GoingClear

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Founder of Laying Foundational Growth

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a consultating agency that works with clients on their go-to-market plans

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire GoingClear to accomplish?

• Tell a cohesive brand story on our website
• Increase conversion through our website
• Optimize for SEO

SOLUTION

How did you find GoingClear?

Referral

Why did you select GoingClear over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Referred to me

How many teammates from GoingClear were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

I had a non-functional website. I worked with Going Clear to completely redo the site so that it would be a great first touch point for potential clients. They built the framing for the page, worked with me on the contact, and then optimized it for success. for new visitors that were no familiar with the brand

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I loved working with the team at Going Clear; they were always professional and could not only build an incredible website for me but also develop strategies to expand beyond my initial vision. 

The dream team of Pat, Paul, and Steven was amazing to work with and got results turned around quickly. They would work diligently and the project was managed in a clear way to me. They shared and executed great design ideas for my website and I have already begun to see great results. Highly recommend

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

The team was exceptional when it came to project management. They were very clear with deadlines and came to our meetings prepared with new ideas. They responded to all of my inquiries with a quick turnaround.

What was your primary form of communication with GoingClear?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

The professionalism was always something that I loved when I worked with the team. They understood my unique needs and were able to take my thoughts and improve upon them time and time again

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

Honestly I do not have any

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the marketing manager of a venture capital firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with GoingClear Interactive?

We were looking to build out a website. Specifically, we needed to redesign a WordPress website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They came into the office and we did a kickoff here. They walked me through the process of gathering our business objectives and articulating what we really wanted to get out of the brand-new site. We talked about the look and feel of the site and the messages we wanted it to convey specifically. After we did some mood boarding, they went to the drawing board and came back with a few designs.

It was a very collaborative process which was great. We went back and forth a few times on what we ultimately wanted it to look like. Following that, we got into coding. As I am a marketing team of one, we worked hand in hand to ensure that the product was what we originally envisioned.  

What is the team composition?

I worked with three people from their team: an account manager, a designer, and a developer.

How did you come to work with GoingClear Interactive?

I did some pretty aggressive Google searching of the best agencies in the Boston and New York City areas. They responded to my RFP, and their response was far and away the most thoughtful and comprehensive. Conveniently, they were also the lowest bid, which I found to be shocking because they were far better than the competition.

How much have you invested in them?

We spent $50,000–$100,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together on this project from February–June 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The new site is performing much better than the old site did. Our bounce rate is down, and time on page has almost doubled. We are also seeing a lot more organic traffic coming to the site because of greater SEO they put together. The project went so well that we expanded our scope with them, and they are now designing a website for our sub-brand. I am obsessed with their team, and I hire them for everything now.

How did GoingClear Interactive perform from a project management standpoint?

During the course of the project, I reached out to them on a daily basis. We worked using Basecamp, but we also communicated through email, phone calls, and Zoom meetings. They made themselves very available to me.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their attention to detail and design work are really good. They are easy to work with.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Honestly, no. I just continue to expand their scope.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I think that whoever wants to work with them will be in good hands.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the president and owner of The Aaron Agency, a Denver-based speakers’ bureau that represents some of the world's best sales trainers and motivational speakers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire GoingClear Interactive?

I hired GoingClear Interactive to design, build, and launch a custom WordPress website for my growing agency. My company needed a fresh look, along with the capability to edit elements like bios, videos, and supporting documents for event planners on a moment's notice.

What were your goals for this project?

Although search visibility and inbound marketing support were big considerations, our primary goal was to establish a stronger brand and image to reflect the fact that the business was growing quickly. We also wanted to achieve more functionality in terms of content customization, without losing the polished feel of a cleaner website.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I had interactions with the GoingClear Interactive team in the past and found them to be knowledgeable. I liked that they were quick to respond to any of my inquiries, and gave clear and honest answers. I also appreciated that they’re able to address any of my technical considerations with a dedicated team. I knew exactly who would be working on my website and how to reach them at any given time.

Describe the project in detail.

GoingClear Interactive built an entirely new website from the ground up. While we supplied the content, they created comps for us to critique and customize. When I was done making changes to the visuals, we talked about performance aspects of the website (e.g., content tools, mobile functionality, SEO settings). With those parameters in place, their team took responsibility for coding the site, testing it, and launching the final product. They even helped me with hosting, SSL, and performance benchmarks post-launch.

