Victorious

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We do loan acquisitions for mortgage and real estate investment. I am the CEO and am in charge of asset acquisitions.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Victorious SEO?

We wanted to maintain and expand our position in our space through SEO.  

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They did an initial site audit and made keyword suggestions to improve our organic search rankings. They did a really deep dive into our analytics and found thousands of potential terms we could use. They’re working to get us onto the first page for several of these terms and we hope to see results as early as this coming cycle.

We write the content for our site based on their topic suggestions. We send blog posts to them and they point out ways to optimize each one. They fixed the way we use H1 and H2 tags, which had a tremendous effect on the ranking of our blog posts. We’re excited by the growth.

What is the team composition?

We have an account manager and meet with the team in person.

How did you come to work with Victorious SEO?

We did a Google search for SEO companies we could drive to. Their office is right down the street from ours, which was a big selling point.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $15,000 to date but expect to exceed $30,000–$50,000 this year.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our contract went into effect January 1, 2018 and work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We didn’t realize how much we could expand when we first contracted them. We originally ranked well for about 27 of the top keywords in our industry. After their initial audit, they identified 130–140 secondary keywords to improve. In the past 90 days, they’ve increased our rankings in at least 1,400 keywords. We hadn’t considered such a broad approach, but it’s a very easy tactic to give us an advantage. Our position has improved in a much larger space through their keyword execution and research.

How did Victorious SEO perform from a project management standpoint?

Because of my previous experiences with SEO companies, I was very hard on them for the first few weeks. Our account manager weathered it gracefully and proved my assumptions wrong. They are great project managers and SEO pros. They make good recommendations for content and web development and help the efficacy of our workflow.

I’ve worked with several SEO companies since 2010. My main complaints have always been against weak account managers and company complacency. Victorious has changed my view of what an SEO company can do. They have a good grasp of the work and rarely keep me waiting for an answer. They’re very knowledgeable and sensible. I wouldn’t take the time out of my day to review them if I didn’t think they deserved it.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We like how close they are. We can meet face-to-face and get things done. Their wide net of search terms was very valuable and extremely attractive to us. We could use hundreds or thousands of keywords and go at our SEO from different angles where there was little or no competition.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We tested the waters on their content writing, but our industry is hard for a freelancer to just pick up. There is very little information to draw on and requires someone who is already an expert in the field. We didn’t realize that at the time, so we don’t fault them for not delivering content for us. The only other minor issue we had was with the initial intake. Their online submission form states that they will respond to inquiries within five or ten minutes. They did get back to me within the hour, so they may have been in a meeting or at lunch. It’s a little complaint, but it’s the only thing I can think of.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a sales and marketing executive at a luxury rental company. We rent properties around the world, but have recently focused on villas and condos in the Caribbean. We also have a concierge service.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Victorious?

We lacked a presence on Google because keywords weren’t ranking. We wanted a vendor to help us optimize our presence – specifically through Google – and increase the number of direct inquiries through our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They provided a wide range of services. Specifically, Victorious taught us about SEO best practices, Google’s expectations for businesses, and internal steps to improve the website. The team researched the best keywords for select Caribbean destinations and told us which ones to emphasize. We chose those first locations in a collaborative process and they then did keyword tracking.

Victorious also looked at content generation best practices and considered how we could create blogs using keywords to optimize pages for those terms. Victorious helped recruit a third-party blog writer. The team then helped with press releases and backlink strategies. They did social media syndication to enhance our presence on those channels.

SEO is ongoing. We continue to refine keyword selections and track monthly progress with Victorious’ help.

How did you come to work with Victorious?

We Googled SEO companies and they were one of the first results. That ranking was a good indicator of their ability to help us.

How much have you invested with them?

Work started in October 2016 and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The website now generates most of our revenue, which has risen nearly 50% since 2016. The results get better each month; the number of keywords we’re ranking for has increased in a positive upward trend. Direct inquiries are up and our reliance on third-party sites – and other online channels – for advertising has decreased.

How did Victorious perform from a project management standpoint?

Their leadership makes the process seamless. The project manager is amazing and great at communicating with us to ensure timely completions. We have regular phone calls that we use to review monthly reports. The reports and other monthly deliveries are always on time. Even though we’ve adjusted requests and keyword focus significantly since 2016, Victorious always has a flexible attitude and readily adapts to our needs.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Victorious has an independent approach that doesn’t require constant interaction with our team. I only speak to them once per month for an hour. Those calls are easy, efficient, and cover everything in the project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything.

Any advice for potential customers?

Explain the scope in as much detail as possible, including expectations for service and results. With enough information, they’ll deliver SEO results.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We craft top ten lists for fashion, beauty and lifestyle products. I’m the Chief Creative and Digital Officer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Victorious?

