North Star Inbound

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

I clearly articulated what I wanted and North Star Inbound delivered on it. Their team provided exactly what I wanted to see.

How did North Star Inbound perform from a project management standpoint?

They delivered industry-standard reports, which were good.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They hopped on the phone at random times that we threw at them. Communication was one of North Star Inbound's strong points.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could improve how they present additional offerings. There wasn’t a cohesive or easy way to understand their additional products and services. It would also be interesting to see slightly more advanced reporting. There are agencies, not necessarily in their space, that deliver much more robust levels of reporting.

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

North Star Inbound bills on a pay per performance basis. So, they were delivering monthly reports of the links they generated. On our side, we tracked the keyword rankings for specific spaces and traffic generated, and we saw an increase as a result of their work.

How did North Star Inbound perform from a project management standpoint?

They performed very well. Nicole had calls with our team, giving updates and working through strategy. She did a great job of communicating effectively and often and being very transparent. In the beginning, there was a different focus area that we weren’t having a lot of success with. 

So, we hopped on a call, she explained why and gave recommendations on other areas to explore instead. And then we pivoted, using one of those areas, which ended up being a lot more successful. The team’s early communication and transparency allowed for this project to be successful.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was impressed by the transparency in terms of the quality of the links that they were getting. We got listed on resource pages and all of the pages from which North Star Inbound got us links were very relevant to our main focus. Other SEO vendors get linked from areas that aren’t the best. So, the quality of Nicole’s work stood out to me.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We’re always looking for the biggest bang for our buck. What Nicole charged us was a fair price but if we could get more value, for example through a longer agreement where the cost to go down on our side, proving that it works from an ROI perspective. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Look at North Star Inbound and look at other proposals just to get a good sense of what the value is versus the price. If possible, speak to previous clients and understand what the actual deliverables are.

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

The direct benefit of their work has been an increase in organic traffic, as well as an increase in sales. It’s an upfront investment with a hopeful payout from the direct benefit from the links, which we’ve seen consistently. 

As I mentioned, I’ve worked with a lot of link builders, but North Star Inbound definitely stands out as one of our top vendors.

How did North Star Inbound perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management has been stellar. The team constantly updates us on the links we’ve acquired and allows us to provide them with feedback. Occasionally, their campaigns are a little slow to ramp up, which can be a little frustrating, especially when we don’t know why that is. 

But it takes a lot of work to do projects like this. North Star Inbound always lets us know when an outcome we want isn’t possible. Our campaigns have adapted quite a bit since we started working with them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are a company that you can trust and has your best interests at heart. Their mentality is “If they do well, we do well.” The team listens to our feedback and needs, adapting the campaign towards that as best as they can. They also adapt to changing algorithms and changing times, which is why we keep coming back to them. 

I’m impressed by their service and the quality of links that they’ve been able to build for us. It’s been a good partnership. Nicole is very capable of listening to the clients’ needs and developing strategies and ideas around them, which is something a lot of link building companies don’t do. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

We’ve seen an uptick in cost, which we’re not a big fan of. Additionally, sometimes they’re really consistent and other times we just don’t hear from them. So, they could be a little more consistent. It would also be useful for them to report potential outcomes.

The team could also assist more with strategy, which we’ve been doing ourselves. Otherwise, our experience has been really good.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Come up with a list of specific goals and strategies. Then, relay that information to North Star Inbound so they can tell you what is and isn’t possible. The team will be honest with you. Go into the partnership with appropriate expectations; don’t expect this to be a cure-all for all of your SEO problems. 

Additionally, know that white hat link building is expensive and takes time. So, expect six months to a year to see the full benefit. If you’re looking for something quick and cheap, you might want to look elsewhere.