Straight North

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Chicago Metro Home Inspection provides inspections in the Chicagoland area. When someone purchases a home, if they’re not familiar with the mechanics or the way a home operates, I come in and inspect it for them and make sure they understand exactly what they’re buying. I’m the founder.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Straight North?

I ultimately wanted to be on page one of Google search results so that my customers can find me instead of my competition.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We initially had a Weebly website that they worked on, but it didn’t perform well. We transferred it over to Straight North’s platform using their proprietary CMS. They largely recreated the website itself on that platform. They build out my website on a monthly basis and add content and links to it.

What is the team dynamic?

I interact with one person and I think they are doing all of the work.

How did you come to work with Straight North?

I found them through a friend of mine who is a graphic designer for them.

How much have you invested with them?

I've spent $17,000–$18,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We haven’t reached the ultimate goal of getting on page one, but we’re moving forward. I have seen growth in traffic to our website.

How did Straight North perform from a project management standpoint?

I’m happy with it. They are very open with me. We communicate through email and phone calls. I can log in to their website and see what they’ve accomplished each month.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The content, usability, and design of the website is impressive and I’m happy with it. My business has more credibility now as a result.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We worked on the Weebly website for 5–6 months without seeing the growth that they assured me of. They were confident that they would meet or exceed my expectations by then, but it didn’t happen. They suggested that this was due to the way Weebly’s websites are structured, so Google didn’t recognize our SEO efforts. They recommended I move to a Straight North website, and we transferred over the next month or so. My satisfaction has improved, but my ranking isn’t moving at the rate that we discussed in December of last year.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Foundation Doctor is a foundation repair company based in Charlotte, NC. My brother and I started the company about a year ago, and work together as joint business partners.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Straight North?

About six months ago we decided we needed better marketing. We had a website that a friend had designed, but we wanted a more professional site and help improving our SEO [Search Engine Optimization].

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They rebuilt our website and set up better SEO. We met to discuss our ideas, asked some follow-up questions, and then took things from there. Our original site was on Wordpress, but Straight North was using their own proprietary CMS [Content Management System].

They’re helping us with content for some of the services we’re focusing on. They’re pitching us to different websites to add us to their backlinks, and are actively working to add us to listing sites and directories to improve our web presence.

What is the team dynamic?

Nathalie [Project Manager, Straight North] was the contact for the website build, and Courtney [Account Manager, Straight North] oversaw the SEO for us.

How did you come to work with Straight North?

We spoke to 8–10 companies about the project. I was educating myself on SEO practices, and did a Google search for SEO companies. Straight North appeared as the number one option organically, so I reached out to them. They were the most knowledgeable company we spoke with.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $4,000 so far, which includes $2,000 for the site build, and $1,000 a month for tracking and maintenance. They’re a little pricier than some of the companies we looked at, but we felt they were our best choice.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in July 2017. They’ve finished our site, and we have a monthly maintenance contract with them now.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It’s a great site, and everyone tells us how professional it looks. We’re really pleased with the feedback.

They installed a tracker, which we started using in September. It may be a few months before we have a clearer picture of the impact. For just the month of September, we had 8 organic leads and 30–40 clicks on the site. We also have a dynamic phone number listed, so when a user calls from our site, it goes to a separate line.

How did Straight North perform from a project management standpoint?

Nathalie and Courtney were both great. They were quick to respond and keep us updated, and always got back to us with no issues.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re most excited by the design of the website. When we built our first site, we had no idea how valuable it could be. The website they designed is mobile-friendly and looks good on a desktop. The tracking they put in place helps us decide how to spend money on advertisements and SEO in the future.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of marketing for Graphic House, Inc., a premier sign manufacturer based in Wausau, Wisconsin with offices throughout the Midwest.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Straight North?

We wanted to improve our website design and increase traffic, with a specific focus on lowering our bounce rate.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They used their in-house proprietary CMS to redesign our website, incorporating infographics, and the intuitive layout allows us to maintain the site and make changes as needed. They found keywords accurate to our industry and used them to optimize our web content. They also write blog posts, with any copy sent to us for final approval.

Our package includes monthly SEO services in order to improve and maintain our search rank.

What is the team dynamic?

