Coalition Technologies

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a guitar player and an artist, and I guess in these times, I am my own brand. I have been part of Billy Idols band for 12 years and own my own fine art company, Vive Le Rock Inc.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

I had some Google search results discrepancies that I wanted to clear up. Knowing less than nothing about that side of IT, I did a broad reach-out after a simple google search for small project SEO solutions.

SOLUTION

How did you select Coalition Technologies and what were the deciding factors?

After a broad reach out to various SEO speciality IT companies, I had recieved very few replies. The reply from Doug at Coalition Technologies was head and shoulders above the few I had received. It was personal, interested, generous and he had obviously read my 'broad strokes' email and asked all the right questions. His clearly genuine desire to help me jumped off the screen, and after maybe two more emails we had arrived at a solutions based plan that made complete sense for me.

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

It was a very small project and obviously way to small for morst companies. I just needed Wikipedia details and Google Search details to match. But Doug at Coalition didn't seem phased at all by the small size of my issues and explained a few easy steps he could take to rectify the problems. He simply offered to help solve the problems in a few weeks, and low and behold, they solved them!

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

It was just personal communication between myself, and Coalitions Digital Strategist, Doug Drenkow.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Search results are now accurate and streamlined and aligned with other details on the web about me and my brand.

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

Their style was personal and caring. Very genuine and emails were detailed, and written in 'laymans language' - something very important to an IT luddite such as myself!

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

The personal approach and the easy communicative style of Coalitions emails were the standout feature of my interaction with them.

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

Absolutely nothing could have been dealt with any better - I have 100% confidence in them to solve any SEO IT issues for anyone in a genuine and personal manner.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am Sr Director of eCommerce at a fastest-growing independent spice company in the US.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Spiceology hired Coalition to build a new website on the BigCommerce platform and to ensure that our products, customer data and content were migrated over seamlessly while keeping our website organic rankings intact.

SOLUTION

How did you select Coalition Technologies and what were the deciding factors?

Coalition was selected because of their variety of services offered and expertise in SEO and web development.

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

Wireframes and design layouts were provided to the Coalition team, which were then built into functional templates. The data migration then populated the website on a BigCommerce staging server. The site was tested extensively before going live.

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

Two team members (project manager and lead developer).

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The transition has been mostly seamless. Only a few bumps with customer and loyalty accounts. The site is converting customers at the same rate if not slightly better than the previous website.

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

The project was highly organized with strong communication and frequent check-ins. Problems reported by customers were addressed immediately. We used Basecamp and Google Sheets to track progress and make notes.

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

The team was extremely patient with me and willing to go above and beyond to ensure the project's success. We spent late nights working together. They very much feel like a part of our team.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Nothing worth noting.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the vice president for a construction company that has been in business for 35 years. We are located in Hesperia, CA

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We had felt a stagnant online presence and were looking for an edge in SEO and website maintenance.

SOLUTION

How did you select Coalition Technologies and what were the deciding factors?

I searched online for a few months and phone interviewed a few companies and Coalition seemed to fit our needs and in the price we could afford.

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

I went over our monthly budget and where I thought we lacked and could improve and they offered many options and knowledge. They put together a program that works for our company.

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

I have worked with around 10 employees from Coalition, all in which were very professional and helpful.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our web traffic has increased 100% from year to date and we have seen an increase in our sales as well.

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

They have a good platform that shows everything in the queue.

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

Their overall package and pricing.

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

Possibly dumb down some of the information given as not all verbiage is easily understood. If asked they always explain it in a way I can understand but sometimes I feel the less I know the better on some technical stuff.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the general manager at Sensually Yours. It’s an adult novelty store.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Coalition Technologies?

We redesigned our website and wanted to expand our reach to other parts of the state as well as the mainland. We needed a partner to manage our SEO and PPC efforts. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Coalition laid out a strategy to improve our website. Their team then made changes to the navigation and content. For example, they changed the placement of reviews. Their team’s making improvements on an ongoing basis.

What is the team composition?

We regularly work with about five people. Our main point of contact’s Leah (Digital Producer), but we also engage with Justin (Web Design & SEO Project Manager) and Brandy (Copy Strategist).

How did you come to work with Coalition Technologies?

I found them through a Google search and liked their previous work. I spoke with one of their customers at a trade show who had positive feedback. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $24,000 on their services so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together around January 2020, and it’s an ongoing partnership.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their work made an impact. After our redesign last fall, we did roughly $2,000 a month in sales. Now, we do around $8,000 per month in sales. For some of our keywords, we’ve specifically seen an increase in our organic search.

How did Coalition Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

Their team lays out a strategy for the quarter, which we review monthly to discuss results and upcoming plans. We primarily communicate via Basecamp. If necessary, I email Leah.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their team projects our company’s voice in its content. For the first couple of months, they listened to our suggestions and adapted their work. Now, we rarely make changes.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could align on processes and not make assumptions on the film process. Coalition also slightly underbid to get the project. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If we want to make changes, they give us a timeline to help them adapt. It’s not bad, but it would be nice to be able to make quick changes.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I own a small e-commerce retailer called Prisma International. In the last two years or so, we developed our own line of accessories for vinyl collectors.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Coalition Technologies?

After building our website, we needed help with brand building.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Coalition started with a technical analysis of our website, which was thrown together using Shopify. They noted what could be improved. That included small features such as alt titles for images and copy.

Their team then developed content and built a blog on my website. They also implemented new features.

Coalition continues to manage our general SEO efforts in addition to Google Ads and Google Shopping campaigns. They link content and write guest blogs to direct links back to our website.

What is the team composition?

I have a main point of contact but also communicate with most of their team during our monthly phone calls.

How did you come to work with Coalition Technologies?

I mentioned to a friend that I needed a company to handle SEO initiatives. I told him about how it was difficult to pick a partner. He recommended that I google SEO companies because the top-ranked company would most likely know SEO well. I searched and out of the top two results, I went with Coalition because of their location.

How much have you invested with them?

We initially spent about $2,000 a month, but the cost has gone down to about $1,200 a month.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in April 2019, and the partnership’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Site revenue increased probably 1,000%. Granted, I didn’t do any digital marketing a year ago. They built up the website and by the look alone, the engagement's certainly been a success.

How did Coalition Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

Their team creates monthly reports and then we have calls to discuss performance. They use Basecamp for their internal project management.

I haven’t worked with many partners that I fully admire. But if I look at Coalition, they’re the kind of company that I would want to model my own after. They’re efficient, open, and consumer-centric in their approach.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Coalition takes care of their clients well. Granted, they work on two specific projects.

At this point, I trust them blindly. I review their plans and offer my input, but their team knows their stuff. I feel that I’m in good hands.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not really.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you expect them to handle the project without your input, you might get less out of the engagement. Try to be responsive. Give positive and negative feedback should there be any. Be clear in your communication about what does and doesn’t work.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a co-owner and the CEO of ARW Group, which owns several different companies. One of them is Modern Aquarium, a company that sells products to aquarium hobbyists.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Coalition Technologies?

We started Modern Aquarium last September. We already knew how valuable good SEO is and writing decent copy and everything else, that we know how to do in-house, but we knew time wasn’t a commodity that we really had.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

It began with a phone call with Coalition Technologies that was a few hours long. We went over what we do, what we’re planning to do, and what our goals were so that they could get an exact feel for what we might need.

Coalition Technologies prepared a very lengthy report for us where they broke down where we currently stand in terms of where we’re doing great and where we can improve. It was literally a small book that they had prepared. It was very detailed and a welcoming sign for us — we realized that they were taking their time with us. They knew some things that we didn’t know, which was great because I wanted to hire someone who could do this better than us.

They have written copy for the website and for other blogs, and they do link exchanges for relevant links, blogs, and forums. What I especially like is that they will come to us and, based on research, tell us what changes we should make and why they would be better. This is anything from page load speeds to getting a customer to the purchase stage with fewer clicks.

What is the team composition?

It is a small team. I currently work with Katie (Digital Project Manager) who is the lead on the team. The gentleman who was put in her shoes is Pat (Project Manager), who we’d feel just as comfortable with as Katie. Abe (Project Manager) is in charge of the technical aspect.

How did you come to work with Coalition Technologies?

We started looking for a domestic SEO company that we could partner with. I decided that I was going to hire the company that popped up organically as number one on Google. I figured if they can push themselves to the very top organically, then they most likely know what they are doing in that field.

That is exactly what we did. Coalition Technologies showed up as the number one result organically on Google, so we decided to give them a call. After some lengthy conversations about what they do and how they do it, we decided to give them a shot.

How much have you invested in them?

Coalition Technologies' price is actually pretty low. We pay them $1,240 on a monthly basis. I went to another company and was quoted $4,000 a month for similar services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We brought them on board about a year ago. We had to cut them loose from one of our previous websites, not because they weren’t doing a great job, but because COVID-19 has brought our revenue to a standstill.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We check the revenue conversion rates and organic traffic that we are bringing in to evaluate Coalition Technologies’ value to us. I can check and compare over time how we are doing by a month-by-month comparison.

It is a new business so everything is going to be going on the up and up, but we have been so successful with it that I have no choice but to attribute some of that success to the work of Coalition Technologies.

However, just because we love Coalition Technologies doesn’t mean we stop vetting them. We do tests on a sporadic basis — maybe monthly or bi-monthly — where we compare how conversion rates, traffic, revenue, and other metrics have changed since they took over.

In terms of overall results, there was definitely value in it. I feel that I want to have them on board and we are going to keep them for as long as they are performing or outperforming as they are currently doing, we are more than happy to have them and recommend them to everybody else.

How did Coalition Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

We simply clicked with their team. When I told them Katie had to stay because we didn’t feel comfortable with just anyone else, Coalition Technologies was fine with it. They seem to be very accommodating.

Every once in a while, because we are on a big e-commerce platform, things can go haywire. I can just send them an email indicating that it’s an emergency. My phone will ring within a couple of minutes. We also have regular alignment calls so, should there be something we are concerned with, we will bring it up.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Our standards are pretty high and they know that. When it comes to working on our website and the kind of copy, quality of work, and QA they return to us, I am a stickler for doing something right. Coalition Technologies knows it. I am very frank with them when something doesn’t meet my expectations. They know this so I don’t have to have those conversations with them, but I don’t shy away from telling if I want something done slightly differently. Lucky for us, they have been very attentive, and they do the work really well.

In the past decade, I have worked with many different web developers and companies. There are only a few that I would give a stamp of approval to. They are really one of the two companies that I would let touch my website and be somewhat comfortable with this.

Are there any areas they could improve?

You can always find things to improve on. Coalition Technologies is the best agency we have come across by far in terms of SEO, other optimization, web development, and the ideas they bring. I am surprised that there is a company out there that can provide their quality of work consistently without screwing up at some point. They are as good as SEO agencies come, and I have not found better.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You have to be clear about what you want them to do. Try to understand what they do because an extra pair of eyes and a fresh perspective of an outsider is a good thing. I love the fact that they come with their own ideas, but I will sometimes come up with an idea that I’ll ask them to look into, and they’ll do thorough research into whether it’s viable. I really love the fact that they don’t think that they know it all.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

CMO for technology start up ventures of Earl Enterprises. Our B2C web-based platforms and native apps include Collide and Psychics1on1, among others.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Coalition Technologies?

I originally hired Coalition for a PPC scope of work related to our brand new platform, Psychics1on1. I have been so impressed with the team, that I have since expanded their scope to include SEO and PPC across one our other platforms.

What were your goals for this project?

Overall, we're concerned with revenue, being that these ventures are a startup. With that comes incredibly high expectations and lots of unknowns without having historical data to benchmark.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We researched and vetted about 5 agencies, but the RFP response from Coalition blew the others out of the water. The proposal wasn't just boiler plate like most others - they included actionable insights, which I appreciate (knowing the risk from an agency POV).

Describe the project in detail.

Coalition manages PPC for us, soup-to-nuts. They reconfigured/implemented proper tracking, optimized our existing paid social campaigns and implemented scores of new campaigns across google as well. In addition to media buying and management, they have produced additional original creative with copy strategy. Without a complete styleguide and brand book, much of their work is the product of lots of fruitful conversations and intensive note taking to understand our brand, the direction and our KPIs.

