Pilot does three things superlatively: SEO, PPC/SEM, and SEO-optimized Web Development. We do 100% of our work in-house with offices in Chicago & Cincinnati.
SEO
We start with research to understand where you are, so we can plan where you need to be. We dive deep into your keyword market, your competitors' strategies, your analytics configuration, and your website to put together a strategy to capitalize on your SEO opportunities.
We are a highly technical SEO agency with our own programmers on staff; we will optimize your site to the max. Our SEO experts are English or journalism majors who have learned data analytics and the rules of SEO.
PPC / SEM
We manage over $8MM in ad spend around the globe. We have tremendous experience in health care, manufacturing, e-commerce, B2B and others.
GOOGLE & YOUTUBE - We are a one of the 3% of agencies in the US that are a Google Premier Partner. We crank out positive ROI.
BING/YAHOO - Especially important for the B2B market (contact us to see why).
SOCIAL MEDIA - We have years of experience working with all social media platforms: Facebook/Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, TikTok, and all the others.
GEOFENCING - Target customers based on physical location.
TRAFFIC MULTIPLIERS - Outbrain and Taboola are amazing tools for some business strategies.
WEB DEVELOPMENT
We build highly SEO-optimized, beautiful websites for clients whose businesses demand targeted organic traffic. We work in WordPress unless there is a reason not to.
ANALYTICS
Our services require that we analytics experts. Our entire team are Google Analytics certified & our technical abilities mean we can solve any analytics problem.
OUR MISSION
Pilot is a people-first company in the digital space; we practice kaizen (constant improvement) in all we do to maximize our impact on people’s lives. We grow our clients’ businesses so they can do good by their team, their families, and their communities. This allows Pilot to do good by our team, our families, and our community.
$5,000+
$150 - $199 / hr
10 - 49
Chicago, IL
Founded 2009
1 Locations
Chicago , IL
Total Reviews
5
Average Referral Rating
5.0
/5
Most Common Project Size
$10,000 to $49,000
$XX,XXX – $XXX,XXX
Focus
No data have been added yet...
Highly Rated Similar Providers
Pilot Digital Marketing Review Insights
Overall Review Rating
5.0
Quality
5.0
Schedule
4.9
Cost
5.0
Willing to Refer
5.0
Top Mentions
Review Highlights
Effective SEO and PPC Services
Pilot Digital Marketing's SEO and PPC services were noted for their thoroughness and effectiveness. They conducted keyword research, backlinking, and managed ad campaigns on LinkedIn, Google, and Bing, leading to successful outcomes for clients.
Flexibility and Problem Solving
Pilot Digital Marketing was praised for their flexibility and problem-solving abilities. They were willing to explore new solutions and quickly addressed any issues that arose, even in complex projects.
Areas for Improvement
While overall feedback was highly positive, one review mentioned initial issues during a website launch due to complex CRM integration. However, these issues were quickly resolved, demonstrating the team's commitment to client satisfaction.
High Client Satisfaction
Clients expressed high satisfaction with the services provided by Pilot Digital Marketing, often noting that their experience was the best they had with an outside agency. This includes successful project outcomes and positive working relationships.
Excellent Communication Skills
The team was commended for their excellent communication skills, being responsive and maintaining open lines of communication throughout the project. This was particularly noted in complex projects involving integration with internal systems.
Personalized Client Approach
Several reviews highlighted the company's personalized approach, with team members like Charlie and Rod investing time to understand clients' unique needs and challenges, thereby creating tailored solutions.
Advertising & SEO for Youth Support Nonprofit Organization
AdvertisingSearch Engine Optimization
Confidential
Jan. - June 2024
5.0
Quality
5.0
Schedule
5.0
Cost
5.0
Willing to Refer
5.0
''The work was all great, and the results have been phenomenal.''
Jul 18, 2024
Community Education Manager, Rainbows For All Children
Liz Falstreau
Non-profit
Evanston, Illinois
1-10 Employees
Online Review
Verified
Pilot Digital Marketing provided SEO and advertising services for a youth support nonprofit organization. The team offered the client a program and used their Google Ad Grants profile.