My initial point of contact was their vice president of sales. Now that the deal is finalized, I work with our project manager and design team.

How did you come to work with Straight North?

I considered several SEO companies, but I'd worked with Straight North in the past through my work with previous company. They were willing to work with us on pricing and I knew they were reliable based on my past experience.

They also have offices in the Midwest, making it easy to conduct occasional face-to-face meetings.

How much have you invested with them?

Our contract is $48,000 per year.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in February 2017 and our relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our previous site’s bounce rate was roughly 60%. After working with Straight North these last nine months, that rate has gone down to 35%–40%, which is the industry standard.

Three-quarters of our site visits are from new users and they’re consistently staying on the page for 2–4 minutes.

These analytics prove to us that their work is producing results.

How did Straight North perform from a project management standpoint?

Our project manager calls every two weeks to provide a breakdown of our site analytics. We’re consistently updated, and I can contact them via email or phone if I have any questions, receiving a response within 48 hours.

They make an effort to keep in touch with their clients, as their VP of sales checks in occasionally to ask if we have any concerns.

Overall, working with them has been great.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have a strong worth ethic and are very straightforward. We’ve had issues with previous companies relying on bots to artificially boost our web traffic, but Straight North understands that the ultimate goal is to convert traffic into actual sales.

They also took the time to understand our industry, taking a tour of our manufacturing facilities to get a firm grasp on who we are and what we do. They're an SEO company that truly cares about their clients.

They consistently meet the quarterly and annual goals that we set.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Their CMS could use minor improvements. It’s great for people who want a basic, easy-to-use system, but lacks flexibility for more advanced users. Of course, this simplicity gives their CMS a wider appeal.

Advice for potential customers?

Having worked with them through two different companies, I’ve had nothing but positive experiences. Straight North will hit their goals for a good price, so they're worth a try.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am one of the owners of a yoga studio in the suburbs of Chicago. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Straight North?

I wanted to optimize our website for organic search because we are opening a few more locations in the area. It was important to also improve the flow of our website. We get sales conversions through our website so it was important to improve the experience for potential customers.

New students come to the website to book their first set of classes. Existing students come to the website to check class schedules, buy a membership, or book more classes.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They helped design the website. I already had a website but they improved my Squarespace website. They helped with SEO and gave me recommendations and also help add company reviews and get us higher on various third party sites.

They also helped with us tracking clicks so we can figure out where our customers are coming from how often they're calling and all of the phone calls are also recorded. We record the calls so that we can improve customer service outcomes. We don't do PPC with Straight North, we just focus on organic SEO.

How did you come to work with Straight North?

A family member recommended them to me.

How much have you invested with Straight North?

The first year should be around $12,000 because we spend $1,000 month so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the work at the beginning of 2017 in January.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I don't have anything available right now but I can check my reports. Straight North supplies that information to me on a regular basis. What I can say is that the SEO work is positive. Our second office location is making drastic improvements and the highest performing webpage.

What did you find most impressive about Straight North?

I am satisfied with Straight North. I think that they're really good at SEO and they're experts in the field so they could tell me exactly what I needed to change. And they also helped me change things so I didn't have to do it on my own. I love the website where you can see how exactly it's helping where people are coming from and how often people are visiting me. 

I can go there and sign in anytime I want. And also they're really easy to talk to so I can just email them and they respond quickly.

I just feel like as a company they're very easy to talk to. I feel like they're very honest and they do what they say they're going to do. So I feel like the money I'm paying them is worth it. I just trust them. 

So that makes a big difference for me. I've worked with other companies where you're not getting what they say you're going to get. They just really follow through. And I believe that they are experts in the field. 

So I just like working with them.

How did Straight North perform from a project management standpoint?

We don't work face to face at all. It was originally a phone call and now it's just through email which just great for me. 

Are there any areas Straight North could improve?

There is nothing that I can think of at the moment.

Any suggestions for future clients of Straight North?

I would suggest that they have clear objectives and make sure they discuss the objectives with Straight North so it's clear. Clients should do what Straight North recommends since they are experts. The conversation should always continue.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the sales manager for a moving and relocation services company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Straight North?

