What a Tangled Web He Weaves
By now, we can probably agree that if you’ve got a business, you’ve got to have a website. And according to those who know David Hoffman, if you have a website—well, you’d be plain crazy not to hire his company, Search Smart Marketing, to help you make the most of your site’s business-development potential. The company has completed nearly 200 search-engine-optimization (SEO) projects to date, and has 35 underway or ongoing.
Founded by Hoffman, now 51, in 2005, Valhalla-based Search Smart helps companies reach their marketing objectives through SEO, advertisements on search engines, and social media strategies. “David’s company has helped us revolutionize our lead development by driving qualified buyers to our website,” says Digiscribe International LLC Founder, President, and CEO Mitch Taube of his Elmsford-based business. “It’s completely changed the game for us.” Says Rich Greenwald, president of Concorde Staffing Group in White Plains: “Search Smart has increased our visibility an infinite amount. I can’t understand why a company in Westchester wouldn’t use its services.”
Hoffman saw the need for a targeted search-engine marketing company while running the SEO team at a large Stamford, Connecticut, agency that developed programs for national and global brands. He and his team frequently were approached by local/regional companies that wanted to run a search program but couldn’t afford it. “They’d ask for a local referral to a dedicated search agency, and I truly wasn’t aware of any,” Hoffman recalls. “It occurred to me that there was an opportunity to fill this need.
“When I started Search Smart, even my wife barely understood what I did and she had a hard time explaining it,” he continues. “Now, almost everyone is familiar with it, but businesses often find it difficult to determine whether a company providing the service truly knows what they’re doing. The search industry still has too many unprofessional practitioners offering deceptive ‘top ranking’ promises.” He adds: “We work closely with our clients’ many partners—PR firms, website designers, ad agencies—to help ensure that all messaging is consistent and in-sync. We see ourselves as a marketing partner, not a technology company.”