Hexxen

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of marketing for Counsilman Hunsaker; we're a commercial aquatic architectural design and engineering company. We also offer services in physical auditing for pools and pool shelves, as well as feasibility studies and master planning when it comes to aquatics. Additionally, we offer operations services for risk management, compliance, and training for post-build facilities for things like lifeguards and staff.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Web Design & Company?

We had a website that was about 12 years old and was launched in 2008 that was not functioning well; WordPress no longer supported the theme, and we couldn’t do anything with it. We hired Web Design & Company because we needed an entirely new and revamped modern website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started the project with a kickoff call to gauge what we were looking for. Web Design & Company asked us about websites we liked and ones we didn’t, and we provided them with our brand guidelines and toolkit. We started a wireframing process after that, along with mock-ups for various pages. 

We decided to keep the sitemap of the old website because we needed an index and a section for people's biographies and our projects to be displayed. We also needed contact us forms that would integrate with our CRM platform. Web Design & Company based the homepage mock-ups on some of the websites we told them we liked, and we went through multiple iterations before settling on anything. 

Once we decided on things we liked, they started building it. Web Design & Company migrated over many of the things we had from the old site, like the project and people pages, along with all of our blogs. Our old site was massive and had around 1,700 pages and was about 26 gigabytes. Web Design & Company slimmed it down significantly and took off around 1,000 pages. They took care of all the CSS and HTML coding and created all the templates for us within WordPress. 

The website currently includes a project showcase, a section for our expertise, and a place where we highlight our various services since we are a consulting firm with multiple target audiences. We also have a staff index with everyone in the company, a section that outlines the company's history, and an event section where we list out conferences we’ll be attending. In addition, we have a place where people can enroll and take our online certification courses. The contact us section also has multiple forms to cater to the needs of website visitors based on our locations in the US. 

Web Design & Company also offered copywriting services for many of our pages because they were outdated. They were able to give us a fresh take on a lot of the copy. We used maintenance services from them for around two years. 

When we needed a separate website specific to one of our service channels, they drafted a scope of work for us. Web Design & Company pulled a section off our main website and then pared it down so that it only had what was necessary and pertinent to that section. From there, they redeveloped and redesigned it to look different from the original. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with a team of 2–3 people from their end. One of those people was a design manager, and then we worked with someone on the technical side. We also spoke with David (Owner) at the start of the process.  

How did you come to work with Web Design & Company?

We sent out an RFP to about four different companies, and Web Design & Company happened to be one of them. We ultimately decided to move forward with them because they were local to St. Louis, where our headquarters are. They also seemed to have a young and engaging staff who seemed to know what they were talking about, and they offered the services we were looking for. 

How much have you invested with them?

We invested around $90,000–$95,000 for the first website they built, and between $25,000–$30,000 for the second website project we worked on. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together between July 2019–April 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve received a lot of good feedback from our clients about how much they like the site, and the new site is blazingly fast.

How did Web Design & Company perform from a project management standpoint?

Web Design & Company stayed on budget for the most part; we added some additional services, which changed it a bit, but other than that, everything stayed on track. They provided us with great communication and were very proactive about making sure things were completed. The launch happened a little later than originally anticipated, but that was because they wanted to ensure everything was functioning properly. 

We typically communicated via Google Meet, emails, and phone calls. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

We appreciated the way they were thorough with documentation and let us know the reasons changes were made. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

We think they did a stellar job; there’s nothing we can come up with. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s important to understand some of the facets of web development and project management because speaking the same language can help move the project along. The process was easier because we understood what they were saying to us and they didn’t have to take extra time educating us on things.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the marketing manager for Burger Law, an injury law firm based out of St Louis MO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Web Design & Company, and what were your goals?

Manage and maintain our firm's website including SEO, social media presence, and gain relevance through Google search and reviews. Our bottom line goal was to drive quality leads to the business.

SOLUTION

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

Orange Design came highly recommended to us, and had great reviews to back it up

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

We have done a lot of work with them over the years. They've built us a website, run an automated social media campaign in Social Pilot, automate lead flow from a number of platforms directly into our LeadDocket software, etc.

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

We've worked with a number of people over the years, but currently our core team consists of Dave (Online Visibility & Growth Partner), Kara (Strategic Product Owner), and Maya (Content Director).

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We've had numerous successes over the years with this company. Most recently, we've managed to clear our most aggressive stretch goal for monthly signed leads for the first time, and have also set a new annual record for signed cases.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Workflow has been a challenge at times, but they have always risen to the challenges of overcoming those issues. Currently, we have an all-hands meeting at the beginning of the month, biweekly touch-base meetings with the production team and our in-house marketing, and open lines of communications between team members for items as they come up.

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

I'm convinced that nobody is more effective with SEO than these guys. Their strategies continuously have us ranking highly across the board, which is impressive, given the market saturation for Personal Injury Lawyers.

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

Orange Design is great. We have had minor communication challenges over the years but they do work hard to overcome the challenges we've had there, and have typically fixed communication issues quickly.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner of Me and The Mouse Travel. We specialize in assisting busy families with their vacations to Disney Destinations and Universal.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Web Design & Company, and what were your goals?

New website/new look

SOLUTION

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

Their customer service, knowledge of web design, having an assigned team to work on my project. They were easy to work with, and their team was personable.

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

Meeting in person and then phone calls as well.

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

4-5

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Brand new website that looks amazing.

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

We had weekly check ins about how my website was going and the progress being made.

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

How personal they are.... that you speak to a human being every time you call... and how they reach out with updates.

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

None

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the owner of a web development firm. We advise clients on how to undertake web development projects

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Web Design & Company, and what were your goals?

Our website was created over 15 years ago and had become outdated. Since we didn't have in-house developers to invest in a new website, we hired this team to design and develop a WordPress site for us. By doing this, we were hoping to increase our traffic substantially by the end of the year.

SOLUTION

How did you select Web Design & Company and what were the deciding factors?

We searched online for web developers in our country and shortlisted 5. After interviewing them, we chose this vendor based on their past projects, design skills, and cost estimate.

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

We had a kick-off meeting to discuss our goals and objectives. From there, the team delivered mock-ups and wireframes for our site. After a few iterations, their team designed and developed an informational WordPress site. They updated the content to reflect our company's services and created a landing page with a contact form.

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

A project manager was our main point of contact throughout the process. There were also 4 full stack developers and a designer working behind the scenes.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

After launching our site, we saw a 70% increase in traffic, and our incoming leads doubled month over month thanks to the landing page. Clients love the updated design, and they now have a better understanding of our services.

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

We had daily stand-ups with their project manager, who communicated with the rest of the team. If there were any delays, they let us know ahead of time so that we could prepare. We used Slack, Jira, and GitHub to coordinate, and they worked well with our team.

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

They gave us a professional site that's easy to update. My team had never worked with WordPress before, so they took the time to teach us how to update the content ourselves.

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

They should continue with the same zeal, real worth for our money.