Search Engine People

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Marketing & Communications Manager for a financial services business, and I have been building our digital strategy with SEP for nearly 10 years.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Search Engine People, and what were your goals?

We were at the point of growing our business nation wide and needed a full digital services agency to support our SEO, CRO and PPC goals to help us grow online.

SOLUTION

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

After having multiple meetings with the onboarding coordinator, we were excited to jump into a relationship with SEP, knowing their background, goals and professionalism.

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

SEP helped us build out a new brand SEO plan that would span across several years. Down the road they introduced CRO strategies onto our customer facing digital platform to help us with our customer conversion rate. Our final step was recently introducing a PPC strategy which has been a growing pillar within my department.

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

We work with an account manager, account director, PPC/CRO/SEO strategist.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Each month since launching our PPC campaign in Q2 of this year, we've seen an ROI positive return, with continued growth.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We meet bi-weekly to go over all pillars of our strategy. My account manager is also available on Teams for quick questions/answers.

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

The number of team members dedicated to my account was impressive.

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

Providing monthly reporting ahead of time to allow for more review.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Pro-Bel is a high rise fall protection equipment manufacturer. We are based in Canada but operate globally with the bulk of our business coming from the US. I am currently the Ontario Inspection Manager but originally started as a Marketing Representative and have maintained this vendor relationship for several years.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Search Engine People, and what were your goals?

We are a very niche B2B company. Although we are the industry leader our website was not ranking well, and we were not bringing in business from digital channels. We were spending a fortune on trade shows with mixed results. In an effort to continue our growth we hired Search Engine People to help with SEO. We have since also had them help with our PPC campaigns and some technical aspects on our website.

SOLUTION

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

We initially found them online and invited them through an RFP. They had the most detailed plan and a track record of success with other niche B2B companies. Not in our industry but similar with the challenges they face. As an added bonus they are local to us which was nice as we occasionally meet in person.

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

The scope has evolved dramatically over the years. We initially started with technical SEO work (our website was a mess) and then we moved on to other SEO work such as on-page and link building. We have had several website iterations over the years with them and they have often helped with the technical transition. They occasionally run paid campaigns for us when the funnel is running low. This is not a primary channel for us, but it has worked very well in each instance.

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

We work with an Account Manager and a SEO Specialist. They are both great. In ten plus years working with them we have had the same Account Manager which is an added bonus (Shoutout Matt). The SEO Specialist has changed a couple of times over the years but whoever we get has always been great to deal with and our results have never slowed down.

As mentioned, we run PPC campaigns periodically. The PPC person is often different given that it is not ongoing, but it is always an extra person on the team and not the Account Manager or SEO Specialist. Regardless of the PPC person we have always stayed on budget and come extremely close to our lead forecasts.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have experienced consistent growth. Improved keyword rankings are the most obvious positive but the fact that we have measurable revenue from these efforts is the biggest win. As much as we love the team we work with if this was not driving revenue for us, we would not continue, especially for as long as we have.

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

They are very proactive. We have a scheduled monthly and quarterly meeting. We use a lot of email, phone calls and Zoom plus some in person meetings. They have offered to setup Teams or Slack, but I chose to stick with what we have. I have a live report plus they send one with more details every month. They are on the ball.

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

Results first and foremost. The have really delivered for us. Beyond that, we have been working with together for over ten years, but they still show a strong interest in our success.

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

None at all. If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

GhostRetail is part of an exciting growing field of live video shopping platforms that help retailers deliver an elevated online shopping experience. As a department director, I'm responsible for generating demand, brand positioning, and content development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Search Engine People, and what were your goals?

GhostRetail is part of a relatively nascent industry, meaning we're responsible for both creating and capturing demand. We engaged Search Engine People to assist with both of these areas of expertise, including building out an SEO and PPC strategy and managing our PPC advertising rollout and optimization.

SOLUTION

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

We interviewed approximately 6-7 different agencies. The strong track record, ability to provide both SEO and PPC services under one roof, and willingness to dig into the trenches with us were some of the main reasons we selected Search Engine People. We also found their pricing pretty transparent, upfront, and fair.

