SEO Brand

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the digital marketing director at Ion Labs. We are a private label contract manufacturer of nutraceuticals, OTC [over-the-counter] products, pet products, cosmetics, and skin care products.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SEO Brand?

Primarily, we needed help with website design and updates. While I have experience working on websites, I don't have the personal bandwidth day-to-day to go over the technical aspects that SEO Brand is good at.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’ve worked on a couple of in-depth website issues with SEO Brand such as hosting and DNS [domain name system]. They also enhance the features of our web presence and digital footprint. SEO Brand works on the backend and frontend by creating and customizing the technical framework of our websites. An in-house graphic designer creates what we’re looking for, which I’ll send to SEO Brand with notes. They’ll then modernize it, critique it, and change some things around. They even provide some graphic design help as well to make the website look aesthetically pleasing. They do it all. As of now, all of the platforms that I've requested from SEO Brand have been on WordPress. I personally prefer this platform because I know how to use it. I also know that WordPress is probably the best platform that you can use for search engine optimization and web design.

The details aren’t in black and white yet, but I’ve talked to SEO Brand about two more projects down the road. One of them is a brand-new website for a branded cosmetic line. Another one was a revamp of our umbrella website, which takes you to the other brands we create.

How did you come to work with SEO Brand?

I had originally reached out to SEO Brand while shopping around for other companies. In the search process, I checked the companies’ portfolios to see if they had experience working with large and small brand businesses. I wanted to make sure that they were doing their due diligence regarding online marketing. We were looking for someone who had experience running key specific ads and working organic efforts. I do that kind of work every day, so I appreciate businesses who are also proactive about doing that. SEO Brand gave me the best quote, the best details, and pretty much the best deal out of all the companies I contacted. We’re also a Florida-based business, and I like to think local on certain business ventures. I know SEO Brand has their headquarters in Hollywood, Florida, and that was a big-time determining factor. I was thinking about a number of different fronts, but that was one of them.

How much have you invested with SEO Brand?

We've spent $15,000–$25,000 on SEO Brand’s services so far. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started talking to SEO Brand either in late April 2016 or early May 2016. We completed the first project in late June 2016. Our engagement is ongoing, and we work together on a monthly basis.  

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

To be honest, it would be hard for me to put our success in terms of statistics or hard metrics. Our success has been project-based. We work with them, we get the project done, and then they oversee our technical aspects month by month. We’re not working with them for advertising or any type of marketing, so I couldn't give you metrics or KPIs [key performance indicators] based on SEO Brand’s performance.

When they made the website for us, it had to go through a large internal review prior to being launched. It went through all the degrees of our web presence checklist. First, it was processed through our marketing department, which is about five people. It was then reviewed by our sales team, which is about 10 people. Finally, it was reviewed by all of our executive staff, our VPs—everybody, really—to get an assessment across the bar. Our VP of quality, regulatory, finance, innovation, and operations all took a look at it, as well as our CEO and president. I think SEO Brand did a good job. I also think that users who go to the website like the look of the products that they’ve been creating for us.

A little over a year ago, we launched a branded item in the marketplace called ProCharge Liquid Protein. We needed it to have a professional website. SEO Brand built an e-commerce site, and it was absolutely beautiful. Customers could learn about the product and then purchase it online. Ultimately, we used the website as the digital storefront and main face of the product. In doing so, we added that to our marketing initiative and our go-to-market strategy. We truly do believe that the site helped us get that product into GNC and 7-Eleven.

They just finished updating our main website, ionlabs.com. They did a great job of modernizing it and putting together a nice visual component, which we needed on each page. That update is really going to help our brand. The staff who facilitate their SEO are extremely knowledgeable. I worked with them briefly on some of the initial projects. At the end of the day, I like to manage SEO myself, but I know that they have an extremely good handle on SEO. 

How did SEO Brand perform from a project management standpoint?