What was the team composition?

Pat DeLuca (Sr.), Scot Robnett (Jr) Project Managers, Ashok Patidar (PPC Team Lead), 2 PPC Techs, 5 SEO Team Members, Two linkbuiders - a total of 12 people.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Coalition has help us double our revenue month-over-month for the last three months. We're on an incredible trajectory largely because of their efforts.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

I am in contact with our Coalition team almost on a daily basis. We have a co-basecamp for project management but also have regular conference calls and they're always willing to respond on gchat.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I am continuously impressed with the underpromise/overdeliver. They never try to nickel and dime us for hours spent above and beyond our contract.

Are there any areas for improvement?

My only complaint is the non-traditional way they outline parts of the SOW - a bit difficult to understand fees and service at a glance. Otherwise, they've been amazing.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and president of Kanavia Organics, a company that sells organic CBD products.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Coalition Technologies?

We needed an SEO company to help us with our website. Since we’re a new company, we needed help.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Coalition Technologies stepped in and told me what I needed as the company owner. In addition to making revisions to the website and giving recommendations, they also did some backlinking work. They worked on the content, reviews, suggestions, and details of the website.

What is the team composition?

Our main points of contact have been Abe (Digital Producer) and Scot (Marketing Digital Producer).

How did you come to work with Coalition Technologies?

I came across them after doing some research.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend $1,800 per month.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working with Coalition Technologies since December 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve contributed quite a bit to our website, which I’m pleased about. The traffic to the website has increased over the past five months, which may be due to our increased social media efforts. Coalition Technologies told us that it will take 6–12 months for the effects of their work to show. 

How did Coalition Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

Their communication is excellent. The team arranges times for phone discussions and sends detailed emails about numbers and graphs. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re doing everything within their power to help our company propel forward. When I hired them, I thought they were just going to get the website to be visible on Google. So it was a pleasant surprise when I realized that they were also working on the website itself. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I have no suggestions. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Trust that Coalition Technologies is going to do the best work for your company because they have the tools and the right people to evaluate the needs of the company and its website. They’re great communicators, and they’ll do everything right every step of the way.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of a grain-free snack company. We make soft-baked, grain-free granolas. We sell primarily to grocery stores and we have about 600 points of distribution today.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Coalition Technologies?

E-commerce or direct to consumer is about 5% of our overall business, and that’s why I engaged with Coalition Technologies. We hired them to grow our e-commerce presence and grow the sales.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They worked on our direct-to-consumer website, PPC ads, and social ads. They came in and did an audit on the website to see how it was performing, how it was ranking, and to determine the domain authority. From there, we put a plan together to rank higher, gain backlinks, and add more copy to our site.

They helped configure our Google Ads. We had Google Analytics set up, but they put the campaign together. On top of that, they did some paid social ads for Facebook and Instagram.

What is the team composition?

There are two continuous people I work with, and they bring in people from their team as needed. Sometimes that’s a copywriter or an email marketer. So they have a bigger team than those I work with directly.

How did you come to work with Coalition Technologies?

I’m a part of a group, and one of our board members is in my industry and works with e-commerce. I know their team really well and work with them all the time, so I told them that I was looking to grow my direct to consumer business. They highly recommended Coalition Technologies.

When I first reached out to them, I really liked them. They’re super transparent and are upfront about their strengths and weaknesses. As a result, I felt very comfortable with them. I talked to them for a year before signing an agreement. They even did some free work for me. They did a full audit, gave me the results, and then they followed up with me. They were a trustworthy resource and it didn’t seem like they were trying to sell me on anything.  

How much have you invested with them?

I’ve spent just over $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in February 2020 and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The ads just recently went live, so it’s a little to early to tell how they’re doing in terms of ad spend and our ROI. However, we can see the impact on SEO in general. We’re already starting to rank higher on search result pages. Turning on Google shopping helps us appear more when customers are looking for products like ours.

We’ve seen a huge lift in our online sales. Compared to last year, our sales are up by 300%. Of course, more people are shopping online because of the COVID-19 pandemic, so it’s hard to know the direct impact.

