ION Solar
Case Study
How I helped one of the leading U.S. solar companies revamp their website and increase their conversion rate by 45%.
“The results were undeniable – our conversion rate skyrocketed by 45% almost immediately. That's a testament to Annie’s profound understanding of our target audience.”
Felipe Lee
CXO @ ION Solar
ION Solar is one of the top solar companies in the United States.
They sell a highly innovative product. They create beautiful, sleek designs. They offer amazing customer service. They have awards, thousands of 5-star reviews, and so much more.
But their old website wasn’t doing a great job of communicating that information – and it was costing them leads.
Solar, after all, is a competitive industry so if leads don’t know what makes a company different, why they should choose them, etc, a competitor will snap them right up.
To communicate ION’s unique selling points and gain prospects’ trust, we needed to understand the target audience – their wants, needs, pain points, and more.
We also needed to get clarity on the goals of the business, so we could design a website experience that would serve the needs of the team and the needs of visitors.
The first step? Research and strategy.
OVERVIEW
Research & Strategy
STEP 1
This included things like having the client fill out my Discovery Questionnaire and reviewing internal documentation (i.e. product sheets, sales decks, customer personas, etc) so I could understand the business at a high level.
Next, we did a Strategy Workshop where we discussed the product and target audience in more detail. This helped me better understand the customers while also capturing valuable insights that can only come from the perspective of the client.
I analyzed hundreds of customer reviews to help us better understand the target audience (who they are, what they care about, etc) and how they communicate (this is also a great way to get copy ideas for the website).
We conducted a customer survey, a competitive analysis, and finally, a site audit to help us identify what about the website was working and what needed to change in order to achieve our goals.
Here were some of the main challenges we identified during this process:
- Unique selling points were not specific
But the old website wasn’t doing a great job of communicating those selling points – they were leaning too much on the vague concept of being “premium” without actually defining, specifically, what that meant and why customers should care.
- No clear points of differentiation (important in a commodity industry)
- Benefits were hidden in long, clunky paragraphs
- Headlines were not communicating information or value
- Navigation did not reflect visitor goals
In the case of ION, labels like “Refer a friend” and “Company” don’t directly serve the goal of capturing and converting leads (in fact, they may distract from it).
And the primary CTA (a phone #) was not ideal for all visitors, as it only served a particular type of customer who was ready to take a very serious step (getting in touch with a sales rep).
- Copy was too “we” focused vs customer focused
These kinds of choices subconsciously communicate that the company is more important than the visitor, which is not ideal in a sales experience where the customer should feel like the hero.
- Copy was not scannable or digestible
No one, especially visitors on mobile devices, want to read long, clunky paragraphs – especially when the information is dry or not that interesting.
This was a problem across the old ION website – the information was there, it just wasn’t being presented in user-friendly ways.
- Social proof was not being used in the most effective ways
Yet this information was absent from their Homepage and from other key pages across the site, which meant the brand was missing key opportunities to build trust with visitors.
- CTAs were not consistent
Sometimes the brand was asking visitors to call; other times it was asking them to fill out a form. These inconsistencies have the potential to confuse visitors and create barriers in the sales journey.
While there were many other findings from our research, the examples above should give you an idea of the challenges we needed to overcome.
Once all of the research was complete, it went into a robust report that detailed everything we had learned about the target audience and how we needed to communicate with them in order to help them achieve their goals (and the client’s goals, as well).
Information Architecture
STEP 2
Next, we used all of the information from the research to create the new structure, UX, and content map of the site (or what is commonly called the Information Architecture or “IA”).
The IA is like a blueprint of the website from a content perspective; it helps me and the client understand what the website will look like before any copy or design is created.
It also helps us see, from a high level, how the website is addressing the needs of visitors AND the needs of the business – and how it will work once it’s translated into a visual, dynamic environment.
In the case of ION, the IA needed to communicate the right information, in the right order, and in the right places – but in ways that felt fast, simple, and intuitive for visitors.
And of course, it needed to be optimized for conversion – the main CTA (get a free quote) needed to be consistently presented throughout the site in areas where it was most relevant for visitors.
Those are just examples, but hopefully they give you a sense of what we were thinking about during the architecture phase.
Once the IA was complete, we moved on to the next phase of the project: Copywriting.
Copywriting
STEP 3
Using the Insights Report and IA as a guide, I was able to quickly crank out copy that resonated with the target audience while solving the challenges we identified earlier in the process.
Here are just a few of the things we focused on during the copywriting phase:
- Identified Unique Selling Points & clearly communicated them
Once we understood what was important to the target audience we were able to highlight those selling points clearly and concisely.
We also made sure they were represented across the site in relevant areas, increasing the chances that visitors will discover them during their time on the site.
- Created “Why ION” page to highlight differentiation
With a dedicated “Why us” page visitors can now clearly see what makes ION unique and why they should choose them as their solar provider.
It also provides the sales team with a simple, easy-to-understand resource they can share with prospective clients, saving them time and making their jobs easier.
- Benefits are now clear, scannable & easy to find
Instead of long, clunky paragraphs, we kept all subheadlines to 1-2 sentences and used visuals, icons, grid layouts, and more when displaying more detailed information.
This ensures the copy is clear and scannable and doesn't overwhelm the visitor (which also creates a more enjoyable UX for the visitor, as well).
- All headlines are now clear, specific & descriptive
Instead of using 1-word headlines that weren’t communicating information or value, we created headlines that communicate the most important information in clear and specific ways.
Optimizing the headlines increases the chances of communicating key information to scanners while also grabbing their attention and keeping them engaged.
- Navigation now feels clearer & visitor-focused
With pages like “Learn,” “Why ION,” “Install Process,” “Reviews,” and “Free Quote” – all of these pages have clear labels and are easily accessible within the primary navigation.
This gives visitors a clear pathway to achieve their goals without distracting them with options that are irrelevant to their needs.
- Copy is now focused on the visitor, not the business
All copy was written to focus on the visitor always leading with “you” and “your” rather than “we” and “our.”
We also made sure all of the copy demonstrated empathy for the visitor, making it clear that we understand their challenges and have solutions that will exceed their expectations.
- Incorporated social proof in powerful & prominent ways
All of the key pages on the ION website now have some form or proof (testimonials, ratings, awards, guarantees, etc) which helps to showcase ION’s authority while building trust with visitors.
- Established a single CTA & repeated throughout the site
Rather than asking visitors to take different actions, we focused on a singular action (“Get a free solar quote”) and repeated that CTA throughout the site with consistent language and design conventions.
When the copy was complete, it was ready to move into the final phase of the project: design and development.
Design
STEP 4
When I work on a website build or revamp project, I don’t just hand the copy over and disappear.
I review all of the copy in design and provide notes and feedback on how to improve the UX and readability of the copy at every step. This may involve tweaks, moving things around, adding or removing content, and more.
As you can see from the examples above, I worked hand-in-hand with the designer, Felipe Lee, who has a knack for creating beautiful, user-friendly designs without sacrificing copy.
This is a unique skill, as many designers focus so much on the aesthetics, they’re unable to build around longer, more descriptive copy – resulting in beautiful websites that don’t do much other than look pretty.
Felipe, on the other hand, follows the same approach I do when it comes to design – with research, strategy, and copy happening before (or in tandem with) the design process.
In my experience, this always leads to a better outcome for the business, not just with how the website looks, feels, and operates, but how it PERFORMS as a sales tool (more on that below!).
I’m incredibly grateful for the work Felipe and I did together on the ION project and believe his design skills significantly contributed to the success of the website.
If you’re interested, you can learn more about Felipe here.
“Our conversion rate skyrocketed by 45% almost immediately”
“I’ve been fortunate to work with many talented professionals throughout my career, but every once in a while, someone stands out in a truly exceptional way. Annie Maguire is one of those individuals.
We worked with Annie on a total website revamp. Before writing a single word, she invested time to deeply grasp our customer profiles, analyze the competitive landscape, and identify our unique advantages.
The copy she produced was not only sharp and compelling but also became an integral asset for our brand. We didn’t just use her content on our website – we embraced it across all our marketing materials. It’s rare to find content that’s this versatile and effective right out of the gate.
The results were undeniable – our conversion rate skyrocketed by 45% almost immediately.
That's a testament to Annie’s profound understanding of our target audience. The true magic of conversion doesn't just lie in a snazzy landing page. It's about the entire journey a potential customer takes, and how they're gently nudged, informed, and inspired along the way. By the time visitors landed on our free quote page, thanks to Annie's masterful copy, they were not just interested, but eager. They felt like they knew us, trusted us, and were ready to take the next step.
On a personal note, working with Annie was a breath of fresh air. Her professionalism is unmatched, and she blends that with a warm, collaborative spirit. She’s the kind of partner who makes the entire team elevate their game. Not only am I eagerly looking forward to the opportunity of working with her again, but I've also gone so far as to refer her to several friends.”
Felipe Lee
CXO @ ION Solar
RESULTS
The ION team now has a beautiful, user-friendly website that helps them capture & convert leads every single day
I could write all about how the ION website engages their target audience, helps their sales team succeed, sets them apart from competitors, and more … but I’ll let my client do the talking for me.
Felipe, take it away!