SEO Brand did a good job from a project management standpoint—I never had issues with them as far as deadlines or delays were concerned. I also didn't have a hard time getting in touch with them. If I asked them to do something, they would respond the same day, which was always good. They also have classy customer service, so I don't have anything negative to say about that. They use Basecamp, which I use as our primary means of communication with their manager. I thought that was much better than using the phone. I spoke with our project manager over the phone maybe five times over the course of a year. While it was easy to talk over the phone, Basecamp provided a simple way to create new projects. It let us add details, send information, and keep track of everything. It was extremely organized. I liked the way that SEO Brand’s team used it. I've worked with a lot of web design firms, and I can honestly say that the way we communicate from project to project is just easy. It’s easy to work with SEO Brand.

What did you find most impressive about SEO Brand?

SEO Brand is easy to work with, which is one of their best features for customers who are looking to create a product from scratch or build on an existing one. Their customer service is very good.

SEO Brand also has a talented team with a good eye for web design. They have a good idea of what needs to be done on a website and how it needs to function. You can tell that the groups of people who make up their team have experience. They answer questions before I ask them, and I think that’s valuable when you hire a company like theirs.

One of the biggest things I want to say is they’re transparent about their operations—what they want to do and how they can help you. I think that’s important as well. When a new business wants to start a project with them, there isn’t anything too much to worry about because they make sure that they tell you all of the details and nothing is misunderstood.

Ultimately, I think SEO Brand did a good job. Obviously, we’re going to continue doing business with them, because I really like the products they keep making for us. I like them as a company.

Are there any areas SEO Brand could improve?

Nobody is perfect. It’s tough to translate certain technical aspects to people on an individual basis, and it’s tough to talk about functions—what they can do and what they will result in— while making sure that communication is clear. SEO Brand has done a good job in doing that, but you can never go wrong with improving communication. It’s hard for me to tell you what they should improve on because they’ve done a good job.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of Global Marketing Associates. We do domestic and international marketing consulting for companies in the US and elsewhere in the world.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SEO Brand?

We worked with SEO Brand to help one of our clients improve their search and social marketing for a new product. It’s a medical device for people who use CPAP machines, which tend to dry out a patient’s eyes. This device was developed to specifically improve that side effect. It was a brand-new concept, so we needed to get some significant brand awareness rather quickly.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I worked with SEO Brand to help the client grow their business and build some brand awareness for the CPAP product. SEO Brand took a look at the overall picture in terms of the market and the challenges. They came up with a plan to create a microsite for the product, which was a subsection of their main website, which also deals with eye-related products. After creating that microsite, they began running some social and search marketing campaigns to basically drive end-user traffic to the site, based on certain keywords. If someone had a medical issue and they were wearing a CPAP and they had some issues with their eyes, they could certainly go online and have certain ways to find help for their condition. It was an excellent way to try to capture their interest when they were searching for certain keywords related to the actual conditions associated with the CPAP.

SEO Brand did a great job setting up the microsite and then helping to drive traffic to the site using search and social media platforms. The benefit of working with them is that they’re very data driven. A lot of companies would come up with an idea that might work on website design, or things of that nature. However, in order to actually drive traffic, in what is becoming an increasingly crowded space, SEO Brand did a great job of sifting through all the analytics and determining which keywords work the best, which platforms are ideal, and then driving that traffic to the site.

I was involved in the process, but it was mostly run by SEO Brand. They’re the experts on search and social marketing, so I work with them to help my client improve the visibility and brand awareness of their CPAP product. SEO Brand mostly did the analytical work, the keyword exploration, and so forth. Then, they actually set up and managed the campaign. This campaign was focused on the US market. The client wanted to initially launch the product in the US.

How did you come to work with SEO Brand?

I’ve worked with them in the past. I’ve been involved with some search marketing in the past, and I know a lot of companies aren’t as knowledgeable and don’t have the same depth of understanding on the data and analytics side when they’re trying to put together a campaign.

Being data driven ultimately leads to success when someone is using search and social marketing, and that’s what SEO Brand focuses on. That’s why I’ve worked with them in the past and will continue to work with them in the future. They look at the analytics of the campaigns rather than just throwing stuff out to see what works. They analyze and refine the campaign, and add in quickly if they need to, in order to improve the overall performance of the campaign. In my experience, a lot of companies don’t do that.

