Yando Consulting

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a directory site that manages listings and also creates content in the millions. My role was managing and increasing organic traffic.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Yando Consulting?

All things SEO consulting

• backlinks 
• anchor texts
• content creation
• content outlining
• KW research
• domain redirects
• branding
• cross-functional SEO strategy
• on-page recommendations, among the few.

The service included the suite of SEO - on page, off page, technical

What were your goals for this project?

Increase MAU & Organic Traffic by 1.5x.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Vendor was selected through word of mouth from a friend of mine. Exceeded expectations.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Yando exceeding my expectations when it came to SEO strategy. The very first thing they did was perform an SEO audit that highlighted our opportunities when it came to targeting KWs that we weren't currently capturing.

From there, KW research and mapping was presented to me with their direct month-to-month plan on what was going to be published with the combined monthly search volume of those KW targets for that month.

Lastly, backlink & anchor text selection was refined to bring the best possible results to the KW that we are trying to target. So far, we've experienced a a 40% increase in organic traffic from the 4 months that we've been with them thus far - done through content creation and backlinks. Super satisfied with their service.

What was the team composition?

I had a direct line to one of the founders that greatly helped move the needle. From there, he had a team working in the background that would help support the things that I needed.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Outcomes include +40% organic traffic from the opportunities identified through content and backlinks.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

It was very efficient and effective. Yando's team of experts and content creators were professional experts in their field. We had a bi-weekly call that went over everything that was in the pipeline with also constant correspondence on email.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They have a great ability to find opportunities where we can write content and target KWs.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Honestly, everything was so seamless that I have no issues with the service. I thought everything went really well and I love the fact we got great results.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

TOAD Diaries an eCommerce company who make custom paper-based diaries. I am the head of digital marketing there.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Yando Consulting?

Ongoing SEO starting with an audit) then link building to help produce higher rankings for relevant keywords.

What were your goals for this project?

Higher rankings for relevant keywords.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We found them online through extensive 3rd party research online. The bigger enterprises we're too expensive, and so we settled with Yando because they sent through project sweets of what they were going to achieve and they seemed impressive.

Describe the project in detail.

It was an ongoing SEO project to improve our keywords across the board.

What was the team composition?

Yando & and myself, along with our web development team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

There was a very small subtle growth in search rankings over a 4/5 month period. This was after a site audit/ fix, link building campaign and X2 content marketing projects. This was far less than what had been outlined in the initial documentation.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow overall seemed very efficient.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Communication.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The results were extremely unimpressive for the amount we've spent with them. Probably the wort ROI we've ever experienced with a 3rd party company. The content marketing was the last straw. Whilst this did increase rankings slightly the images were massively oversized and made the whole page load extremely slowly. Something I have personally fixed since.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the director of marketing at PPC Protect Limited. We provide a SaaS platform that helps clients prevented advertising fraud.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Yando Consulting?

As a new SaaS company in a competitive space, we needed to stand out to achieve decent organic search rankings and drive customer acquisition. After unsuccessful partnerships with other providers, we engaged Yando Consulting to provide SEO services.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to achieve top rankings for our primary money keywords as well as a range of long-tail keywords related to the industry. We aimed to compete select, lower-reach competitors in our primary keywords within 12–18 months. We also wanted to drive up our primary KPI, which was free trial registrations.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Yando Consulting came recommended by a mutual contact. After they made our shortlist of 3 agencies to work with, we chose their team. Yando Consulting demonstrated an incredible depth of knowledge and a transparent approach to the project. They were upfront about what was possible within our given budget and timeframes, which was really important to us.

Describe the project in detail.

We first held strategy and planning meetings to create a roadmap for the next 12 months of organic growth. Yando Consulting helped create several pieces of new creative content to push on our website. They also made tweaks to our proposed target audience.

The team then conducted a full technical site audit and fixed identified problem areas to improve the site’s overall health. Yando Consulting also worked closely with our in-house content team to ensure our content creation applied to our target market and would attract links and coverage.

What was the team composition?

