SocialSEO

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the office administrator at O'Keefe Ceramics, a family-owned precision ceramic machine shop.

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

We knew we needed an updated website that would continue to gain traffic in order for us to find more customers in a very niche market, but we had no idea where to begin. We hired SocialSEO to manage full-time our SEO and PPC campaigns.

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

We were pretty unaware of how important SEO was to our site when the owner of SocialSEO came to us and explained the importance of SEO for a small business like ours. We bought in to what he was explaining (thankfully!) and hired SocialSEO quickly after, and it has made a HUGE difference in our marketing campaigns.

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

SocialSEO laid out a plan and goals with us that involved creating more content for our new site after we had a basic site for many years with keywords but lacking context and without much relevance. SocialSEO helped us to create content that would drive relevant customers to our site and they continue to work each day on our incredibly long negative keyword list to decrease irrelevant clicks to our site.

They have helped important and now frequent customers find our site and we have found that we have received more and better customers through our website than participating in expensive trade shows.

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

We work ongoing with two people from SocialSEO's team - an SEM and email specialist and a Social Media Specialist/SEO Analyst.

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

We have maintained the dominant ad placements overall is Ceramics Campaigns compared to our competition and we have noticed a huge change in the email RFQs that we receive. Before we began working with SocialSEO, it was rare for us to get an RFQ that actually pertained to what we do, which is precision ceramic machining for aerospace, medical and nuclear energy industries.

We would receive so many RFQs from people who thought we made ceramic pottery, and, now, most of our RFQs are relevant and have become returning customers.

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

They have been great about communicating with us and meeting all deadlines. We have a set monthly call that helps us to all remain on the same page, but they are also available anytime we would like to discuss certain aspects of our site and implement changes quickly.

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

I find it very impressive with how much work they put into each campaign. We have a very niche business, and it is clear that the people we work with from SocialSEO research constantly about our industry and our competitors. They have made that clear in the content that they help us to write and the impressive list of negative keywords they are constantly working on.

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

Nothing I can think of right now.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a Senior VP for Sales and Marketing predominantly responsible for the Northern American market for an archiving software company that has been selling solutions worldwide for over 30 years.

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

We had a new website created for us about 2 years ago but had done little to keep it updated and our Google rankings were declining. Our key requirements were to reverse this decline and again be seen on the first page of our most important key words, ideally in the top 3 positions.

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

We discussed our requirements with a small number of SEO companies. Price, commitment and responsiveness were our main selecting factors, all of which SocialSEO received top marks.

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

Together we created a list of of perceived top key words from our own site and our competitors. SocialSEO then revised many of our pages to feature those keywords more prominently and where they were missing - they created new content for us. In addition they were able to add specific information that "bots" are looking for to help boost our rankings. SocialSEO are working at least one step ahead of anything we could do - due to their knowledge of the algorithms used to create higher rankings.

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

We have mainly worked with one person from their team - a Digital Marketing Analyst, although we know he has used other people within their organization to produce content to add value as well.

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

We are extremely happy with the response to the SEO program. Keywords have within the first 6 months show significant improvement and in general we rank across the board on the first page of our keyword searches. More work is still needed to keep moving up the rankings (trying to get into top 3). We are now looking at new markets and adding keywords and content that resonate in those as well.

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

We have weekly catch-up calls to review tasks completed and priorities for next period(s), including work they will do and input / additional resources that we can provide. Those calls typically last somewhere between 30 minutes to an hour. We receive monthly reports on period changes and changes from the beginning of the project, so we can see short term and total improvements.

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

We enjoy knowing we are in the hands of experts and can let them guide us and make suggestions that we would probably have never thought of as regard to our website and its layout / content. Everything that they've promised has been delivered.

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

As we progress we should have a call on "next steps" - some advice on improving our visibility even further perhaps using other services. I am not sure if this is standard procedure as we have not hit an anniversary yet - but would like to do that in March 2022.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of Advanced Foundation Repair, and we prepare a specialty construction contractor that levels foundations primarily by lifting buildings.

What challenge were you trying to address with SocialSEO?

We were trying to increase our penetration of the retail market.

What was the scope of their involvement?

