The Free Website Guys

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the owner of a new Veteran Owned Small Business in the consulting and technical services markets

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The Free Website Guys, and what were your goals?

Initial web site development. My goals were to have something built on a robust platform that looks professional and easy to manage.

SOLUTION

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

I had several quotes for web development and while going through the process, I was told about Sven and his team and their business model by one of my business partners.

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

The scope covered the development of both the back end and front end of the web site and turnover of site. The steps included interviews, video instructions, security and backend build, template choices and tailoring and turnover

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

3. Primary interface, web backend developer and turnover instructor

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The Free Website Guys built a very professional looking website for my new Veteran Owned Small Business. Their business model is unique and the process was straight forward and efficient. I have no experience with web development and found this process to be pretty easy to understand and implement. I would highly recommend Sven and his team.

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

Management style was efficient, used video tools to share data and instructions

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

Their business model is unique....they put their reputation our front and work to gain your trust and appreciation for follow-on work

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

For me, I am not web or IT savvy and this process worked pretty seamlessly for me

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a recruitment company director - that focuses on the IT market

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The Free Website Guys, and what were your goals?

We had no website - with not much budget/resource or knowledge

SOLUTION

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

the price (free aspect) and customer service

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

We were introduced to Sven from the Free Website Guys and after a couple of short applications we were ready to apply for free services, we as a business were lucky enough to then be selected. The process was smooth, informative and Sven was there every step of the way – information provided via e-mail, with video instructions, written instructions, and visual instructions – it really was an absolute pleasure tying down the type of website we wanted Once we had selected our website template, Sven provided all the relevant tools/info we needed to host out website –

we were offered cheap and expensive options based upon our needs. Following on from this, Sven kept us updated throughout every step of the process and wait for it.. even after the handover to us was complete, he has stayed connected and has actually helped us solve simple problems after the handover (which he did not have to do)

This website was completely free, and I will be sure to not only use Svens team myself but to also pass on the details for anybody else with Development related needs. It has been an absolute pleasure and I am very happy with the results! Thanks to Sven and the team!!

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

Sven - Point of contact/Engineer

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

timescales were fair and always stuck to - the quicker I responded the quicker things would be completed

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

concise - effective and very patient as I responded with some silly questions - they responded promptly

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

the price! and the customer service

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

N/A -

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the principal, owner, and foudner.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The Free Website Guys, and what were your goals?

They developed my site but they also walked me through a process of discovery that helped me legitimize my business's value proposition.

SOLUTION

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

They reached out to me cold on LinkedIn, but the timing was just right and their approach was great.

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

The fully developed a WordPress site for me that featured world-class templates and tools for me to use on the back end.

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

I think there were around 5 folks that helped and their titles ranged from sales to development.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Other than a site that is fully functioning and working; there are no metrics I can provide, but I'm very happy with their work.

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

They mostly used email to communicate with me, but they were careful to keep that very organized. They were also pros at using various screensharing and video recording platforms to teach me about my site and the work they were doing.

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

They reached out to me with a great value proposition, and then they went above and beyond to provide me with wonderful service. I will be using them again in the future for me web development needs.

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

They could have gotten to tasks faster, but they were doing the first 8 hours of the project for free so I understand that their already paying clients got first priority.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder of AccessiHealth, a medical pipeline program granting high school and college level students from underrepresented populations in medicine the resources, mentorship, and community to create foundational change within the health field, guided towards tackling the social determinants of health.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The Free Website Guys?

I hired The Free Website Guys to create the backend of a website for my company using a website template and wordpress as a host.

SOLUTION

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

TFWG reached out to me as they were interested in potentially working with me to create my website. From there I applied through their website and was chosen as a company whose website they were going to build.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

TFWG made sure to break the website design process down step by step and I felt very comfortable throughout as one of their priorities was ensuring I fully understood what was being done on the back end and how that affected the front end results. First, configurations were made to the wordpress account to best upload the design template, then I worked closely with my rep to clarify what specifics I wanted for the actual website design, and finally my rep walked me through the details of how I could add images, text, and other details to it.