We have access to the entire team at Yando Consulting as needed.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any statistics or metrics that speak to the quality of their work and impact of the engagement?

We went from virtually non-existent rankings to top billing on every primary keyword and many long-tail keywords. We’ve beat out our target competition in organic search in less than 18 months as well. Our free trial registrations have increased from a handful every week to 20–30 every day, exceeding our expectations.

How did Yando Consulting perform from a project management standpoint?

The team is excellent at communication; they are always available to answer questions or assist with issues. They also are upfront about whether they can meet our expectations and how their work is going; we found this very refreshing. We regularly interface over email and Slack. They can also integrate their team into our internal workflows when necessary.

What impresses you most about Yando Consulting?

They offer a small team with incredibly in-depth expertise. Their small size allows for specialized knowledge and streamlined communication; we can quickly identify whoever we need to answer a question and reach out to them quickly. The impressive results also speak for themselves.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Given that they are a highly technical team, sometimes we need to ask for a follow-up explanation in layperson’s terms. Yando Consulting is happy to do this and excels at breaking down complex issues into straightforward language.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Huemor is a UI/UX, branding, and web development agency. We specialize in serving medium-sized businesses across a number of online positioning challenges.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Yando Consulting?

We needed a reliable partner that would make a significant difference from an SEO perspective. Yando has proven to be exactly that.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Yando was suggested to us by a colleague. Ultimately, it was their straightforward and transparent approach that won us over.

Describe the project in detail.

Yando has assisted us with multiple projects, ranging from enterprise e-commerce websites to more specialized B2B businesses. Most of these projects required Yando to implement a full-scale approach, including planning, keyword research, link building, and on-site optimization.

What was the team composition?

We work directly with one of the managing partners as well as an on-site SEO specialist, a content writer, and an off-site link building outreach specialist.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any statistics or metrics that speak to the quality of their work and impact of the engagement?

Yando has been a critical asset to our firm. They really excel at full-scale outreach for link building. They have a higher success rate and quality rate than any vendor we've ever worked with. I can't disclose specific metrics, but all of our clients have seen a positive effect on organic search volume and the quality of search traffic.

How did the Yando Consulting perform from a project management standpoint?

They're always responsive, so we’ve never had to wait for more than a couple of hours. They communicate clearly and do a great job of keeping us updated.

What impresses you about the Yando Consulting?

They know exactly what needs to be done to improve rankings, and they do it.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Depending on the niche, content creation can be a struggle at times. Since they can't be experts on every single topic, they would outsource the work when it makes sense.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m responsible for managing and maintaining our Google Product Listing Ads (PLA) and developing strategies for clients.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Yando Consulting?

We hired Yando to assist us with client projects when we lacked the resources or expertise required. While we understand SEO and how it fits, our clients appreciate our willingness to bring in real experts.

What were your goals for this project?

Our common goal was to maximize our clients’ web presence.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We’ve gone through a ton of agencies, but Yando was the only company that provided a straightforward approach to SEO.

Describe the project in detail.

In the past year, we worked on several projects that focused on technical SEO and strategic SEO objectives. Yando provided some new thinking that benefited our clients.

What was the team composition?

We engaged mostly with Yando’s U.S. office. Aside from an account manager, we had easy access to several specialists, depending on our needs.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any statistics or metrics that speak to the quality of their work and impact of the engagement?

They’ve successfully helped our clients achieve growth in terms of rank and revenue. We can easily attribute these metrics to the work Yando provided. We’ve been satisfied with every project.

How did the Yando Consulting perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management was efficient and effective. After years of working for a major tech firm, I’ve come to appreciate small agile teams who are able to define a project plan and stick to it. We didn't have to worry about them when they listed timetables. If we didn't hear back from the team almost instantly, questions were answered the same day.

What impresses you about the Yando Consulting?

Without a doubt, Yando’s understanding of the subject matter was impressive. Everyone we spoke with was extremely well-versed. It’s not often that you can get answers to a wide range of questions from one person in your everyday digital marketing agency.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I think we found just two misspellings in over dozens of presentations. Does that count?