We’re both in the Philadelphia area, and that’s how we initially came in contact with each other. The data-driven approach separates them from a lot of other companies in the market.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together over a year ago, in 2016, but I don’t have the exact date. The collaboration has been completed. It had a lot of success. I now work with SEO Brand on projects for other medical products.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

I don’t have stats, but I know there was a significant increase in visitors to the site through search and social media. The client was very pleased with the results. They were able to get their product into the market and build their brand awareness very quickly in what’s becoming a crowded space. They were pleased with the results of the campaign.

SEO Brand has expertise in determining the best keywords from a data standpoint. The results are very impressive; they had a lot of conversions once they got the actual site. The client was successful in selling online from their website.

How did SEO Brand perform from a project management standpoint?

In this case, as I was working with a company that didn’t know SEO Brand, they were very diligent in making sure that they had a lot of follow-ups. The CEO of the company was very involved with the project. He knew it was a client I’d been working with for a couple years, and he was very diligent in getting following up with info and updates. They added to the campaign by improving the microsite and helped the client with their entire website. They extended the project, and the CEO was very involved in the project as well.

What did you find most impressive about SEO Brand?

They are data driven in terms of making decisions.

Are there any areas SEO Brand could improve?

No. The goal was to get visitors to the website who were interested in certain keywords and then convert that into sales, and that’s exactly what they did. From the standpoint of what SEO Brand did, it was very successful and the client was happy. They can’t control the product, only the marketing side.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I own and manage a small CPA firm in Hollywood, Florida. Our target market is mostly local.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SEO Brand?

We had used Yellow Book type advertising before, but the traffic was just to price shoppers. This was the first time we’d done any work on search engine optimization for our company.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I had an existing website, and SEO Brand redesigned the backend and frontend for me. It was a collaborative effort. They also did Internet marketing and keyword research with our input. SEO Brand was able to drive traffic to a more targeted audience.

How did you come to work with SEO Brand?

They were referred to me. When I met with them, I was impressed and felt comfortable on a personal level. I felt they were trustworthy.

How much have you invested with SEO Brand?

We’ve spent $70,000 over the past two years.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in May 2015, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

We noticed significant increases after working with SEO Brand. We increased the inbound leads by over 200%. The types of leads we’re getting are also improving. We’re happy with their design, and we feel it optimizes lead conversion and traffic.

How did SEO Brand perform from a project management standpoint?

They delivered on time and the results have been great. We communicated through email and phone. I’ve been in communication with multiple people, and they keep us updated and report on the analytics.

What did you find most impressive about SEO Brand?

We’re not a huge company, but SEO Brand treats us like we’re important to them. That’s what attracted me to them and has kept me working with them. That’s in addition to the quality of their work. They’re good guys, and they’re very much on top of their game.

Are there any areas SEO Brand could improve?

I don’t have any complaints.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Clutch is a ratings and reviews platform that features companies in the IT, marketing, design, and development industries. Our main service is conducting interviews with companies' clients to learn about their experiences and collect feedback on the company's performance. We also continuously publish research on trends and best practices in the technology industry. I am the research manager.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SEO Brand?

Clutch is attempting to become more of a global platform. We’ve identified ten to 15 countries that we would like to grow in. We’re trying to figure out how we can rank well for Google searches from IT services buyers in those countries. The challenge is the native language is not English for these countries. We needed to find out if we could be successful with our current strategy in English and, if not, how difficult would it be to start translating our content into other languages.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I reached out to their CEO to try to get some advice. It was an informal, quick project. Mike was great. He offered to set up the call within a week with our whole team to talk through the basics.

How did you come to work with SEO Brand?

We cover SEO Brand on Clutch and we have helped them publish over 30 100% positive client reviews. We knew they had some expertise with international SEO because of their other clients. We were confident that they could do a good job for us as well. International SEO is a pretty niche service. Most of the SEO companies don’t offer it because they’re focused on local and national campaigns. SEO Brand has people with eight different languages on staff so that stood out to us. We identified them early as one of a handful of companies that could handle our request.

How much have you invested with SEO Brand?

The project was done pro bono. It was quick and easy. They wanted to help us out so there was no fee.

