Markupus

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a UK-based design and print company, and we produce personalized stationery products for the funeral, wedding, christening, and events market.

What challenge were you trying to address with Markupus?

We were scaling as a company, and we had some initial problems with our website. We needed help growing and automating our platform. We were looking for someone to build on and improve our existing website.  

What was the scope of their involvement?

Markupus is designing and developing our website using JavaScript.

What is the team composition?

I work with a developer, a project manager, a technical lead, and their CEO. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $25,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since October 2021, and our relationship is ongoing. 

How did Markupus perform from a project management standpoint?

Markupus is handling our project excellently, and we have a dedicated project manager. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Markupus’ team is exceptionally efficient, hardworking, and dedicated. Whenever they come up against tricky bugs and problems, they have a large group that works it out together. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything. 

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm technology consultant for a furniture manufacturer and retailer that recently started selling their new line of products online.

For what projects/services did your company hire Markupus, and what were your goals?

We have hired Markupus to develop a new ecommerce site that sells ready-to-assemble furniture (RTA), a form of furniture that requires customer assembly, similar to IKEA and Swyft. We needed to create an eCommerce website from scratch that will allow our clients to order furniture they want quickly and easily. The client will choose the products and colour and will be able to purchase it online.

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

We found Markupus on Clutch, as a top-rated WordPress development company. We then spoke to the team and were impressed with their knowledge and experience. The deciding factors to working with Markupus were their understanding of the project, their proactive approach, and their positive attitude to everything we suggested.

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

We asked Markupus to create the custom WordPress/WooCommerce template based on the designs and specifications provided, to install WordPress, WooCommerce and all the additional plugins to achieve the functionality and design provided and make modifications based on the SEO requirements.

It is was also important for us that the site would be totally mobile friendly and that the design will be pixel-perfect. Since some of the features we required weren't available out-of-the-box using plugins, we also required the developers to write custom code for some of them.

First of all we have shared the specifications document with Markupus and they provided is with an estimate of the time that this project would take. In that estimate they stated minimum and maximum hours for each task so that we understand the approximate cost. We have split the scope of work into 3 stages and established a deadline for each one of them.

After that we gave them the green light and provided them with an access to our staging server, where they installed WordPress and created custom template.

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

A project manager, who was our first point of contact, and 2 full-stack WordPress developers.

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

We have contacted Markupus in July, and it was very important for us to launch the website on September 15th. They have allocated 2 experienced full-stack WordPress developers for the project in order to finish development on time.

The Habbio website is now fully operational, and the user visiting it seem to have great user experience as it is fast, user-friendly and secure.

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

We had a weekly calls with the project manager and lead developer, where we discussed what have been done so far and what is planned to be done by the end of the week. They have also created a Slack channel for the project manager, the lead developer, and myself to discuss ongoing tasks and urgent questions. Every Friday I was receiving time reports about the work completed during the week, so that all the process was transparent and clear.

At the end of each month the monthly work & time report was sent to me.

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

I work with many developers and software development agencies, and Markupus is one of the best agencies I had the pleasure to work with so far. Their attitude is amazingly positive and they are transparent, professional, and highly knowledgeable. I highly recommend them to anyone who wants to build a WordPress or a WooCommerce website and I already plan to hire them for other projects myself.

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

Not really - this is one of those rare cases where I don't have improvement suggestions.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Creative Director of a videography and coaching business.

For what projects/services did your company hire Markupus?

As a start up in a visual field we wanted to ensure our website stood out as professional and slick, and also had the capacity to grow as our portfolio developed, able to accommodate a lot of video. Also, with all the other work involved in a new business, I didn't have time to build it myself. I wanted a web designer to build me a site with solid foundations and a great look, that I could then manage myself.

How did you select Markupus and what were the deciding factors?

I looked for web designers locally through referrals and searches. I also used Bark to look further afield, which is where Markupus came in. They seemed the most engaged and the keenest for our business. Their price was comparable to other companies I spoke to but their communication was better. Their previous work looked good and they seemed hungrier.

