Andrew Weston - SEO Freelancer

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the former director of communications for a research center.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Andrew Weston - SEO Freelancer?

It'd been many years since our organization had an updated, state-of-the-art website, so we developed one. When we were ready to launch the new website, I wanted to make sure we were using SEO best practices.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Andrew was tasked with teaching our communications team about SEO best practices, so we could implement them as we post on the website, write content, etc. He provided lessons, external resources, and vendor referrals. He also conducted a technical review of our new website. He tested the speed and examined the links to identify broken ones. We couldn't give outside contractors access to the backend of our site; Andrew identified issues and prepared a lengthy memo for our in-house developer so he could make changes directly to correct the problems. 

He worked with my team to do keyword research. We put together a long list of potential keywords related to our niche field of national security; then, he researched those keywords and recommended how to use them strategically or choose better options. 

He also taught us how to research keywords and suggested different tools we could use — some free and some for purchase — to determine which keywords to use when writing the website description or title of a new report. 

We shortened every blog and report title and added keywords per Andrew's recommendations. Our reports are written by researchers for national security end clients; we had to be flexible and work with multiple parties to ensure the shortened titles and subtitles had the right keywords to be found on Google or another search engine.

He provided backlink strategies that we've deployed. We weren’t acquiring backlinks before working with him.

What is the team composition?

We only worked with Andrew.

How did you come to work with Andrew Weston - SEO Freelancer?

I contacted the talent aggregator that Andrew was part of, and they provided a list of 7–8 potential contractors for the service we needed. When I interviewed Andrew, he understood exactly what we were looking for and had a great personality. He had also already done projects like ours; he’d developed SEO lessons that we could teach my staff, so he was a perfect choice.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with Andrew from September–December 2022.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We witnessed a marked increase not only in website hits but also in website visitors and report downloads. Visitors are also staying on the site longer and clicking through our content more, which I believe is a direct result of our work with Andrew. After implementing his recommendations, the blog is now one of the top entry points to our website.

Our podcast and other content we produce are performing well as a result of the backlink strategies Andrew taught us.

We just initiated all of this in the last couple of months, so we will keep measuring it, but our website is performing beautifully after working with him. 

How did Andrew Weston - SEO Freelancer perform from a project management standpoint?

Andrew was absolutely wonderful to work with. My staff met every Tuesday morning, and he attended those meetings for an hour for ten weeks. He never missed a meeting, even though he was in a different time zone, and I know it was the middle of the night when he was talking to us. We hosted all our meetings on Zoom, and he shared his screen with us. 

He was prepared with easy-to-understand slides for every single lesson, which had been organized in advance for his chosen topic of the week. I was so pleasantly surprised. 

He never asked for more money, even as the engagement extended. I know that I could still call him today to ask for help, and he’d help me. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I was so happy with his services. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be prepared with a good list of keywords, and be willing to make changes to the site that Andrew recommends. If you have issues implementing his recommendations because you don’t own the content, you have to figure that out before you engage.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We provide a service to energy assessors via subscriptions and web development I am a Director

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Andrew Weston - SEO Freelancer, and what were your goals?

We are a new business and hired Andrew for his great knowledge of Search Engine Optimisation and Digital Marketing to help grow our business

SOLUTION

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

We heard about Andrew from a referral, met up with him and spoke about our plans and how he could help us. His passion and pricing structures won him the contract

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

Our engagement began with our vision and goals leading to sharing what we had produced so far with Andrew. He made us aware of the potential of what we were trying to achieve and the pathway to get there using his knowledge of keyword optimisation, SEO and his talent for writing blogs and social media content

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

Andrew is our only contact and he pulls in resources such as web developers when required

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have seen a massive change to our assessors pages rankings all over the country. We now have the confidence that our business idea works and will be a success.

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

Andrew sets up a weekly Zoom call where both parties can bring their thought to the table. Updates are given and shared and next steps going forward

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

Andrew as a sole worker and growing his own business was passionate about what he does. They are easy to work with and we trust them to bring forward some great unique ideas.

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

No. We are happy how things started and are progressing. We just wish we had found him earlier

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the director of a national Energy Performance Certificate company

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Andrew Weston - SEO Freelancer, and what were your goals?

We are a new online company that allows Domestic Energy Assessors to advertise their business with their local area. Andrews took over all SEO related aspects and was challenged with ranking specific pages highly per area search.

SOLUTION

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

Andrew was recommended to us from a business contact. He contacted us and presented an audit and plan of action.

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

After meeting with Andrew and hearing his ideas Andrew was quick to get to work. Creating a Trello account for transparency he set about fixing technical difficulties within our site. He audited existing content and created new. He then began a weekly blog post feature and is now concentrating on individual page optimisation.

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

We have worked directly with Andrew.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are now ranking on the first page for many area searches and are receiving a much improved rate of traffic to our site and most importantly seeing more leads to the business who we we feature.

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

When Andrew informs us of his plan he always sets a date when it will be completed and always delivers. He is very communicative, sending regular updates and progress reports . He also created a Trello account where we can see what is currently being worked on.

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

Their high level of communication, work ethic, and quick understanding of our specific needs set them apart.

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

Absolutely nothing. We are very happy. I wish we had met Andrew sooner.