What was the team composition?

I worked primarily with a creative director and lead designer. However, I'm aware that others were involved in the development and coding process. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Although it's still early, initial feedback and results have been overwhelmingly positive. Visits to my website are increasing. More importantly, engagement—measured through page views, time on site, and new lead submissions—has been measurably better. I anticipate we’ll be able to double monthly revenue in the coming months because the website is the focal point of sales support efforts. I’ve also received compliments on the new website from clients. That reinforces that our brand has been helped by the work done by the GoingClear Interactive team.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

After the initial consultation, I communicated with their team mainly through Basecamp. They provided checklists at each stage of the project. That allowed me to give relevant feedback and track the progress of various tasks through the design and development process. I appreciated having just two points of contact as it reduced my need to invest additional time. Communication and workflow were smooth with no issues or delays.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was most impressed with their commitment to customization. I didn't just get a good website, I got a sales tool that’s perfect for my business and brand. I expect to achieve a strong ROI from the site, and those kinds of results ultimately speak for themselves.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I have no complaints or criticisms about their work. The short delays that crept up in the web design process were the result of time management issues within my company. GoingClear Interactive was a pleasure to work with. I would certainly choose to hire them again, and I’d gladly recommend them to any of my colleagues.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a project engineer with Build Health International. We’re a nonprofit that constructs healthcare facilities in resource-constrained settings.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with GoingClear?

Our old website was built in a weekend by a volunteer, so we knew that we needed a new one. We wanted a site that would allow us to connect with other nonprofits and people working in our realm to bring in donations. Another goal was to document all the ways in which we’re digestible to the public. We had a lot of stuff that hadn’t been written down before like our mission, areas of expertise, and service offerings. We wanted to promote that to the community.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our old site was on Squarespace but they’re building us a WordPress site. We had an initial call to map and structure the site and then they sent us templates for each of the pages we wanted. We filled those out, and they didn't just want the content, but also who the target audience of a page was and what message we were trying to convey. They also looked at what SEO terms we might want for specific pages.

After we sent those in, they came back with a full-fledged design, which was amazing. They started with the home page and, upon approval of the design, worked their way through the rest the pages. We had opportunity to give feedback on the design which was sometimes exactly what we we’re looking for and sometimes hadn’t quite found the right flow.

We finalized all the designs and went into a content phase where we re-evaluated the pictures and the text and the messaging. Then we started development involved them doing the QA, the testing, and background coding. They make sure that the animations and security of the site re up to par before showing it to us.

What is the team composition?

The initial call was with the head of the company, but the duration of the project we worked with our project manager, and a designer.

How did you come to work with GoingClear?

I made a list of Boston area companies and figured out quotes to determine which ones landed in our budget. GoingClear was the one out of ten we were considering that made the most sense for us. The founder sat and talked with me for a couple of hours on two separate calls, and discussed exactly what their process was and how they planned to work with us. We wanted an organization that would help us with project management because, as a small nonprofit, everyone's stretched quite thin. We needed someone to push the project along and make the challenge us to get things together in areas where it’s harder to do that.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $10,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since October 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

First is the design. The ease of navigation of this new site is incredible. I'm so excited because I truly believe that aside from projecting to outsiders exactly, employees coming in for their interview or starting on their first day can read through the website and know exactly what we do. Whereas our old website did not accomplish that in the slightest.

The second big thing is the interactive quality of the site that helps users bounce between pages easily. They can read a section and, likely, the thing that they're thinking about next will be accessible by a button right there. The ability to go between pages and navigate isn’t there on our current website and it's really apparent.

How did GoingClear perform from a project management standpoint?

They were patient when we needed patience and they pushed for deadlines when we needed them too. They have an organized setup in Basecamp, which manages everything. I felt like we were hand-held through the process but were still given every opportunity possible to make sure that the project was headed in the direction we wanted to be going.

I never once felt pressured to make a decision at a certain moment never once felt like the project was stagnant. They found a good middle ground where we were able to get everything done that we needed to at the level of quality we wanted.

