PaperStreet Web Design

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the executive director at Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart and Shipley.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with PaperStreet Web Design?

We started with PaperStreet Web Design in 2009. At the time, our website wasn't that great. It only generated about 8,000–9,000 visitors a year. Also, we wanted to get more serious about using the web to generate new clients.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Originally, we hired PaperStreet Web Design to redesign our website. Their team started by asking what we wanted to accomplish with the platform. They had us meet with their design, programming, and SEO teams to create a plan for the product. Then, their team began putting it together. From a design perspective, they had to produce the website more than once since we often asked their team to integrate features that had to be invented. We requested changes constantly. After they produced a satisfying product, we wrote content. Their team wrote some and revised some of our content to support SEO efforts. Then, they programmed the website. Along the way, we asked for changes too. Since then, they’ve redesigned eight or ten websites for us following the same process. Just this year they redesigned three platforms. We continue to work with PaperStreet Web Design for product maintenance and SEO efforts, which includes GoogleAds campaigns.

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked with 5–6 people on various aspects of the website directly. The SEO guy has overseen the projects. I’ve also communicated with design, programming, and content people.

How did you come to work with PaperStreet Web Design?

A colleague recommended PaperStreet Web Design. I interviewed several notable agencies and was not happy with them for various reasons. I was attracted to the fact that a lawyer owned PaperStreet Web Design given his insight into the public’s perception of lawyers and how they think. The owner and I talked on the phone and we’ve stayed with them ever since.

How much have you invested with them?

Since 2009, we’ve spent between $300,000–$400,000 probably.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began our collaboration in 2009, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

From 2009, they've grown the number of visitors we have from 9,000 to an expected 120,000–130,000 this year. Getting people to the website is one thing: Converting them is a more difficult task. Over the course of the last 3–4 years, PaperStreet Web Design has done a good job of redesigning aspects of the website to make it easier and more attractive for people to convert. For example,  when we started using chat software, no other lawyers did. Their team brought us that idea and encouraged us to try it out. It has been much more successful in converting visitors than our contact forms. The number of conversions from contact forms has improved significantly over the last several years too. They’ve brought us ideas to enhance the platform and conversions constantly. Their team has understood that conversions are what it’s all about.

How did PaperStreet Web Design perform from a project management standpoint?

They've been sensational. If anybody has been a hindrance, it has been me. PaperStreet Web Design has always been on schedule. Compared to other vendors I’ve worked with their team has turned projects around fast. Usually, there has been little to critique in regard to their products.

What did you find most impressive about them?

PaperStreet Web Design has been attentive to our needs. We can call them because we’ve seen news concerning the website or there’s an aspect of the platform we’d like to discuss. I can pick up the phone and talk to someone who will answer my question. A solution has always been provided quickly.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not really. There isn’t anything for them to improve.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you want them to build a website for you, it’s worthwhile to speak with department leads. Have a conference with the CEO, their head graphic artist, programmer, and content writer. Ask them the hard questions to determine if they’ll be a good fit. Talk to the people who are going to do the work for you.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of marketing and business development for Henderson, Franklin, Starnes, & Holt, P.A. We’re a law firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with PaperStreet Web Design?

We hired PaperStreet Web Design to modernize our website and provide SEO support.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our engagement began with a kickoff call to go through our needs and write the content for our site. We also established our SEO requirements in those calls, making sure our development process involved those ideas. From there, the PaperStreet Web Design team worked to develop our site, moving it to a WordPress platform. Together, we ensured all the content was written and took photos, including some taken with drones. Their team put everything together, launched it a week early, and did a few maintenance tasks to clean it up. 

What is the team composition?

Suki (Project Management Team Lead, PaperStreet Web Design) was our main point of contact throughout the project, but 3–4 others also supported the efforts. 

How did you come to work with PaperStreet Web Design?

I’m a member of the Legal Marketing Association, and PaperStreet Web Design supports that organization. I knew they had worked on plenty of law firm websites, and they had developed our previous site, so the trust was there. They also had the best bid for this project. 

How much have you invested with them?

For this project, we spent around $35,000, excluding the SEO campaign. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together on this project from May–September 2019. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We haven’t done a full announcement of the new site yet since we’re still working on a few tweaks. However, everyone who has seen the new platform is amazed by it, commenting on how much better it is than our outdated one from 2011. We’ve gotten great feedback on it so far. It’s absolutely beautiful and up to our standards. 

How did PaperStreet Web Design perform from a project management standpoint?

They were great. Everything was completed within our deadlines, even though our timelines were tight. They were right on the mark and did a fantastic job. We communicated at least on a weekly basis, if not daily. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They understood the dynamics of working with a law firm, which was a huge asset for us. It’s an arduous process and very different from other industries,  but I had confidence they could get it done, and they did. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

There was an instance after the launch when I needed more help navigating the site, and there was a little confusion around the charges. It ended up working out and wasn’t an area of concern, but I’d suggest just prioritizing clear communication around cost and fixes. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be clear in your communication. Make sure you know your deadlines. If you’re launching a new site, make sure you have your content done ahead of time. We had all of our author bios and practice content approved before the launch, and it saved a huge amount of time. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of public relations at a regional law firm in the Tampa Bay area, and I’ve held this position for six years.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with PaperStreet Web Design?