We picked Straight North to build us a new website and drive organic traffic to it.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Straight North handles SEO [search engine optimization] and web design. We haven’t asked for social media work because we just kicked-off and want to start slower and then ramp up. We’re in our busy season and didn’t want to attract customers that we can’t properly service. It’s a very small local and regional campaign.

We have a request submission box on the website, and its goal is to get somebody to fill out that box and submit a request for us to contact them, or for them to call us — we want both. Basically, we want to get in contact with them so that we can set up an in-home estimate.

How did you come to work with Straight North?

I got a referral from our corporate office for them and a couple of others. Basically, the reason why we chose them is that they were a lot more up-to-date with new designs. They have the most up-to-date products and looks; we didn't want to buy something that was already an old version.​

​​​​​​How much have you invested with Straight North?

It's probably a total of $15,000–$20,000 a year.

What is the status of this engagement?

We're still doing some SEO work. We started working with them about 3 months ago.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I'm overly satisfied with the website. This is actually our third website build, and by far, this has been the best one. It looks way better than I thought they could make it look without me. I just gave them some white papers and some pictures, and they did all the research and put everything together. It exceeded my expectations; everything was very, very, smooth. I would give them six stars if I could.

I can't give you specific metrics, but I can tell you that without any SEO, we are getting more traffic than we got with our old website, paying $1,500 for pay-per-click. Just organically, it is 10 times better than all the money we were spending with the old one.

What did you find most impressive about Straight North?

I think they were very prompt. They have individuals that do very specific tasks, which is nice, instead of someone that does everything but really does nothing and then you have to ask questions, and then that person has to ask someone else and get back to you later.

They're very specific with the steps that they take and the people that are involved. They kind of pass you off but they're passing you off to the expert, which is great.

Are there any areas Straight North could improve?

I don't think so. They’ve quickly addressed everything I asked them to do, change, or fix. I had a few things that I had forgotten that I needed and they did them without a problem.

​​​​​​Any suggestions for future clients of Straight North?

As long as you're honest and open with them along the process, they'll give you their best opinion. I called them and asked them about buying something, and they told me that they have it but that it's worthless for me and recommended not to buy it. So, just be open with your ideas and they'll give you their honest advice, which is important.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a renewable energy company that sells digital solar energy panels to residential and commercial customers. I’m the vice president of sales and marketing, and I oversee all of the administration within the office.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Straight North?

We needed to generate leads. When someone looks at the website, we wanted them to submit their information to us through a form to receive more information. They can also call us. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They built our website and SEO campaign. They also helped with the design of the website and digital marketing. Straight North has a number that they track so we know if any calls are coming from the site or from somewhere else. We have a unique number that customers call to let us track conversions easily.

How did you come to work with Straight North?

I didn’t find them originally. Years ago, we hired an SEO company. I’m assuming that they were bought out by Straight North because the former owner currently works with them. Everything transitioned from his original company to Straight North.

How much have you invested with Straight North?

We spend between $4,000 and $5,000 in an average month.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them on the website and expanded to the digital marketing campaign in January 2017. Our relationship is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

As of right now, the work has not been worth it. We’re currently coming up with a new game plan because our leads haven’t changed since we revamped our site and started a new marketing campaign. I don’t know why we haven’t seen any results. Our website was not good before we revamped it, but we had traffic coming in non-stop. Now, we have a gorgeous website, but we’re getting 4 leads a week, and half of them aren’t even legitimate leads. We might get a single call. It doesn’t make sense. Our leads actually went down last month. We should be getting 30 or 40 leads a week. Straight North has all kinds of reports and statistics, but that’s not helping me at this point. I’m giving them the benefit of the doubt, and we’re going to try again.

How did Straight North perform from a project management standpoint?

Everyone was easy to work with except for our project manager, who has been replaced.

What did you find most impressive about Straight North?

I’ve never worked with another company like this before, but Natalie [Email Marketing Specialist, Straight North] has been awesome. She’s very responsive and answers my questions. I can edit the website myself now because she’s trained me, which makes my role a lot easier.

Are there any areas Straight North could improve?

They don’t offer social media services, and I wish they did because I believe that goes hand in hand with SEO. They’re easy to work with as a team. Upper management has been in contact with me to figure out the issue with our lead generation. I’m happy that they replaced the initial project manager.