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

In total, I worked primarily with the lead developer in addition with communicating with two of the members on the application committee.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

My team and I are most definitely pleased with the outcome of this project and are very appreciative of the work.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Communication was always clear and efficient between my team and TFWG. As a result, we worked very efficiently and completed the project in a time efficient manner

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

I was most impressed by all the resources and work they did for my team and I for free. It truly saved my company so much and also allowed us to learn about how to navigate our website in a self-sufficient manner.

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

Nothing comes to mind.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Owner/Director of Ziggy Online Debate, an online debate tournament platform for high school and college students in the United States.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The Free Website Guys?

We needed to modernize and redesign our website from the ground up. The Free Website Guys performed this service at very low cost to us.

SOLUTION

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

TFWG was offering a free design service for the first website. The fact they provided this service for free (minus hosting and theme costs, of course) was very valuable to my small business which operates on a very low budget as it's an educational service.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

We needed a Wordpress website, designed to the specifications I wanted with specific themes and functionality; TFWG was great not only with the initial setup—both behind-the-scenes technical configurations, as well as user-facing design preferences, but also with helping answer my questions about how to do various things or achieve certain functionality even after they finished the website setup.

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

I was contacted by one person who put me in touch with another (Sven) who was in charge of the overall work.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They did everything I wanted them to do, replied timely to my email inquiries/requests, and were able to help me transfer my site out to another hosting provider.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Excellent. Very clear communication and helpful answers.

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

They offer free services for initial users and hope to get paid purchases from those clients who are impressed with their work later down the road. It's a great model and I will definitely consider them again for my future website needs.

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

No complaints.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I founded Statement Entertainment which is a resource platform for Artists. We provide artists with the knowledge, resources and networks they require to get from point a to point b in their career.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The Free Website Guys, and what were your goals?

I required a new website, a revamp, something more professional for my clients to access.

SOLUTION

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

My friend recommended them to me and so I looked into them. I thought they sounded like an interesting company to work with, and I was on the lookout for a cost-effective solution to rebuilding my website. I put in an enquiry and then they got back to me. Once things began moving along smoothly, I didn't see why I shouldn't proceed.

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

We had a kick-off meeting to set out the key deliverables and for them to familiarise themselves with my company and me with theirs. From there, a scope of work was laid out including the time estimate and key deliverables. The team worked with me to develop my website 'skeleton' and helped me to choose the design I would like to work with. From there, they integrated Google Analytics and helped get the site set up.

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

It was mostly just Sven, who was a developer. In the beginning conversation I also spoke with the manager and she gave me some insight into the Free Website Guys and what they were all about.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

No

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

Most of the communication was done over email, but everything was communicated clearly and thoroughly, and updates were provided in detail at the end of each stage.

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

I thought the personable interactions and ease of process were the best aspects of the whole thing. They get the job done in an effective way. They were also very helpful, and make you feel valued as a customer.

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

Maybe more follow-up on the result of the site itself and how it is going, if anything is faulty or not working properly, etc.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder of a Creative Writing Agency for businesses; DSLX. We offer various writing services for all types of businesses, from emails to landing pages to blog articles.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The Free Website Guys, and what were your goals?

I challenged the Free Website Guys to build my company website from the ground up. I had nothing prior to working with them.

SOLUTION

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

I found the free website guys through a friend that had used them before. They select businesses to build for and I had no clue if they were real or not. You have to apply to be accepted.

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

They had to build the entire workshop on Wordpress. This included selecting a theme, adding my templates, plug-ins, and any tweajs and changes I wanted to the original theme. We used the Divi theme builder and Bluehost for the domain.

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

I worked just with one, Sven. He acted as my main liaison for the entire project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I now have a completed, personalized website for my business.

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

Sven was exceptionally efficient when it came to responding to my emails, guiding me through actions I needed to do myself and making any changes I requested.