What is the status of this engagement?

We reached to them in early April 2017 and had the call in mid-April. We sent a few questions through email as well. I think it’s likely we’ll do another call in the future but there are no plans to continue as of now.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

It was helpful for us so we know whether to dial back our efforts or delve deeper into it. The main metric is employees. We have four people working on the global team anywhere from 1/4 to 2/3 of their time. SEO Brand’s assistance helped us figure out that we wanted to generally dial things back a little bit and put our efforts into other areas. That’s worth one or two FTEs at a salary of $60,000 to $80,000 per year. In that sense, it was helpful and important because our employee time is very valuable. They were able to help us figure out our long-term strategy.

How did SEO Brand perform from a project management standpoint?

There was an expert and the CEO on the call. They were both early which was awesome. The expert even did a fair amount of Google AdWords research for the call to see where we ranked in major global cities like Athens, Greece, Rome, and London, etc. We were able to get some helpful tips right away because they did their homework. The call was productive because everyone was on time and prepared.

What did you find most impressive about SEO Brand?

Their depth of expertise is impressive. They have an expert who speaks Spanish, understood Latin America and understood how to perform SEO in English and other countries. There’s a fair amount of English search from other countries as well. That expertise was unique and there weren’t many firms that we thought could handle it. The fact that they were willing to do it and gave us time from one of their best experts was impressive.

Are there any areas SEO Brand could improve?

If we were to do another call, I think it would be more productive just because we didn’t tell them a lot about what we were doing. If we were to turn this into a larger engagement, we would get more out of it.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with SEO Brand?

Lean on their experts and be completely transparent and open about what your goals are. If you do that, they’ll come to the initial meeting ready with advice rather than starting out slower.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Miami Permanent Makeup sells equipment, permanent makeup supplies, and everything that’s related to body art, tattoo shops, and makeup artists. I’m the owner and president.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SEO Brand?

We needed more online exposure to bring more traffic to our company. We’re working with artists and tattoo parlors that are professional, so we wanted a good online presence.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

In the beginning, we just wanted help with our web design and website to bring in more customers. SEO Brand redid our online page because our old one wasn’t very professional. They completely redid the website in WordPress. I explained to them what I wanted and they gave me everything ready to use. Then we found out they did SEO and decided to move towards SEO for local artists. They also did our marketing as far as Amazon. They did a PPC campaign working with Google. They did everything that’s related to our online presence with regard to bringing more traffic to our store.

How did you come to work with SEO Brand?

They’re a block away from us and we wanted someone local in order to get good customer service. We didn’t want to go with a company with no contact.

How much have you invested with SEO Brand?

We have spent between $40,000 and $50,000 with them over the course of our relationship.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in April 2015, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

Since we started working with SEO Brand we’ve noticed a lot more people calling. We’ve also seen an increase in traffic and sales. We’ve gotten really good feedback from users.

How did SEO Brand perform from a project management standpoint?

They explained the project management to me and kept me updated on every step they were doing. They gave me weekly results on the SEO rankings and the progress of the work. We always knew where they were and the progress made through the projects. They gave me a timeframe every time for any work and they respect it, which I’m pretty happy with. They were very professional. A lot of people worked on the project. They separated the tasks because they have different departments like quality control, SEO, and project developers. I’m in contact with two or three people. It’s very well-organized.

What did you find most impressive about SEO Brand?

We’ve used other companies before to do the work but they were not as good as SEO Brand with regard to professionalism and customer service. I always had to wait a long period of time to get an answer from past agencies. The fact that SEO Brand is down the street, meant I could just walk over there if there’s a problem. Customer service has made a big difference because there’s plenty of people working. There’s always someone that’s going to answer pretty fast compared to the other companies we’ve used before.

Are there any areas SEO Brand could improve?

I’m happy with the work they provide. Of course, sometimes there are things we'd like different, but they always listen. I don’t have any improvements they can make because they respect deadlines and they provide good customer service. I’m really happy.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a real estate agent with Berkshire Hathaway Fox & Roach in and around Gloucester County, New Jersey.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SEO Brand?

