SEO Smooth

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the owner/operator of an e-commerce CBD retailer.

For what projects/services did your company hire SEO Smooth, and what were your goals?

I hired them to help me launch my marketing campaign.

How did you select SEO Smooth and what were the deciding factors?

I used Bark.com to find them.

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

They attempted to help the SEO of my website and posted 5 social media posts per week for a month. Then they sent a report at the end of the month.

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

Blake Mitchell - SEO Sandra Castro - Content Marketing Specialist Jason Lee - Digital Account Manager Vincent Tobiaz - CEO / Digital Marketing Director

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

Blake and Sandra worked to help with my SEO for my website and Instagram posts. Jason Lee was overseeing the work they did. All 3 of them were professional and did decent work.

Unfortunately, I didn't see the value in what I thought was an overpriced service, so I emailed them that I no longer wanted their services and stopped corresponding with them.

Mind you, there was no contract and I only wanted to try it for a month. Little did I know that their Vincent Tobiaz was sending invoices via email, and then I got surprised by court docs to my house brought by two random men at my doorstep that informed me they intended to sue me for "breach of contract".

After contacting Vincent, I told him I discontinued services with them in June (it now being September) and this had to be a mistake. He told me that it was not a mistake and since I "ghosted" him on the invoices that it means I'm now financially liable.

After contacting my legal team and contacting their lawyer (who actually sent me another companies information on accident about how SEO Smooth was suing them as well, which is EXTREMELY UNPROFESSIONAL) they were forced to drop the lawsuit.

I'm writing this in hopes to expose how shady this company is, and with any luck someone thinking about working with them will read this and think twice. Sandra, Blake, and Jason were professional and did decent work, as I stated.

But Vincent was HORRIBLE and if this is how they conduct business then I would totally avoid them in the future.

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

There was contact 3-4 times per week to sort of let me know what they had planned. Pretty decent work, but not worth the price.

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

Blake Mitchell was the highlight of working with them. We spoke on the phone and he was easy to work with and had open communication. Sandra was also a gem. I feel like they deserve to work for a better company.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Their CEO and the way they conduct business is shady and made this the worst experience I've ever had with any marketing company.

This review was updated by the client on September 29, 2020. The original star ratings were: Overall - .5, Quality - .5, Schedule - .5, Cost - .5, NPS - .5. New content is below:

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the owner/operator of an e-commerce CBD retailer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with SEO Smooth?

I hired them to help me launch my marketing campaign.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They attempted to help the SEO of my website and posted 5 social media posts per week for a month. Then they sent a report at the end of the month.

What is the team dynamic?

Blake and Sandra did most of the work, and Jason oversaw the project. 

How did you come to work with SEO Smooth?

I used Bark.com to find them.

How much have you invested with them?

$750

What is the status of this engagement?

We have reconvened and started work together again. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

How did your relationship with the vendor evolve?

Well, at first everything was fine, and then there were some bumps in the road and some misunderstanding. We came together and SEO Smooth took the necessary steps to remedy the situation that at first seemed very shady to me. They were able to turn my frown upside down and now I'm going to give them a second chance to remedy our problems together. We came to an agreement and now I'm happy with the results.  

How did SEO Smooth address the challenges that arose?

They opened a line of communication with me and allowed me to voice my concerns about the problems we had initially. Then they offered a solution that was mutually beneficial and we moved forward together in order to quell their past indiscretions. I am now happy with the outcome.

Describe the impact this engagement has had on your business.

My business is moving on, and we are both looking forward to the future together without any more problems. 

How was project management handled?

Vincent and I have since worked things out and he has been receptive to what we need to get done to push past this. 

Is there anything that the vendor did well or that you would consider a strength?

Their team is their strength. Blake and Sandra were easy to work with and made me feel like I was in good hands.

In what specific areas can they improve?

The problems they needed to address they have addressed and I can't think of anything else. Maybe after a few months, I'll circle back and let you know. They've been great in reconciling the situation that arose earlier in our work together. 

What advice do you have for clients with similar needs to yours?

Be sure that everything is crystal clear in the beginning and go from there. 
 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a company that works in products, equipment, and décor in the salt therapy industry, and I am the director of marketing.

What challenge were you trying to address with SEO Smooth?

They were originally brought on with the company to help improve the website and its performance on SERPs.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Over the years, their team has helped us select specific keywords to target develop strategies for improving our rankings on each of those, and continue to update those strategies and efforts over time. We also worked on PPC through Google, and occasional design updates on our site.