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

I was waiting for the catch. I still can't believe I got an incredible website for free

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

Some of the explainer videos shared with me were a couple of years old and so the information was not exactly where they said it was in the video. However, with a bit of common sense it was never far off.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the founder of a nonprofit organisation.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The Free Website Guys, and what were your goals?

Although my organisation has a website, I needed a personal website to document and curate my own professional experience inside and outside of the organisation. I'd had a blog for several years and added some pages to it showcase my work, but I knew that having a professional website would increase visibility for my work and an increase in speaking engagements and consultancy offers. The Free Website Guys built a website to meet my needs.

SOLUTION

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

I heard about them via a Facebook group that I'm a member of.

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

The Free Website Guys asked for a lot of information about my goals for the website via an email exchange. They laid out the timeline and provided clear guidance on what information they needed from me.

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

I worked primarily with 1 person - Sven, the Lead Developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I just launched the website a week ago, but so far there have been additional subscriptions to my mailing list.

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

We used email to communicate and Sven would send videos and very detailed emails with the next steps and what action they needed from me. They were extremely timely in their responses and next step actions.

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

They provided a totally free and extremely beautiful website. They also provide a lot of information on how to update the website.

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

I think that even with all the video tutorials and other information provided, some people who are less confident with technology, might have a difficult time loading their content on the website. However, this was not a problem for me.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am and owner of an agency. We primarily provide online reputation management services among other digital marketing services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The Free Website Guys?

As an entrepreneur focused on launching and rapidly growing a digital agency, all my time is spent on crucial elements of the business like cultivating clients, refining our marketing strategy and executing best-in-class service, so there is no bandwidth for learning how to build —and then actually building -my own Wordpress website. I hired The Free Website Guys to do that for me.

SOLUTION

How did you select The Free Website Guys and what were the deciding factors?

I looked at a number of vendors for help in building my website and The Free Website guys were my first choice. They had numerous happy clients, stellar reviews and a team I felt confident in.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

After completing their onboarding questionnaire, they were helpful in guiding me through selecting a theme for my Wordpress site. After the selection was made, I provided some additional design requests which they incorporated without issue. They went above and beyond by instituting security and other measures that will ensure a successful website and long-term success.

How many resources from The Free Website Guys team worked with you, and what were their positions?

A few people worked on my project, but my main contact was Sven, their Lead Developer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

This project was just finished so I don't have any progress or success measures to share yet.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Workflow and communication was all effective and efficient.

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

What I have found the most impressive is their overall expertise and professionalism in the workflow. I needed a team who could jump right in and take that project off my plate. Their team did that and more. Not only were they communicative and streamlined, but they created a website with best-in-class operational and security features to ensure long-term success. They are consummate professionals.

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

I cannot think of anything they could have done differently. They even sent instructional videos, when they needed me to complete part of the process/some of the steps to progress to the next phase. Those were very helpful and kept the project on schedule.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm a solo startup. I do primarily freelance writing, cyber safety education and digital media.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire The Free Website Guys, and what were your goals?

I allowed them to create the framework for my business website. I added the content on my own, with their guidance.

SOLUTION

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

They offered to create the site for free. That's a pretty unique offer, so I decided to give them a shot.

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

They created a WordPress site for my business. They walked me through setting up hosting and analytics. They also provided guidance about SEO.

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

I only talked to one person, Sven, the Lead Developer

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The site looks great. They did exactly what I asked with regard to adding and removing elements from the theme.

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

Sven kept me apprised of the progress of the site and provided frequent status updates. For the few things he needed my participation in, like setting up web hosting, he provided detailed instructions and videos that made things so much easier. He was responsive to emails and answered all of my questions concisely, using layman's terms.

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

They proactively reached out to me and offered to build me a website for free. That alone is really unique. I also found Sven to be extremely approachable and helpful, which seems to be uncommon for developers.

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

Nothing that I can think of. They did a great job.