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are an electrical construction company. I’m a Senior Estimator for all projects, but since we’re a small company, we all do a lot of jobs.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Yando Consulting?

We’re a construction company, but we need to be found online just like every other business these days. Since we know a lot about Internet cables, but not much about the Internet, we needed a reliable partner who could help us build our website.

What were your goals for this project?

Quite simply, our goals were to be found online and prompt people to send us their projects so that we could bid on them.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We chose Yando by talking to smart, trustworthy people. When two people referred us to them, we considered that a double-blind confirmation and felt that we didn’t need to look any further. After that, we reached out, talked to them, and decided that they were right for us.

Describe the project in detail.

Our website was old and awful. It was built by one of the VP’s sons 8 years ago, and a lot has changed in those 8 years, so we were pretty far behind the times. We needed help correcting out mistakes and getting on the right path with our SEO. I’m not great with the terms (since I’m an electrician), but they helped us fix our broken site and improve the content. They also added some tracking so we could even see the numbers associated with our site. Evidently we were flying blind before.

What was the team composition?

We had two people working on our account.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any statistics or metrics that speak to the quality of their work and impact of the engagement?

We had a pretty low bar, but the results were fantastic. Our site can be found under our name now, and people who found us on the web are contacting us about their projects. We didn’t have any of that before, and if we did, we didn’t know about it.

These guys were great, and the quality of their work was fantastic. They were straight-shooters, which I can respect, and they got the work done without snowballing us for our lack of marketing knowledge. Our traffic and inquiries have gone up. I can’t be more specific because I just don’t know what I’m talking about, but I’m sure that we wouldn’t have landed some of the projects we did if we hadn’t worked with Yando.

How did the Yando Consulting perform from a project management standpoint?

They were timely and reliable, which is one of the keys to success in our industry. If we miss a deadline, we’re out of the running for a project.

What impresses you about the Yando Consulting?

They know their stuff. You can tell when someone is faking it and when someone truly understands the topic. These guys not only understood it, but could explain it to us luddites.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None. That’s why I’m leaving them this review.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a project manager in the product development team for a Swedish digital marketing agency that primarily works on SEO, UX, and e-commerce site development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Yando Consulting?

We mainly work domestically and in Scandinavian and Nordic countries, but we have several international clients. Compared to our existing markets, working in the U.S. market is significantly different, so we needed someone to handle our clients there. This especially came to the fore this past summer as we launched a project for a large Swedish hotel chain that also conducts business in the U.S.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had several discussions over project specifications and details. They then began work for us, which entails search engine optimization and conversion rate optimization. They help increase web traffic and resolve user experience issues for the client’s website.

What is the team composition?

Our primary point-of-contact is one of their project managers, but occasionally, we contact other team members.

How did you come to work with Yando Consulting?

We spent an extended period of time having discussions with numerous other companies regarding our needs, but their trial presentations were lacking in information and weren’t easily digestible.

I met people from Yando during a conference this past April, and we kept in contact afterward. After meeting with them face-to-face and seeing their presentation, they clearly stood out from other companies I had considered.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $70,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working on this project in May 2017, and we’re still working together to finish it. Depending on the end results of this project, we’re considering using them for another project next year—possibly involving PPC and conversion-rate optimization on a larger scale.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Organic traffic for our client has already increased about 50%. The A/B testing they did on UX and subsequent recommendations allowed us to increase the site’s conversion rate from 3% to 4.5%, which has made a significant difference on our client’s digital revenue.

How did Yando Consulting perform from a project management standpoint?

Their consistent communication—especially in light of the time difference—is critical since the project involves deliverables on an international scale. At the beginning, we had more calls to make sure everything was in order, but we never had issues reaching them. Since then, we usually communicate via email for smaller issues and have weekly calls to ensure that everything’s in sync. This includes the budget, which they’ve stuck to thus far.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The reports they provide help greatly in developing a white-label product like this. We haven’t had any issues working together; it’s been a smooth ride so far.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could market themselves better to attract more clients and partnerships. They’re a great firm, but they’re not highly visible.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have clear specifications in mind before you start working with them. This will help with efficiency, especially if you’re working with larger clients. We spent too long going over specifications because we didn’t have them laid out.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the lead SEO [Search Engine Optimization] campaign manager at So What? Media, a boutique SEO agency. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Yando?

