W3 Affinity

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Marketing Director at a law firm headquartered in Harrisonburg, VA

For what projects/services did your company hire W3 Affinity, and what were your goals?

Our biggest challenge was achieving a good ROI on our Google Ads campaigns as well as pushing our SEO.

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

We searched for the top SEO companies in Richmond. W3 Affinity was listed as an up-and-coming SEO company. We researched them, talked with the owner, and were sold!

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

W3 Affinity has reduced our cost per click and cost per acquisition for our Google Ads, such that our ROI has increased dramatically. Additionally, W3 Affinity has monitored LSAs, redesigned website forms and the Home page of our website, and supported our SEO efforts.

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

We have worked with the CEO, account manager, design specialist, social media specialist, and link building specialist.

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

Our leads as well as the number of cases signed doubled within four months of beginning to work with W3 Affinity.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Seamless. W3 Affinity uses Slack for instant messaging. They respond quickly and get things done.

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

This company makes my phone ring. There's not much more to say . . .

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

The success they have brought our firm has posed staffing issues, which is a very good problem!

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CIO for a mid sized Technology and IT support Firm.

For what projects/services did your company hire W3 Affinity, and what were your goals?

We hired John and W3 specifically for his web knowledge and complete overhaul of our website to drive visitors along with improve conversion rates, and bundled that into SEO, advertising, and pretty much any wild idea I decide to shoot them. We had been working with 2 other SEO companies in the past who didn't inform or educate us in the right manner and we spent lots of money trying to make things work and to no avail. (Then I met W3 through a recommendation from another business partner.)

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

The deciding factors were that John was able to take my input and give me examples and educate me on the proper way to handle marketing (and most importantly a budget.) Once he connected me with my account manager Warren, I knew this was a good place for us. Over the first 365 days we say traction and improvements but going into the second year is when we really started seeing results and finding out that our business (being very different) were in alignment and mission went hand in hand.

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

Complete Website Overhaul putting data and conversion information in place. Managing of our site and keeping it secure, along with full SEO package, running ads, providing ad and brand awareness insights that helped us gain traction and revenue. Providing blog posts, ghost writers, email marketing and other products to name a few. They took a large portion of work off of our team so that we could focus on our line of business.

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

Multiple account managers and members but typically John and Warren, and Kaylee on occasion. Some of their DEV team was awesome to work with also.

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

In several months we rose to the top of the search results for our demographic because we listened to advice, were will to spend a little money and were educated on the decisions that we were making. We had no set expectations other than we wanted people to call us for service. We were informed it could take several months to get there, and only started seeing results about month 8 in, around month 16 we've really been getting some traction and are excited to see where the next few months are going to take us.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We had an open line of communication, never went days without a response, and had scheduled meetings to discuss traction, goals and needs. We never felt like we were just hanging out. We truly feel like they do work for us every day! (Even if they don't!)

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

Their willingness to be be open to the possibilities and to educate us in those possibilities. They advised on on how best to use our advertising dollars and how to change things up if needed and we weren't just throwing money down a hole. A true partnership where we know about each others vacations, trips, struggles, and they still get down to business to help us succeed in marketing.

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

Normally, internally this is where I would give a jab at John to Warren or vice versa, but so far so good! Not many companies these days can you use for regular services and still be happy on everything going in on 2 years. I wouldn't and don't hesitate to recommend these guys to business clients of mine, and those businesses are also very happy!

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a partner of a company that provides wireless internet services.

What challenge were you trying to address with W3 Affinity?

We wanted to drive sales through PPC campaigns and organic search traffic.

What was the scope of their involvement?

W3 Affinity built the frontend of our website in WordPress. They essentially created a homepage that integrated with the rest of the website, which was completely custom built. Then, they also did preliminary research and created a few pages of copy. Their team planned to develop landing pages.

After a couple of months, we realized that it was better for us to change our business model from online sales to a local approach. As a result, we didn’t have the full experience with W3 Affinity.

What is the team composition?

My main point of contact was John (CEO). At one point, I was on a call with one of their main developers.  

How did you come to work with W3 Affinity?

I originally found them on Clutch and scheduled calls with 6–8 different SEO companies. One of the main reasons that I decided to go with W3 was their familiarity with the StoryBrand framework. My concern was that there would be a conflict between that framework and SEO campaigns. W3 was the only company I spoke with that knew the StoryBrand framework, which I felt would help us to remain on the same page with content creation.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $5,000 on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the engagement in April 2020 and wrapped up in June. As a company, we ended up shifting gears.

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

When the engagement ended, we were still in the preliminary stages, so I don’t have metrics. There was definitely value in their work. Their team built a reasonably good frontend. They had good ideas for different ways to market our services. Their rates were competitive.

