Belov Digital Agency

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Owner of YGOPRODeck

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Primarily develops websites based on popular trading card games (Yu-Gi-Oh!, Pokemon, Digimon, etc)

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Belov Digital Agency to accomplish?

• Develop a video game review website
• Focus on site performance and speed
• Develop with best security practices
• Integrate the website into IGDB
• Set up recommended hosting for the website

SOLUTION

How did you find Belov Digital Agency?

codeable.io

Why did you select Belov Digital Agency over others?

• High ratings
• Excellent opening letter

How many teammates from Belov Digital Agency were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

The objective was to design and build a website for video game reviews, news and guides. The development of this was done across various "sprints" where each sprint was broken up into different development segments. Sprints 1 and 2 were to design the website. This was effortlessly done and I was very happy with the first couple of revisions. Sprint 3-6 were the development phases of the actual website itself. 

They developed each page in detailed while continually communicating with me that I am happy with the progress. This sprint involved: 

• Designing many of the pages. 
• Giving me access to a staging site where I could also test and offer feedback. 
• Setting up a git repo and giving me access. 
• Configuring all the colors and typography of the site. 
• Developing the template pages. 
• Integrating tertiary functionality into the WordPress theme. 

The final sprints were the IGDB integration and the server setup. - IGDB integration was to hook the site into the igdb.com API to easily pull and insert new games into the site. "Games" were a custom post type that would give you information on various video games. Integrating into IGDB meant we didn't have to do a large amount of manual work to input these games into the site. Instead, we can almost fully automate it. 

Server setup involved correct setup across Laravel Forge, DigitalOcean and Cloudflare. They correctly applied an optimal configuration for this to ensure ease of deployment, security and performance.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

1. Have a site launched on DigitalOcean as per my request. 
2. Allow me to easily deploy future updates to the site code from GitHub. 
3. Correctly configure the site with CloudFlare for security. 
4. Reduce manual work on the site by integration automation. 

All of the above points were successfully completed to my utmost satisfaction.

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

All items were delivered on time. All key development time was previously discussed with me. I was told it would take roughly 6 sprints to complete the project with the average time given for each sprint. Constant communication throughout each sprint was very much appreciated. The response to my queries was fast, and the explanation provided was always in great detail.

What was your primary form of communication with Belov Digital Agency?

Email or Messaging App

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

1. Excellent coding standards. 
2. Fantastic knowledge of WordPress. I came from a space where a lot of companies "claim" to have great knowledge of WordPress which usually means they have good "front-end" knowledge of WordPress (installing plugins, using the dashboard, etc) but Belov Digital seem to know WordPress intimately. 
3. Utterly fantastic communication.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Belov Digital Agency could have done differently?

Possibly set up a better "feedback" area on the slack channel at the beginning of the project that is clearly described (especially for those who don't use Slack). This would allow us to both have 1 area where feedback is provided and can be easily referenced.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the President of an internet design, custom programming and consulting firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Belov Digital Agency?

We were provided a Figma design from a client and worked with Delov Digital Agency to convert the Figma design to a WordPress template.

SOLUTION

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

We did some online searches and Belov Digital was one of the agencies that matched our requirements. They were prompt to discuss the project over chat and provided a timely quote.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

The initial conversations were to show Belov Digital the Figma design files and discuss how the end WordPress pages should work. We went through several iterations of discussions to come to a final project scope. The Belov team was always prompt with their communication.

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

In total, we worked with 2 team members from Belov Digital, the project manager and lead developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project outcome exceeded our expectations. They provided the project earlier than their quoted timeline and were able to make quick adjustments when there were change requests that originated from our client.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was very effective. I was invited to their Slack Team workspace and was able to directly communicate with team members to discuss issues or have any of my questions/concerns answered.

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

I was very impressed with their communication skills. We have in the past had less than optimum communication with outside teams, but not with Belov Digital. There were no surprises and everything that was promised was delivered on time.

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

I cannot identify any areas of improvement on this project. We look forward to working with Belov Digital in the future.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of an online adaptive clothing business, and we sell adapted clothing to people living in long-term care. I’m currently only selling to the Canadian marketplace.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Belov Digital Agency?

In 2015, my website was hacked, and I needed someone to help me fix it. That’s when I found Belov Digital Agency and we’ve been working together since then.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I had my website developed by another agency, and they had full ownership of it. Alex (Founder & President) helped me take full ownership of every aspect of the website — I couldn’t have done it without him. He has become my full-time web developer, and is instrumental in keeping the website running smoothly.

As I mentioned, my website was hacked, and the agency that was handling it was shut down for two weeks so they were of no help. I realized I had to take control of everything and I shouldn’t be leaving it up to an advertising agency.

They currently provide me with web development and maintenance services.

What is the team composition?

I only work with Alex.

How did you come to work with Belov Digital Agency?

I came across Alex through Quotable, where I continue to work with him. I became connected with him and he’s given me such good service and confidence, that I didn’t really need to look around for anyone else.

