Interview with Jason Matheson, marketer extraordinaire and owner of NextTree.com

Published September 18, 2009 by Garry Przyklenk Google Analytics, SEO

First off, I have to state that Jason Matheson and I go way back. He actually used to be my boss as Marketing Director and (reluctant) personal mentor at Netfirms. People that know me well will know that there are a very few people I trust enough professionally in a work environment to hand over creative control or technical aspects of a project, but Jason makes my short list of candidates. I recently caught up with him to find out about his most recent venture as founder and owner of NextTree, one of Canada’s fastest growing custom web design companies.

GP: So Jason, after an intro like that, you don’t have to say much else along the lines personal promotion, which I know a humble guy like you hates to do, so I saved you the trouble. Let’s get right to it, NextTree is what seems to be yet another low-cost web design company in a saturated market of hundreds of competitors. Why would a Canadian small business owner choose NextTree?

JM: To put it simply, we get the job done. We work closely with our customers to design a website that is as unique as their business. With NextTree, business owners get a clean, professional, results-driven website that communicates their message well and meets all their needs and requirements. wew give them the online capabilities of large corporations for a fraction of the cost.

GP: From a guy that taught me quite a bit about online marketing and web analytics, that really says something. But what do you mean by custom design? Typically custom sites take a lot of time to design and produce…

JM: We design every website from the ground up based on the type of look and feel and style that our customer wants to project. We employ top-notch Canadian website designers that work closely with the customer to ensure that their website looks fantastic. First impressions do count. It’s our close attention to detail and dedication to customer service that enables us to streamline the process. That’s what makes us different.

GP: Fair enough, so how has the response been thus far?

JM: Incredible. The response has been incredible! We’ve helped small businesses from all over Canada succeed online – designing new websites and redesigning old ones. For example, Joanne Royce, owner of Oakville-based Royce & Associates chose NextTree because she was looking for a clean, professional design that would position her company as a leader in the Human Resources industry. We delivered. Mike Howe, owner of Barrie-based Right Move Realty discovered NextTree after being quoted thousands of dollars from various other companies. We launched his new website earlier in the year and his business has been growing ever since. Ed McMahon, President of Burlington-based Teamworx chose NextTree after numerous false-starts with do-it-yourself software. Presenting a professional brand image really does require a skilled team of designers, programmers and marketers. NextTree delivers on all counts.

GP: What about online marketing? You can’t expect to be interviewed by an online marketing blogger and not get asked about SEO or PPC or Affiliate programs. What do you do to poise your customers for success long term?

JM: We help customers by designing and editing their content with search engine optimization in mind. We teach best practices to ensure that as they add new content to their website and SEO remains a priority. Because NextTree-designed websites are powered by WordPress there is a level of SEO built in as well. All website content is available via RSS feeds and gets indexed by search engines as it’s posted.

GP: I think very few people recognize that Wordpress is a serious contender as a CMS for all types of websites, and goes well beyond just a blogging platform. Care to comment?

JM: It’s standard in even our inexpensive custom website design package. Starting at only $499 CAD, customers get a custom website design (not a cookie cutter or recycled template), a professional-grade CMS powered by Wordpress that they can use to add and update pages easily, Google Analytics, plus training and support to ensure business owners use features effectively.

GP: Well, it was great catching up and I wish you all the best in the new venture, and hope we can meet up again soon.

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