How did W3 Affinity perform from a project management standpoint?

Their team understood what we wanted. It was easy to work with them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their communication was great. They understood how to minimize words to provide customers clarity but also enhance a website to support SEO efforts. Other companies focused on putting blocks of text on our pages to drive traffic However, that would actually make it harder to convert customers once they were on our website. W3 had a solid idea of how to balance driving traffic and converting customers. They had good ideas for different avenues to pursue different keywords and demographics.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I felt that I was oversold on their team’s development abilities. Our developers completed more work than expected to build the integration with our website. If our website were simpler, it would’ve been a smoother process. If I could redo the project, I’m not sure that I would make the same decision again as moving our site to WordPress was a downgrade.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They’re able to do good marketing work. I would definitely recommend them if you have a simpler website.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CMO for a footwear and shoe supply distributor with two direct to consumer shoe brands.

For what projects/services did your company hire W3 Affinity?

We needed expert level management of marketing and ecommerce channels to expand our resources and capabilities. We have an ongoing engagement that includes custom website development, shopify store development, amazon store management, marketing automation set up, SEO, SEM, and general consulting.

What were your goals for this project?

Re-platform D2C and B2B websites to provide simplification of technology stack and enable more efficient scalability. Grow paid and organic traffic through SEM and SEO management. Amazon store management, consulting and growth strategies.

How did you select this vendor?

We chose them due to their specialization in the Shopify platform, eCommerce focus and diverse service offerings that covered areas in which we were under-resourced. They were the right fit for our needs at a monthly retainer a small business could afford.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

W3 redesigned our primary branded shopify website early on in our engagement, then quickly followed up with migrating our second brand from Expression Engine to Shopify. They assist with ongoing development or customization needs for our stores. They are responsible for management and growth strategies for paid search and shopping.

The are also responsible for advertising and listing management for our Amazon stores. They develop content and strategies for SEO. They assist and consult with an array of digital marketing and ecommerce needs.

What was the team composition?

We work directly with John and workflow and requests are managed through him.

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

Our branded store has shown consistent growth via paid and organic channels and conversion rate is improving incrementally. Our amazon store revenue and account health is improving as well.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Efficient. Having a single point of contact for all workflow simplified project management.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The depth and breadth of their collective knowledge made them highly effective and efficient. They were totally on the ball with troubleshooting and risk mitigation and had a plan for virtually all emergency situations, which was invaluable for our small business.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None that come to mind.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We grow and provide the finest quality and selection of herbs to help our customers achieve gardening success.

What challenge were you trying to address with W3 Affinity?

Two years this march, we moved into a moderate new facility, which is more like a factory greenhouse. This allowed us to handle our orders as we received them and manage our production. We wanted to clean up our business and needed marketing support to get more sales.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our original marketing services provider said that we needed to migrate from Volusion but didn’t say to where. We decided on Shopify Plus with W3 Affinity and their team migrated our website. Because of their enthusiasm and deep knowledge of e-commerce, we decided to switch over to them for all of our marketing needs. They just started on our digital marketing strategy and are beginning to build our SEO efforts.

What is the team composition?

Our direct contact is John (Owner, W3Affinity). We just had our introduction to marketing meeting last week, so I don’t know the rest of his team at this point.

How did you come to work with W3 Affinity?

My wife looked around and found W3 Affinity. Clutch was pretty important in our decision-making process. In the beginning, we were hesitant to trust our business with someone we’d never met, so Clutch was reassuring to us. We met John who made his presentation and showed us his work. We then realized that he knew what he was doing. We liked his energy, chose W3 Affinity and we’re glad that we did.

How much have you invested with them?

So far, we’ve spent $8,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We contacted W3 Affinity at the end of October 2019. The migration was supposed to take place in January, but their team sped up the process and finished it at the end of December. That was a huge help because we’re up and running to take orders for the spring. If we migrated this month, we’d be playing catch up.

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

W3 Affinity couldn’t have done better. We’re not hearing from customers, which is the whole purpose of this system. When we were on Volusion, we had glitches that caused people to call or e-mail. We haven’t had any issues so far. Shopify Plus has given us an improved customer experience, so we’re not anticipating any issues. When you first migrate, you have to expect a downturn in sales. That’s one of the things we were hoping to happen in December because nobody orders plants during the holiday season. We’re now about equal in sales with this time last year, which means we’re picking up. We feel that we’ll hit spring without missing a beat. The benefits of Shopify will start appearing as we get busier then.

