Case Study: Rack NetWork

A full rebuild that gives real engineering authority the weight it deserves

Engineering

Client Background

About the client

Rack NetWork (RNW) is an independent rack safety and engineering firm based in Mississauga, Ontario. Founded in 2002, the company inspects and certifies pallet racking systems for warehouses and distribution centres across Canada and the United States. Their work covers annual inspections, engineered capacity reports, building permits, and certified repairs.

Independent rack safety and engineering firm, founded in 2002
A team of Professional Engineers focused solely on pallet racking
Operations in 8 Canadian provinces to service the whole country

Visit Website

Where We Started

The challenge

The previous site ran on a generic purchased theme that had not been updated in years, resulting in portions of the site not functioning as originally intended. For a firm that calls itself North America’s leader in rack engineering, the site undersold the expertise behind it. Although the raw proof was mostly there, it simply wasn’t communicated to visitors in the right order or with the correct level of prominence.

The design leaned on a stock theme and busy office photography
The home page banner weakly pointed visitors to “Contact Us” rather than offering them to request a quote
Statistics and certifications were styled plainly, minimizing their impact
Nothing made clear that RNW does not sell racking, which is one of its strongest selling points

How We Collaborated

Design process

1. Original website

The previous site ran on a generic theme that had not been updated in years and lacked a clear starting point.

2. Design blueprint

After the kickoff meeting, a design blueprint document was created that became the point of reference for all project decisions.

3. Wireframe

The home page was redesigned to highlight the companies expertise, as well as suggest the team’s large size.

4. Final design

From wireframe mockup to the final design, few elements required updating, making for a quick revision process.

The Results

Our solution

Copywriting

Responsive Web Development

UI/UX Design

WordPress Integration

Restructured content

RNW’s offering spans inspections, capacity reports, permits, certified repairs, training, and compliance, and each speaks to a slightly different need. We organized these into a service system a visitor can scan, so a warehouse manager chasing an annual inspection and a health and safety lead building a compliance programme both find their path quickly. Supporting pages were written to be read by humans (not search engines), with more digestible content including headings, bullets, and short sentences, rather than dense paragraphs.

Authority and independence, made visible

The company’s credibility was already earned long ago and part of our job was to make it impossible to miss. We brought RNW’s proof to the forefront: the years of experience, the square footage inspected, and the certifications obtained. An animated statistics bar ensures much of that proof is clearly visible upon the initial visit.

We also gave the independence story some screen real estate rather than a footnote. The point that RNW does not sell or manufacture racking (and therefore has no incentive to invent problems) is one of the most persuasive things about the firm. In addition, several FAQ sections are included throughout the site to answer any objections a cautious buyer might raise before they reach out.

Showcase their size

One of the issues that RNW’s existing website was creating was the uncertainty of the size and depth of their organization. The existing photography made it felt like a small team of 2 or 3, when in reality they are 10 times that size. We started with including a group photo near the top of the home page so just about all visitors would see it. In addition, the About Us section was enhanced to include a grid of headshots to help put a face to the name of each full-time team member.

Lean into being Canadian

Although they do some business within the USA, the majority of the client’s projects come from Canadian clients. Having operations in 8 provinces, allows them to offer their services all across the country. So along with the fact of maintaining a .CA domain, it was decided to lean heavily into RNW being a Canadian company. This included a Canadian operations statement in the top bar of every page, along with a map of Canada in the footer bar.

A low-commitment conversion path

Most RNW enquiries begin with a quote, which is a low-risk first step, so we built the website around that core call to action. The previous site’s soft “Contact Us” button gave way to a more obvious “Request a Quote” action that repeats through the pages. The new site reassures visitors that a quote needs only a few facility details, with no site visit required.