Project Details
Client
Heat & Sweep of Canton
Industry
Fireplace Store | Chimney Sweep | Special Home Retail and Remodeling
Location
Canton, MI
Scope
Website redesign, PPC campaign, ongoing SEO optimization, technical support and site maintenance
Tools
Heat & Sweep of Canton
- Industry: Fireplace Store | Chimney Sweep | Special Home Retail and Remodeling
- Location: Canton, Michigan
- Scope: Website redesign, PPC campaign, ongoing SEO optimization, technical support and site maintenance
Overview
Heat & Sweep is a long-standing local retailer specializing in the sales, service, and maintenance of fireplaces and barbecues. The company built a strong reputation in its community for in-store expertise and personalized customer service, making their showroom a central hub for customers.
As the market shifted, consumers began their research online before visiting physical stores. Heat & Sweep recognized the need to build a digital presence that would not only increase visibility but also directly drive foot traffic into its brick-and-mortar store. The goal was to connect their deep-rooted community reputation with a stronger online presence.
The Challenge
The primary challenge was a two-part problem:
Bridging the Digital-to-Physical Gap: While Heat & Sweep had decades of in-store expertise, their online presence did not effectively communicate their status as a trusted, local brick-and-mortar business. This created a disconnect that risked losing potential customers to competitors with a better online presence.
Driving Showroom Traffic: The owner’s number one goal was to get more customers to visit the physical showroom. The outdated website and weak local search presence were failing to turn online interest into real-world visits, which is crucial for a business where major purchasing decisions are made in person.
Without a strong online foundation that funneled customers to the physical location, the business risked being overlooked by new customers who were relying on Google and online reviews to choose a retailer.
The Solution
We modernized the website to better reflect the brand, improve usability, and showcase services. The redesign led to longer visitor sessions, lower bounce rates, and a stronger first impression for potential customers.
Optimized local SEO increased Heat & Sweep’s visibility in Google search results for key service areas. This brought a measurable boost in website visits from local customers actively searching for their services.
A targeted Google Ads campaign helped drive more qualified leads to the business. By focusing on high-intent keywords and local targeting, we increased foot traffic and appointments from online searches.
We implemented a review management strategy that encouraged happy customers to share feedback online. Positive reviews increased brand trust, improved local search rankings, and gave new customers confidence to choose Heat & Sweep.
We optimized Heat & Sweep’s Google Business Profile with accurate business info, photos, reviews, and local keywords. This earned a top 3 ranking in the local Map Pack, increasing visibility and driving more calls and website visits.
Abstract: PPC vs SEO
While the PPC campaign generated immediate, high-intent leads during its run, the comparison charts show that organic search remained the primary source of traffic. This illustrates the value of a strong SEO foundation: even with effective paid campaigns, the majority of visitors discovered the business naturally, reinforcing the long-term impact of ongoing optimization.
PPC Campaign Highlights:
CPC: $1.15
Conversion rate: 22.41%
CTR: 5.12%
Search impressions: 22.1k
Maps impressions: 7.11k
Website visits: 1,040
Direction requests: 173
Calls: 367
The Results
The results tell a clear story of both short-term impact and long-term growth.
- Foot Traffic & Engagement: The PPC campaign generated hundreds of calls and direction requests in just five weeks, proving immediate impact.
- Stronger Credibility: Heat & Sweep now consistently ranks higher in local search results, making it the first choice for consumers in the area. The influx of positive reviews further cemented its reputation, with customers mentioning how great their experience has been.
- Local Visibility: Organic search remained the largest traffic driver, with ongoing SEO and Google Business Profile optimization steadily increasing impressions, visitors, and engagement.
- Website Impact: The redesign improved clarity and user experience, helping potential customers quickly understand Heat & Sweep as a local, trustworthy retailer. Ongoing SEO optimization has resulted in a 10% conversion rate from service request forms.
- Reputation & Reviews: General customer reviews increased from 4.0 to 4.8, reflecting enhanced visibility and authority. The website’s user-submitted review section maintains 5-star ratings across all submissions, reinforcing trust with potential customers.
- Improved Business Outcomes: The increase in showroom visitors directly translated into more sales and service requests, achieving the owner’s primary goal of converting online attention into tangible, in-person business growth.
- Sustainable Growth: From 2018 to 2025, visibility and engagement grew significantly, demonstrating that combining strong SEO foundations with targeted campaigns can drive both online and in-store results.
Creative Process & Collaboration
Since first redesigning the website in 2018, my work with Heat & Sweep has evolved alongside the business. The original design reflected the owner’s vision, emphasizing the brand identity at the time.
When the company’s leadership transitioned in 2023, the goal shifted to a cleaner, more modern website. I translated this direction into a design that guides visitors naturally to key services and essential information.
In 2024, the leadership team provided updated brand materials, which I incorporated while also expanding content for local SEO. Through every iteration, I ensured the site remained visually appealing, easy to navigate, and focused on driving leads and customer engagement.
Maintained ongoing dialogue with leadership to understand evolving business goals and customer needs.
Acted as the bridge between brand vision and technical execution, ensuring creative ideas were feasible and effective online.
Integrated feedback iteratively, balancing multiple perspectives while keeping the user experience consistent.
Anticipated future growth and website needs, designing structures and layouts that could easily adapt to new content and campaigns.
Facilitated smooth coordination between design, content, and branding updates, ensuring a cohesive and polished final product.
Digital Presence & Ongoing Support
Heat & Sweep’s digital presence is the culmination of strategic website design, local SEO, PPC campaigns, and ongoing optimization. From the initial 2018 redesign through the 2024 iteration, every update has focused on strengthening the business’s visibility, authority, and ability to convert online visitors into in-store customers.
Following the strong results from the 2020 PPC campaign, which generated hundreds of calls, website visits, and direction requests in just five weeks, the focus shifted to long-term sustainability. I continued providing technical support, website maintenance, and incremental SEO optimization to ensure the site remained fast, secure, and search-friendly. These efforts have maintained steady organic growth, with impressions and site visits increasing substantially between 2018 and 2025.
In parallel, improvements to the Google Business Profile and local content strategy helped elevate the company’s online reputation, raising the rating from 4.0 to 4.5 during my active involvement. This established a strong credibility baseline that the business has since continued to build on.
By combining design, content, local search strategy, and ongoing technical support, Heat & Sweep’s digital presence now reflects its in-store reputation: professional, approachable, and trusted by the local community. This ongoing partnership ensures the business can continue to attract new customers, support current clients, and adapt to future digital marketing opportunities.
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