What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
The SEO Works has been crucial to establishing our digital footprint since day one. When we first started the project, they instructed our web development firm on where to place content, how much content we needed, and how to structure our product menu, and so on. Within about four weeks, our specific product searches jumped to the top half of the first results page, purely due to their site recommendations. It was phenomenal.
They’ve also helped us think more outside the box for key terms. As experts in the industry, we’re able to identify keywords that we might expect customers to look for, but those are typically the hardest to target and aren’t always the best option. The SEO Works suggests less competitive terms that are easier for us to rank higher in.
How did The SEO Works perform from a project management standpoint?
When they first started giving us reports, they showed us a few examples of how they could present the information. We tweaked their format slightly, so now they send us reports tailored to our needs. It’s not a generic document exported from software. Rather, they write it out so that I’m able to understand our performance from a technical point of view while my director can grasp it in layman’s terms.
With the report, I can better track what their team is trying to achieve on a monthly basis; if we haven’t quite met our goals, I’m able to see the reasons why and figure out what to do instead. One of the biggest challenges with SEO is that it’s easy to see what our goal should be, but those targets aren’t always realistic for a variety of reasons. For example, a big search engine might change their algorithm, which affects our results. This isn’t always a bad thing, but the report helps us plan ahead.
What did you find most impressive about them?
Over the last three years, we’ve gotten to know them and understand just how capable they are. They have a reputable team with some exceptionally talented individuals, and we’ve been fortunate enough to have had most of them working on our project. My account manager, in particular, is fantastic. The SEO Works assigned him to lead our account because he has such extensive SEO experience.
In terms of their performance, they do everything we ask, even if that means making quick changes. This can be a nightmare for SEO companies since we’re on a 12-month roadmap. Sometimes we need to adjust or stop what we’re doing after putting in months of effort, and, other times, the product is no longer scalable in the long-term. The marketplace also fluctuates as new products come out and fashions shift. Despite this, The SEO Works is happy to drop what they’re working on and rethink everything to get us where we need to be. They’ve adapted fantastically to all of our changes, and I have absolutely no complaints.
Are there any areas they could improve?
No, there’s nothing that I haven’t addressed with them already. We have a good relationship and still communicate with the sales director and account manager on a monthly basis. There’s full transparency between us; if something needs to be said, we can discuss it with the necessary party. In that sense, I don’t have to manage my account manager.
They play a large part in helping the school maintain a competitive advantage by improving rankings and doubling site traffic year-over-year. Reliable and diligent, the team communicates well and provides regular reports. Internal stakeholders appreciate their knowledge of the education industry.