MacRAE'S

Please describe your company and your position there.

Pet All Manufacturing is a manufacturer of Blow Molding machines. I handle all Marketing and Advertising and everything website related.

For what projects/services did your company hire MacRAE'S?

Many projects for: website design, SEO performance, website management consulting, website training, domain training etc. etc.

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

At first price was our biggest concern, but their quick and friendly performance was our overall reason.

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

Our website was down and we could not figure out why. We use several different vendors for our domains, hosting, email accounts, etc. McRae's was able to pin point the problem (caused by another vendor), through their diligent research. Once they figured out why our website was down and who was responsible. McRae's took the responsibility into their own hands to get our website back up and running immediately. Saving us thousands.

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

I always work with Sakshi Bedi (Director of Digital Marketing), and she is a wonderful person to work with. She is easy to explain my concerns to, easy to learn from, and she is also very patient with my A type personality.

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

She got our website working to its full potential again in a very quick and calm manner- Mission Complete

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very Effective

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

Their willingness to go above and beyond to make their customers want to come back was impressive.

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

NO

Please describe your company and your position there.

Comptus is a manufacturer of outdoor environmental sensors designed for use with automation systems and controls. We the building automation, renewable energy, environmental research, municipal infrastructure and material handling markets worldwide.

For what projects/services did your company hire MacRAE'S, and what were your goals?

We knew our existing website was quickly becoming obsolete, and we needed a provider that would build a new site, then provide ongoing support to ensure it remained relevant in the marketplace. We wanted a flexible service relationship that could shift as our needs changed.

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

MacRAE's had been providing SEO work for us. Their knowledge of the type of platform we wanted to build our site on, as well as flexible pricing to provide only the services we wanted, and needed on a go forward basis.

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

MacRAE's first conducted a full website audit, and identified areas for development. They researched similar companies, and met with us to show examples of designs they recommended.

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

We had a Sales contact, project manager as our primary contacts. Tasks were completed by a support team that we only interacted with if there were clarifications required.

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

The website was completed, and we have ongoing support that continues to adjust our site to stay current with the trends set by search engines. Our site has seen significant growth with all key metrics exceeding 100% growth.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

During the initial phase we had recurring mettings. Ongoing we meet quarterly, and as needed. The MacRAE's team cearly uses a workflow program because tasks are assigned and acted on in a logical fashion; step 2 does not start until step 1 is completed.

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

They stayed current with the technology and continually monitored our program against changes in the industry.

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

They use a back end team that prioritizes thechnical key word optimization over grammar, so as an end user it is important to us that all final text be edited for grammar prior to publication.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the owner of TurnUp Local and represent my client Murphy Industrial Products Inc. as their Head of Marketing & Web Design.

For what projects/services did your company hire MacRAE'S, and what were your goals?

To help us with our SEO content creation and deployment.

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

We had used Macreas in the past as one of our listings to expand our reach and liked the platform they offered they knew our background as an industrial supplier it made sense.

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

Their team is responsible for researching keywords, creating backlinks, On-Page SEO terms, Off-Page SEO postings, Social posting, Creating blog posts and web page content.

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

A project manager and SEO specialist as well as a team of writers.

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

The team is on time with deliverables every month and generates an SEO report to track results.

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

All content is reviewed and approved before publishing. They do a great job of keeping me updated and every task on track.

Their patients with me because I get behind on approving content. They constantly communicate with me. The team was hired to help and they do a great job of keeping us on track.

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

Not really it's a long game SEO you need to be consistent and if you do not and do nothing you will fall behind they do a good job of keep our content fresh.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Director of Marketing at Chemical Engineering and Manufacturing Company.

For what projects/services did your company hire MacRAE'S, and what were your goals?

We needed a new and modern website that was user friendly. We also wanted to maintain SEO and Social Media Optimization. It was important that we show up in the best form possible on the internet.

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

We had found MacRae's and developed a great working relationship with them. Our account manager was amazing and easy to work with. Communication was top-notch. I felt that they really were able to understand my vision and transform it.

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

We had a meeting to go over the vision and then it took off from there. My account manager was able to go over ideas with me that came to life. It was really exciting to see the project come together.

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

We had one main account manager who is still with us. It has been over five years of great account management with the same person. Other people work on our SEO and Social Media Optimization, however my main point of contact remains the same.

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

After launching the site, our visibility increased with SEO. We realized that more people were reaching out to us and referencing the website.

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

I feel that the team that worked on our project was very organized. We had amazing communication with our account manager and team. Communication was top notch and timelines were always met.