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

We started off with an in-depth discovery session to dig into our company, positioning, and goals. Search Engine People's team also attended a demo to get a feel for how our product worked and what platforms were similar or differentiated from others.

From there, the Search Engine People team delivered two primary strategies. One was for our PPC approach, the other for SEO. On the PPC side we have continually been testing new creative, budgets, audiences, channels, and overall strategies. Meanwhile on the SEO side, we've delivered new on-site recommendations over the last few months based on Search Engine People's prescribed outline, and are continually working on backlinking.

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

We primarily work with an Account Manager, as well as an ad administrator. We occasionally check in with Search Engine People's Account Director and VP of Accounts, and hear reference to Search Engine People looping in experts from other teams.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since we started working with Search Engine People, we increased our monthly SEO impressions by ~800% in approximately 6 months. On the PPC side, we've directly driven a solid number of opportunities and have also dramatically increased our impression shares.

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

We have a direct line into our Account Manager at Search Engine People at any time, via Slack, as well as our account administrator. We have at least one regularly scheduled check-in with Search Engine People per month, but will often hop on calls in between these monthly calls to review specific initiatives, changes, programs, or goals. In general, they are super timely at getting back to us and troubleshooting issues.

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

It's interesting to see an agency stick around for as long as SEP has - pretty much since the dawn of SEO and PPC optimization. They've got a massive backlog of knowledge and cross-pollination they bring to their strategies.

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

Our results with SEP tend to work best when they really probe our team for insights and ideas - we are walking a fine line where we fit market-wise and I advocate for them to learn as much as possible from us to continue to understand how to best market us going forward.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Seller Interactive is an eCommerce focused agency that helps with PPC and SEO on eCommerce platforms like Amazon. I am the Director of Marketing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Search Engine People?

Our biggest challenge was getting our PPC stood up from an organizational standpoint. We struggled with identifying the correct keywords for specific campaigns that were catered toward bottom of funnel. SEP has helped us identify, and optimize our campaigns in order to gain more quality leads.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I have used them previously, after vetting them against 5 other agencies. I knew that they had quick turnaround times and could get us on the right track before the end of the year.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

They did a full digital audit of both organic and paid, and started to identify cannibalization that was happening with our keywords. They proposed new campaign structures that were segmented into verticals and allowed us to do more in depth analysis and accurate changes.

What was the team composition?

I worked closely with Alex, one of their account managers, and Chetan, one of their account workers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have seen an increase in high quality leads, despite still being in the Google learning phase.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow is great - we have frequently dialogue on Slack, and will be having bi-weekly and monthly calls, with bi-weekly reports.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I like how quickly and effectively they work and make changes.

Is there any area for improvement or anything that could have been done differently?

None that I know of.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m VP of marketing for Cosmo Music. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Search Engine People?

We moved our e-commerce store from Magento to Workarea, but it wasn’t properly executed. As a result, we had several product pages that led to 404 errors, and our website traffic dropped significantly. 

We were selling 120,000 SKUs, and we couldn’t fix the errors manually. We needed help repairing the errors on our site and recovering our lost traffic.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, Search Engine People worked with our developers to salvage our redirects and correct our links. They then evaluated our on-page content to ensure it was marked correctly, checking metatags so Google could easily index our pages.  

After that, Search Engine People helped us improve the on-page SEO of the brands we’re selling. They went through landing pages and pages for our top products, and they integrated Google Analytics into our site. Their team also changed our target keywords, content, and menu structure.

They’ve recently concluded their SEO work, and we’re currently improving our performance on YouTube. Additionally, they’re also managing our PPC campaigns on Google Ads account.

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked with their CEO and at least a dozen teammates. 

How did you come to work with Search Engine People?

There was a personal connection between their CEO and our CEO.  

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent close to $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in February 2021, and it’s ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve lost 70%–80% of our traffic due to the errors after migrating our website. In just eight months, Search Engine People has been able to return us to our old traffic levels. 

Further, their SEO and PPC campaigns are successful. They’ve made our website the top-ranked site for our target keyword. Additionally, our return on ad spend (ROAS) has been around $9–$11 for every $1, which far exceeds our target. 