My main goal is for branding. Also, because I’m a referral-driven agent, I want to get the word out that we’re based on integrity and customer service in order to attract more customers. Our referrals and dedication to our clients is optimal.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They did work on our website, Facebook, and Google. They did some marketing and website design.

How did you come to work with SEO Brand?

I did a Google search and saw their presence online. I loved the fact that they’re not narrowly focused. Because I’m an immigrant, I loved the globalization of their work and liked what I saw.

How much have you invested with SEO Brand?

We spent $7,500 on the website and I spend an average of $10,000 a year with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in June 2012, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

I’ve been doing real estate for a long time and have seen the market change. The shift in the last 3 years has been the millennial revolution. Everything is about online presence and accessing Google and the social media aspect. One of the main things that has helped me is the digital presence but also the pages. There are dozens of pages bringing me to the forefront.

SEO Brand's work has allowed a good presence online. When someone Googles me and they see there are 14 or 15 pages on Google, I would think that gives the client reassurance. At first, I was able to keep track of the analytics but now I don’t have time to track them because I’m so busy. When I started with them, my volume was $9M and now it’s almost $50M a year.

How did SEO Brand perform from a project management standpoint?

Their responsiveness is excellent. I love their attention to detail. I love the fact that if I have a change I want to make, they’re quick to respond, which is the way I like to work myself. That makes my job easier.

Are there any areas SEO Brand could improve?

I can’t think of anything. I’m very happy.

What tips or recommendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of success with SEO Brand?

Their attention to the client is wonderful and I would tell them to continue on that path. Sometimes when a brand gets too large, they can lose that focus.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a senior analyst with a government agency. I work on developing themes and narratives for our social media outreach team. These are the people who use social media to direct messages at audiences we’ve targeted, who are potentially susceptible to extremist influence. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SEO Brand?

Our goals involved security and reducing threats. We were trying to optimize one particular webpage. In my case, there were two aspects that were part of the contract. The first involved an international website. It’s an Arabic-language site that focuses on victim-centric stories as a way of offsetting the messages and propaganda that extremist groups try to convey. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The work was about 98% SEO, focusing on Google. SEO Brand gave us recommendations about website design, but they weren’t directly involved in the design enhancements or changes.

How did you come to work with SEO Brand?

I wasn’t the one who made the final selection. There were four potential candidates that were researched by a small body within our staff. I think it was a combination of their reputation, price point, and capability of handling the work that we needed.

How much have you invested with SEO Brand?

The ballpark price for the contract was $300,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project began in October of 2016 and ended in March of 2017. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or impact of the engagement?

We were satisfied with both our relationship and the results. Any of the results that we weren’t able to achieve from this contract were based on our limitations in resources and staff. There wasn’t anything that SEO Brand did that jeopardized the success of the contract in any way.

Based on the goals we had for the six-month engagement, the value of SEO Brand was more about them helping us determine where our shortcomings were and where our products were inefficient and ill-conceived. When it comes to the actual optimization of the site, we were only approaching that when the contract expired.

Part of the understanding of our relationship with them was because we were a bit adrift with our web product. It was under-developed, under-resourced, and under-staffed at the time that we asked SEO Brand to help us. The most critical component of what they did was identifying where a lot of the shortcomings were and making long-term recommendations, even though we won’t see results for a while. This particular site was so far in the hole that it would take a lot of digging to get it to a functional product.

How did SEO Brand perform from a project management standpoint?

Internally, we all have a very good opinion of SEO Brand. One thing we liked is that they were available night and day. Their senior leadership was always available and super-responsive. They were adaptable to the situation as well. Not only did they propose certain ideas and concepts, but when they saw our capabilities, they also were able to adapt and adjust their strategies to match them.

What did you find most impressive about SEO Brand?

On top of their availability and adaptability, we had a really solid relationship with them. They’re good people. Mike Salvaggio, their CEO, is a great guy who can level with us and talk in plain language on some pretty heady topics. He never made us feel that we were ever too far adrift from ultimately accomplishing our goals.

Are there any areas SEO Brand could improve?

