Web Dev, SMM & SEO for Manufacturing Company
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Social Media Marketing Web Development
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WordPress CMS
- $10,000 to $49,999
- Mar. 2020 - Ongoing
- Quality
- 5.0
- Schedule
- 5.0
- Cost
- 5.0
- Willing to Refer
- 5.0
“They actually delivered the website ahead of schedule, so we were able to launch early.“
- Manufacturing
- Wixom, Michigan
- 11-50 Employees
- Phone Interview
- Verified
WebFX developed a WordPress site for a manufacturing company. They provide continued SEO, maintenance, and marketing services. They're also assisting with an ERP implementation.
The new website and SEO efforts from WebFX have greatly improved the client's Google search position, raising them to appear on the first page consistently. The client has seen significant user engagement on the site, showing a clear ROI. WebFX continues to dedicate a supportive, efficient team.
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
BACKGROUND
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I am the president and CEO of AIC Equipment & Plasti-Co. We have two business units: AIC Equipment and AIC Plasti-Co. We’ve been in business since 1974 as AIC, and Plasti-Co was founded in 1984.
We are a manufacturing rep for molding machines and other auxiliary equipment in Michigan. The main portion of our business is our manufacturing arm, which supplies to the plastic injection and extrusion industry. We make screws, valves, nozzles, screw tips, and supply heater bands for injection molding equipment and extrusion molding machines.
OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE
What challenge were you trying to address with WebFX?
Our website was very outdated, and we couldn’t track information. We needed to develop a new website to help us meet our goal of using technology to streamline our entire portfolio of product offerings on both the equipment and manufacturing sides. We also needed the website to track user engagement and optimize our SEO effectively. Our team has limited technical expertise, so we wanted to engage a partner with solid project management and web development skills.
SOLUTION
What was the scope of their involvement?
We met with WebFX, and they got to know our company better and tried to understand what we were looking for. They evaluated the brand and assigned resources to different areas appropriately. They created a plan for the website redesign and migration to WordPress, SEO, maintenance, and marketing.
They developed a completely new website from scratch using WordPress and continue maintaining the site. They trained us to use WordPress so that we could start migrating content to the new site. They also created a test website before the launch to ensure functionality.
They built a heat map to track our user engagement and how they navigate the site. They helped us with the technical translation of our products by ensuring that our messaging, layouts and icon displays were appealing. They also built a reporting tool and dashboard to track our traffic, which determines our ROI. The tool allows us to track user engagement, activity, inbound leads, quote requests, and SEO. They built a feature within the reporting tool that enables us to filter by monthly, weekly, or daily reports. They also track our competitors’ traffic so we can compare results.
They built our pdf files and marketing materials into the site to launch a blog site. Then, we worked together to develop templates for automated email marketing campaigns that operate directly through our website and are tied to our blogs. They manage our e-mail marketing. We supply WebFX with new customer emails monthly, and WebFX adds them to the campaign database.
They’re also helping us identify market segments to more effectively target our audience. They help maintain the site integration and ensure we comply with email marketing regulations. They also helped us build additional marketing strategies and optimize our LinkedIn presence.
We are switching to a new ERP system, and they’re involved in ERP launch meetings with our new ERP provider. We are eliminating our old ERP in NetSuite, and WebFX is helping us streamline the communication between our new ERP and website.
They’ve continued to assist us with the website post-launch by adding key enhancements, features, and products. They are a Google Partner and continue to monitor and update our keywords to ensure our site populates in Google search results. They also maintain the website, and we plan to engage them to build our e-commerce site shortly.
What is the team composition?
We worked with a WebFX project manager, 2–3 developers, and the marketing team for the initial web development project. We have 3–4 team members helping us with LinkedIn, and we still work closely with our project manager on LinkedIn and ERP initiatives.
How did you come to work with WebFX?
WebFX came to us as a referral from our sales director for North America. As a small company, we were looking for a partner that had experience working with other small businesses and understands them. We researched WebFX and found that they partnered with several companies that ranged in size. We met with WebFX and liked what they had to offer, especially as it related to the direction we wanted to go in as a company.
How much have you invested with them?
We invested roughly $20,000 in the primary project and continue to invest $2,500–$2,700 per month.
What is the status of this engagement?
We started working together in March 2020 for the initial web development project. The development phase lasted from March 2020 through December 2020, when we launched the site. The partnership is ongoing.
RESULTS & FEEDBACK
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
We’re at the top for keyword searches. The WebFX team constantly updates keywords to accommodate the Google algorithm, ensuring our business is on the first page alongside our larger competitors.
We couldn’t track our website traffic before WebFX built the new site. ROI is very important because our board members use it to measure our success. We’ve seen significant activity on the new site, and the reporting tool that WebFX created shows a clear ROI.
How did WebFX perform from a project management standpoint?
WebFX is excellent from a project management standpoint. They have the capabilities, staff, and expertise to help us reach our goals. Their staff has kept us on track through each project stage. Overall, they delivered each phase of the primary project on time and target. They actually delivered the website ahead of schedule, so we were able to launch early.
Early on, we were anxious, but they quickly figured out which resources we had and how to best manage them and adjusted their team to meet our needs. We only have a few staff members with technical expertise, but WebFX did a great job training us to use WordPress.
Initially, we had weekly development meetings leading up to the website launch via Google Meet. We now have monthly and quarterly review meetings to review deliverables and assess growth. Our project manager is available any time we need to meet and provides weekly updates through email.
They use Google tools for project management and communication. We use a secure communication portal that connects WebFX to our team members, including our sales teams, procurement, and engineering groups. It’s very easy to track activity and communication through the WebFX portal.
They have clearly defined partnership plans that outline exactly what features and services are available at each cost. Depending on our needs, we can choose to enhance the partnership with different features at any given time. We work with independent teams within WebFX, but they communicate effectively with each other, and with us.
What did you find most impressive about them?
Their expertise and the breadth of their offerings are impressive. They’re at the forefront of technology and web development. Being a Google partner, they know the importance of Google search results and how to navigate the algorithm. Their technical support and daily management of our website have also been impressive. The ROI is undeniable.
WebFX is especially beneficial to small businesses, but I’d recommend their services to any company. They have the staff and expertise to support a wide range of requirements and dedicate a communicative, supportive team. Their senior management was involved with our launch, which shows that WebFX is committed to us as a true partner.
Are there any areas they could improve?
I have nothing they could improve on.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Be prepared to communicate exactly what you’re looking for because they have many options available. Be transparent about your company's resources and the expertise on your team so that WebFX can adjust their team accordingly. Lay out your vision and desired time frame, and they will work with you to achieve that. Ask what they need from your team to help keep the project moving forward.
RATINGS
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Quality
5.0Service & Deliverables
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Schedule
5.0On time / deadlines
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Cost
5.0Value / within estimates
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Willing to Refer
5.0NPS