly average of 12K unique visitors, generating approximately 37K pageviews per month. Average load time has improved by 15%, most notably in mobile browsers. Our bounce rate has improved by 7.2% since the website launched, based on data from June 1–30, 2022, vs June 1–30, 3021.

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

In MSH’s experience, everyone in the WDG team is highly responsive. During the development process, the MSH team met weekly with the PM and development team from WDG. They utilized Confluence as a workspace for project collaboration, documentation, and deliverables. Once the project went into a beta phase and after the launch, they created a dashboard in Jira for MSH to log bugs and communicate any other improvement or maintenance requests.

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

The most impressive thing about WDG is their people. Everyone we worked with was kind, passionate, and had good listening skills. Our team was always impressed by everyone’s professionalism and ability to translate our team’s vision while providing real-life examples and industry best practices. All meetings and deliverables were of high quality and delivered on time. We enjoyed the strategy discussions with the cross-functional team (Strategy, SEO, Design, Dev, IA). It helped hearing the team’s recommendations, seeing examples from other organizations, and receiving guidance on how to structure the website or pages based on best practices.

It was amazing to see how the different WDG teams collaborate with each other and see their recommendations come to life in design. The WDG team listened well whenever we had feedback and was quick to reply to requests for information throughout the project. People skills are really needed for a successful project like this and they really delivered.

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

One thing that WDG could have done to further improve the experience for us is to provide more guidance on setting up taxonomy best practices to enhance cross-linking. MSH has a huge resource library in addition to hundreds of stories (e.g., blogs, press releases) and project and country pages. Since the launch, MSH continues fine-tune a few additional strategies.

Other aspects of the partnerships we wished we had might be tied to our tight deadline. These include more wireframes/device-specific design comps and a longer beta period to QA and submit bugs. Overall, we’ve had a very positive experience with WDG during the web development process through today

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I was the Senior Director of Marketing and Communications for Argentum, an association in Alexandria, VA.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire WDG - Web Development Group, and what were your goals?

New corporate association website and support retainer. Our goal was to create a new user-friendly website that supported our mission and offered member-only content.

SOLUTION

How did you select WDG - Web Development Group and what were the deciding factors?

We selected WDG through an RFP process. A variety of factors contributed to the decision such as project cost and team experience.

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

WDG created a new website for us in 2017 that involved integration with our CRM in order to support member-only content. Since that time, we had a retainer in place with WDG to help with management and support, as well as worked with them time to time on upgrades and improvements in areas including development, design, and SEO among others.

How many people from the Web - Development Group team worked with you, and what were their positions?

Many over the years but during the project development likely 4-8.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We saw an increase in traffic and engagement following rollout of the new website.

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

A friendly, communicative, responsive and informal management style made WDG. They are easy to work with.

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

They almost never increased our retainer fees — we were able to keep a steady fee year over year for the most part. This was a major contributor to staying with WDG because we had a small budget for web management.

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

Provide a short and long term plan for upgrading our site within our limited budget.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the digital media director at AdvaMed. We are a medical device manufacturer trade association.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with WDG - Web Development Group?

We wanted to update our website, completely redesign it, make it more aesthetically pleasing, and improve the information, architecture, and user experience.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

WDG - Web Development Group redesigned our website from scratch and built it with WordPress. To start off the project, they looked at our site statistics and traffic and talked to stakeholders within our association to find out what our goals were. After that, they went straight to the actual development and design process. During this phase, they worked on our site’s backend, adding our requested features that included integrating a management system. They also worked on the color scheme and other design elements.

We’ve reengaged with them on a retainer basis for maintenance support and implementing further improvements.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with about 12 people from their team.

How did you come to work with WDG - Web Development Group?

I was looking at association sites that I liked, then reached out to the managers of those associations. One of them responded that WDG - Web Development Group created their website. They also mentioned how amazing their team was and recommended them with full confidence.

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve spent about $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in August 2020, and our partnership is still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The quality of the website is great and fantastic. Plus, the management system they’ve integrated works really well. We’ve also received more traffic to our website since having them redesign it.

How did WDG - Web Development Group perform from a project management standpoint?

There’ve been some delays on our end, which has forced us to go beyond our projected launch date. Nevertheless, they’ve delivered on time. We use Jira for managing tasks and communicate daily through a ticketing system or sometimes via email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re impressed with their expertise and the quality of their work.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of any.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Trust their process and recommendations, and things will go well.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the director of communications and research at the Flight Safety Foundation. We are a nonprofit organization established 75 years ago, focusing exclusively on flight safety issues.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with WDG- Web Development Group?

We had an outdated website and needed to update and upgrade it. We were transitioning from a print magazine to a digital version. We had a lot of archival content, and we wanted to demonstrate that breadth of content to internal stakeholders, but we needed help organizing it.

We wanted the site to be more user-friendly and have a modern design. Our old website was challenging for staff members to navigate, so they would neglect to update the pages they were responsible for, leading to many outdated pages.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We provided WDG with the project scope and our content. They gathered feedback from internal stakeholders and created a plan to develop the website. They presented us with layouts and design mock-ups. Then, they mapped out the design, organized our content, and developed a WordPress site that was easier to navigate. 

WDG also created a custom search engine tool that links to content within our site and others that we partner with. They built in filters so users could drill down and search for specific content more easily, and be provided with accurate and streamlined results.

They continue to support us with website maintenance, which we manage through a ticketing system. 

What is the team composition?

We work with 4–5 team members, including a principal, an account representative, developers, designers, and help desk staff.

How did you come to work with WDG- Web Development Group?

We found WDG through a referral.

What is the status of this engagement?

We engaged WDG as a partner in January 2016, and the partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We saw improvements to our website traffic and engagement metrics. The previous site wasn’t user-friendly, and WDG created a site that is much easier to navigate. The new website has a much more modern, clean design. Our users always have positive feedback regarding the site. 

How did WDG- Web Development Group perform from a project management standpoint?

They deliver everything we ask for, and I really enjoy working with them. We’re a small organization, and we don’t have much web expertise, and they are very patient with us. They provide us with practical solutions to challenges. 

During the primary project, we had regular meetings in person and via phone. They introduced us to a tool that captures design feedback. We also continue to use a ticketing system to handle website maintenance. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

We are most impressed by how closely WDG listened to us during the primary web development project. They didn’t give us a one size fits all website; instead, they really worked to understand who we are and how we fit into our industry.

Are there any areas they could improve?

If you pressed me to find something they could improve on, I’d say their technical team of help desk staff and designers functioned better than their business side. That is a minor point, though, because their technical expertise matters most.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I served on the senior leadership team of a national nonprofit organization in charge of marketing and communications.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire WDG - Web Development Group, and what were your goals?

The website needed a complete overhaul, not only from a design perspective but also in terms of user experience. This was a complex project owing to a large amount of content compiled over decades that needed to be integrated into the new site.

SOLUTION

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

We conducted a lengthy search for the right vendor because of the size and complexity of the project. We researched dozens of web development companies, shortlisted five, interviewed three, and then selected Web Development Group. It was a unanimous decision.

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

Before work commenced, WDG explained the process in full, step-by-step so everyone had clear expectations. The first part of the process included an indepth organizational assessment. The WDG team conducted an analysis of the current site and interviewed key stakeholders to determine pain points and needs, and then developed some initial recommendations, including switching from Sitefinity to WordPress.

We then conducted a series of creative workshops and team meetings to talk about design, infrastructure, and content strategy. We put in place a content migration strategy, determined the overall site structure and needed wireframes. WDG also made sure to coordinate integration of the site with SalesForce, which was a new crm software for the organization.

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

WDG had a team of six people who regularly joined our strategy calls, including the principle project manager who kept the trains running on time.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The site has been incredibly well-received. Not only is it beautifully designed, but the structure is intuitive and user-friendly. Prior to the rebuild, visitors would often complain they could not easily find information on the site. That is no longer an issue. Traffic and engagement has increased. And the staff is thrilled with how easy it is to maintain the site.

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

I have never had a better experience with a contractor, in terms of professionalism and communication. They clearly set expectations at the beginning. The project manager was friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful. He kept our team informed every step of the way. Their strategist was flat-out a genius. I could not believe how quickly she processed our complex needs and then crafted a site strategy that made complete sense. When issues arose the WDG team handled them with grace and class (even when the issues had nothing to do with their performance).

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

They made the process fun! Rebuilding a website can be a long and difficult process, but I enjoyed every interaction with the WDG team. I looked forward to those meetings because I knew that I would (a) learn something, (b) see progress, and (c) laugh.