In the run-up to our initial interaction with them, before the discovery session, there was limited discussion about setting parameters and expectations for this discovery session. Despite the fact that they did a technical audit of our websites, I think it would have been helpful if we had protracted conversations about goals from the outset to give them a better understanding of our physical working environment and some of the political sensitivities surrounding our product and outputs. This could have helped them tailor their SEO strategy a little more closely with our unique product.

We’re not your typical business. We have a product, outputs, an audience, and goals we want to reach, but due to the nature of what we communicate and what we “sell,” I think it requires a little more upfront to make sure you can hit the ground running with a message that’s tailored to our particular outfit. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Carrero Law Group is a general practice law office. We do civil and commercial litigation. I am the president and owner.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SEO Brand?

We wanted our website optimized for personal injury motorcycle accident cases, which is a very competitive market in our area. We don’t have a huge advertising budget so we don’t do any TV or radio ads. We needed specific targeted SEO [search engine optimization] and a website design. We had a website already but this was the first time we had done any SEO work.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They looked at our existing site and talked about areas that we wanted to improve, including contact forms, content, and appearance. It was a quick process. We wanted the site to be more mobile-friendly because the original site was very old and basic. I was also having problems with the contact forms, so that was the biggest issue. We had to work on some technical difficulties. They sent a draft and I only made a few small changes before we launched that.

SEO Brand is continuing the targeted marketing work and getting our site higher ranked on the search engines. I told them what my goals were. Our firm is small and I’m more interested in the quality of the cases instead of the quantity. I want one or two good cases a month. I went over my requirements with the CEO, Mike Salvaggio, and then I had some interaction with Michael Abitbol, Chief IT Executive Manager, as well. I only talked with the programmer, Jonathan, when we did the revisions.

How did you come to work with SEO Brand?

I was referred to them by another attorney who had used them.

How much have you invested with SEO Brand?

We spend $1,000 a month with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in January 2011, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

The site is very functional. My business model involves only a couple of calls a month that are high quality, and that’s what I get. I get what I’m looking for and what I’m paying for. I don’t have any complaints at all about how it was done. The work was professional and quick.

How did SEO Brand perform from a project management standpoint?

The best part of the relationship was that whenever there was any issue, I dealt with the leadership and I felt that they cared. It’s their business and they want to see it succeed.

What did you find most impressive about SEO Brand?

If you want to talk to the guys in charge, you’ll get an email back from them. I’m the same way in my business. Both of our companies deal with customers personally. They make sure everything is done correctly and done to the client’s satisfaction. I don’t find many businesses across any field that do that.

Are there any areas SEO Brand could improve?

No. Everything I asked them to do, they did and did it quickly.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Base Commerce is an electronic payments business. I was president when I was with the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SEO Brand?

We wanted to create awareness of our brand online and to drive inquiries from software developers, application builders, and consultants. This was the first time we had someone help us with SEO [search engine optimization].

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We told SEO Brand what our objectives were and they suggested a plan to build a campaign and scale up the campaign in the most economical way. We were on a budget, so we didn’t want to spend a lot of money right away until we understood what our ROI [return on investment] was going to be. We started slowly, and as we saw results, we continued to ramp up. We provided postings on blogs, posted our code on GitHub, and created newsletters and press releases to create awareness in the market.

We gave SEO Brand a profile of our customer and what our customer is most likely seeking and they suggested what the optimal keywords would be. Our target market is freelance software developers, application software companies, app developers, and e-commerce businesses nationally who are looking for electronic payment and gateway services.

How did you come to work with SEO Brand?

SEO Brand was recommended to us by one of our customers that had used them.

How much have you invested with SEO Brand?

In 2016 we spent around $160,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with SEO Brand in July 2013. I left the company in February 2016, and I believe Base Commerce is no longer using SEO Brand because they are under new management.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

SEO Brand was very patient with us as a small client, and the quality was great. They let us ramp up on a stair step of success. That was really helpful. They didn’t push us to spend money we didn’t have or take risks without validating the strategy and the results. Our goal was to rank higher on the search engines. We brought in 8–12 large long-term clients as a result of SEO Brand’s work. The ROI was fantastic because the money we spent generated millions of dollars of long-term recurring revenue.

How did SEO Brand perform from a project management standpoint?

SEO Brand gave us a lot of guidance on what they felt the messaging and the positioning of the product in the marketplace should be. They had experience in the payment space, and they were able to give us solid advice regarding the positioning to help us narrow down our target customer. The relationship was very collaborative.

We had a phone meeting every week. We had a team of three people that were on the calls, and we felt we had a good handle on the project because of that routine. We reviewed our progress, how much money we spent, and the results that we were getting. They were very responsive to our emails.

What did you find most impressive about SEO Brand?

SEO Brand had patience and took the chance on a very small customer like us. There was no guarantee that we would be a material revenue client. Over time we felt confident expanding the program and being a significant client.

Are there any areas SEO Brand could improve?

No, I have nothing to suggest. We’re different than a lot of industries, so the dynamics are much different than selling hotel reservations or something. There were some hits and misses. Nobody is perfect.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

DJ Almanax is a DJ company. I used to use turntables and vinyl records, but I lost them in an accident, so I’m rebuilding my company electronically. I’m the owner.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SEO Brand?

I’ve been overwhelmed with the jump from analog to digital because I know nothing. I want to specialize in resurrecting old hits through slide shows. My initial approach was just to do that on YouTube, but SEO Brand helped me understand what that all entails and that I needed video to do that.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

A year ago, I thought I’d make a mix of songs that you can’t dance to and put it on YouTube. You can’t just post audio to YouTube. At first, SEO Brand helped me with this project along with a website and Facebook page. They’ve helped me direct my focus and allow me to be more creative while they do the dirty work and actual marketing. Having a presence on a website or Facebook was not enough. It wasn’t being seen, so SEO Brand has helped do the essentials while I focused on the art. That includes a lot of the incidentals I’ve stumbled across. I can’t just put images up without the images being licensed. I want to do things right which many DJs don’t do. I’m not launching anything until everything is legal and in place. I have to have the songs licensed too, so I can’t just take a song and post it on the internet. I take samples of a song, manipulate it, and then post it. Those are things I’ve learned through SEO Brand. My target market is people in their early to mid-50s. That’s why I want to do this right because a lot of people my age don’t know how to navigate the internet. SEO Brand will be a very big part of that when the time comes. Right now, we’re focusing on Facebook, SoundCloud, and YouTube, and then we’ll work on the website once we launch the other projects.

How did you come to work with SEO Brand?

I used to be a government contractor, so I have a lot of ads sent to me. There was a company I was working with that was using SEO Brand, so he referred me to them. The first time I called them, the CEO spent 15 minutes talking to me and I was impressed with that.

How much have you invested with SEO Brand?

I have spent over $10,000 with SEO Brand so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

I started working with SEO Brand in February 2016, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

SEO Brand explains to me how things will happen in 2017 and that’s important for someone who doesn’t understand. Due to the time and money I’ve spent with them so far, I have thousands of licensed images ready to launch. They helped me secure 50 licenses for tracks. I could launch now without SEO Brand, but I would fall flat on my face because I wouldn’t know what to do next to grow.

How did SEO Brand perform from a project management standpoint?

SEO Brand is my secretary because I’m just starting to understand digital music. It’s important for me to have them on board to answer questions. I have new questions every day. Other businesses I’ve dealt with can’t offer the services SEO Brand has.

We communicate mainly through phone and email. We use Basecamp to keep track of conversations which is great. When I deal with other vendors, I have to keep track of those things myself, but SEO Brand offers that as a part of their service. I think that’s honorable of them. Everything is transparent, and I know what’s going on and where my money is going. They use Asana to show how many hours they’ve spent on my projects and how much I’ve spent. They’re excited about launching as much as I am.

What did you find most impressive about SEO Brand?

SEO Brand is not ambiguous. I want to see an account of where their time and my money is spent. They’ve always been able to provide that.

Are there any areas SEO Brand could improve?

I think their logo looks like an R2D2 spawn. SEO Brand could work to improve that. They’ve been very good. They don’t pressure me about launching because they know I’m not ready yet.