We required SEO site audits and keyword targeting campaigns.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal was to increase qualified organic traffic and goal completions.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

They reached out to us after identifying indexation issues with our website.

Describe the project in detail.

We began with a six-month partnership during which they identified the core areas of our website that needed addressing in terms of links and on-page optimization. They also performed an in-depth audit of our website to discover any SEO opportunities. 

We recently started a new six-month campaign involving an audit of our new website, along with additional keyword research. They’ve been able to catch a major issue regarding SEO and helped ensure that our migration was smooth.

What was the team composition?

We have an account manager who helps us understand deliverables, the progress of the campaign, and answers any questions that we may have. We also have a strategist in charge of the strategy and implementation.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any statistics or metrics that speak to the quality of their work and impact of the engagement?

After six months, our target pages saw an average increase of 578% in clicks, 437% in impressions, and 520% in organic traffic.

How did the Victorious perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re quick at responding, thorough, and detailed. Overall, they’re a great team to work with.

What impresses you about the Victorious?

They’re extremely meticulous with their analysis, technical feedback, and support. Their keyword campaigns have proven to work for our business and their site audits have been invaluable.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No areas of improvement I can recommend at this point in time.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the commercial director for a company that provides software framework for developers involved in building AI-related applications.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Victorious?

We needed someone to create, launch, and maintain an SEO strategy for our new site with the goal of increasing its visibility in organic search.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We searched online to find the vendors with the highest-ranking search results and then interviewed them. Victorious had the highest rank and also came across as the most professional and credible during the interview.

Describe the project in detail.

We began with a six-month, proof-of-concept project involving keyword research and a modified audit for reporting technical SEO issues on the site. The audit also served to map keyword themes for individual pages on the site and helped guide content creation for those.

Victorious and my team worked heavily in collaboration during the first two months of the project while we were getting the strategy off the ground. After that, they’ve worked fairly autonomously as ongoing link builders and content planners.

What was the team composition?

When we began working with Victorious we were assigned a "pod", comprised of an account manager, who handles all communication and project management for our SEO work, and a strategist, who oversees the technical and strategic parts of our SEO.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any statistics or metrics that speak to the quality of their work and impact of the engagement?

In the middle of the third month of working with Victorious, our rankings exploded! We saw a 303% jump in overall ranking keywords in that time. At the third month mark, 14 important target keywords jumped from unranked (100+ position) to page one. In the first year of working with Victorious, our non-branded organic clicks grew roughly from 1,000 to 10,000—a 900% growth!

How did the Victorious perform from a project management standpoint?

They do a good job of informing me about each step of the strategy they're implementing. Whenever I have questions, they're more than able to break down complex ideas down into simple, digestible facts, which have helped me track our SEO growth and strategy.

It's much more common for Victorious to reach out to me and my team for input than it is for my team to reach out to them. They're always on top of things!

What impresses you about the Victorious?

The results they’ve produced and the growth we’ve had in organic traffic has been phenomenal.

Are there any areas for improvement?

It's hard to think of any.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a partner at Burton and Company CPAs. We’re a full-service CPA accounting firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Victorious?

We wanted to raise our search presence in order to facilitate new advertising goals and improve client generation.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had an introductory meeting where they explained how SEO works, why it’s important, and what it would bring to the table in terms of helping us reach our goals. After that, they worked with me to develop a list of keywords. I wrote most of the content and they advised me on the best ways to present it and make it efficient from an SEO perspective. They also helped backlink some of our content.

What is the team composition?

I worked with an account manager on a regular basis and also occasionally dealt with their head of sales.

How did you come to work with Victorious?

I heard about them by word of mouth, then looked them up online and set up a meeting. They took the time to explain their strategy to me, which I appreciated since I was an SEO novice. I also liked that they’re a company with a narrow focus and they didn’t try to bundle in other services I didn’t need.

How much have you invested with them?

Our campaign cost around $16,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from January–April 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since our firm handles taxes, there are some major government and commercial players in our market. That can be hard to compete against, but we saw the effects of Victorious’s work almost immediately. Within a couple weeks of implementing the SEO, there was a significant increase in the number of client leads coming from online searches.

Beyond that, they’ve deepened my own knowledge of SEO and the strategies I should use in the future to optimize our content and ensure that our website is SEO-friendly.

How did Victorious perform from a project management standpoint?