What is the team composition?

Vincent (CEO) is my primary point of contact for all of the work.

How did you come to work with SEO Smooth?

My CMO brought their team with him when he joined the company, and it was clear from the beginning that they were a good fit for us.

What is the status of this engagement?

The partnership began in October 2016 and is still ongoing.

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

Since working with them, most of our sources of leads have either remained consistent or gone up, which we’ve been really satisfied with. There haven’t been any issues in our collaboration, and we haven’t even considered looking at other providers because of the quality and consistency of their performance.  

How did SEO Smooth perform from a project management standpoint?

They generally do a great job of meeting any deadlines that we give to them and provide thorough responses to any questions or requests that we have. We primarily communicate with them over email and occasional phone calls to make sure that everyone is on the same page.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The best part of working with them is just that our numbers our good and as a result, we essentially don’t have to worry about that side of the business. Even through the pandemic, they have continued to help us rank well and win leads, so we are able to have the confidence of knowing we’re in good hands at all times.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We’ve run into a couple hiccups over the years, such as a bit slower response times on some things, and a blog writer they hired for us that wasn’t doing terribly good work. Overall, it hasn’t caused us any major problems in our partnership.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I think maintaining consistent communication is an important piece to maintain. Since the majority of it happens over email, which can occasionally miss the nuance or specificity of a verbal conversation, it’s best to just be as specific as possible and check in frequently to make sure that everything gets done the way that you want it to be.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the former senior graphic designer at a publishing company. We primarily publish corporate history books for Fortune 500 companies.

What challenges were you trying to address with SEO Smooth?

 When we redid our website, our SEO ranking went down because we made all new landing pages. Our goal was to get our rankings back to the first page of Google.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They looked at our website and did keyword research. They suggested copy changes and helped us set up social media accounts to increase our online presence. They focused on organic search results. 

What is the team composition?

Vincent (CEO) was my primary point of contact, but I worked with other team members as well. 

How did you come to work with SEO Smooth?

I spoke with 3–4 companies, but SEO Smooth was the most responsive and seemed the most reliable. Some of the other companies suggested less legitimate versions of increasing our rankings, but we wanted to do everything properly. 

How much have you invested in them?

We spent about $500 per month. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in August 2018. I left the company in July 2019, but I’m not sure if they’re still working together.

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

When we started, we were on the fourth or fifth page of search results. However, after about six months of working with them, we were able to achieve our old first-page rankings. They did what they said they would. 

How did SEO Smooth perform from a project management standpoint?

They sent us monthly reports and shared their plans for the next month. They were very responsive and delivered on time. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They explained the whole SEO process and were very patient with us. They helped us understand the process a lot better. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

If they were more open to helping further with social media content, that would be nice. In addition, it usually took about 24 hours to get a callback, so they could be a bit quicker to respond. However, those are minor things. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers? 

Have all your ducks in a row and know the end goal of your project before you start working with them. It’s also helpful to have some technical background.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of one of the foremost medical spas in the country.

What challenge were you trying to address with SEO Smooth?

We were looking to grow and get more leads by hiring them.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They ran social media ads using Facebook and Instagram. Their team was responsible for our website’s SEO. 

What is the team composition?

I worked with Vincent (CEO & Digital Marketing Director) and Jason (Director of Operations).

How did you come to work with SEO Smooth?

They were referred to us by another colleague. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $3,500 per month for the website and another close to $5,000 on ads. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from April 2018–March 2020.

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

They were great and really cared about us as a client. They were dedicated to doing a good job. They definitely helped us grow our traffic. 

How did SEO Smooth perform from a project management standpoint?

They were awesome. They did way better than a previous provider. We used email a lot, along with phone calls and a monthly meeting. They met timelines, too. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They cared about us and always tried to do better to meet every goal. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not right now. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Listen to them; they’re the experts. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the office manager at one of the two locations for Riverview Community Mental Health Center. We’re a mental health facility that offers psychiatry services and psychotherapy.

What challenge were you trying to address with SEO Smooth?

Our main goal was to revamp our dated website. We wanted to have modern-looking, device-compatible site to encourage patients to make appointments with us.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We sat down with SEO Smooth, and we mapped out every single thing for the website. They took our pictures for the team page and wrote new copy for the platform. They redid our logo and streamlined the site’s accessibility.