Pilot Digital Marketing's efforts increased site traffic by 30% and average user time from 30 seconds to 3 minutes, gaining over 900 additional users within a month. The team was always on top of things and communicated clearly and often. Their sincerity and professionalism were impressive.
The client submitted this review online.
BACKGROUND
Please describe your company and position.
I am the Community Education Manager of Rainbows For All Children
Describe what your company does in a single sentence.
We provide training to volunteers worldwide to lead free grief peer-support groups for youth in their community.
OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE
What specific goals or objectives did you hire Pilot Digital Marketing to accomplish?
SEO of our Website
Reinvigoration and use of our Google Ads Grant profile
SOLUTION
How did you find Pilot Digital Marketing?
Referral
Why did you select Pilot Digital Marketing over others?
Referred to me
Company values aligned
How many teammates from Pilot Digital Marketing were assigned to this project?
2-5 Employees
Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.
Rainbows for all Children just wrapped up it’s six months with PILOT’s Do Good By program and we’d like to go on the record and say this program has been a game changer for our organization. They got us on the right track with our Google Ads Grant, increasing our traffic by almost 30% through Google Ads alone, and Makayla was a delight to work with and super responsive to questions we had and giving us updates as things progressed.
The SEO audit revealed high priority areas for us to improve on our website and gave us a better understanding of how to track, and what to track in terms of our website’s engagement and performance. Optimized is an understatement! Jordan was pivotal in keeping us on target for the goals we had for the grant and was a sincere, professional, and giving person to work with. I am going to miss seeing this team on a regular basis!
This grant is a true service to the non-profit sector, especially for small to midsized businesses who are continually putting their SEO, web development, and Google Ads work on the back burner for lack of staff bandwidth. PILOT’s Do Good By program will set you up for long term success and sustainability and won’t leave you hanging at the end with no idea where to go next.
The amount of time and love that went into handing this work back to us was deeply appreciated. If you win this grant, you WILL level up your organization’s online game.
RESULTS & FEEDBACK
What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?
We were able to get more than 900 additional users to our site in a month through the use of Google Ads alone. By the final months of the program almost our entire $10,000 Google Ads grant budget was getting used.
By optimizing our resources page, and adding new content to our site about programming, we are sending a clearer message and reaching relevant users to our site. The average user time on our site jumped from 30 seconds to 3 minutes.
Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?
They were always on top of things and made sure to communicate clearly and often. As a small non-profit we appreciated this as sometimes our schedules and bandwidth keep us from staying on track with time sensitive projects.
What was your primary form of communication with Pilot Digital Marketing?
Virtual Meeting
Email or Messaging App
What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?
The work was all great, and the results have been phenomenal, but I have to say the whole team we worked with was sincere and professional. Humans with beating hearts who seemed to really care about our mission and setting us up for the best possible outcome.
Are there any areas for improvement or something Pilot Digital Marketing could have done differently?
If we had a little more structure and time to walk through their process and what went into their choices that would have been an added bonus, but due to time restraints on our end, we were never able to dedicate as much time as we wanted.
RATINGS
5.0
"Will do whatever we can to work with them again."
Quality
5.0
Service & Deliverables
"The proof is in the numbers! This team gets results!"
Schedule
5.0
On time / deadlines
"Exceptional"
Cost
5.0
Value / within estimates
"Priceless work for free through the Do Good By Grant. Other non-profits would be crazy not to apply."
Willing to Refer
5.0
NPS
"Everyone should work with them!
Digital Marketing Services for Engineering School
Digital StrategyOther Digital Marketing
$10,000 to $49,999
Jan. 2023 - Ongoing
5.0
Quality
5.0
Schedule
5.0
Cost
5.0
Willing to Refer
5.0
"Working with Pilot and Charlie is hands down the best experience I have had with an outside agency."