They were really responsive. We talked at least once a week but they'd respond to everything I sent right away. If we didn't talk for a week it was because I didn't get my stuff together.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It’s taken almost a year when we thought it was going to take three months, and that was because we didn't have realistic expectations about what we were going to do. They were patient and encouraging and showed us exactly what we needed to get done. Even though we didn't have all of our stuff together in the easiest way, they helped us prioritize and make it actually happen. Honestly, without their project management, we'd be working on this for another year.

Their willingness to cooperate was really impressive for me. There was an emotional investment from their side in the project succeeding and we felt that the entire time. I felt like this project was important to them and always felt like they cared about the end result. They do a great job and make sure that the site is everything we want it to be. They’re just as dedicated to reaching the end-goal as we are. Even people who weren’t working directly on the project from our side could noticed this.

They’re always great about going in and hearing our comments and somehow knowing exactly what we’re saying, even though we don’t have design expertise or know how our ideas would translate to the page.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I felt like we’ve been terrible clients and they’ve been putting up with us the entire time. They’re incredibly great, so I have no complaints at all.

Any advice for potential customers?

They're really receptive to any kind of commentary or any kind of direction you want to take. We had no idea what we wanted and we couldn't verbalize it, but if you're able to show what you do and don't like, they're amazing. Let them go and figure out and interpret your words and thoughts, knowing that you've given them everything you know to be true, and they’ll do well.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of PP Entertainment Group.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with GoingClear Interactive?

We needed help with WordPress web design, SEO, and hosting for our businesses.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Over the last 10 to 12 years, we’ve had a significant relationship with them. They’ve done everything from SEO, website design, work on hosting issues, or anything similar. They do timely updates, train my staff on how to make updates themselves, and in general, have worked in multiple capacities.

They are currently working on a website for a wedding venue. I reached out to them with my expectations, and they replied with a very thorough proposal. We reviewed the proposal to make sure that my expectations were fully understood. At that point, their designer approved the design for the developer, who took the flat images and designs, then begun to bring them to life with functionality.

What is the team composition?

I work with their founder, as well as a designer and a developer. Part of my reason for staying with them is that they have consciously kept the same team for my projects over the years, and it has been nice to have familiarity with the team.

Also, their designer is tremendous, patient, and very creative. He adds a lot of thoughtful insights.

How much have you invested in them?

I have spent between $100,000–$250,000 over the years.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in 2003 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We command the marketplace for our Artificial Ice Events. The website is slick, with video on it. They can assist with video, photography, photo editing, logo creation, and have done all of those things for us as well. We had our highest grossing ice season this year, and the site launched last fall.

How did GoingClear Interactive perform from a project management standpoint?

From a project management perspective, they perform great. They are very organized, detailed, and thorough, with a strong follow up. I always require lots of changes and they appease and accommodate me very well. I never get the feeling I am irritating them.

Over the course of a project, we can communicate daily. Like any project, it can get more intense at certain parts and slower at others. When we are in peak progress, we can go back and forth 5–10 times a day. They’re very timely in their response anytime I email them.

With three businesses, I typically don’t take time out to give reviews, but I felt compelled given the service they have provided me with.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They deliver. There are so many businesses that do a horrible job and I wonder how they stay in business. The best thing about GoingClear is that they deliver my vision for what a good web company should be. They have good design, good project management, and good follow up. They have a positive attitude and provide insightful feedback. I think of them as the full package. It is refreshing to work with a business that is truly good at doing what they can do, not only from a technical and executing standpoint but also from the customer service side.

They also remain very patient, very responsive, and have a can-do attitude, which is one of the main reasons I keep coming back to them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not at the moment. I would just tell them to keep on doing what they are doing.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

When a project starts, try to save websites you’ve seen that you like and really hone in on the styles, fonts, colors, and map. When you truly know the end vision of what you want, you can communicate that more effectively and end up with a better product.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the owner of Sugar Shoppe, which is a candy shop. We do party favors, events, and we raise money for charity. It’s a little, cute candy shop with fudge, chocolate truffles, and self-serve bins for the candy. People come in and can make their own bags. It’s like an old-fashion candy shop with a modern flair, and the net proceeds go to a charity my husband and I started a few years back.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with GoingClear Interactive?