The process ended up being ongoing — they address any emerging issues and continue to fine-tune the site copy. They documented their revision process so we were informed of all developments.

They worked with our marketing team to help us with our social media marketing efforts. In particular, their team posted Facebook ads for us.

What is the team composition?

Vince (CEO) was our main point of contact.

How did you come to work with SEO Smooth?

The engagement predated my onboarding at the company, so I’m not sure about how they were selected.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them around May 2019, and it’s an ongoing relationship. They updated our headshots for the site just last week.

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

Their site updates have tremendously increased our business. Our new patient intake has almost doubled, which is incredible given external circumstances like COVID-19.

How did SEO Smooth perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re flawless on this front. They’re incredibly responsive, so even if they can’t get to it immediately, they maintain communication on specific developments at all times.

What did you find most impressive about them?

In addition to their professionalism and communication skills, I’d highlight the quality of their actual work. The website they delivered is modern, sleek, and easily navigable.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I really don’t think so. I can’t imagine how many accounts they have, because we always felt like we were prioritized. We didn’t have any issues, so I don’t have any negative feedback to give.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Keep an open mind. Even if you already have a vision, it may not be exactly what works for your particular product of business. Trust their professional expertise — they’ll know exactly how to market your type of business.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the chief business officer of Sawgrass Recreation Park, a family owned and operated eco-adventure company based in the Florida Everglades.

What challenge were you trying to address with SEO Smooth?

We were looking for a vendor that could help us improve our website's performance and increase revenues by approximately 10–20% year over year through micro-targeted Google AdWords campaigns, SEO, and SEM.

What was the scope of their involvement?

SEO Smooth provides ongoing SEO, SEM, and Google AdWords services for our business. They've helped us make changes to our website, optimizing its performance, tagging blogs, and making it more user friendly. In the process, they've developed a comprehensive digital marketing strategy as well.

What is the team composition?

I work directly with Vincent (CEO and Digital Marketing Director, SEO Smooth).

How did you come to work with SEO Smooth?

I had worked with Vincent when he and I were both at different companies. I knew from my previous experience that he was highly capable, so once he established his own company, it was an easy decision to hire him.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend between $400–$700 per month, depending on what services we're focussed on and excluding ad spend.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working together since around the end of 2016, and the relationship is ongoing.

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

SEO Smooth's digital marketing services have doubled our initial growth over the past couple years. Pre-bookings and the overall commitment from our online customers is growing exponentially, whereas the business we receive from other sources is relatively stagnant. They've been a great driving force behind our success.

How did SEO Smooth perform from a project management standpoint?

Vincent does a fantastic job of tracking projects and staying in regular contact with us. We connect by phone and email most of the time, but also meet in-person 6–8 times a year. He's very responsive, honest, and quick to turn around tasks. He also provides valuable insight and suggestions where he feels he can help us improve outcomes.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Since they're a smaller agency, I feel like we're able to get a lot more personalized attention from their team. They always make us feel like a top priority and are very tentative to our needs.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. If there's ever something they can't answer right away, they take the time to find the answer, which I really appreciate.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I was the marketing director at Meier Orthodontics, based in Florida.

What challenge were you trying to address with SEO Smooth?

Our site needed a revamp. After having an unsuccessful collaboration with another company, we wanted to make the site more user-friendly and in alignment with our company's vision.

What was the scope of their involvement?

SEO Smooth began by going through our existing site and making an evaluation of what we lacked. Then, their team gave us recommendations and provided sample templates for us to consider. After we decided on a design, they began the redesign process. Their team transferred all of our content into the redesigned site and activated all of our links. Also, they added blogs to the site and created keywords.

What is the team composition?

I primarily worked with the Vincent (CEO, SEO Smooth).

How did you come to work with SEO Smooth?

I had worked with Vincent when we were both in previous jobs, and he was fantastic, then. I brought him over to help with Meier’s site after he started SEO Smooth.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the project in September 2017 and finished when I left the company in June 2018.

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

Although I left the project before seeing the long-term results, there was growth in our company’s already high search result rankings. Their efforts resulted in consistent improvements in online visibility and social media activity.

How did SEO Smooth perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicated over the phone and in person, as Vincent would occasionally come to our office. They were very efficient and patient with communication.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were an accommodating team, and they delivered all of their work with a personal touch. Whenever there was a problem, Vincent took care of it immediately. They are very thorough and maintain their accounts carefully.