We kept in touch through a mix of scheduled calls, emails, project management software that let me monitor their progress. There was constant communication throughout the project and it was very collaborative, even though we were on opposite sides of the country. This is a seasonal business, and they were really accommodating of our calendar—we brought them on board partway through the tax season and had to move quickly so everything was implemented before the season ended.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They delivered great customer service, a smooth user experience, and expert service for a great value. It was a good experience all around.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you’re a small business, it’s likely that you’re too busy to create enough content for them to work with and make the strongest impact on your business. Before you start an SEO campaign, try to ensure that your site is in the best possible shape to maximize the results.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are an education company that creates mobile apps for schools. I am the head of marketing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Victorious?

We hired Victorious to create and implement SEO strategies for two specific product launches.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goals were to increase organic traffic, conversions, and overall visibility of our key products. We also wanted to increase the number of non-branded keyword rankings on first page results. 

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

After finding them through a search, we compared their efficacy and reviews against competitors. 

Describe the project in detail.

The two primary projects, each of which spanned about six months, involved creating keyword strategies and conducting technical site audits. After those were completed, we began an ongoing link-building partnership that includes consultation for website- and marketing-related issues. After identifying an additional need for content creation, Victorious' team stepped in to produce content for us as well.

What was the team composition?

A dedicated account manager handles all communication, presents monthly reports, and leverages team resources. We also have a dedicated strategist who oversees the technical and strategic aspects of our SEO.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any statistics or metrics that speak to the quality of their work and impact of the engagement?

Within six months we were ranking in the top 3 results for 43% of all targeted keywords, with a 76% increase in overall ranking keywords (8099 vs. 14248). We also experienced a 25% increase in total keywords on page 1 (1493 vs 1868) and a 36% increase in organic entries to targeted pages. We are currently outranking our primary competitor for a handful of high value, high volume keywords.

How did the Victorious perform from a project management standpoint?

They're organized, responsive, and easy to work with. Not only does Victorious manage the strategy they implemented and monitor deficiencies, but they have also tailored their reporting to meet our specific requests and provide the best assistance possible.

What impresses you about the Victorious?

Their responsiveness, results-oriented approach, and strategic talent are impressive.

Are there any areas for improvement?

There are none that I am aware of!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I co-founded Felix Gray, an eyewear company. I also serve as the chief revenue officer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Victorious?

We hired Victorious to create and execute an overall SEO strategy.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to grow non-branded keyword rankings, organic traffic, and conversions. As a new company, we also wanted the engagement to be a learning opportunity.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We got a referral and reached out to Victorious. They were hungry for new business, just like us. We had a few calls and then quickly came up with a plan.

Describe the project in detail.

The initial scope was a two-month sprint that included a technical audit and keyword strategy. After they completed those steps, we started link building and consulting for site- and marketing-related issues. These services are ongoing.

What was the team composition?

We work directly with a dedicated account manager and a dedicated strategist. The former handles communication, reports, and a team behind the scenes. The latter oversees the technical and strategic end of SEO.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any statistics or metrics that speak to the quality of their work and impact of the engagement?

At the start of work, we were ranking for 200 – mostly branded – keywords. Now, we rank for 2,400 keywords, with over 250 non-branded page-one results. We rank third for highest-priority keywords – those with 27,100 monthly search volumes – that have great conversion potential. In addition, non-branded clicks and impressions have risen significantly. We estimate ROI is over 10–1. Patience has paid off.

How did the Victorious perform from a project management standpoint?

They're organized, responsive, and easy to work with. Not only did Victorious manage the strategy and keep tabs of dependencies on our end, but they’ve tailored reporting to meet our specific needs. They provide as much assistance as possible.

What impresses you about the Victorious?

Victorious has been with us every step of the way. Not only do they execute the strategy, but they thoroughly explain the reasoning. The team is very receptive to feedback; they want to do things right. I can't say enough about this team.

Are there any areas for improvement?

While every business can improve, our relationship is top-notch.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a Growth Marketer at a SaaS company located in the SF bay area.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Victorious?

We needed SEO experts to make strategic site- and marketing-related decisions.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to increase overall keyword rankings, unbranded organic traffic, and organic lead generation.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We found them through a Google search. They had an impressive SEO.

Describe the project in detail.

The contract included ongoing keyword research, technical audits, monthly link building (20–25), and consulting services. They led the overall SEO strategy and did ad hoc data pulls. The team requested feedback and approval before executing each tactic.

What was the team composition?

We worked with a dedicated account manager and a dedicated strategist. The former created monthly reports while the latter oversaw the technical aspects.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any statistics or metrics that speak to the quality of their work and impact of the engagement?

Organic leads rose significantly within six months. Our first-page Google keyword rankings increased 85%. Top-three keywords increased 138% in the same period.

How did the Victorious perform from a project management standpoint?