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

After sharing several examples of websites I admired and a discussion of what I needed, Markupus went away and came back with a prototype. This was pretty basic, and I wasn't sure this was what I wanted. I drew up a version on paper, and referred more specifically to different examples and we worked from there, through various revisions.

Even though we started quite far apart Markupus worked hard to understand what I needed and create something that works really well. I can be exacting and they implemented my requirements and communicated really well throughout.

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

My contact was all through their business manager, but was told two different designers worked on the project.

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

I'm yet to launch my website publicly at this stage as I still have content to add - however, I've very confident thanks to the interface Markupus gave me that I can do so and continue to manage my website easily. At present I'm very happy with the design and usability of the site.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The project manager was very communicative, predominantly using Slack to stay in touch, with regular video calls.

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

Markupus was very committed to working through it until finding something that worked for me as a client. They implemented changes very quickly, and were also able to be flexible when my own work meant I couldn't give them as much attention.

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

The initial design didn't meet my expectations, and I would have benefitted from greater clarity at this stage - I wasn't sure if this was a proposal or just an outline. However, I can't stress enough that Markupus's communication and dedication meant that after that initial difficulty, they ensured they worked closely with me to create something that I'm delighted with.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CEO of TheRoom design boutique. We provide UI/UX design services to our clients.

For what projects/services did your company hire Markupus, and what were your goals?

We had no website and required a simple, attractive and modern corporative website for our company. We've hired Markupus agency as they are known for the perfect development, that always makes a website looking just like it looks on the design. This was a key thing for us.

Moreover, we required an agency that can create good-looking animations.

How did you select Markupus and what were the deciding factors?

First of all, the manager and lead developer from Markupus agency set a call with us to discuss the website design and what we want to see. On the call, we've discussed the design, stages of work and received an estimation.

Once the work started, developers from Markupus team always kept us posted about the progress. First versions of the website we've seen really soon after the work started. Step by step, specialists were supporting us on the project and offered optimal soft to bring our website live.

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

They used WordPress to create our website. Stages of work were:

1. brief and design discussion
2. estimation
3. main page development
4. inner pages development
5. animations
6. mobile version development
7. help and consultancy on the admin functions of the website

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

3 people worked with us: project manager, lead developer and developer.

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

https://theroom.boutique - here is our website we've got developed by Markupus.

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

Communication was good: Project manager used Slack as a main communication tool. We feel that the manager can always answer our questions. They were very supportive and polite.

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

Well, the most unique thing about them is that this is the only company we saw, that can really make your design live. Just like you draw it. And this is completely amazing!

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

I think everything is good!

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m a Process Quality Manager at QArea. QArea provides software development services covering the full cycle from design and development to testing.

For what projects/services did your company hire Markupus?

We turned to Markupus for outstaffing software development services. In particular, their software engineers helped us with several WordPress projects, including our marketing sites.

What were your goals for this project?

We needed a few software developers skilled in WordPress development and some other technologies used in our internal projects. So our goal with Markupus was to sub-hire experienced software engineers matching our tech stack, which we did.

How did you select Markupus?

Markupus was recommended to us by one of our Resource Managers. He owned a web development company in the past, so we knew he would only recommend a software development vendor that is highly professional and trustworthy.

Describe the project in detail.

Markupus provided us with WordPress development services executed by their software engineers. The work they delivered was up to our standards: clean and reusable code, efficient communication, adherence to the industry best practices, etc.

In general, our acceptance criteria were fully met. The interaction with our development team was just seamless.

What was the team composition?

We were looking for two WordPress developers to add to our already existing team. At the very start, we met the Markupus founder, Serge, who helped us to pick the developers we needed. Later, we integrated them with our in-house development team to cover the needs of our projects ongoing at the time.

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

The fact that we managed to get high-quality outstaffing services from Markupus made a great impact on our company. Their software developers helped us establish an efficient project development course without compromising timeline, code quality, or making changes to the initially planned budget.