The process has been educational for us. We learned what can and cannot be done, and they’ve helped us understand what we can do for the immediate future. They’ve set us up for long-term success.

How did Search Engine People perform from a project management standpoint?

I’m very pleased with Search Engine People’s project management. They’ve learned how to best communicate with our team. Their presentation skills are excellent, and I can see how they are helping us in just one picture.

They’re also good at resolving outstanding tasks. I’m never confused about knowing where we are with our campaigns. They’re very organized and good at putting all the information in one place. In addition, their team is extremely responsive — they even reply outside of business hours. 

We communicate using Zoom and emails. We are thankful that we’re working with Search Engine People. We look forward to meeting with them, and we feel great after speaking with their team. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their expertise and organizational skills can be relied upon.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything. I’m very pleased working with them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They work well when you’re responsive, so ensure you have a dedicated point of contact from your organization that can spend time with them.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Director of Marketing and Creative Services at Putting Edge. A 26 year entertainment industry veteran with a chain of glow-in-the-dark mini-putt courses and arcades across North America.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Search Engine People?

We hired SEP to manage, streamline and optimise our online advertising efforts.

SOLUTION

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

After a lengthy vetting process SEP was the only company that ticked all of the boxes we needed, along with that, is they have a good human touch and make you feel valued as a client which is definitely not always the case.

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

By keeping on top of our analytics they have been able to exponentially increase our click-through rates and conversions which has resulted in real sales for us and a streamlined awareness through to booking process for our guests. Geo-targeted ad campaigns help reach exactly who we need to while keeping every cent of our ad spend optimised.

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

The beauty of SEP is that we feel we have access to anyone in their team when we have needed them, which isn't often because everything has run very smoothly.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The aforementioned geo-targeted ads brought us back to near full capacity within days of lockdown restrictions being lifted. In fact many of our locations are performing better now than they ever have historically.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Can I say instantaneous? SEP has the fastest turnaround and response time of any vendor I have worked with in my 15+ year career. It's like we are in the same office.

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

Their response time, it actually puts all my other vendors in a very bad light by comparison. That and their measurable results.

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

I can be very picky, but none so far.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm a digital media specialist at my company, responsible for social media content creation, website development and digital advertising.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Search Engine People, and what were your goals?

We needed help with our Google Ads and how to professionally set up campaigns to reach the right audience and be more successful with our ads.

SOLUTION

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

We searched online for local Canadian companies and had a handful of Zoom meetings. Geordan was awesome. He did his research on our company and was invested from the start. He paired us with a team he knew would blend well with our staff.

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

SEP was able to set up brand new campaigns for us on Google Ads. Previously we only had 2 major campaigns but they advise use to break down to create more specific targets, which has been improving our sales thus far.

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

We work with Sameera and Zarrah, who both present good communication skills and have well thought out strategies. They both do their research on our company and our competitors to find the best strategies to be more successful.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our Black Friday campaign was very successful. Prior to the sale, we had a meeting to discuss strategies to help push the promotion. Our conversion rate increased by 37% during that week, contributing to our 9x ROAS.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Sameera and Zarrah are very communicative. We have monthly meetings to go over results and strategies to improve every promotion we have at our company. They always provide tips that will steer us into the right direction.

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

The account manager and team are all very involved and educated on our company and what kind of audience we have. We have monthly meetings that I find are very helpful as it shows they keep track of how the campaigns are doing.

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

No issues found as of right now.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Senior Digital Marketing Specialist at a FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) agency.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Search Engine People, and what were your goals?

We knew it was important to optimize our website and improve our SEO rankings in organic searches and to make sure that our company appears at the right time when people are searching for expanding their international business to the Toronto Region.

SOLUTION

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

It was based on their reputation and recommendations of others in the digital marketing field that made Search Engine People an obvious choice.

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

Our campaign started with providing SEP a campaign brief that outlined the campaign objective, target audience, messaging & tone, content strategy, leveraging social media platforms, and display ad campaigns. And it outlined how to measure the success of the campaign by things such as engagement, impression, lead, and more. From this creative brief and an initial discussion with SEP, they provided recommendations, a game plan and how to best allocate the budget for the campaign.