They were organized, responsive, and efficient; complex turnarounds only took a few days. We communicated mainly via conference calls. We also met for lunch and held in-person marketing meetings.

What impresses you about the Victorious?

The team is incredibly easy to work with. They’re collaborative partners that helped us at each step of the way.

Are there any areas for improvement?

More follow-up reporting on the initial goals – in addition to continuous performance readouts – would be helpful. Getting in-house writers would also be great.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m a leasing and sales agent at a commercial realtor that specializes in industrial and office properties.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Victorious?

We were looking for online advertising and SEO services. We needed to increase our online visibility to stay competitive in finding new clients.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to generate new leads, create more business, and show up higher on Google search results.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

They were the first result when we were doing research, which reflects very well on their ability to deliver on SEO services. They were also the most professional among the companies we were considering.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

They wrote blog posts, created links, and provided several other services in line with improving our Google ranking.

What was the team composition?

I worked closely with our project manager and occasionally interacted with the principal. They’re a very interactive group, and they’re always happy to get a second opinion when we need one.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Prior to the engagement, my web page was weeks old with no significant traffic. After a few short months with Victorious, we were seeing 90 visitors a month and that number is rapidly increasing. They did what I thought was impossible. Also, my business now appears on the first page of Google results for several relevant searches.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They’ve done a great job. I’ve worked closely with the head of my SEO campaign, and we talk every week about what to expect and where we are now. He’s always honest and available to discuss/answer questions.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was astounded by how much they knew about SEO, and the progress we’ve made is remarkable. We were also very impressed by how quickly we saw the results of their work. They shattered my expectations and have gone above and beyond what I thought was possible.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None come to mind. I’ve been shocked by their intelligence, work ethic, and progress throughout my campaign. They are the only SEO company I can recommend, as their work is unmatched.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and founder of Brainscape. We’re a web and mobile platform to help students of all ages study more efficiently using adaptive flashcards. Users can create, share, discover, and study those flash cards in a collaborative open marketplace, then upgrade to Brainscape Pro for premium features.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Victorious SEO?

We were looking for help with SEO strategy for our business.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They helped us to determine the right organization for our site to create technical tactics and sitemaps in a way that made it easier for Google to crawl the site more frequently. They set up dashboards to better understand where we stood.

The highlights of their work consisted of both onsite technical SEO as well as off-site link building. It consisted of things such as looking at our title tags, meta description tags, the way the HTML is structured on the page, and making sure that content is visible and discoverable by Google very easily.

When it comes to link-building, they have a proprietary network of writers, blogs, and other media outlets with whom they partner with for content. In return, they have links in that content pointing back to clients’ sites. This process is by no means gaming the system, but just taking advantage of an opportunity to actually write and proliferate good content on behalf of their clients in a way that improves our SEO.

What is the team composition?

We’re mostly in contact with Kyle Redmond Teese (Director of Accounts, Victorious SEO).

How did you come to work with Victorious SEO?

They approached me via email—the only cold email I have ever replied to from a potential vendor. They were impressive even from that very first interaction. Very rarely are cold emails personalized other than maybe putting a name in or the name of a company. They had checked out our website and done a deep dive into the source code, finding a couple of quick win SEO fixes for us. I really liked that approach and I learned a little something about sales from them in the process.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in March 2017 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve more than doubled our organic traffic in the past year. The number of flashcards created has now exceeded 200 million but until we met Victorious, the content wasn’t organized in such a way that users were able to find it on Google.
SEO is more of an accumulation of hundreds of little wins. They catch up with us on a monthly basis and put together detailed reports that help identify and prioritize any SEO deficits or opportunities that we have to work with.

Some things worked better than others and they were quick to admit what wasn’t working, then shifted gears. Overall, the lessons learned and the things we’ve evolved to spend more on has been well worth it. I think about growing our web presence a lot differently now, having worked with them for a year.

How did Victorious SEO perform from a project management standpoint?

They reply to emails within a day. We communicate with them via Slack, email, comments on Google Docs, Google Slides, and Google Spreadsheets. No matter what, they reply within a day. They’re quite efficient and work with our varied productivity tools pretty well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their adaptivity to us as a client has been impressive. A lot of consultants are rigid in their need to use their own reporting dashboard, while Victorious changed their process to suit us. It was refreshing to see that in them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Overall, I don’t think so.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

SEO is a really difficult and sometimes dark art. It’s valuable to get as smart about SEO yourself first and when you meet them, come prepared with plenty of questions. Read Moz, Neil Patel’s blog, and other SEO media outlets. If you really want to make sure they’re targeted to what matters for you, do your own homework. Otherwise, they might end up spending time on work that isn’t as much of a priority if you had done your own work to drive the project the right way.