Yando and our company essentially work together: when we have a large client, we subcontract each other out. For this project, we were working with FinTech and foreign exchange industries, so we were brought in for conversion, optimization, and SEO for affiliate sites that were created for these clients. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They helped us increase organic traffic and organic revenue by way of keyword cannibalization for the affiliate sites. We used to have a large number of queriers lining up on the wrong page, which had a negative impact on our conversion rates. Yando helped us map queries to the right pages: if customers search for "360 camera bundles," they will be directed to the bundle page, not just a page for 360 cameras.

What is the team dynamic? 

My main contact is Evan [Evan Roberts, Client Services Director, Yando Consulting], and I also work with Tom [Thomas Roberts, Managing Director, Yando Consulting]. 

How did you come to work with them?

I was referred to Evan.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $30,000–$40,000.

What is the status of this engagement? 

We started working on this project in May 2017, and the collaboration is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

According to Google Analytics for one of the sites, the number of specifically indexed keywords went up from 1400 to 5000, organic revenue went up by 24% year over year, and conversion rate is 40%.

They don't under-deliver, like many other agencies. In fact, they over-deliver and under-promise, which is refreshing in this industry. 

How did they perform from a project management standpoint? 

We communicated with them directly through a private slack, which was part of Yando slack channel. Anytime I had a question, someone was there to answer it.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're a small agency with a homey feel, but at the same time with the professionalism of a big agency. They do everything in a timely manner. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the SEO manager at a web design and conversion rate optimization consultancy. We specialize in e-commerce, start-ups, and incubator websites.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Yando Consulting?

We needed third-party developers to assist with SEO for our e-commerce clients. This was part of a larger business plan to scale up our operations (web design, conversion rate optimization, and PPC) with outside expertise on Shopfiy, Magento, and WooCommerce.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The partnership is structured as a white label, but they do work directly with our clients to offer web design services. While the team does many projects, the European e-commerce retailer for wooden products (sunglasses, rings, etc.) stands out.

This retailer had a sizable presence in the UK, Germany, France, and Poland, but needed to scale its international SEO. Yando worked on the website, which had the same domain for every countries it sold goods in. They localized hreflang tags for products and categories, making sure those pages operated properly.

Functionality was crucial for search engine bots that scanned the site. Link equity was another concern. The team implemented several solutions to achieve these goals through coding and other technical operations.

What is the team dynamic?

We communicated directly with Tom [Project Manager, Yando], who was also in touch with the client directly.

How did you come to work with Yando Consulting?

One of my colleagues had a previous working relationship with them. We were looking for word-of-mouth referrals. Since they had relevant e-commerce expertise, we collaborated with them with some of our clients and had great success. Working closely with the founders also incentivized the partnership. We were likely their first client as the company was new at that point.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $75,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our collaboration started October 2016 and is on-going.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Traffic and revenue increase significantly after 6 weeks. In Poland, organic traffic increased by 33% and conversion rates rose 29% within 8 weeks. The website’s monthly revenue increased to approximately 200,000 euro during this period. Those results were great for us.

How did Yando Consulting perform from a project management standpoint?

They made the project plan interactive on Google Docs, which hosted links to tasks in Basecamp. As a result, we could give the client evidence of progress instantly. We met on a monthly and quarterly basis, but the superior organization made additional status meetings moot. The team was very responsive and nothing was left to chance.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They quantified their results, which stands out among SEO companies, and made themselves accountable to those metrics. In meetings, they refrained from industry jargon and pretentious hyperbole that other agencies can fall into. That was refreshing to encounter. They conducted themselves not only professionally, but also in an appealing manner.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We hope they invest in more personnel. There are more clients we could give them if they had extra resources. But we don’t have any real complaints; we’ve been really impressed.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for an agency called bakerMen.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Yando Consulting?

One of our clients was a startup with a short name. They were funded by the government, but they needed to grow quickly. They didn't rank in Google for their brand, which was really important. We needed a third-party agency to address that issue.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They handled the SEO part of the project, while we worked on AdWords, Facebook, and a general online strategy. We do SEO as well, but we mostly focus on technical and on-site SEO. They focus more on outreach and link building.

Initially, we worked with the client to figure out which keywords they wanted to rank for and to create a keyword map. Then we brought in Yando to help us see how easy keywords were to rank and how much time it would take. They also let us know if we could meet our goals with our budget. They helped us select and obtain the proper keywords, assessed difficulties with the competition, and set up tracking so we could follow up and see the progress. We focused on SEO for the brand's name first and then we went keyword by keyword.

They did some outreach for us, including some posts from global sites as well as Dutch sites. The product is not just in Belgium, it's also in the U.K. and the U.S. They helped us with outreach on more of a global scale.

What is the team dynamic?

I was mostly in communication with Tom [Co-founder, Yando Consulting] because I knew him. I also had some communication with Evan [Co-founder, Yando Consulting].

How did you come to work with Yando Consulting?

I met Tom 1 ½ years ago. We talked, kept in contact, and later I remembered our conversation. I contacted my network to see who was available, but I knew Tom knew his stuff about SEO and seemed like the perfect guy for this project. We went with Yando because they were the best fit from among the few options we had.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $10,000–$15,000 on SEO.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted for 6 months. We worked with them from April 2017–September 2017. We don't work with them at the moment. We shifted away from SEO with this enterprise client, because we're doing pretty well on the terms we wanted to rank for. We’re currently focusing more on AdWords and Facebook. It’s more strategic for us in terms of ROI to invest in those campaigns as well as offline marketing, compared to SEO.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their expertise helped solve our client’s brand name issue, and they rank pretty well now. They delivered some small, relevant blogs, and some nice posts. They also delivered really high-quality backlinks, including some nice Dutch websites and a few U.K. sites, which made the rankings go up. We have connections with a few blogs in Belgium and sites that could give us backlinks, but Yando’s network helped us market on an international level.

It was nice to be able to impress our client’s CEO, who is not very tech-savvy. Seeing links coming from bigger magazines and news sites discussing the product showed him the value of SEO and that we were making progress. His friends and family went to the news sites and then mentioned it to him, and he was happy. This in turn made us happy.

How did Yando Consulting perform from a project management standpoint?

They performed very well. The beginning was a bit messy because we're not the only partner the client worked with. They also have 2 freelancers, and everyone has their say before getting everything up and running. That affected Yando as well, because we weren't 100% sure about everything. We had to wait, and they were also busy with another project. But once we got started, everything went really smoothly.

They would send us the rankings, what they worked on, and which backlinks they'd gotten. That enabled us to put together helpful reports. There were no big issues with communication.

We first started with email and eventually moved to Slack via Quickchat. We also used Basecamp for the project and quickly discussing everything, along with weekly Skype calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their quality of work impressed me. We've tried other companies and bigger agencies, and we felt like they were outsourcing to someone for cheap labor. The content wasn't always good, and the backlinks were on less relevant sites.

With Yando, almost all of the sites they got us on were relevant, and people actually read them. There might be other good companies out there, and Belgian companies do really well with Belgium SEO, but I was interested in more of a global scale, especially for this client.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could’ve improved their communication at the beginning, but there's nothing else that comes to mind.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Write everything down properly and always have a kickoff meeting before you start. Otherwise, communicating will be a struggle. It’s important to meet face-to-face with every freelancer or agency you work with.

I met Tom in person, so our communication went really smoothly. I knew him, he knew me, he knew what I wanted, and he knew what my client wanted. Tom suggested that he come visit Belgium before we even started, and that was good for the project.