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

I found that the ease of working with this company was great. It's so nice to be understood and see the project come to life exactly the way I envisioned.

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

No, I think that they did a very good job.

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a local junk removal company servicing both residential and commercial clients with their junk removal needs through out the GTA.

For what projects/services did your company hire MacRAE'S, and what were your goals?

They were originally hired to launch our new web site and since then they have looked after writing our blogs and our SEO needs and dealing with our online ordering systems.

How did you select MacRAE'S and what were the deciding factors?

They were recommended to me through a third party who had used their services previously.

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

First we went through a discovery phase where we needed to educate them on what we do and how we were looking to position ourselves in the the market place. We then entered the design phase of the website relying on them for much of the writing and coding.

After website was complete we began working on key word development and SEO strategies. Implementation of our online booking systems and development of online inquiry tools were also created. Wok also began our the writing and posting of blogs and our adword campaign was completely redone. These efforts continue to this day.

How many resources from MacRAE'S team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We worked with an account manager, sales team, creative staff and a designer.

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

The ad word campaign has been very successful with a dramatic increase in conversations and a massive decrease in cpc. Our natural ranking is very high and has stayed there throughout many changes in our industry. We have grown the number of key words on the first page of google to include 36 on the first page and 11 on the second.

Our website and online booking tools continue to work effectively on all devices.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We had several in person meetings and numerous correspondences by email and telephone. The line of communication is always open I receive detailed monthly reports and we review them with the project manager.

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

I found them very easy to communicate with and for somebody like my self with little to no experience in this field, they have made it easy for me to understand what is going on with our site and our SEO needs.

The support and direction has been reliable allowing me to feel comfortable that our budget is being utilized the best way possible and that they are always monitoring moves by google to ensure our site remains at the top of google and that our cpc arfe kept as low as possible.

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

It would have been helpful in the beginning if they were more knowledgeable about our industry and how it works. However the original team has moved on and the current writers are much better.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner of a boutique marketing agency, in business for over 50 years and we specialize in promoting B2B manufacturers.

For what projects/services did your company hire MacRAE'S, and what were your goals?

We recommended MacRAE's to our manufacturer clients to improve their rankings on Google and improve numbers of leads to clients' websites.

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

We compared MacRAE's with three other similarly priced SEO services and chose them based on their outstanding presentation and the smart information delivery of their managers.

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

MacRAE's offered a similar scope of work to other SEO firms, but they differentiated themselves based on excellent levels of execution.

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

In the beginning of working with MacRAE's, we worked with a single manager, but over the years, we now work with 3 persons--the manager and her two support staff.

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

Our clients have many terms that are ranked in 1st place on Google or in the top 3 places or at least in the top 10. We are satisfied, as are our customers.

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

Their project management style is quite professional. Sakshi (Account Manager) is amazingly smart and answers hundreds of questions with patience and kindness. She is nearly always timely.

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

Kindness, professionalism, thoroughness, innovation

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

The younger support staff will eventually learn how to be as kind as Sakshi.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the managing partner at our company, where we develop educational software solutions for schools.

For what projects/services did your company hire MacRAE'S, and what were your goals?

We wanted to optimize our site for Google, but we do not have the time and resources internally.

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

I learned about MacRAE'S through their sister company Scott’s Directories. I initially reached out to Scott’s Directories and somehow ended up signing up for a 60-day SEO package through MacRAE'S. This was a good way for us to check out their services without having to make a larger commitment.

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

The on-boarding process was pretty simple and we had a dedicated account manager that worked closely with use through the entire process. Our 60-day SEO package included monthly blog and social posts, classified listings, and a detailed site analysis with recommendations.

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

We started working with MacRAE'S almost two years ago now and we are really happy with the results they have been able to produce for us. They're committed to producing results for their clients, and this is what has kept us working with them all this time. We know they're working hard to show us results and we see evidence of their commitment on an ongoing basis.

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

We receive detailed monthly reports and they are always happy to discuss them with us.

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

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend MacRAE'S to any company looking to drive more qualified traffic to their site.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the owner of a sales organization that offers a wide range of marketing services.

For what projects/services did your company hire MacRAE'S, and what were your goals?

We hired MacRAE's Marketing to create, manage and optimize our website. We then asked them to use digital marketing to generate real opportunities for my sales group.

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

We had a clear idea of what we were looking for and interviewed three suppliers for the best chance of success. We selected MacRAE's because they asked us the right questions that showed they had a ton of experience (already in 2012) and they demonstrated that they understood what was needed for us to be successful.