How did W3 Affinity perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re excellent. W3 Affinity set us up with Slack. My whole staff now uses Slack, which we’re in love with because we can communicate with each other easily.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have a level of enthusiasm that has motivated us too. They’re a motivated staff but injecting John’s enthusiasm into this team has been a huge benefit.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We could dig around and find something, but no. W3 Affinity did a good job.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Get in touch with W3 Affinity. We just started working together so we’ve got a high level of energy that I don’t see dying out.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of a business called Fundamental Training Solutions. It’s a vendor training program by the state of California that provides training to residential care facilities.

What challenge were you trying to address with W3 Affinity?

We needed a website for our business.

What was the scope of their involvement?

W3 Affinity created a website for our business. John (CEO, W3 Affinity) and I have been in constant communication. Our initial conversations took place remotely, so I sent Word documents with ideas for the layout. John also went over my business plan and model, which provided him with more information to put on my website. He reviewed my marketing plan and outlined steps to build a professional website and a digital presence. For example, he advised me to write a blog about myself. He came out to California and that’s when we finalized the foundation of the website. We sat down a while to go over the website and after that, he sent me updates. Once my business starts to excel, W3 Affinity will manage my website’s maintenance.

What is the team composition?

I worked one-on-one with John. It was nice.

How did you come to work with W3 Affinity?

A family member who owns a business recommended W3 Affinity because I wanted to work with an established vendor. I checked out their website, which I really liked. I asked for John’s contact information because I liked the site’s presentation.

How much have you invested with them?

Overall, the website cost about $8,200.

What is the status of this engagement?

The consultation began in September and the relationship’s ongoing.

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

I met with him on Christmas Eve, which was amazing because that fit my schedule. He worked on the website but also created a logo that I loved instantly. He explained what it represented and at that point, I gave him full creative authority on the website. He’s been accommodating and that’s been huge because I’m new to this. I trust him, which is crucial to a partnership.

How did W3 Affinity perform from a project management standpoint?

John’s professional and punctual. He responds to my phone calls and text messages in a timely manner. He's flexible and responsive. While he gives input, he alters features that I don’t like. He’s built my vision into a website, going above and beyond.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m happy. He provides an education. He's attentive and professional. He's delivered far more than I expected.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I have nothing bad to say about my experience working with John. He's made the collaboration enjoyable.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

John knows what he’s doing. He's informed and smart, so trust W3 Affinity.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are State of the Art Landscape, and we operate in and around Sterling, Virginia. I am the office manager and one of the owners of the company.

What challenge were you trying to address with W3 Affinity?

We were looking for a partner to help us improve our online presence and targeting.

What was the scope of their involvement?

W3 Affinity revamped our website and they’re still managing our Google marketing, along with handling a variety of tasks like improving our search location and things like that. They’re currently working on link building and keyword targeting by writing blogs for us.

What is the team composition?

We just work with one member of the team during the process.

How did you come to work with W3 Affinity?

My husband actually found them through the internet. We were working with someone else at that point, and their fees were pretty high, so we decided to shop around and were able to get a much better offer from W3 Affinity.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $1,500 with them so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2019 and are continuing the engagement.

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

It’s still a little early to determine the size of the impact they’ve had, but our search numbers are already improving. We’re getting more calls in, and higher quality in our average leads.

How did W3 Affinity perform from a project management standpoint?

They do a great job with project management as well. Every time we have a suggestion, they have a plan to get it up and running and they’re able to turn it around quickly for us. Their team is very attentive to emails, phone calls, texts, or whatever communication we’re using. It’s been great.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They really get what we’re looking for. They took the time to understand our goals as a business and have taken the bull by the horns based on what we initially established with them, which we really appreciate.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t have any critiques of the service they’ve provided us.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of a biofuel company specializing in alternative fuel sources for industrial, commercial, and consumer segments. The company is headquartered in Tampa, Florida and serves clients and consumers globally. Our pellets, briquettes, and fire logs provide a more efficient, effective and eco-friendly alternative fuel source while also being economical.

For what projects/services did your company hire W3 Affinity?

We were looking to expand the company's brand globally, and we made the decision to partner with a marketing company that was a great fit. The decision to source the work included web design & development, SEO, strategic advertising, marketing, and content management.

What were your goals for this project?

The project started with four goals: Design and develop a website for the company, grow qualified leads using contact forms, build Garcabas/Coffuel brand assets and exposure in social and search, upsell existing clients with new services through email, ads, on-site content, and social. 

How did you select this vendor?

After an extensive search for a partner, the list was reduced to the top four firms. Conference calls were scheduled with each to discuss our needs and how the firm could meet/exceed our expectations. Information gathered from the conference calls narrowed the list down to the top two firms. We landed with this partner based on several key components: leadership, relationship fit, a well-laid-out plan, commitment to excellence, and the level of excitement displayed to help grow our business.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

I met with the CEO several times to align on high-level approach, goals, communication plan, and meeting frequency. A kick-off meeting was scheduled where both companies came together to review the project goals, communication plan, and a detailed 90-day plan. Our partner understood the importance of starting with the high-level view and then creating a detailed plan of how to achieve the targets.