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

Honestly, I can't pinpoint something they could have done better.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the former senior web producer for Playworks, which is a children’s health nonprofit.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with WDG?

During our website overhaul, we also needed to migrate the platform from Drupal to WordPress.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

WDG’s director of strategy first looked at a previous team’s work for our campaign website. Their team gathered requirements and conducted an analysis. They then entered the design phase and assisted in choosing technologies. Their team then developed the main website and migrated it from Drupal to WordPress. After the main website launched, their team provided maintenance and additional features.

What is the team composition?

We interacted with 4–5 people from WDG. The team included Kurtis (Senior Web Developer), who led the design of our architecture, Vajaah (Director of Strategy), who built the infrastructure and the architecture, and the project manager, Homiera (Director of Client Services & Operations). 

How did you come to work with WDG?

I found them while researching articles about WordPress versus Drupal. We hired them to assess our website and propose a CMS tool. We liked working with them and decided to continue to do so.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent roughly $170,000 on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together between March–October 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We saw a significant increase in the number of unique page views. In one year, the number of unique page views increased from 1.85 million to 14.5 million. Although the website overhaul wasn’t solely responsible for that increase, it was a large contributor. We were happy with the website that WDG created. It was up to date and user friendly. 

How did WDG perform from a project management standpoint?

Overall, WDG did well. They were organized, thoughtful, and explained their tasks throughout the project. We knew what to expect and understood their responsibilities.

What did you find most impressive about them?

WDG was knowledgeable and strategic. Their team asked about our team’s technical knowledge. They then were able to explain concepts in an understandable way for us.

Curtis was great. He designed and developed the site, making sure it worked the way we wanted it to. He also focused on the administrator experience and not solely on the UX.

Are there any areas they could improve?

One small issue we had was when both project managers on the client and agency side had overlapping time offs, and project hours could have been better communicated by the interim project manager. WDG has since added more staff and upgraded their project management systems.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of business development and partnerships for WordPress VIP. We’re the enterprise group within Automattic, which is the commercial company behind WordPress.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with WDG – Web Development Group?

We’re strategic partners with WDG – Web Development Group. We’re a platform that works with large publisher s and high-octane users across various industries. We rely heavily on our partner ecosystem to do the design, development, and discovery work around building WordPress sites and applications. Having really strong partners in certain verticals is incredibly important to us.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They have a really strong partnership that can bring in really unique sites and accounts. They also help us close existing accounts where there’s a need for a technical team. The business challenge for us, is when we have a client who needs to become the best-in-breed, and we need to connect them with the best possible partner for that to happen. They’ve always delivered for that.

What is the team composition?

I work mostly with their owner and founder, Ab (Founder). I work with a bunch of other folks on discovery, technical, and client kickoff calls. They have a good balance of resources with various skills. For example, there are senior developers, senior management, project managers, and so forth. There is always a diverse group on our calls.

How did you come to work with WDG – Web Development Group?

I’ve been close with Ab for years. I knew them before he founded WDG, and so I’ve followed their work for a long time and have been impressed with everything they’ve done.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in October 2019 and our partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

When we introduce them to people, we hear positive results.  We have a number of clients who worked with them. Most recently, they worked with the Democratic National Convention, and they knocked it out of the park. Their implementation is really strong, they stick to budgets, and their discovery is really good, which always contributed to a strong engagement.

I really trust them. I put my reputation on the line by introducing them to my clients, but they always deliver on a super high level.

How did WDG – Web Development Group perform from a project management standpoint?

Fantastic. That’s their strongest position. They take these complex projects and are able to make them tangible and digestible. I’ve never heard a complaint about their ability to manage the process. At every level, I’ve been impressed with the coordination and talent level that I find.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I work with a lot of agencies in the industry, and WDG is an incredible brand, in that they’ve built a high-visibility and respectable brand, and they’re able to deliver on complex projects. Typically, they’re able to come in at a price that works for the client as well. So all those factors contribute to their success.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think so. They’ve chosen to focus on partnering with WordPress VIP, and that has been a smart decision. Going forward, they need to continue to grow and branch out into new industries and tackle, you know, continue to tackle the big and complex projects. That's the biggest thing.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Allow WDG to take them on the journey, starting with the discovery process and ending with QA, launch, and reflection. They have a clearly defined process, so when you work with them, you’re investing in that journey. Trust their leadership and process.