Jan 8, 2024
Dir of Digital Strategy, Northwestern McCormick School of Engineering
Steve Drey
Education
Evanston, Illinois
51-200 Employees
Online Review
Verified
Pilot Digital Marketing provides ongoing digital marketing services for an engineering school. The team audited the client's existing GTM and UA properties, mapped the ideal setup, and developed Looker Studio reports.
Thanks to Pilot Digital Marketing's efforts, the client was able to track their suite of websites with improved analytics and more insights into how their users interact with them. The team delivered the project on time. They were flexible, responsive, and understanding.
The client submitted this review online.
BACKGROUND
Please describe your company and position.
I am the Director of Digital Strategy of Northwestern McCormick School of Engineering
Describe what your company does in a single sentence.
We empower our students to become whole-brain engineers.
OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE
What specific goals or objectives did you hire Pilot Digital Marketing to accomplish?
Transitioning our Universal Analytics properties to Google Analytics 4.
Developed Looker Studio reports that identified opportunities to connect with our audiences.
SOLUTION
How did you find Pilot Digital Marketing?
Referral
Why did you select Pilot Digital Marketing over others?
Referred to me
How many teammates from Pilot Digital Marketing were assigned to this project?
1 Employee
Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.
Audit our existing GTM and UA properties to assess the setup and determine what data will be essential to continue tracking in GA4. Mapping the ideal setup for GA4. This included events, event parameters (custom dimensions), and content groups. Developed Looker Studio reports.
RESULTS & FEEDBACK
What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?
We are able to continue tracking our suite of websites with improved analytics and more insights into how our users are interacting with us.
Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?
The project was delivered on time and communication with Pilot was clear and prompt. They were very flexible and took the time to walk us through the enhancements they were making so we had a clear understanding of the setup.
What was your primary form of communication with Pilot Digital Marketing?
Virtual Meeting
Email or Messaging App
What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?
Our contact Charlie is so knowledgeable and isn't afraid to to explore a new solution to a problem that is unique to our organization.
Are there any areas for improvement or something Pilot Digital Marketing could have done differently?
Absolutely not! Working with Pilot and Charlie is hands down the best experience I have had with an outside agency.
RATINGS
5.0
Quality
5.0
Service & Deliverables
Schedule
5.0
On time / deadlines
Cost
5.0
Value / within estimates
Willing to Refer
5.0
NPS
SEO & PPC for Metal Recycling Company
Pay Per ClickSearch Engine Optimization
$10,000 to $49,999
Sep. 2021 - Ongoing
5.0
Quality
5.0
Schedule
5.0
Cost
5.0
Willing to Refer
5.0
''Their personal touch is one of their biggest strengths.''
Nov 29, 2022
Marketing Director & Trader, Cimco Resources
Elio Vento
Chemicals & Biotechnology
Sugar Grove, Illinois
51-200 Employees
Phone Interview
Verified
Pilot Digital Marketing provides SEO and PPC services for a metal recycling company. They’ve conducted keyword research and worked to create ad campaigns on LinkedIn, Google, and Bing.
Pilot Digital Marketing's work is thorough as they invest in learning about the client's company to ensure successful SEO and PPC results. Pilot Digital Marketing uses Basecamp, Zoom calls, and text messages to ensure solid project management. The client also praises their personable approach.
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this
client over the phone. Below is an edited
transcript.
BACKGROUND
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the marketing director and trader of Cimco Resources, a metal recycling company.
OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE
What challenges were you trying to address with Pilot Digital Marketing?
We needed help with SEO and PPC services.
SOLUTION
What was the scope of their involvement?
Pilot Digital Marketing has been helping us with SEO and keyword research. We’ve given them all the information they require on our end, and they’ve started working collaboratively with our third-party web development partner to implement the SEO efforts into our site. In addition, they’re taking care of backlinking, ad posting, and PPC for LinkedIn, Google, and Bing.
What was the team composition?
We’ve been working with Ben (Director of SEO) and Rod (Managing Partner).