How much have you invested with them?

So far, we’ve invested somewhere between $10,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in February 2015, and the partnership remains ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

For me, success means remaining in business. I was recently packaged out by the company I worked with for 15 years so now, I have more time to devote to the website. Alex recently put more details on the site and he has given me the ability to stay in business. Granted it’s not a huge business, it gives me excitement because I’m now at a point where I’m ready to do some marketing.

How did Belov Digital Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

Alex is good at meeting deadlines and his overall communication is good.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I call him Alex Awesome Belov because he is without a doubt, an amazing individual — he’s so knowledgeable and he works so fast. I tend to worry about stuff and there was one time when we were going back and forth, and he told me I shouldn’t have to worry because he’s a professional. they're strong pillars in my business because, without them, we would waste so much time and effort.

Alex is very good at educating people. If I didn’t have Alex’s expertise, I’d be lost.

Are there any areas they could improve?

One thing he could improve on is he could have a wrap-up of what to expect. Developers are so focused and fast, I think sometimes they forget about their customer’s ability to keep up. I still need to see how and if something works properly.

Another thing would be to have a complete overview of the project as a whole. They should have the ability to discuss the project in more detail. There was this one time I didn’t put the info on the website’s banner that we accept payments through PayPal. That would’ve been an additional cost if I wanted to go ahead with it. I just think he’s more accustomed to working really fast.

These are just some things that he should consider for his own agency, like a project management flowchart or a critical path. There were some things I had to figure out on my own, but he was still able to help me with it. One thing you need to know when you have a small business on the internet, especially WordPress, is that it’s a beast. You have to have somebody that knows what you’re doing, because it’s not easy to figure things out on your own.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would say to just take time to think about every aspect of your project, and avoid being reactive. Sometimes, people tend to push the responsibility of the website to the developer, but I don’t think so — as a business owner, I’m responsible for my own website.

Take the time to understand what your limitations are and take responsibility for your own website. Don’t shirk that responsibility over to them.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of West Hall Publishing, a media company that owns several websites ranging from personal finances to reviews.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Belov Digital Agency, and what were your goals?

Belov Digital has been working with us for 5 years on various development projects, from large site-wide integrations to small page-specific updates.

SOLUTION

How did you select Belov Digital Agency and what were the deciding factors?

I selected Belov Digital for the first project because it became highly recommended. It did such a good job that I've only used it for all subsequent development jobs we needed.

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

The projects were widespread over the years. The agency worked on three of our websites, and did everything from adding author bios to site-wide implementation of widgets that they created from the ground up. Deliverables were always decided on before the work began, and were always achieved. Our sites use Wordpress, so all of the work that was done was Wordpress related.

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

Alex, the owner of the company, was the main person who worked with us.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

One of the most difficult projects that the agency did was creating several different types of widgets for each site that were built from the ground up. One such widget was a review box that can be used across the site. Another was incorporating unique meta data to pages that were auto-populated from other pages on the site. All of these projects worked perfectly, and some increased out visability through increased SEO.

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

The project manager was always very clear in his communication, including asking the right questions when my technical knowledge was lacking and I was not able to properly communicate the problem. Timelines were always stuck to and sometimes projects were completed early.

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

Most impressive was the fact that I could throw any project at them, including ones I didn't fully understand, and their ability to not only pull it off, but do it within the price and timeline I was hoping for.

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

Truthfully, I looked through our old projects to find something, but the agency really ticks all the boxes for us. We never had an issue with them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the office manager of a general dental practice.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Belov Digital Agency?

Initially, we needed help redesigning our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They redesigned our website, manage our SEO, and make sure we don’t get any viruses. They created awesome tabs and made it convenient for patients to make payments on their account there.

What is the team composition?

I work with Alex (Founder & President).

How did you come to work with Belov Digital Agency?

We were referred to them by a friend of mine who designed our signage and logo. We looked at a couple of other agencies, but their designs and ideas for our site were awful. Alex was great from the start.

How much have you invested with them?        

We’ve spent around $5,200 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in June 2016, and our work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They made the design of our website to flow really easily. It’s very nice. With our new patient access, we’ve gone from 15 to 45 new patients a month.

How did Belov Digital Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

We have an instant message portal and I get a notification through my email. Alex and I communicate back and forth through that. Any changes we’ve had to make are done within a day. Really big things take a week at the most. It’s incredible how fast they get through things. Alex sends an email monthly to touch base and we meet as needed.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’ve referred them to other offices as well because they’re easy to work with. Being able to get in communication and have them make changes quickly is really helpful.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing comes to mind.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice is to be really clear with what you’re looking for in design. Let them run with it; they have great ideas. Be open to what they come up with, it could be a good option.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the associate marketing manager at a marketing agency dedicated to the construction and commercial real estate industry.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Belov Digital Agency?

We needed a responsive and knowledgeable developer to help us with our website needs.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’ve done everything from troubleshooting to WordPress website launches. They also do fixes, custom requests, and anything else we throw their way.

