GLE Website Redesign
Transforming a Family-Owned Fireplace Business Website for Modern Appeal
Overview
Role
Methods
Competitor analysis, content strategy, visual design, CMS integration
Client Needs
- Modernize the outdated website while reflecting the family-run, warm, and professional brand
- Improve user experience with easy navigation and mobile responsiveness
- Showcase products online with future e-commerce integration in mind
- Build trust and credibility by highlighting their expertise and approachable service
Challenges
- Lack of Online Sales: The absence of online purchasing options may decrease customer willingness to engage with the website.
- Minimal Content: The site only had long, copy-pasted product descriptions with little engaging content, leading to overwhelming scrolling and a weak brand presence.
Research
Client Discovery & Web Assessment
After our initial meeting, I sent my client a detailed questionnaire to gather insights about their goals, needs, products, and competitors. While the client completed the questionnaire I reviewed their existing static website. I organized the content into a Word document, breaking down the headers and page structure. This analysis clarified the content hierarchy and identified critical areas for improvement, which informed my content strategy for the redesign.
💡 Insight
The existing site consisted almost entirely of long, copy-pasted product descriptions, which led to overwhelming scrolling and a weak brand presence. However, with some tweaking, the product content offered huge SEO potential.
Competitor Analysis
I conducted a competitor analysis using company names gathered from the questionnaire to identify best practices and market positioning for my client. I focused on the competitor's website design, content, and user engagement strategies.
💡 Insight
Competitor websites with intuitive navigation allowed users to find products and services quickly, leading to better user experiences. This insight led me to prioritize a streamlined, user-friendly navigation structure in the redesign.
💡 Insight
Successful competitors had strong calls to action that encouraged users to visit physical locations or contact them directly. This inspired me to incorporate more visible and compelling CTAs on the product pages, reinforcing the client's goal of driving in-store visits and inquiries.
Design
Information Architecture
The homepage was overloaded with long product descriptions and endless scrolling, making it hard to find key information. To improve the site's structure and navigation, I transformed the homepage into a hub for exploring the business. I introduced well-defined sections that mimicked the navigation structure to highlight products, services, and updated about page, giving customers more insight into what the business offers.
Mood Board and Branding
I took their original brand board and simplified the color palette to be web friendly. I picked their orange color as the main accent, and incorporated a dark brown color to use as warm overlays and background colors. They originally had the orange color dedicated for copy in the brand board, but I discovered that wasn't accessible and limited it to bold headers and CTAs.