SociaSEO provides two sets of services to us including managing our website and implementing our SEO and PPC optimization strategies. We rely on their expertise, and we supply them with all the information that they need. However, it’s up to them to refine everything. Before partnering with them, we’ve had our website for 25–30 years, and we started engaging with them to do website optimization three years ago.

What is the team composition?

We’re working with Elizabeth (Senior SEO Specialist & Communications Manager) and she’s in charge of our SEO efforts. We also work with Kahn (SEO & SEM Manager) who’s spearheading our PPC strategies.

How did you come to work with SocialSEO?

We were looking for a new party to manage our website, and we interviewed a number of companies. At the end of our evaluation process, we chose SocialSEO because there were no red flags such as competing contractors in their portfolio. The team also convinced us that they could do the job effectively at the budget that we had.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend $10,000 a month.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing partnership began in June 2018.

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

On the PPC side, we gave SocialSEO a cost per lead (CPL), and they’ve been able to deliver leads to us at a substantially lower cost than their predecessors. Our number of site visits and leads, click-through rate (CTR), conversion rate, and other metrics that we monitor have also increased. We’re very happy with their performance.

How did SocialSEO perform from a project management standpoint?

We mostly communicate over the phone, and we use Google Analytics as our primary tool for evaluating what they’re doing. Overall, they’ve been very accessible.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their responsiveness as well as the results they produce have been impressive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I’ve been satisfied with their work because it’s a huge step up from what we’ve had before. SocialSEO’s goal is to just continue to improve their performance.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Work with their project teams to make your goals clear. Then, get out of the way and let SocialSEO do their work.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Laborjack is like uber / lyft, but for manual labor related projects. We provide he easiest online access for both our customers and our workers o complete moving, landscaping, and staffing projects. I am cofounder and Head of Product at Laborjack.

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

We hired Social SEO to increase our organic search and visibility online. It has been a slow, but rewarding and successful process! We are getting more organic search results than ever before and do not plan on stopping any time soon, as wee have our sights set on much more geographic presence throughout the nation.

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

We had been previously engaged with several different digital marketing agencies. When the time came to switch (again) we got proposals from 5 different Colorado based companies. Social SEO seemed to be the clear winner of the proposals we received. Glad we made that decision!

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

The great thing about Social SEO, specifically working with our incredible rep (Logan), is everything is completely malleable in terms of project scope, pivots, and innovation around the broad topic of SEO. We are fortunate enough to be partnered with people who know their stuff, and are willing to roll with the punches because we have a very unique value ad at Laborjack, thus a niche product-market fit.

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

Logan is our main point of contact and he is the Director of SEO.

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

Absolutely, just look at our numbers and organic traction over time. SEO requires a good deal of patience, and a lot of work in gaining traction over time as an organization, as well as multiplying those efforts through SEO strategy we have developed using Logan and his teams vast expertise.

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

We are constantly hitting goals and deliverables; and frequently revisiting longer term objectives and areas that we are seeking to improve upon. Overall, we are more than likely the ones not hitting living up to our end of the bargain when it comes to timelines (granted we are running the business too). Communication and timeliness are top of mind for Logan and his team. We are so fortunate to be working with such a reliable group of innovative thinkers.

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

Our business is not easy to understand, nor is it easy to pinpoint an SEO strategy because we provide several verticals of services at Laborjack. Social SEO has been the answer to this problem by examining our online presence at large and scaling that back to actionable steps we can take week by week to achieve our goals.

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

No, but hopefully when our business is ready to truly scale, Social SEO can scale right alongside us as we work hard towards nationwide expansion.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the owner of a small market Ob/Gyn medical practice providing general obstetric and gynecologic services to a community with a service area of 50,000-80,000 people.

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

I hired SocialSEO to help develop and enhance my practice's online presence and visibility and to develop an online marketing strategy.

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

I interviewed several local vendors and did not feel they had the knowledge and experience to meet my needs. Following that, I did an online search for regional and/or national companies that do online marketing. I selected SocialSEO based on a combination of capability, experience, price and reviews from other clients.

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

This is an ongoing project to develop and maintain my online presence and to market my practice and services. It began with a series of dialogs regarding my specific needs, the market I am in, gaining an in-depth understanding of the kinds of services I offer and understanding what my demographic is and which services are key to maximizing revenue. This progressed to the development of an online marketing strategy through Facebook and later Instagram focusing on promoting key services and targeting a specific demographic.