We wanted a better, more professional looking website. I had done our website myself, but we really wanted it to be sleek, professional, colorful, and fun.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They built our new customer-facing website and they launched an all-inclusive e-commerce platform. We can now ship candy gifts across the country. The previous site was built through GoDaddy, and the new site is on WordPress. We gave them all the copy from the existing website and showed them other websites we wanted our site to look like. They took that input and came up with their own design. It came out amazing. I mainly dealt with three or four people working on the project, but I don’t know if there were more behind the scenes.

A visitor can select from two different areas; they can either make a custom candy creation or select from pre-made packages. In the custom area, they can choose one, three, or six candy options, and that’s followed with an option for a colored ribbon to tie up the package. They can leave a message for their recipient, and then they process through the checkout and it gets shipped.

How did you come to work with GoingClear Interactive?

I reviewed their portfolio, and I liked their style. I got quotes from three agencies, and they were the best. They definitely offered me an expensive-looking website for a price that I could afford.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project ran from June to December of 2016. We didn’t do much with the site right away because we weren’t ready, so it didn’t launch until March of 2017. Although the work is pretty much completed, I still go to them with questions when I have them.  

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

There’s no doubt that, when you go to our website now, it’s clean, professional, and organized. That definitely doesn’t hurt your business. Overall, they just did an excellent job of making it look the way I wanted. They listened to what I said and incorporated that into the website.

I use Facebook a lot for business, so I’m not big into checking the website at this time. We’re very small right now. When we’re ready to push the online shopping part of it, I’ll be more into tracking the traffic and such. Right now, people can order on the site, but we’re not fully ready to get an influx at this point.

How did GoingClear Interactive perform from a project management standpoint?

They were excellent. We used Basecamp, which is really easy. Everything would come to my email. When I responded, they would get right back to me. It was very organized.

What did you find most impressive about GoingClear Interactive?

When I was looking at their portfolio of previous work, all their websites are very clean and crisp. They do a really good job at making things user-friendly, and that’s huge for me. That was a big selling point.

Are there any areas GoingClear Interactive could improve?

No.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

I work for Upham's Corner Health Center. We are a non-profit, federally qualified community health center in the Dorchester area of Boston, Massachusetts.

What is your role in your organization?

I am the operations manager.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal in working with GoingClear Interactive?

We had a company that showed an interest in redesigning our old website for free. They came up with the design and everything but, at some point, the project fell between the cracks. We tried to get them to finalize the design and go live with it, but they wouldn't get back to us. We kept emailing and calling, and nobody would respond. We took that draft and went to GoingClear. They took it, came up with a similar design, and implemented it.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

Primarily their work involved Web design services. I think some of the features they integrated in the design would help us with SEO [search engine optimization] and with ease of access. They added the one-touch dial on the top header of the page that would allow people to call us, so they don't have to search around to get the phone number. Since a lot of the younger generation are using their phones to access the Web, they also tweaked our site to make it mobile-friendly. The features they implemented are definitely helping with search optimization and making our website more mobile-friendly.

What was your process in selecting GoingClear Interactive?

I contacted a few companies after the previous project failed. One of them said they would do it for a certain amount of money. When I asked them what kind of photos, they would add and, if they would add stock photos, they said, "For that much money, you want us to add stock photos? We'll pass on that," and they hung up.

I was kind of agitated, so I went back online, and I started looking again. I found GoingClear and spoke to the owner. He was very polite and very welcoming. Because we are a nonprofit, I first asked him if he could do the project pro bono. When he said that was not possible, he offered to give us the junior business package, the big package for the small package price, which was nice. He was welcoming, and that's how we went about finding GoingClear.

Can you give a sense of the cost of the initiative?

We've spent a little less than $1,500 working with GoingClear.

When was the project completed?

The project was completed last month [May 2015], but it was put on hold because I had to travel for a few weeks.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the results of the project?

GoingClear provided prompt responses, ideas, and creativity. They provided ways to save a little bit of money and they were affordable. They provided training and advice on how to edit the website ourselves. Overall, we're satisfied.

The design of the website turned out great. I think people like it. It looks modern. The website we had previously was old-fashioned, very basic, even though it was loaded with all kinds of information. But, the ease of access wasn't there, the creativity wasn't there. It was an out-of-the-box type of thing. It didn't look that great and was very outdated.