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

Account Manager with experience in search campaigns, strategies, and best practices along with a Campaign Manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

After running this campaign, we hit the following metrics: Paid Campaigns Over 9 million impressions Over 640,000 clicks 64 Landing Page Conversions Average CTR of 3.3%

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

They are very caring and hands-on, and always give you 100% of their best effort. What made this campaign run smoothly is their availability to meet, consistent communication, and up-to-date metrics on how the campaign was doing.

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

Their level of professionalism, caring approach, and making you not feel silly about SEO campaigns and goals that you're trying to achieve with your company.

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

They provided a campaign summary of the campaign once it was over, including the wins and opportunities. I think they highlighted and did their jobs providing top service, especially during the pandemic where communication and keeping things going has been more of a challenge.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the President of an Emergency Water Damage and Disaster Response company with two locations (Vaughan and Barrie). We work with homeowners and their insurance companies to dry and sanitize their properties and fully restore them to pre-loss condition.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Search Engine People, and what were your goals?

We wanted to grow our newly formed brand with a strong PPC presence in the water damage market. This market is very competitive with multiple industries relying on specific key words like flooded basement and burst pipes. The goal for SEP was to test, learn and roll out best practices for the new brand and business.

SOLUTION

How did you select Search Engine People and what were the deciding factors?

We interviewed 3 other agency options and chose SEP based on the teams presentation, professionalism and expertise. Michael won us over and continues to improve our ROI each year.

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

SEP worked with our website designer to ensure we had the digital structure to promote both PPC and organic search approached. We refined spending, key words and continue to analyze data each year and build on the key learnings.

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

Only two members and one is Michael and the other is Amber. I would assume both are account representatives, but they are both very knowledgeable in their field and we are comfortable reaching out any time to either of them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Yes, our ROI for web marketing is approximately 8 to 1 and is likely higher when you look at the leads and presence from other non SEP sites like Homestars, that benefit from our great reputation.

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

They are very proactive in their approach, reviewing data and presenting new ideas to test, learn and roll out. The team is very responsive and will get back to us typically within an hour or less.

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

They are always available, knowledgeable and responsive. Our previous brand used a different firm and there was an heir of "trust us" or an aloofness about their ability. SEP is built on professionalism, warmth and performance.... a difficult combination for sure.

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

nothing. They are truly excellent.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the President of a boutique relocation company that specializes in supporting businesses and individuals for people relocating from all over the world to Toronto! We help manage the entire project, from pre-decision making to settling in.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Search Engine People, and what were your goals?

SEO was required to build up the profile for our website and our two offices, one in Toronto, ON and the second in Seattle, WA. Our Seattle office is newer, and didn't have the 'credibility' to be noticed or seen by Google. This meant a quick and easy refresh of our website as well as some other projects.

SOLUTION

How did you select Search Engine People and what were the deciding factors?

We researched 3 different companies. Two in North America and the third in the Middle East. Search Engine People were selected because, hands down, they were the best communicators, the most responsive and were able to shape a meaningful strategy for our business that aligned with our goals and strategy.

They have been incredibly enjoyable to work with - and that is something I put a very high value on. They also worked with our budget, which helped make the decision even easier.

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

Truthfully, it's difficult to remember everything as it all unfolded, but there was a focus on a few different areas: making sure our website was optimized with the right key words and tags, new website page development, back-linking and then blog writing.

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

After the sales cycle had concluded, we worked with one Account Director. He was the liaison with his team...and we always had his ear.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our going in position was that we wanted to see measurable change within a certain period. Based on this, we were advised to focus on a 6 month strategy to move the position of our website to the first page. This was accomplished at exactly the 6 month mark, and we continue to work with them to improve our results on an ongoing basis.

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

We've had clear guidance throughout around building a set strategy, with calls once monthly to measure the effects of the investments we made. Communication has been enjoyable and impactful!

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

The one thing that struck me as we started the process with SEP was that each person along the way was so easy to speak with. SEO is not my area of expertise, and it was important to partner with a company who were able to educate me about the process so I could participate in a meaningful way. I felt right away that they could and should be trusted!

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

No.