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

Usually, communication is a problem with any business partner, but they’ve been responsive. If you have a question, they’ll get back to you. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work in the marketing department of a medical scale manufacturer. Our products are used in hospitals and doctors' offices.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Straight North?

For years, we had a very old website that was hard to look at. We knew that the website was supposed to be updated every once in a while.  

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We discussed the design — how the website should be organized and what we needed. Our website is informational and not sales-focused because we sell through distributors. Straight North figured out the best way to get our message across.

They designed a completely new website using Drupal, which we access through Acquia. Straight North put graphics on the homepage, added new pages, and displayed all the product info. As we get new products, they add other little things on the website to make them stand out.

How did you come to work with Straight North?

We did a Google search and found Straight North. They were close to our office, so we decided to contact them for a quote and some ideas about our website. We liked what we saw when we went to Straight North’s office and met them. We visited a couple of other offices in the area, but Straight North had a better quote.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in the spring of 2013. I don’t remember how long it took them to update the site. Every once in a while, they’ll help us out when we have changes or new pages to add on the website.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The launched website got good feedback. There weren’t any serious bugs that needed to be fixed.

How did Straight North perform from a project management standpoint?

They are good at meeting deadlines. I don't recall them ever having an issue or not launching when we wanted them to. They pretty much get things done in a timely manner. They've been great.

The communication is good, and Straight North’s project manager is responsive. We sometimes meet in person since we are so close to each other.

Are there any areas Straight North could improve?

I haven't had any big issues with them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I own an online retail glass block distributor called Quality Glass Block. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Straight North?

We wanted to develop a website that was able to communicate the differences between our product lines and serve as a resource for our customers shopping online. We also wanted to build links and SEO into our actual website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They set up and managed my pay-per-click (PPC) services and did my SEO. They also built a brand-new website in Drupal; the old site was in HTML. When they completed the web design, they showed me a few different mockups to choose from. The only things they didn’t do were my email marketing (because we don’t have an email marketing campaign) and social media.

How did you come to work with Straight North?

I interviewed about 12 or 13 different companies. When it came down to it, we decided to pick Straight North. They were the highest in terms of price, but I knew what I wanted in a website, and I got what I was exactly looking for. In the end, it was more about getting the service and the product that I wanted than a certain price point.

How much have you invested with Straight North?

It costs me $3,000 a year to maintain the site.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started in March of 2011 and rolled out the new site in October of 2011. For the next year, we did SEO and then jumped into PPC. In 2012 and part of 2013, we did SEO. Then, all the way through 2015, we did PPC. Now, the site pretty much runs on its own. They do some maintenance for me. If I need to fix or change anything, they’re just a phone call away.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Hands down, Straight North has helped my company grow. We were making about $120,000 a year in e-commerce before, and we're up to about $700,000 per year. I would attribute 90% of that growth to Straight North. The biggest thing was growing our presence online. That was the big portion of what they did for me.

We took everything that was in binders and on shelves and put it on a website that's available to our customers as a resource. We watched the number of people that jump off Google Analytics drop. The time spent on our website increased, as well the number of pages that the average customer views.

Customers absolutely love the website’s clean layout and the fact that all the information is so informative. Because it’s so professional, most of them think that we're the manufacturer, not just a distributor.

What did you find most impressive about Straight North?

Their content is second to none. It brings people in and makes the information readable. They do a really good job at writing the content in a way that’s SEO friendly and attracts the right client. A portion of our website is very technical to attract architects. Another portion of the website is dumbed down for the do-it-yourselfers. A third portion is moderately detailed for contractors. That's what I liked the most about the site.

Straight North uniquely juggles different things. We asked them to put in a customer image process—a place where people could upload photos—and they found a way to do it. They were constantly working to give us what we want.

Are there any areas Straight North could improve?

Their pricing is expensive, but you get what you pay for, so I would not ding them on that.

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

Be prepared for when the site goes live. We were not prepared for the increased business we were going to have, and we had a ton of overtime while working late on weekends. If you give Straight North an objective, they're going to achieve it, but you're only as good as your internal structure. That was the biggest lesson we learned through this process. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the Director of Corporate Operations for a full-service, multi-disciplined staffing firm headquartered in Chicago. We help our clients find quality job candidates for a variety of key industries.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Straight North?