Parallel to this has been an ongoing enhancement of my practice's website and optimization of Google's search engine's ability to identify and prioritize my website's content. A variety of tools have been used by SocialSEO to achieve this, some of which are transparent like keyword analysis and some which require more specialized knowledge, like how to optimize content on a webpage to maximize the ability of search engines to recognize and catalog it.

Over the 2 years I have contracted with SocialSEO, additional marketing tools have been introduced, such as online questionnaires targeting key services.

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

I typically work with a social media marketing person and a search engine optimization person who collaborate on my account. Occasionally, there will be an additional 1 or 2 people involved but they do not appear to have a direct role in the routine work of the account.

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

Gauging the impact of any one component of a marketing strategy in my field is almost impossible as other influences are always also in play such as referrals from friends and family members as well as referrals or recommendations by other physicians or members of the medical community. In addition, over the time that I have contracted with SocialSEO, there has been a significant change in the number of physicians in my specialty practicing in the geographic region I cover.

SocialSEO has provided exactly the services I needed from them. They have dramatically improved my online visibility and have shown industry knowledge with tremendous creativity. Given that the overwhelming majority of patients in my practice's demographic use the web to find or learn more about a physician before deciding to establish care, the services SocialSEO provides are indispensable to my practice.

Moreover, even though there are a variety of market forces that have driven this, their work is part of the reason that 2020 was the best year financially I have ever had and why 2021 is trending to be even better.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Workflow has been excellent. We do twice monthly WebEx meetings to discuss ongoing work, review performance and track trends, and plan new strategies. In between, we communicate by e-mail as needed. In addition, they have been very patient and helpful when working with the web designer of the corporate website.

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

The two things I have found most impressive are their fund of knowledge and attention to detail when it comes to optimizing website content for online search engines and their creativity when it comes to designing ads for social media platforms.

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

Early in the relationship, I contracted with them to write medical content for the website. This was ultimately a mistake as they did not have the expertise to develop such specific and technical dialog.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Our company produces packaging innovations for beverage, food, pharma and other industries, mainly using thermochromic, photochromic, glow-in-the-dark and fluorescing technologies delivered through high-speed commercial printing inks.

We make the mountains turn blue on the Coors Light cans.

For what projects/services did your company hire SocialSEO?

Originally, we hired SocialSEO to experiment with LinkedIn lead generation, but we found that the volumes and response rates we're worth the expense.

It just so happened that our graphic designer who had been working on our website and social media left the company, so we pivoted and let SocialSEO run our SEO. Then we hired them to run our email campaigns.

What were your goals for this project?

Maintain and improve SEO, organic traffic, new users, leads generated via the website, keyword ranking, as well as segmenting customer emails and optimizing customer communication touches and resulting conversions when they had a need.

How did you select SocialSEO?

Like everything, we did a lot of googling and comparing customer satisfaction ratings. Ultimately, having a well-qualified partner right around the corner (literally) was attractive.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

At first it was LinkedIn campaigns, targeting best audiences and using custom-developed creative content like videos. Later when we switched to SEO, they optimize H1 and H2 tags on pages; keyword analysis and content modification based on results; video and blog optimization; all the normal SEO stuff.

With email campaigns, they created an opt-in process, got our list cleaned up, then started segmenting emails by content interest and help us with targeted campaigns for new markets.

What was the team composition?

Right now, we work directly with an SEO Specialist and an Email Specialist, but there's an entire team unseen behind the scenes that supports them.

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

Website traffic up YOY 44%. Organic search and new users up YOY 35%. Overall sessions up 41% YOY. Goal completions up YOY 61%. 36 keywords rank on page 1, with 10 in the first position without any SEM spend.

Up until COVID-19 hit, leads were up 36% YOY. Thirty percent of customers are highly or moderately engaged via email. Open rates are between 20-40%.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very effective. We use Trello for kanban-style task management, and we have a weekly call to review results and next steps.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The conference room! Just kidding. They do what they say and produce results.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Just like any outsourced service, you have to push them. Obviously, they invest on the front end and their profits come later when they can spend less resources and maintain results.

So perhaps more aggressive goal-setting and pushing the client a little more might improve the value proposition, but that's a good problem to have, now isn't it?

Please describe your company and your position there.

The Brooks Group is an award-winning B2B sales training company focused on providing clients with practical, straightforward solutions to improve and maintain overall sales effectiveness. Comprehensive sales assessments are used to optimize sales hiring, and sales and sales management training programs are customized to meet an organization’s specific needs. My role is Director of Inbound Marketing, so it is essential that we are constantly optimizing our website content for search engine optimization.

For what projects/services did your company hire SocialSEO?

We started to see our rankings drop as well as our website traffic. We tried to manage this in house with tools like Moz and SEMrush, but soon realized we did not have the knowledge base to really understand how to use those tools and interpret their findings.

What were your goals for this project?

To increase website traffic, increase conversions, and ultimately increase and improve lead quality.

How did you select this vendor?

I believe our CEO was familiar with their work and referred us to them.

Describe the project in detail.

The project is always ongoing. But it started with a complete evaluation of our current PPC strategy, keywords and website review to include title tags and meta tags, H1s and H2s. Once we were in a good place there, we began to review content for optimization, review competitor content for gaps and identify where we can create content, and revisit our PPC strategies.

What was the team composition?

Jill, the Vice President of Digital Services and her team, working alongside our own marketing department to coordinate updating content and making any adjustments to our website.

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

We have already begun to see results. Our traffic is slowly increasing and we feel strongly that our lead quality is improving. We are keeping a close eye on our ranking keywords, and still creating content, but we are very happy with how far we have come in just 6 months.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very effective, communication is clear and timely.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They contain a wealth of digital marketing knowledge. Jill is amazing and we consider her part of our team.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None.

Please describe your company and your position there.

New Direction Trust Company is custodian for self-directed, tax-advantaged accounts such as IRAs, 401(k)s, and HSAs. Our account holders typically invest in alternative assets like real estate, private loans, and precious metals. I generate content for external publication on our website and on our blog. I endeavor to provide high-value content from the standpoints of SEO and lead conversion.

For what projects/services did your company hire SocialSEO?

Our company hired SocialSEO for SEO and SEM consultation. SocialSEO also coordinated our online advertising campaigns.

What were your goals for this project?

The goal was to help bolster our online presence.

How did you select this vendor?

While I was not directly involved in the decision-making process, it is my understand that SocialSEO stood out among their competitors in terms of cost the breadth of services provided.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

We have collaborated on a regular basis, they have provided key research on keywords and phrases that would boost our SEO, and they have built (from design and copy standpoints) and implemented our online advertising campaigns.

What was the team composition?

We maintain weekly (at a minimum) communication with the team at SocialSEO. We are able to remain on the same page at all times and consistently work toward our mutual goals.

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

We achieved a high degree of success in accordance with our prior goals. We also received honest feedback about how our prior goals may not have served our company's best interests in terms on generating and converting genuine leads.

They have since helped us pivot toward accomplishing more effective goals in that regard. Our success in this new direction is yet to be determined, but we have every confidence that we will achieve the same degree of success that we experienced with our previous initiatives.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very effective. Our communication channels are well established and used frequently.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their honesty in assessing our prior initiatives and recommending a shift in our goals impressed us.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not at this time. SocialSEO has demonstrated a broad capacity to meet a variety of needs, and we look forward to working with them for years to come.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a restaurant consultant for Supply Chain Synergy Consultants. We specialize in supply chain and help large national chains throughout the United States with purchasing and vendor relations.

What challenge were you trying to address with SocialSEO?

When I first started my company, I developed my own website on Wix. I thought I had followed all the right steps for SEO, but my site wasn't showing up on Google no matter how hard I searched. The platform was essentially invisible because it wasn't being recognized by Google. People couldn't find my business, so I hired SocialSEO to help.

What was the scope of their involvement?

SocialSEO has helped me build out my.website. In the background, they've worked on SEO such as keyword strategies to improve my ranking within Google. 

The account manager learned about my business, and then researched what my competitors were doing with their websites.

They've also added additional content under my direction. Before any of it goes live, they proofread and finalize my content.

What is the team composition?