What is the team composition?

We work with Alex (Founder & President).

How did you come to work with Belov Digital Agency?

We found them on Codeable. They were very responsive and we knew we could count on them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2018, and our work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

There isn’t anything Alex hasn’t been able to help us with. He’s honest and helpful in answering questions.

How did Belov Digital Agency perform from a project management standpoint?

We use Slack and Asana to manage the project.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very responsive and get the job done when they say they will. We’ve had vendors in the past that don’t do what they say they will so Belov is definitely an improvement.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing comes to mind.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would recommend them to anyone.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

PEARL iZUMi is the largest cycling apparel company in North America. As the Content Producer, I'm charged with maintaining and publishing all content on our blog in addition to managing photographic media for the marketing department.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Belov Digital Agency, and what were your goals?

Our blog need an update in function and design. Working from some comps, BDA was able to create an entirely new site after migrating all of the content to a new server. The original blog site was very limited and out of date. The new version is much more robust and functional in many ways. As well as much faster load times.

SOLUTION

How did you select Belov Digital Agency and what were the deciding factors?

Placed an open project on Codable.io and selected BDA based on the communication, thoroughness, and timeliness of Alex's responses.

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

Cloned the live site from AWS to a new hosting server on Kinsta. With the new server running the original site, we started working on a re-design. We provided him with the visual design and functionality based on the visual design.

After several online discussions, Alex went forward and built everything out on a dev site on our new hosting. He also migrated all of our original posts to the new site which uses the native Guttenburg structure to build posts and pages, from the WPBakery backend on the old site.

After testing he flipped the switch and was very responsive on a couple of slight tweaks that were found once the new site was live. Also included documentation on how to use the new site and custom content blocks that were created for specific functionality.

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

Only worked with Alex, and I assume he's the principal of the company.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The site is much more useable, faster, and more interesting. We've received nothing but positive feedback about the site. And it's much more useful on the backend as well.

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

All communications were run through Codable.io and the timelines were clearly stated and completed ahead of deadlines.

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

The responsiveness and friendliness of Alex in communicating via online text-based messages. His thoroughness was also very refreshing.

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

None that I'm aware of.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Owner of UnitedVR

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

UnitedVR does digital marketing, specializing in VR and AI products.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Belov Digital Agency to accomplish?

• Site Migration
• Wordpress Development

SOLUTION

How did you find Belov Digital Agency?

Online Search

Why did you select Belov Digital Agency over others?

Great culture fit

How many teammates from Belov Digital Agency were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Very high quality work. Extremely communicative, thoughtful and thorough. Couldn't have asked for more.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Improved site security and performance.

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

They were very thoughtful and professional about their approach to development. I gave them a long list of requests with a wide variety of challenges. They handled all of them masterfully.

What was your primary form of communication with Belov Digital Agency?

Email or Messaging App

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

Their ability to see the big picture and communicate insights and suggestions

Are there any areas for improvement or something Belov Digital Agency could have done differently?

No suggestions, couldn't have asked for more.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO of an ecommerce company

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Web development and advertising

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Belov Digital Agency to accomplish?

Build a wordpress website

SOLUTION

How did you find Belov Digital Agency?

Online Search

Why did you select Belov Digital Agency over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Company values aligned

What was the size of Belov Digital Agency’s team?

2-5 Employees

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

Belov Digital agency has helped develop a WordPress website for our company. They've done an excellent job both in communication, and the end result, which looked and worked exactly as we've hoped and planned. A+

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Speed of website
• pixel perfection

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

Yes. Everything was delivered on time and as planned. Any fixes or adjustments were done in a timely manner.

What was your primary form of communication with Belov Digital Agency?

Email or Messaging App

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

Communication has been excellent and professional

Are there any areas for improvement or something Belov Digital Agency could have done differently?

Everything was done to the highest standard.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Head of Design of Vial

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

The CRO for Biotech, Powered by Technology

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Belov Digital Agency to accomplish?

• website development
• website tech support

SOLUTION

How did you find Belov Digital Agency?

Online Search

Why did you select Belov Digital Agency over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Professionalism

What was the size of Belov Digital Agency’s team?

2-5 Employees

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

Scope of work: 

1. Development and programming of the website. 
2. Quality assurance and testing. 
3. Deployment and launch of the website or software application. 
4. Maintenance and support to ensure the website is up-to-date and functional. 

Key deliverables: 

1. Project plan and timeline. 
2. Website design mockups. 
3. Website code / WP templates

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

1. Improved search engine rankings and visibility. 
2. Achieving project milestones and delivering the project on time and within budget.

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

The management was adept at establishing clear communication channels, setting achievable timelines and milestones, and ensuring that team members had a clear understanding of their respective roles and responsibilities. All tasks were done on time.

What was your primary form of communication with Belov Digital Agency?

Email or Messaging App

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

We are impressed with their professionalism, responsibility, and tech expertise.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Belov Digital Agency could have done differently?

All good