We had an existing, old website that needed to be redesigned. We were looking for web design and SEO companies who could first deliver a new Drupal website and then generate more qualified job candidates through an online marketing campaign.

We generally wanted to get the word out around the country about our services. We also needed a new website to improve our public presence and marketing in general.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Straight North was hired just to redesign our Drupal website and then manage a coordinated SEO campaign targeting educated job candidates. There were no other service involved.

How did you come to work with Straight North?

We put out a competitive bid using a traditional RFP process. We narrowed our choice to six similar agencies. Straight North came in and pitched us in person. They had the best team and the most helpful suggestions on how to reach our goals. We also liked their expertise and pricing so we decided to hire them in early 2016.

How much have you invested with Straight North?

We generally spend about $20,000 per year on SEO work. We decided to add more additions to the website build and Straight North priced that for us separately.

What is the status of this engagement?

The engagement is ongoing for SEO services. They started by redesigning the new website in Drupal and then immediately optimized it for organic search. We have no plans to stop the partnership with Straight North.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Straight North delivered a magnificent website that everyone on our team loves. They were able to launch the new website on time because they have great project management and communication. 

The website was immediately more productive than the old website. In fact, we had five applications filled out in the first hour of going live! We only had about 10 applications per week with the old, obsolete website. We now receive about 50 applications per week, which is a five-fold increase. We are very happy with Straight North.

The website design is also excellent and has received high marks from stakeholders. Our marketing team is doing outreach to our existing clients to share our new website. Our clients are quite impressed with the clean and simple design. It's provocative and attractive, we have received many compliments from clients and job candidates.

Are there any areas Straight North could improve?

I have no complaints about the Straight North team and couldn't think of anything they can improve. They were able to take our concept and run with it.

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

My advice for other potential clients is to be clear about your goals and make sure your team is on the same page with objectives. Straight North can do anything if the client provides the concept.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a partner in CapX Partners, a debt lender targeting the middle market. We offer leases and loans to middle-market companies.  

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Straight North?

We were looking to drive external leads by improving our web presence. Our business driver is inbound leads, so our main focus was our standing on search engine optimization. We don’t drive all our business through the Internet, which is true for the financial services industry as a whole. Even though we don’t have a web-driven industry, we do strive to improve. A show store can easily move to e-commerce, but lending businesses offer more abstract services that people don’t look for online. Instead, they would rather go to their banks or lawyers for these services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

In their proposal, they explained what they would be doing, as well as outlined what they saw as our shortcomings and objectives. Straight North worked over a period of time to make the required changes and fixes. They started by changing the architecture of the website’s backbone, followed by supplying proper content, tags, and keyword attribution. We only worked on unpaid search, which involved developing keyword attribution.

Straight North also built the perception that our company was a knowledge center. They looked at what we should be putting on our website, essentially tackling web PR. They also offered to write our content, but we were using an external PR person who understood our business. Nevertheless, Straight North collaborated with that resource very well.

How did you come to work with Straight North?

I am on the board of a design firm and started to ask around there, looking for people who were good at SEO. Straight North specialized in what we needed. Since our group has used outsourced parties in the past, I looked at other vendors as well. I chose Straight North based on web research, relationships, and my own judgment.

How much have you invested with Straight North?

The cost of their work has been around $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Straight North in July 2015. At the moment, the work involves monitoring, reviewing, and maintenance.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our business is quite esoteric, but Straight North has definitely been able to grow our leads. Thanks to their efforts, we’ve gone from 0 leads per month to 10. Some industries can see 1,000 leads per month, but we’re a bit different. We've moved up in Google rankings and achieved our objectives.

They also sent detailed monthly reporting on the use of our keywords and leads. There is staff in place for scrubbing these leads. We can easily see what leads are coming through and who they are.

How did Straight North perform from a project management standpoint?

Straight North has a comprehensive process that followed best practices.

What did you find most impressive about Straight North?

They’re pros who do a great job. I was pleased with Straight North’s performance.

Are there any areas Straight North could improve?

I chalk some of the results up to our business being more esoteric. Our hits have grown significantly, but people can’t necessarily order our services online. Given the nature of SEO, Straight North is best at generating leads for companies with more concrete products.