After this successful collaboration, we know we can count on Markupus to provide us with developers matching our requests. This allows us to prioritize other areas of our business.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Markupus development adjusted to our project management methodology quickly and easily. The Project Manager working with them rated their performance very highly in terms of responsiveness and adherence to our corporate policy.

Regardless of the distance that parted Markupus developers and our team during the remote collaboration, we managed to maintain effective communication with the minimal response time.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We were most impressed by the continuously high level of service Serge and his team demonstrated. The level of soft skills in Markupus is just as high as hard skills, so our interpersonal communication was also very pleasant and friendly. We appreciate that Markupus’ team values our company as a long-term partner.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We wish Markupus expanded their team. So far, they don’t have enough developers to cover all the tasks we’d like to assign to them.

Please describe your company and your position there.

We provide digital marketing services gambling and related businesses within our wider group.

For what projects/services did your company hire Markupus?

We wanted to explore an affiliate marketing opportunity within the esports gambling market and needed a website that would deliver added value to its visitors and partner operators as well as allow us the ability manage the frontend development.

What were your goals for this project?

We needed custom WordPress functionality that would both compare multiple database tables to present the results in an intuitive way and also enable us to implement our bespoke value-add feature.

How did you select this vendor?

We advertised this job on Upwork and considered a handful of potential developers. Markupus scored by far the highest on our scoring system rated on understanding of project goals, communication, costs and and demonstrable examples.

Their proactive communication and intensely detailed approach to project scoping before we had even engaged them was very impressive and significantly improved the confidence I had in them that they would achieve my objectives.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

After a detailed requirements gathering stage in which I provided them with suggested site wireframes and database schema, the developer proceeded to implement these. I was very pleased to get daily reports as to what work had been done that day and what their plan was the following day.

What was the team composition?

After gathering requirements with an excellent dedicated project manager, most of my interaction was with an equally excellent dedicated developer.

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

At this point, the site is yet to launch. However, the project was delivered well within time and budget deadline without skimping on functionality whatsoever.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Communication was fantastic. Markupus invited me to a Slack channel and I was able to chat to the developer and project manager at any point.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The attention to detail and determination to understand the entire scope of the project before even being hired was particularly impressive.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I cannot think of much they could improve at all.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Halal Control Lithuania is a certification authority founded in February 2015. The main activity of our organisation is the certification meat, dairy, hygiene and pharmaceutical products’ manufacturers. We control the conformity of products to the Halal standards throughout all stages of production. I am the Head of Halal Certification Unit

For what projects/services did your company hire Markupus?

The development of the website (www.halalcontrol.lt)

What were your goals for this project?

The creation of the functional and user-friendly website, which would be both clear and easy to use for us as well as our customers

How did you select this vendor?

By the professional advise of our Web Designer

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Building a fully-functioning website. Web development of front-end (HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript) and back-end (Wordpress, PHP) development, tested the result on desktop, tablet and mobile browsers.

What was the team composition?

The website was built by the team of professional web developers, who started the project from the very beginning and completed it to the very end.

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

The website of Halal Control Lithuania became significantly more professional and user-friendly. We already received a lot of positive feedback from our customers regarding the outstanding functionality together with the simpleness of use of our new website. The completed work totally met our expectations and stated goals.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The project was completed within the agreed timeframe and was done without any difficulties and delays.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The work of the company is very professional and customer-friendly.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No areas for improvement, everything was perfect.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm a founder of tech startup Fantasy Match. Fantasy Match is the sex education platform and community for open-minded couples and solos. With Fantasy Match, users can discover sexual fantasies & other sex ed content, invite partners to see mutual fantasies and to swipe for new ones, and connect with new people with the same lifestyle.

For what projects/services did your company hire Markupus?

I wanted to relaunch my existing website into a contemporary & stylish web-presence of our business. Except of redesign, we wanted to make a lot of improvements in terms of SEO optimization and website performance.

What were your goals for this project?

The main goals were: 1) implement new product web-site design 2) dramatically increase web-site performance, and as a result, to have a better ranking in Google and other search engines

How did you select this vendor?