How did you come to work with Pilot Digital Marketing?
A business partner referred them to us.
How much have you invested in them?
So far, we’ve invested around $10,000 with them.
What is the status of this engagement?
We started working together in September 2021, and the engagement is ongoing.
RESULTS & FEEDBACK
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
Pilot Digital Marketing’s team is very thorough; they invest themselves in researching our end consumers, what we do, and how we do it to ensure successful results.
How did Pilot Digital Marketing perform from a project management standpoint?
Project management is beyond expectations in terms of meeting deadlines, staying within budget, and communicating. Regarding tools, we’ve used Basecamp, email, text messages, and Zoom calls.
What did you find most impressive about them?
Their personal touch is one of their biggest strengths; Rod is involved in the process and does a lot of personal research on our company to understand who we are and find the right keywords for us.
Are there any areas they could improve?
I don’t think there’s anything they can improve on.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Having a plan in place upfront could help the process for both ends.
RATINGS
5.0
Quality
5.0
Service & Deliverables
Schedule
5.0
On time / deadlines
Cost
5.0
Value / within estimates
Willing to Refer
5.0
NPS
Web Design for Consumer Product Retailer
Custom Software DevelopmentWeb DesignWeb Development
Confidential
Jan. 2020 - Ongoing
5.0
Quality
5.0
Schedule
4.5
Cost
5.0
Willing to Refer
5.0
"They are trustworthy, work hard, know their stuff, and are good people.
May 25, 2022
Digital Marketing Director, Bunting Magnetics
Tjaden Sadowski
Consumer Products
Newton, Kansas
201-500 Employees
Online Review
Verified
Pilot Digital Marketing has redesigned a website to boost overall functionality and design, with the primary new feature being online quizzes about safety and security.
Pilot Digital Marketing has helped the client keep their website up and running. The team’s excellent communication skills and quick response times help solve any issues that arose. Most of all, the vendor meets the client's diversifying demands throughout the engagement.
The client submitted this review online.
BACKGROUND
Please describe your company and your position there.
I am the Digital Marketing Coordinator for the 3 U.S. locations for Bunting Magnetics. We are a global manufacturing company, and offer a wide range of products at each location. This includes magnetic separation, metal detection, material handling conveyors, custom magnet assemblies, in-stock rare earth magnets and more. I have been doing Digital Marketing/Websites for 15 years.
OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE
For what projects/services did your company hire Pilot Digital Marketing, and what were your goals?
Our e-commerce website for tour Chicago location was over a decade old and built with custom code. It had taken us as far as it could go. Its capabilities were no longer allowing us to reach our high expectations and goals for performance, visitors, user experience and e-commerce revenue. We needed a new Word Press website that could take us to the next level.
SOLUTION
How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?
At the time, Pilot Digital was our SEO partner. We enjoyed working with the individuals on the team and their openness and skill-set. Since I had worked at digital agencies for over a decade before coming to Bunting, I had been on their side of the table many times before. Now as a client/in-house marketing partner, I can easily tell when an agency is giving me the run around or not being completely transparent. With Pilot Digital, I could tell that they were knowledgeable, did high-quality work, were easy to work with, reliable, and open about everything. We were very comfortable going with them for our website rebuild. There were many agencies we could have chosen, but it was really a no brainer to ask Pilot for help with such a big project.
Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.
Our e-commerce website BuyMagnets.com was already successful, but the design, user experience and custom-coding was holding us back. It needed a complete overhaul, while staying true to our current successes. Pilot helped us reimagine the user experience to better serve customers, site architecture, fresh design, and new features and capabilities to bring the website into 21st century e-commerce.
How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?
Pilot's Web Development Director (and co-founder) was our point person, along with 2 web developers. We were in regular contact and questions and needs were always quickly addressed.
RESULTS & FEEDBACK
Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?
Our e-commerce website was taken to the next level and is achieving the big performance goals that we have planned. It was a challenging build due to our internal CRM system that also needed to be incorporated into the website. So there were a lot of creative solutions and demands that needed to be met, and Pilot stepped up to the plate to deliver.
Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.
They get down to business and are very focused on the tasks at hand. But they are also very personable and down to earth. Communication is always open.
What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?
As someone who comes from years of working at digital agencies prior to my current position, they are the type of agency I would've loved to be a part of. As an in-house digital marketing director, I have worked with some agency partners that were untrustworthy and just lazy. Pilot Digital is the complete opposite. They are excellent agency partners and I enjoy our collaboration. They are trustworthy, work hard, know their stuff, and are good people. Our experience was so positive that we actually signed with them to be our PPC partners as well. You have to really trust an agency partner to count on them to be your SEO, PPC and Website partner. Usually you might spread it out a bit. But with Pilot, the trust and positive working relationship makes this possible.
Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?
When we first launched the website there were some issues due to the complex nature of our internal CRM system that needed to be incorporated. But they worked with us to quickly resolve the issues. Pilot answered the call to overcome challenges that would have baffled and sunk a lesser agency.
RATINGS
5.0
Quality
5.0
Service & Deliverables
Schedule
4.5
On time / deadlines
Cost
5.0
Value / within estimates
Willing to Refer
5.0
NPS
PPC for Kid Soccer Program
Pay Per Click
Less than $10,000
Oct. 2023 - Jan. 2024
5.0
Quality
5.0
Schedule
5.0
Cost
5.0
Willing to Refer
5.0
We were happy with the project timeline.
Jan 29, 2024
Executive, Lil' Kickers - LKSOCCER
Anonymous
Sports
Chicago, Illinois
51-200 Employees
Online Review
Pilot Digital Marketing provided PPC services for a kid soccer program. Their responsibilities included GA4 migration, audit, exploration, and deployments. They also created GA4 dashboards using Looker Studio.
Pilot Digital Marketing delivered the project on time, facilitating the client's ROI tracking process. They communicated frequently and responded promptly via email and virtual meetings, ensuring an effective workflow. Their quick turnaround time in implementing adjustments was noteworthy.
The client submitted this review online.
BACKGROUND
Please describe your company and position.
I am an executive at Lil' Kickers - LKSOCCER
Describe what your company does in a single sentence.
Child development soccer program for kids ages 18 months to 10 years old.
OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE
What specific goals or objectives did you hire Pilot Digital Marketing to accomplish?
GA4 Migration
Google Looker Studio Template
SOLUTION
How did you find Pilot Digital Marketing?
Referral
Why did you select Pilot Digital Marketing over others?
Referred to me
Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.
Google GA4 Migration - lksoccer.com
GA4 Audit
Migration Strategy
GTM/GA4 Deployment
GA4 Exploration Report(s) Google Looker Studio Template
Design a Looker Studio Report to serve as a dashboard of the high-level GA4 data.
Design will act as a template so to use it as a base for other reports.
RESULTS & FEEDBACK
What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?
Pilot's work migrating our web analytics to GA4 & building a Looker studio dashboard has allowed our company to view website, SMM & SEM data in an accessible way. We can better track the ROI of paid advertising campaigns and monitor the overall health of our website. Plus, the automation of reporting saves our company time and energy.
Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?
The pilot team provided great communication throughout the project. We were happy with the project timeline. The team was quick to make any adjustments as needed and ensure the dashboard met the reporting needs of our company.
What was your primary form of communication with Pilot Digital Marketing?
Virtual Meeting
Email or Messaging App
What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?
The pilot team did a great job educating/training our company on GA4 and the Looker Studio dashboard.
Are there any areas for improvement or something Pilot Digital Marketing could have done differently?
N/A
RATINGS
5.0
Quality
5.0
Service & Deliverables
Schedule
5.0
On time / deadlines
Cost
5.0
Value / within estimates
Willing to Refer
5.0
NPS
Locations (1)
4619 N Ravenswood Ave, Suite 104Chicago, IL,
United States60640
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