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

Before the SOW, MacRAE's interviewed us to determine where we were in our company evolution, what our key goals were in this investment and asked allot about our competitors, target clients and budget. MacRAE's then had their team look at our marketplace circumstances (competitors, keywords we should be considering, how much time would be needed to complete) to guide us toward our key deliverables which for us are direct sales opportunities with end user clients instead of the subcontracting work we had been doing prior to our digital marketing investment. MacRAE's monthly report and call ensures we stay focused on our KPI's and allows our team to see what is working and what is not working so we can make changes to our approach as needed.

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

We worked with our digital account manager as our primary day-to-day contact for all communications. On our monthly calls we would be joined by the content manager as well as our account managers assistant.

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

The biggest measurable outcome was achieving our primary goal within the first year which was to obtain opportunities to sell our services directly to the end user and not work on sub-contracting work at a much lower rate. Once we met that challenge, we set our KPI's to growing the business so we could expand our service area and service more clients.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We had in person meetings frequently, at first, as we needed more touch points while we started the project. As we have moved forward, we have been meeting monthly and as needed to keep the work flowing.

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

Everything they did for us was customized to our needs. They do not use a one size fits all model as our business is unique in its own way.

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

It would be great if they offered social media management services on top of their SEO digital marketing however they referred me to an excellent supplier and they work well within the team.

Please describe your company and your position 

We are a family owned packaging distributor. Our experienced consultants work with our clients in customize packaging solutions that mazimize their specific shipping needs. I am the Director of Business Operations and co-owner . 

For what projects/services did your company hire MacRAE'S, and what were your goals?

Our goal was to improve overall traffic ,conversions and keyword rankings and SEO.

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

We selected them because we felt confident that their team was very knowledgeable, professional and understood our vision and would provide us with excellent digital marketing support

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

Our service includes monthly webmaster health checks and performance reporting. Regular monitoring of the KPIs. Monthly publishing of blogs, social snippets on GMB, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram.  And more

They worked with us to make adjustments to our website and social media presence. Narrowed our keywords and within just a few months of them managing our digital campaign, we save immediate increases in rankings across multiple search engines

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

We have worked with 4 team members directly and many indirectly. Two from  Digital Marketing Business Developement to  two Digital Account Managers and indirectly with blog content / blog writers

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

Increases in traffic in all categories( organic, direct, referral, and GMB) plus increases in conversations. Significant increase in keyword rankings. Our detailed monthly performance report/ meetings highlighted the excellent results of what their team was doing to drive/improve our web presence

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow between their team and ours is seamless. Excellent communication throughout the duration of our partnership.

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

Their managers were extremely knowledgeable, professional, and responsive. They are also very patient, taking the time to explain the importance of different aspects of a digital campaign, which was a huge help to our team members that were not very technical or involved in social media.

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

Nothing that I could think of at this moment.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Pathway Communications is a Managed IT services provider based in Markham, Canada. I am the Marketing Specialist here and responsible for all things digital when it comes to our company's online presence- from social media campaigns to website maintenance or traditional marketing.

For what projects/services did your company hire MacRAE'S, and what were your goals?

Our company website was not optimized for search engines and so we wanted an agency to help us with SEO. Our goal was to increase traffic on our site through organic searches, generate good leads through PPC campaigns, and get more customers visiting from top positions in search engine results pages.

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

We received quotes from various marketing agencies across Toronto. We selected MacRAE's because their package was cost-effective and they presented an actionable plan of what to do next, along with great confidence in meeting our goals for the upcoming 6 months.

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

The MacRAE's team spent the first month studying our website in detail and defining goals. They put together a monthly task list that would help us rank better for certain keywords related to our services, including on-page SEO, off-page seo, technical SEO, optimization of social media presence, and content creation. With tools like HubSpot used alongside other tools like Google Adwords & Google Analytics results could be tracked easily so they knew what worked best from week one.

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

We worked with two people most of the time. The Director of Digital Marketing & Content Strategist.

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

We have seen an excellent improvement in our website ranking. Most of the keywords are ranked on page 1 of Google. The traffic has increased by 47% from when we started.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We had monthly meetings to review the SEO performance and used Outlook to communicate. We typically received a response on the same day.

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

They understood our requirements well. Also, they suggested we not invest money in something that didn't work for us in spite of the fact that they will lose revenue.

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

They could hire better content writers for content creation. Otherwise, everything else was more than effective.