I was trying to launch a brand-new website in a four-month period, which is unheard of in the legal marketing arena. I was tasked with that by my managing partner, who is an attorney and is not as familiar with the limitations of web development. We needed to completely relaunch visually and functionally basically everything about it.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I had two goals — I wanted our website to be visually appealing and easy to navigate. I took on the task of filling out the paperwork, answering questions, and keeping track of deadlines. Their art director came back to us with visuals because that was our main priority. It was really an “oh my goodness” moment because we fell in love with the visuals that they provided us right away.

From there we started on content because, with a law firm, content is the most difficult thing to get attorneys to approve. We incorporated content that we already had from the existing website and then used a content manager at PaperStreet Web Design to write some of the content directly with the attorneys responsible for those areas of practice.

Their IT people were fantastic about actually getting it up and running. Once we gave them the content and designs, they got it done extremely quickly. At the end of the four months, Robin (Director of Sales, PaperStreet Web Design) flew in and launched the website in front of the team at a retreat for all the attorneys.

What is the team composition?

I worked with their director of web development, and art director, and a couple of content people, as well as my managing partner and COO.

How did you come to work with PaperStreet Web Design?

I follow a blog in New York who I asked about the launch process they had gone through, and he recommended PaperStreet in Florida for some of the things they were doing with law firms. I contacted them in 2015 explained the project and the timeline goals, and they said they were interested.

How much have you invested with them?

We agreed to a fee of $25,000 inclusive of almost all of the work and went up about $5,000 because of various changes we wanted to make, so in total, we’ve spent about $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

They signed onto the project in January 2017 and launched the site in April, but we are continuing to work together on improving it.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are still working on analytics, but we have had a significant increase in traffic since we launched. We actually won an award for the website through PaperStreet, and our attorneys are using it a lot more as well. We’ve had great feedback on the user-friendliness all around. We were also able to make everything uniform, which was very important to our firm.

How did PaperStreet Web Design perform from a project management standpoint?

They are extremely communicative, and everything is completed well within our schedule. To this day, when we need something done, we can count on the change being made to our website within 48 hours. One of the big reasons they are able to get things right the first time so often is that they really take the time to do research beforehand. They listen before they respond.

Every week their team would check in and go through a checklist of here’s what we did, here’s what needs to be done, and here’s what you need to do. They were very good about keeping me focused on what needed to be done to stay on schedule, but I also never felt pushed to pay for something that we weren’t ready to do in terms of content, money, or anything. They have a very team- rather than sales-focused approach.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They come through with what they say they’re going to do 100% of the time. They are just so responsive, and their ideas are really cutting edge. We have a team of attorneys ranging from their 20s to their 70s providing five decades of opinions on graphics, etc. but their team was always positive, respectful, and productive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I really would be happy to point something out if I thought they were off track somewhere, but I have had no problems whatsoever. I can’t recommend them enough.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’m not necessarily saying that they’re the right team for everyone, but for what we wanted to do they were an absolutely perfect fit. If you need a team-oriented and qualitatively focused approach to web development, you’re not going to find a better service provider.

BACKGROUND

Could you briefly describe your organization?

We’re a regional law firm, full service, with about 175 attorneys and nine offices.

What is your position?

I’m the director of marketing and business development. I oversee all of the firm’s marketing, advertising, business development, and public relations initiatives.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Could you describe the business challenge(s) you were attempting to address when you initiated the relationship with PaperStreet?

When we began our relationship with PaperStreet, probably about nine years ago, our website was very outdated and obsolete. We were using someone internally to create the website and to perform all of the updates. What we were looking to do was to have a more modern, dynamic website with the ability to be updated by anyone, using a content management system. Since that relationship started nine years ago, we’ve had them build about four different websites for us. 

Which platforms were these sites built on?

It’s using their proprietary CMS solution. It's called Total Control.

SOLUTION

Could you describe the scope of the project? For example, did it involve custom design, backend development, training, ongoing support, etc.?

That one would be the one that we launched about two years ago. We wanted it to have a responsive design, which they created for us from the ground up. We wanted it have more focus on news-related information, having press releases, articles and advisories, and events and seminars that our firm has readily available. We wanted the entire thing to be intuitive and accessible to our end-users. 

How did you select PaperStreet as your solution partner?

We conducted some initial research to identify potential vendors. We then distributed an RFP to our top candidates, and we selected PaperStreet based on the proposal we recieved. Ever since then, we’ve used them as our go-to firm for our website and technology needs, because we’ve been so happy with their services.

In terms of evaluating your website and your Total Control CMS, have they met your business needs, and do you believe they will continue to do so into the foreseeable future?

I do think it currently meets our needs. I think moving forward, it may need to be updated. But, one of the things that’s nice about PaperStreet is that any request we have to tinker with the website here and there, they are more than willing to accommodate us, and typically at a very low price point. 

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in monetary terms?

It cost between $25,000 and $50,000.

When was the project completed?

It was November of 2012.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

In terms of results, could you share any statistics, metrics, or user feedback that would demonstrate the effectiveness of the work they've delivered?

