I received this email from our client Brandon Acker, CEO of Titan Abrasive Systems, several weeks ago:
“So this company called and told me they had a customer who paid for this marketing research and would provide a report with their findings for free, so I said sure, I’ll look at it. It was their ‘foot in the door’ strategy, but I slammed the door once I saw the bull*hit report.”
The report in question consisted of three pages detailing the “performance” issues of the Titan Abrasive website home page and RFQ page, plus new mockups of both – along with promised results claims.
I have to admit, when I first saw the report, I had a small heart attack. Brandon has been an exceptional client since 2017. My team and I love working with him and would hate to lose him.
After a debrief, we agreed the report is the new iteration of the cold email / website report scammers used to send back in the SEO days — albeit far more convincing!
Brandon sent me the report, and suggested I write this post, because he wants other manufacturers to be aware of what’s going on – and to not fall for the scam.
“They provide the info for free (i.e. the report) and then try to sell you a website redesign. Pretty shady if you ask me.”
The report is 100% AI generated
Upon closer inspection, I realized many of the “issues” called out in the report were simply wrong: The logo is linked to the home page; the hero image is optimized and is less than 500KB.
The RFQ button on the top nav has nothing to do with trust and everything to do with the fact we’ve tested this over the years. The button is part of the “sticky nav,” meaning the menu stays in place as the website visitor scrolls the page. No matter which page he or she is viewing, the RFQ button is easy to find. Trust me, it works. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be there.
But what brought the conversation, between Acker and the agency rep, to a screeching halt was the incorrect information on the proposed redesigned home page.
The AI generated mockup stated Titan was ISO 9001 certified (it’s not), the phone number was incorrect, and it used images of non-Titan equipment.
The kill shot, however, was glorious: The AI generated copy referred to Titan’s blast rooms as “noise booths.” Very bad.
AI doesn’t know your business
Re-reading the report made me realize (again) that how we build websites is incredibly strategic. And by “strategic,” I mean that we take the time to get to know a company and its people, products, and industry.
Most importantly, we walk through the company’s sales process and the types of customers they want to work with. It’s how we’re able to take companies from zero leads to meeting their KPIs — and keep that process consistently humming.
Titan Abrasive, for example, manufactures custom engineered blast rooms. Purchasing one is a huge capital expense that often requires months of internal discussion. It’s not something a company is going to purchase online and then take delivery of within four to six weeks.
photo © Titan Abrasive Systems
In addition to blast rooms, Titan manufactures blast cabinets and blast machines, and it sells individual blasting components – meaning, if you have an existing blast room and want to add a vacuum media reclaim system, or a dust collector, you can purchase one from Titan.
Titan also has an online Parts store where you can purchase replacement parts for your Titan blasting equipment . . . or even a blast machine, but that’s a whole other kettle of fish.
In short, Titan Abrasive has quite a bit going on, and all this came into play when Brandon Acker, Rachel Cunliffe, and I discussed how best to present the information – and most importantly, demonstrate Titan’s expertise — when we redesigned the website in 2022.
If it sounds too good to be true . . .
I understood what the agency was doing when it pitched Brandon Acker. The agency’s pitch is that it will get you more leads by redesigning your home page and then “optimizing” it to rank on Google (a sketchy proposition, to say the least).
If you’re not getting any leads, the pitch sounds like a fantastic opportunity. I can see how a company would jump on it. It has actionable strategies and promises fast results within 90 days.
The agency claimed it took a “comparable client” from two quotes a month to roughly six quotes a month – an increase of 3.05x more leads every month.
And, it presented “keyword lift” data: With their home page changes, Titan would move up in the Google search results for five keywords – also within the 90 day period.
Funny thing is, Titan Abrasive is already well-positioned for those five keywords, and Titan’s website content is well-represented in Google’s AI Mode search results.
As for leads, Titan gets those every week, too. We track Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs) religiously and provide Brandon with our Conversion Report at the beginning of each week.
In addition to reviewing the report, Rachel Cunliffe did some due diligence on the agency.
The company’s website About page didn’t list anyone at the company (a total lack of trust signal). Rachel did find one person on LinkedIn and learned the company is a brand new start-up. Its website was made by a ChatGPT app.
Your website is the most valuable marketing asset you have
If you receive an offer similar to this one, ask questions and be wary. Look for and review the company website — including the About page. Then, look for verified profiles on LinkedIn (and don’t forget, those can be spoofed too).
Ask for references and call them. Ask more questions. Be hesitant to sign the contract, especially if you’re getting a hard sell.
I’ve seen many stories now on LinkedIn of how companies are asking AI for tips on “how to improve my website” and bypassing their human marketing agency, or new AI apps that claim they can make an entire website in 20 minutes with a few prompts.
Both use cases can and do produce disastrous results.
Turning your website and your messaging over to an AI sounds sexy, but it can make for one big expensive mistake that can take months (and more money) to rectify — and even more so if the AI blatantly steals images and copy from competitors and you get called on it.
Proceed with caution. Better yet, don’t do it.