I met Serge, the CEO of Markupus, at one of the offline events. I was impressed by their portfolio and decided to give them a try with a list of small changes. The task was completed successfully and I hired guys to work on a full scope of re-development.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

It’s a marketing website for our core product — iOS app. It describes how the app works, company details, team, media, etc. All the content is available in two languages - English and Russian. We've made a specification where we formulated all of the changes, new features, and improvements they were going to implement.

What was the team composition?

I worked with a dedicated project manager, front-end and back-end developers.

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

After implementing all of the tasks we saw a dramatic increase in Google PageSpeed and higher SEO rankings. The UX of website admin panel became much more user-friendly and now it takes less time for content managers to manage / update / add new content. At the end of the day, the website looks amazing, and it's all browsers and devices friendly.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

PM created a private channel in Slack where we all communicated. Several times we had group video calls and I even visited their office once.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I’m impressed by the speed of all my requests and the way guys form communicating. We are a startup and our requirements were changing several times during the development process. Guys are very agile & friendly. With their help, we've managed to ship the results in time!

Are there any areas for improvement?

Markupus is a very professional team, really nothing to add.

Please describe your company and your position there.

We design and develop B2B apps and websites for startups and SMEs. I'm the technical lead, working closely with our UX team to turn complex ideas into software.

For what projects/services did your company hire Markupus?

Markupus have helped us on several Wordpress and React.js projects, including our own marketing site as well as supporting our client projects.

What were your goals for this project?

We needed a partner who could quickly and accurately reproduce our designs in WordPress, and not require a huge amount of oversight. Quality of communication was a critical factor for success.

How did you select this vendor?

Markupus were recommended to us by one of our clients. He is particularly design focused, so we knew their work would have to be pixel-perfect to get a recommendation from him! We made a trip overseas to meet with some potential suppliers at their local offices in Eastern Europe, and were impressed by Serge and his team.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They provided HTML/CSS/JS code, as well as WordPress integration. The markup was pixel perfect against the designs. All code was managed in source control (Bitbucket). They also introduced us to a DevOps parter, who helps manage our staging server. This was great, because they could work together to handle our deploys etc.

What was the team composition?

We've worked with their project manager Art, as well as 3-4 different developers.

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

The most important aspect is that we can trust Markupus to deliver high quality WordPress sites on time - this allows us to focus on other aspects of our business where we can add more value.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Markupus seem flexible in their approach to project management - we use monday.com to plan projects and also communicate a lot via Slack. They are good are responding to messages quickly, and are clear about timelines etc.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Serge and his team are genuinely pleased to provide a high level of service, and to build a personal relationship. It is clear they value us as a long term partner. This sets them apart from other suppliers for us.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not really - they've been very responsive to any suggestions we've made for changing our workflow, and are always actively developing their skills and team.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder of The Odd Visual Stuff. Our company brings a unique and multidisciplinary approach to digital design.

For what projects/services did your company hire Markupus?

We needed assistance with some frontend development.

What were your goals for this project?

I wanted pixel-perfect websites that reflected my designs.

How did you select this vendor?

Markupus approached me and offered their services. Luckily, I was looking for a new partner to help with various online projects.

Can you go into detail about the services they provided and the scope of the project?

Markupus worked with us on two WordPress websites, one was our company homepage and the other was for a third party. We provided the designs and the Markupus team created a budget estimate, timeline, and development strategy for each.

What was the team composition?

We worked with a project manager and one developer.

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

Markupus helps improve our performance and reduces our internal workload. I can depend on Markupus’ work, so I don’t have to worry about the technical execution of our projects.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Their team’s approach to project management is excellent. Because I am based in the Netherlands, most of our communication is via Slack channels. Markupus is very responsive and quickly clears up any questions or miscommunications.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Aside from their great development skills, I was impressed with their level of design knowledge. This made our process and collaborations run very smoothly. I plan to continue our partnership going forward.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

I am not as confident in their knowledge in foreign code languages, but I’m confident we can work this out together.