Communication is critical to keeping everyone updated on progress and any obstacles that need to be addressed. Our partner has kept me and the team updated every step of the way.

What was the team composition?

I've worked with the CEO of the company, and he committed to having a 1:1 relationship with me from the beginning. He was genuinely interested in overseeing this project personally, given the industry we are in and the level of growth we forecasted as a company. The CEO has also assembled a team of experts to assist with each phase of the project.

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

The brand assets designed and created by our partners have received incredible feedback, and we also have a fully functional website based on great design and development. Several pieces of collateral have been developed for prospective clients that have driven potential clients to contact us to find out more about our product line.

We just launched the advertising phase of our project and are already seeing activity in the early stage. I am excited about the progress to this point and look forward to continued success.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

It has been extremely easy to communicate with our partner. I have direct access to the CEO, and we meet regularly to discuss progress and any new needs based on changes and/or growth. The communication flow and exchange of information has been smooth. We are fortunate to have this partnership. 

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Our partner's expertise and knowledge are impressive, and the CEO listens to who we are as a company and what makes our company successful. He also asks great questions to make sure he understands our entire business. He's embraced the challenges in front of him and brought high energy to the relationship. 

Are there any areas for improvement?

We are enjoying the partnership, and both companies understand that there is always room for improvement. Our fundamental understanding of this statement keeps everyone sharp.

Introduce your business and what you do there. 

The name of my organization is Freedom Vinyl Works. We provide promotional items, branding items, custom vinyl decals, custom magnetic decals, glass etching, customer apparel, and other items that are used as promotional goods.

What challenge were you trying to address with W3 Affinity?

We wanted to increase our volume of buyers.

What was the scope of their involvement?

W3 created a website for me from scratch. I provided a little bit of content, and they did 100% of the design.

What is the team composition?

The only one I’ve worked with is John (CEO, W3 Affinity).

How did you come to work with W3 Affinity?

I met John through my grandmother. We hit it off really well, and, when I told him what I was planning to do, he offered to help. It’s been fantastic—best decision I ever made.

How much have you invested with them?

I’ve spent about $3,500.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in January 2019, and it’s currently ongoing. I’m working on budgeting right now for digital marketing services. Once I get that in line, SEO will be the next step.

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

W3 has been instrumental to the success of my business, especially regarding my online visibility. They created a professional looking website that brought in new clients from a variety of different industries. I’m elated with the way it’s turned out. John did a phenomenal job.

More detailed metrics are still in the works. I just had my first conversation with John about that, and we’re still working through that information.

How did W3 Affinity perform from a project management standpoint?

John has been absolutely elite. If there’s a better web developer and marketer here in the US, I don’t know of them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

John is very easy to get along with because he’s so friendly and down-to-earth. Also, all of the ideas that he bounced off of me made perfect business sense.

John truly wants to provide the best quality services possible. He’s done an absolutely wonderful job, and I can’t speak more highly of it.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not that I can think of.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Schedule a two-hour block at the beginning to have a good discussion with John. Find out what you’re looking to accomplish from a website or marketing standpoint, and provide John with the content that he needs in a timely fashion. Give him information and requirements, and let him run with them. It’s the best decision I can tell you to make.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the owner of a new microblading and cosmetic tattooing studio in Williamsburg, Virginia.

For what projects/services did your company hire W3 Affinity?

I hired W3 Affinity to build a website and provide branding advice.

What were your goals for this project?

My goal was to establish an online presence for my new business, along with creating a website that had an online booking tool. I also needed a logo.

How did you select this vendor?

I was very lucky to meet John (Owner, W3 Affinity) after his wife became a client of mine. She introduced me to him after I mentioned to her that I needed some help with my website.

Describe the project in detail.

John created an entire website for me. While designing the site, he worked with me to identify the optimal layout and color scheme.

What was the team composition?

John was my point of contact.

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

I couldn’t be happier with the site. It’s beautifully made, easy to use, and better than I could have imagined. John also gave me helpful marketing tips for creating a sizable digital footprint.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was great! John responded quickly to my emails and made me feel heard when I had questions or concerns. I’m very happy with the level of communication.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was impressed by John’s extensive knowledge and skill set. It was obvious that he knew exactly what he was doing. At the same time, he was very patient and happy to explain everything to me. He was also willing to make as many changes as I needed.  

Are there any areas for improvement?

Honestly, there is nothing that comes to mind as far as what could be improved. I am very happy.