Case study · Upholstery in Port Calder
Harbor & Hem Upholstery: how a gated build turned broker leads into an owned quote pipeline.
Cut cost-per-quote-request 58% after replacing a broker-fed template site with a gated build.
The starting point
Harbor and Hem was buying leads from a broker and running a template site the broker controlled. Every quote request cost too much, and none of the pipeline belonged to the shop.
The gated rebuild
We built a fast, photo-rich site with a fabric-and-foam quote request and a before and after gallery, then gated it for Core Web Vitals before launch.
The handover
The domain, the code, and the quote inbox moved to the owner. The broker dependency ended with it.
The result
Cost per quote request fell 58%, and the enquiries now arrive in an inbox the shop keeps for good.
Questions a shop owner asks after this case study
Did switching off the broker lose Harbor and Hem leads?
No. The gated site earned local search visibility the broker template never had, so the shop replaced bought leads with owned enquiries rather than simply losing volume.
How is cost per quote request measured?
It is the total spend to generate a quote request divided by the number of requests. Removing the broker fee and earning search traffic directly is what moved it down 58%.
Does Harbor and Hem own the site now?
Yes. The owner holds the domain, the code, and the quote inbox, and is not held hostage by the agency. That ownership is standard on every build.
What this engagement teaches a prospective client
The general lessons a shop owner can take from this specific build.
What the client got
A fast, gated site they own outright, with the quote path and gallery that fit how upholstery is actually bought.
How scope was decided
By the search the shop kept losing and the season it needed to win, not by a fixed feature checklist.
Why it held up
Because the build passed the Core Web Vitals gate before launch, the speed did not decay the moment real content and traffic arrived.
What carries over
The same photo-quote request, owned inbox, and gate discipline ship on every package the studio sells.
The outcome, in the client's own numbers
These figures come from the engagement itself. The studio does not publish invented ratings or testimonials it did not earn.
The same guarantee stood behind this build
Fixed price, gated for Core Web Vitals before launch, and owned by the shop forever. The result above came from that discipline, not from a one-off effort.
How the engagement was delivered
Docket 1: scope and gate targets
We set the fabric-and-foam quote path, the gallery structure, and the Core Web Vitals numbers the build had to clear.
Docket 2: build and content
Real copy, real galleries, and the local search foundation, all written for Port Calder rather than lifted from a template.
Docket 3: gate and launch
The site passed the production gate, then went live with the inbox pointed at the owner.
Want the same for your shop?
Tell us the search you keep losing or the season you need to win. We will point you to the right package and quote it before anything is built.