Since the launch of that site, we’ve seen, using Google Analytics, that the number of viewers has increased significantly. We’re getting more hits and more unique users visiting our website compared to the old version of the site. It's been a very impressive growth rate. 

When working with PaperStreet, is there anything you would consider unique or special about them compared to other vendors you’ve worked with?

I think they’re extremely responsive. I mean, I contacted them last week about making a change on a Tuesday, and it was done and ready for launch by the next day. Having a 24 hour turnaround time is fantastic. 

In terms of constructive feedback, are there areas that you think they could improve upon, or are there things you'd do differently as the client before approaching this type of project?

No. Nothing comes to mind. We've been nothing short of completely satisfied with their work. 

BACKGROUND

Could you briefly describe your organization?

I work for a small law firm. 

What is your position?

I’m the founder and head attorney.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Could you describe the business challenges you were attempting to address when you initiated the relationship with PaperStreet?

They handle most of my digital marketing. I’ve been working with them for almost a decade. They've also handled a considerable amount of website management and maintenance tasks.

SOLUTION

Could you describe the scope of work they've delivered?

At first, they built and designed our website. They now provide content development and digital marketing services. They conduct keyword research, and then configure and manage our SEO [search engine optimization] campaigns. They also perform periodic upgrades and enhancements to the website, mostly visual alterations. 

How did you choose PaperStreet as your solution partner?

It was a long time ago. I'm quite sure I just performed some basic online research for Web designers with experience creating sites for legal professionals. There weren't many to begin with, and I was confident that they'd be able to design our website without serious issue. 

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in monetary terms?

I don't recall the exact estimate. I believe it was between $5,000 and $7,000. 

When was the most recent project completed?

It's really an ongoing relationship. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

In terms of results, could you share any statistics, metrics, or user feedback that would demonstrate the effectiveness of the work they've delivered?

Yes. We evaluate our website metrics at the end of each month. We've been very pleased with the results so far. They've been able not only to increase the cumulative traffic generated by the site, but they've also increased the number of conversions and leads. The process is relatively slow, but the growth has been steady. 

When working with PaperStreet, is there anything you would consider unique or special about them compared to other vendors with which you’ve worked?

I’ve always felt like Pete Boyd [president of PaperStreet] had a good grasp of everything. I’ve been in their offices many times when I’ve traveled down to see them in South Florida. I always thought they were hands on. I’ve always found that everyone is competent and easy to work with.

In retrospect, are there areas that you think they could improve upon, or are there things you'd do differently as the client before approaching this type of project?

There were a lot of things they did that weren't the way I would have done them. But the nature of digital marketing has evolved so much. The technologies are moving so quickly that I think they’ve changed as time and technology has changed as well. I’m not an average client of theirs. I have a greater sophistication and knowledge of SEO and digital marketing. I have pretty considerable experience with it. It’s one of those things where I’ve certainly pushed them at times to look at different things that I was reading about, whether it was in blogs or conferences or so forth.

BACKGROUND

Could you briefly describe your company?

We are a criminal defense and civil litigation law based in Miami, Florida.

What is your position 

I’m the office administrator.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Could you describe the business challenges you were trying to address when you began the project with PaperStreet Web Design?

We needed to revamp our website totally. Our website was designed with old frames technology, and it was impossible for us to maintain ourselves. We had to have the person who designed it maintain it, which eventually became very cumbersome. We began searching for a Web design company to redo it without really realizing that the technology that PaperStreet provided us would allow us to do it all in house.

SOLUTION

Could you describe the scope of the project? For instance, did it require custom design, development, training, and support?

It was all custom design. We also had issues with copy. We used some of our existing copy, but we needed it beefed up a bit. Their copywriters have helped us create new content for the redesign. PaperStreet also provided strategic counsel surrounding our content strategy and distribution methods.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this project in monetary terms?

I don’t remember how much we paid PaperStreet for their design, because we’ve been using their website for more than five years.

When was the site launched?

Our site launched in August of 2009.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

In terms of results, do you have any statistics or metrics you could share that would demonstrate the effectiveness of the work they’ve delivered?

Not really. They gave us Google Analytics, but I don’t ever use it. I can tell you, however, that we’ve experienced much more user engagement. We receive more than double the amount of contact from submissions since the redesign.

How well do you think PaperStreet Web Design performed on the project?

I think they’ve performed quite admirably, and they continue to do so.

When working with PaperStreet Web Design, is there anything you would consider unique or special about them compared to other service providers you’ve had in the past?

That’s a difficult question because we have no prior experience with technology service providers. One thing that really sticks out for us is the fact that the owner of PaperStreet is both a developer and a certified attorney. This has been a huge advantage for us because their team is very familiar with the legal profession. We never had to deal with explaining our business model, and our strategic approach to things because their team came in with deep knowledge anyway. 

In retrospect, are there any areas that you believe they could improve upon, or things you might do differently as a client before initiating this type of project?

There aren’t any areas I believe they could improve upon. It’s really beyond my area of expertise, and as I’d mentioned, my only experience is with them. They’re very attentive to their client’s needs and wants.