The additional ideas that they implemented included adding the photo slider, the one-touch dial, the Google map, and the donation tab on the top of the page. A lot of the things that they implemented made the website more appealing to young people, who make up the majority of our population. GoingClear Interactive made the website appealing and gave it a modern look. All of this was especially important to us now that other community health centers like ours have nice looking websites that are appealing to people and easy to access. We're very satisfied.

What differentiates GoingClear Interactive from other agencies?

I would have to say flexibility. They were always willing to go back and make changes while, at the same time, providing advice. Whether we took their advice or not, they still provided it. They never said that we had to do something. They only proposed ideas for us to consider. I think flexibility is one of the key things we experienced in working with GoingClear.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or something that you might do differently?

I don't think so. The new design that they produced was in harmony with what we had asked them to do. They jazzed the site up a little bit, which was great, and they met our expectations.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

We do structured cabling, integrated security, and IT [information technology] infrastructure for both the private and public sector. We’re located in Massachusetts.

What are your role and responsibilities?

I am the marketing manager.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was your goal in working with GoingClear Interactive?

Our website was a little out of date and needed to spruce it up a bit. We also needed to incorporate a few different areas that the company had grown into that were not on the old website. We also needed a mobile friendly website, which we did not have at the time.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their work.

GoingClear worked with me directly, and we pretty much redesigned the whole website from scratch. They also provided training and support.

What was your process in selecting GoingClear Interactive with which to work?

GoingClear was the fourth or fifth company we had interviewed. We found them through a Google search of Web design companies in the Boston area. They had good reviews and were reasonably priced. They showed some of their past work on their website, and it looked good. That’s how we decided to pick them. When we talked with them, they were nice and they had everything put together. We were very impressed with them.

Can you provide a ballpark dollar figure for the size of the work that they’ve done for you?

We’ve spent somewhere between $10,000 and $20,000 working with GoingClear.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What is the status of the project?

The project is complete. We started working on the project in May of 2014 and launched in February of this year.

Is there anything unique about GoingClear Interactive that really makes them stand out compared to other companies?

They’re very cooperative and down to earth. What I like the best is that I could reach out to anyone at any time. They would get back to me at night, first thing in the morning, and even on weekends. If I ever had an issue or emergency, they were on it right away. So, I think it’s the establishment of a personal relationship that really makes them stand out. You know that you’re talking to a real person instead of getting lost in a larger company. I like the small company personal feel.

Looking back on the work so far, is there any area that you think they could improve upon or something that you might do differently?

There were times when I had a question and they would answer it. But, since I’m not a tech whiz, sometimes I wouldn’t exactly know what they were talking about. It was a minor thing, and if I didn’t understand, I would just ask again.

What advice would you give a future client of theirs?

It would be best if you know what you want and how you can deliver that message clearly.

BACKGROUND

Please give a brief description of your company.

We are a grocery store cooperative with three stores in the Boston area.

What is your role at the company?

I am the IT [information technology] director for the company. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What was the business challenge that you were trying to address when you approached GoingClear Interactive?

Our website was very outdated with its look, feel, and functionality. We also could not easily manage the site because there was not a content management system in place.

What were your company’s business goals for the project?

We needed the ability for people to sign up as members online and have a responsive website design for mobile users. Easily managing the site was very important to us as well.

SOLUTION

Can you talk about the scope of the project?

GoingClear built us a website that best fits our business model.

What was your process for selecting GoingClear Interactive with which to work?

We interviewed three companies for this project and GoingClear came in with a good price. They seemed to understand our business and want to help us the most out of the companies we interviewed.

Can you give a sense of the size of the project in dollar terms or personnel work hours?

The project cost was $8,000 to complete.

When was the project completed?

The project was completed on February 16, 2014.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the results of the project, and are there any metrics you can share?

Our experience working with Going Clear was great. We had a lot of expectations that were all met. They always followed up and got back to us right away.

When working with them, was there anything unique or special about them compared to other companies that you may have worked with?

The response time when we had a question or concern out shined many companies that I have worked with. This is very important to me.

Looking back on the project, is there any area that they could improve or you would do differently?

I cannot think of any.