I work exclusively with our account manager, Mark (Enterprise SEO Specialist, SocialSEO).

How did you come to work with SocialSEO?

After I talked to a few people and interviewed about six different SEO companies. Based on an assessment of criteria such as previous work, past clients, and testimonials, I landed on SocialSEO. 

Their pricing wasn't the least expensive, but I wanted a professional company instead of just one person working out of their office or home. I felt like they would be able to deliver the service I was looking for.

What is the status of this engagement?

I've worked with SocialSEO for almost a year so far. We started in July 2018.

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

The most valuable success SocialSEO has had so far is getting my website recognized by Google. When people search for “restaurant consultant” in general or specifically for supply chain, I am now readily available in the results. The increased visibility has led to more business.

For local search in Colorado, I'm now between the eighth and tenth on the list for restaurant consultants. Before I started working with SocialSEO, my website was nowhere to be found in search results.

The level of service has exceeded my expectations and is more than worth the money I've paid. Our account manager has made a lot of progress with helping people find my site. It's gone up exponentially in the rankings practically every month.

How did SocialSEO perform from a project management standpoint?

We had weekly meetings over the phone for the last year. Just recently, we decreased the frequency of our calls to biweekly within the past month or two. They're very organized and really kept me informed. After each of our phone calls, they send me a recap of what they've completed and their plan for the next week.
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What did you find most impressive about them?

Dedication and quality of people are SocialSEO’S greatest strengths. I'm most impressed by the talent on their team, specifically Mark (Enterprise SEO Specialist, SocialSEO).

From a quality of service standpoint, SocialSEO is extremely timely and very helpful. They go above and beyond in our work together to help me out.

 Are there any areas they could improve?

I don't have any constructive criticism. SocialSEO has met or exceeded all my expectations.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would suggest doing your research first. Don't cut corners; go with a professional company like a SocialSEO. Come prepared and be able to articulate what you want to achieve so they can match their work accordingly.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the marketing director for ERP implementation firm. We’re a partner for an ERP software provider and an MSP firm.

What challenge were you trying to address with SocialSEO?

We hired SocialSEO to increase our organic traffic and to improve the user experience on our site.

What was the scope of their involvement?

The process began by learning about our business and target market, which helped formulate a plan to attract organic traffic from an SEO perspective. Through keywords, tagging, and writing content that fit our meta description, we found ways to drive the right people to our platform.

What is the team composition?

We predominantly work with three of their team members. Mark (Enterprise SEO Specialist, SocialSEO) acts as our project manager. We also interface with BJ (VP of Enterprise Accounts, SocialSEO) and Ronin (Enterprise SEO Specialist, SocialSEO). Other members of their team help on our project as well.

How did you come to work with SocialSEO?

Our team looked up a variety of things while searching for different companies. SocialSEO is local, but what attracted us to them was their honesty compared to other companies. They talked about how poorly certain aspects were scored and what needed tweaking. It was a different response than what we got back from others.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $10,000–$25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement began in January 2019.

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

Growth in organic traffic happens over time. We’ve seen some, but part of it is that we redesigned the flow of our site. They worked on how it’s structured and crafted a plan for the future. That’s had an immediate impact. It’s easier to navigate our site, and it’s a lot less confusing.

How did SocialSEO perform from a project management standpoint?

SocialSEO is extremely open. We have access to their project management board and can view their timeframes and other things. They don’t hoard information. Their visibility differs from other companies we’ve worked with in the past. Their team’s attentiveness allows them to hop on anything quickly. If we need them on a call, they’ll get right on the phone. Their responsiveness is also a huge positive. We have a standing weekly meeting but usually, have a call once or twice a week for anything that needs direct addressing.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I appreciate SocialSEO’s transparency.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We use their enterprise package currently, which comes with a certain level of attention. In the beginning, there was a big emphasis on planning. We do a lot of planning with our own clients because of the consulting we do. Having a well-defined plan is extremely crucial. I don’t think that’s necessarily a negative. I’ve been happy with their service so far.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Before hiring any company, check their competitors and references. The references we received about SocialSEO were glowing. Their clients were happy. Ask for the level of reporting and service transparency they offer upfront. We like to analyze the data. Not all SEO firms are transparent in that regard.