Case Study

Solar Energy Chicago

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Client Background

Comprised of a team of solar industry specialists who aim to bring affordable green energy solutions to homes all across the Chicagoland area, Solar Energy Chicago approached i95 Design with a unique set of circumstances. While the company had already built a successful grassroots operation and cultivated a strong local audience, the Solar Energy Chicago team had yet to complement this positive growth with a potent online presence.    

Services

Consulting & Planning

Web Development

Content Creation

The Journey

Identifying Client Needs:

As an already established entity with most of its foundational business development needs already met, the initial client consultation between i95 Design and Solar Energy Chicago focused on this brand’s vision for long term growth, a deeper look into the regulations surrounding the industry, and the desired tone and substance of the site’s content so that it matched both existing promotional materials and in-person messaging. After conducting this deep dive, the i95 Design team had a strong launch point from which to design the framework of the website, as well as its on-site content and supporting assets.

The Challenge:

While it stands as a promising path to a brighter, green future, the solar energy industry is one that is also cloaked in tight regulation and demanding standards surrounding acceptable practices in regard to marketing, advertising, and content creation. With this in mind, the i95 Design team set out to better understand the nature of approved and disapproved terminology, outreach methods, and marketed messaging. From here, a clearer picture came into focus regarding how to accurately – and appropriately – convey the unique value proposition provided by Solar Energy Chicago to interested homeowners and businesses in and around the Chicago metropolitan area.

Tools Used in Development

Solutions

Content Creation

Bringing the Solar Energy Chicago site to life began with framing out the desired message and key differentiators offered by the brand. After mapping out these core tenants, the content team for i95 Design set to work on fresh, unique copy for a series of interconnected pages. This content utilized informative structures (such as “FAQ” sections and local and federal rebate explainers) to pair key commercial search terms with the important questions that arise naturally for consumers as they move lower into the sales funnel and closer to signing up for solar panel installation services. This targeted approach resulted in a direct, potent, and easy to parse experience for intrigued potential clients that land on the Solar Energy Chicago website.

Solar Energy Chicago Website Design

Solar Energy Chicago’s leadership requested that this new website incorporate the company’s core branding choices in a straightforward, lightweight framework. With this directive leading the way, the experts at i95 Design began developing a sleek, attractive custom website that pairs the style embodied by this organization with low load speeds and high performance. Featuring clean pages wrapped in the alluring color palette chosen by the client, eye-catching assets that keep the user’s interest piqued, and a clear, direct viewer path that dovetails into attractive calls-to-action (CTAs), the Solar Energy Chicago website brings to life the vision of the team behind this organization.

Additionally, the purchase and installation of solar panels is not a decision that is made lightly, so i95 Design’s website design specialists took great care to facilitate extended research via trusted sources for site visitors who wish to learn more before committing to this substantial property upgrade. With high level information presented on site and outbound links to deeper breakdowns via the Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy (DSIRE), the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) documentation on Residential Clean Energy Credits, and other important repositories of vital information on solar energy systems and government assistance programs placed strategically throughout the site, Solar Energy Chicago’s website helps prospects become better informed as they consider their options.

Approaching the dissemination of crucial information in this way keeps Solar Energy Chicago at the forefront of the shopping and research process for future clients, tethers this domain to the authority of other highly trusted sources, and (most importantly) generates a deeper bond of trust between the brand and its audience; something that is vital when operating in this complex and competitive space.

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slar energy rebate page case study
solar energy why solar page

Harnessing the Power of Solar Energy via Elegant UI/UX

Simple, direct, and clean. These concepts are the pillars of the Solar Energy Chicago UI/UX experience. On mobile devices, desktop monitors, and screens of all shapes and sizes between, Solar Energy Chicago tasked the i95 Design team to craft a cohesive, responsive, and intuitive experience for users that places a focus on direct access to crucial information, ease of access to the organization’s outreach team, and an avoidance of on-screen clutter. The end result? An elegant, modern UI/UX experience that perfectly matches the forward-thinking, futuristic vision of the client’s leadership.

Staying on the Right Side of Regulations

While the i95 Design team always delivers engaging, enticing, and high impact content and supporting assets on behalf of its clients, working with Solar Energy Chicago presented some unique constraints with regard to excluded or prohibited terminology and messaging. However, the old saying that “constraints breed creativity” served as an apt guiding light for the completion of this project. After thoroughly reviewing and researching all relevant regulations and restrictions as set forth by the Illinois Power Agency and its forward-facing brand (Illinois Shines) and working hand-in-hand with Solar Energy Chicago via an iterative process of feedback and refinement, the client was both ecstatic with the impact and allure of the final product, all while remaining confident that these assets more than met the strict requirements dictated by state and federal regulators.
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A Focus on Answering Intent-Driven Questions

Ranking with Google and other prominent search engines while also engaging audience members once they land on site were both core objectives set forth by this organization and addressed in part via a series of targeted, intent-driven “frequently asked questions” (FAQs) sections. These FAQ assets provided the i95 Design content team with an opportunity to weave key commercial search terms organically into the foundations of the website, all while delivering accurate, impactful, and useful information related to solar panel installation to site visitors in a convienent, easy to parse format.

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Results

Opting to entrust Solar Energy Chicago’s digital presence in the hands of i95 Design’s expert staff is a decision that served to energize both companies. For Solar Energy Chicago, obtaining an optimized, elegant website immediately led to an increase in traffic within its targeted audience. When paired with the already established local presence of the organization, this influx of interest has solidified Solar Energy Chicago as one of the brightest new names in the burgeoning field of commercial and residential solar panel installations within the greater Chicago metropolitan area and throughout the state of Illinois.

On the opposite side of the equation, developing crisp, impactful content and perfecting a beautiful, fast-loading responsive website that matches the sleek, minimalist preferences of the client ensures that i95 Design will stand as a trusted digital partner for yet another rising brand for years to come as Solar Energy Chicago grows and evolves into a leader within its industry.

solar energy final results