How did Coalition Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

Overall, they have really good people. They form relationships with clients and are super transparent. We have bi-weekly phone calls, where they tell us about the traffic, highlight trends, and propose ways for us to shift our strategy. They also use Basecamp to track everything and flag things that I need to approve. It’s very effective.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It goes back to their transparency. I’ve worked with a couple of different agencies, and sometimes we don’t know why they’re doing something, or we’ve questioned whether or not it’s worth the cost. Whereas Coalition Technologies is very forthcoming and keeps us informed.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think they’re the best with paid social, SEO is much better. It’s still early, but based on what I’m seeing, their broad reach strategy for social advertising wasn’t very effective.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Respond to them because they throw a lot at you. You’ll need to review a lot of changes and their copy, which can be overwhelming. I always go in and deal with it right away to keep the ball rolling.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Michael Hinck: I’m the director of public affairs of a medical organization.

Xavia Malcolm: And I’m the assistant director of the same network.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Coalition Technologies?

MH: We were building websites without thinking about how they’d attract traffic. We needed help with SEO. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

MH: We started a series of lengthy telephone meetings where we dove deeply into the goals of our hospital, website, and services. Coalition Technologies then helped us build a strategy that focused on them primarily. 

Their team then identified deadlinks and errors on the site, along with title tags, meta descriptions, and keywords to drive more traffic to our site. They addressed some of the structural errors we had, including link repetition and image optimizations to speed up the site. 

XM: The website is built in WordPress; Coalition Technologies enhanced it and added some plugins like Moz to optimize it. They redesigned the home page a little bit and cleaned a few things up.

What is the team composition?

MH: We work with two main people: Sarah and Luis (Digital Producers, Coalition Technologies). There are also copywriters on the team.

How did you come to work with Coalition Technologies?

MH: We met with and interviewed a few different companies about this project. Some of the ones we considered proposed that they identify the things to fix but have us make the fixes. We weren’t experienced in backend code, so we found it welcoming to have Coalition Technologies identify the bugs and then do the work themselves. 

How much have you invested with them?

MH: We've spent about $50,000–$100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

MH: The partnership started in April 2019 and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

MH: Coalition Technologies gives us reports on how our pages are ranking compared to where we were before. We’ve definitely seen a lot of improvements: pages that were previously unranked are now showing up on the first or second pages of Google search results. We’re also seeing steady growth from organic search. 

We’ve learned from them about SEO as well, like how to use keywords and how to really run a website. We lack in-house talent in SEO and have gained a lot of knowledge from their services that we hope to one day apply on our own.

How did Coalition Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

XM: Luis and Sarah are very hands-on and patient in explaining the concepts and procedures. They’re also forthcoming in their opinion in a constructive way. Overall, they were excellent project managers. 

MH: We meet with them every other Tuesday over the phone to go over progress. Our initial conversations were lengthy, but now we’ve got it down to 30–45 minutes. We also have an email group through Basecamp through which they constantly send us work for us to approve. 

We have just a constant flow of communication: we get emails every day, and whenever we need to get a hold of them, we can pick up the phone. It was rough at first as we got to know each other, but it’s become very streamlined.

What did you find most impressive about them?

XM: Coalition Technologies has very good listeners. Sarah, in particular, listens extremely well. She takes our concerns into consideration. If we don’t understand something fully, she takes the time to break things down and paint a vivid picture of what we need to achieve and how we can get there. I give kudos to both Sarah and Luis for being able to do that.

MH: I’d also add that I don’t think they’ve ever said no to any of our requests, no matter how silly they might be. We also use them as a sounding board. There are times where we ask them for their opinions on how we should tackle something, and they’ll answer honestly.

Are there any areas they could improve?

MH: The one thing I’d say is that sometimes, the constant communication results in an overload of communication. Sometimes, as well, there has also been confusion about the progress and completion of certain things.

Any advice for potential customers?

MH: I’d recommend complete transparency. They really got to know who we were and what we were trying to do. They didn’t come in with a preconceived notion or a template to fit us in; they customized their strategy to fit our goals.