Case Study:

Certified Recycling

Certified Recycling website displayed on a laptop

The Challenge

Certified Recycling faced several obstacles that were holding back growth and clarity:

  • Two separate sites (main site + e-commerce subdomain) creating brand, UX, and SEO inconsistencies
  • Poor navigation flow, causing users to get lost when trying to book services or buy recycling bags/products
  • A dated design that didn’t communicate clarity, trust, or professionalism
  • Thin content that wasn’t fully optimized for local recycling and disposal queries
  • Weak search visibility for high-intent services such as appliance recycling, junk removal, mattress disposal, and commercial programs
  • Inconsistent mobile experience, especially when switching between site and store
  • Limited conversion pathways, leading to fewer service bookings and product orders

The business needed a rebuild that fixed UX, strengthened SEO, boosted conversions, and unified everything into one consistent ecosystem.

The Solution

The Creative Depot delivered a full overhaul built on Experience, Conversion, and Visibility—with the added technical challenge of merging two separate digital experiences into one seamless platform.

1. Unified Main Site + E-Commerce System

A single consolidated platform was designed to replace the old fragmented structure:

  • The e-commerce store was moved out of its subdomain and integrated directly into the main website
  • Product catalog and service offerings now live under one brand, one CMS, one navigation system
  • SEO equity from both sites was preserved and redirected strategically
  • User pathways were simplified—no more jumping between two completely different experiences

The result is a cohesive, trustworthy system that reduces friction and strengthens the company’s brand presence.

2. Fully Reimagined UX for Clarity and Speed

We rebuilt the user experience around how customers actually search:

  • Clear navigation separating Residential, Commercial, Drop-Off, Pickups, and Products
  • Simplified booking flows for recycling pickup services and appliance disposal
  • Quick-access links for top services directly from the homepage
  • A consistent visual language and interface across all pages
  • Mobile-first layouts optimized for fast decision-making

The site now helps visitors find answers immediately—leading to higher engagement and stronger conversions.

3. Modern Visual Redesign

The old design felt outdated and cluttered. The Creative Depot delivered:

  • Clean, professional layouts
  • Modern typography and simplified color use
  • Clear visual hierarchy
  • Real photography and improved product presentation
  • Trust signals and certification visibility woven throughout

The new design conveys credibility, reliability, and environmental responsibility.

4. SEO Rebuild and Keyword-Aligned Structure

We rebuilt the entire site on a strong SEO foundation:

  • Consolidated domain authority from the two-site setup
  • Keyword-optimized service pages for recycling, disposal, junk removal, and mattress pickup
  • Local SEO targeting for Minnesota cities and counties
  • Proper title tags, meta descriptions, and structured headings
  • Highly crawlable URL structure
  • Faster load times and improved Core Web Vitals
  • Optimized product pages (previously hidden from organic search)

Certified Recycling now has a platform built to rank—and win—across recycling-related search queries.

5. Conversion Optimization for Bookings & Online Sales

We installed a conversion-first framework across the site:

  • Clear CTAs for Book a Pickup, Drop-Off Details, and Shop Products
  • Better service descriptions that reduce hesitation and increase trust
  • Enhanced product pages with clearer pricing, benefits, and purchase flow
  • Sticky (but unobtrusive) action prompts for high-intent visitors
  • Cleaner form flows to reduce abandonment

The entire experience now guides users toward completing real, measurable actions.

Results

After the rebuild and unification, Certified Recycling now benefits from a platform that is:

  • More discoverable — unified SEO architecture increases ranking potential
  • More intuitive — users quickly find services, products, and booking options
  • More professional — updated visuals and structure reflect a modern, trusted recycling provider
  • More conversion-ready — higher clarity leads directly to more bookings and product sales
  • More efficient — one CMS, one domain, one experience

The company now has a solid foundation for long-term organic growth, improved usability, and a frictionless customer experience.

Conclusion

The Certified Recycling rebuild transformed a fragmented digital presence into a unified, SEO-optimized platform engineered for clarity, trust, and growth. The Creative Depot delivered a complete modernization—merging two sites, improving UX, strengthening SEO, and creating a seamless path for customers to book services or purchase recycling products.

Overview:

Certified Recycling is a Minnesota-based recycling and waste-management company serving residential customers, municipalities, and commercial partners. They offer drop-off recycling, appliance recycling, junk removal, mattress pickup programs, and a full catalog of disposal products. Before the rebuild, their digital presence was fragmented: A main informational website on one install, and a separate e-commerce store on a subdomain. This split diluted SEO, confused customers, and created an inconsistent user experience. The Creative Depot partnered with Certified Recycling to rebuild, unify, modernize, and convert their entire online ecosystem into a single, streamlined, SEO-ready platform.

Services Provided: