Turning an expensive legacy site into a future-proof content machine
A comprehensive platform overhaul for OEL Worldwide Industries — American-made arc flash PPE — replacing a slow, costly-to-maintain website with a blazing-fast, self-service e-commerce experience they'll never have to rebuild.
A market leader trapped by its own website
OEL Worldwide Industries is a leading American manufacturer of arc flash protective equipment, trusted by electrical professionals across the country. But their digital storefront was holding them back.
The existing site was expensive to maintain, painfully slow to update, and built on a legacy platform that required developer involvement for every content change. Product pages loaded slowly, the navigation buried key product categories, the quote-request workflow was clunky, and the blog was an afterthought. For a company whose brand promise is safety and reliability, the website told a different story. OEL needed a platform that matched the quality of their products — fast, professional, and built to last.
- Legacy platform required developers for every content update — expensive and slow
- PageSpeed performance score of 48 — slow load times hurt SEO and mobile experience
- Navigation buried product categories behind confusing menus
- Quote cart used a modal popup with poor UX — no visual cart management
- Product detail pages had inconsistent layouts and raw color swatches
- Blog was visually disconnected from the rest of the brand
- No global product search — users had to navigate category by category
- Site required periodic rebuilds, adding ongoing costs with no long-term ownership
The transformation, side-by-side
Drag the slider to compare the original site with the redesigned version.
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A complete transformation — inside and out
- –Static hero with minimal product context
- –Flat navigation with buried product categories
- –Quote cart hidden behind a cluttered modal popup
- –No global product search functionality
- –Product pages with inconsistent layout and raw swatches
- –Blog disconnected from brand identity
- –PageSpeed: 48 performance, 71 accessibility
- –Every content change required developer involvement
- +Full-bleed hero carousel with product storytelling and strong CTAs
- +Structured mega menus with clear category hierarchy (8 CAL → 100 CAL)
- +Dedicated quote cart page with product images, quantity controls, and summary
- +Global product search with filters across all 139+ products
- +Polished product detail pages with image galleries, size selectors, and spec downloads
- +Branded newsletter-style blog with category filters and featured posts
- +PageSpeed: 98 performance, 100 accessibility, 100 best practices, 100 SEO
- +Self-service CMS — OEL updates content without developer help
Every section, deliberately redesigned
From the hero through to the footer, each section was rethought. Not just visually, but structurally, to serve a specific audience goal.
Mega menus that make 139 products findable
The old navigation used flat dropdowns with faded text on a dark background — product categories were hard to scan and easy to miss. The redesign introduces structured mega menus with bold, high-contrast typography, clear category groupings (8 CAL through 100 CAL, Suppression Blanket, Accessories), and a consistent interaction pattern across Arc Flash PPE, Rubber Products, Insulated Tools, and EV categories.
A global search that puts every product at your fingertips
The old site had no way to search across the full catalog — users had to navigate category by category to find what they needed. The new platform introduces a unified product search with real-time filtering across all 139+ products. A clean grid layout with product photography, clear naming, and prominent "View Product" buttons makes browsing fast and intuitive, whether you're looking for a specific CAL rating or comparing options across categories.
Product pages that sell safety with confidence
The old product pages had inconsistent layouts — raw color swatches, cramped image galleries, and a jarring red "Add to Quote" button that clashed with the brand. The redesign brings structure and polish: a proper image gallery with thumbnails, compliance certification badges (NFPA, CSA, ASTM, OSHA), clean size selectors, and contextual actions for spec sheets, test data, and washing services. Every element reinforces OEL's commitment to American-made quality.
From a modal popup to a real shopping experience
The original quote workflow crammed everything into a modal overlay — a product summary list, a full contact form, and a submit button all fighting for space. The redesign gives the quote cart its own dedicated page with product thumbnails, quantity controls, a clean summary sidebar showing item counts, and a clear two-step flow: manage your cart, then request a quote. It feels like the shopping experiences users already know, but tuned for B2B quoting.
Category pages that guide purchasing decisions
The Arc Flash PPE category page is a great example of the new approach: a compelling hero with lifestyle photography, followed by a "Shop by Category" grid that organizes products by CAL rating with NFPA 70E category labels. Users can immediately understand the product hierarchy and drill into the rating they need. This pattern scales across every product line.
A newsletter-quality blog built for engagement
The old blog was a simple reverse-chronological list with minimal styling — tags and dates, but no visual hierarchy or discoverability. The redesign introduces the "OEL Newsletter" — a branded content hub with a dark hero section, category filter pills (Company News, Regulatory, Education, Product Spotlight), a featured post layout with large imagery, and a secondary grid for additional articles. A dark/light mode toggle adds a modern touch. It transforms the blog from an afterthought into a genuine content channel.
PageSpeed improvements
The performance transformation was dramatic. The old site's 48 PageSpeed score meant electrical professionals waiting nearly 7 seconds for the first paint on mobile — unacceptable when they're searching for safety equipment between jobs. The rebuilt platform scores 98, with sub-second first paint and perfect accessibility, best practices, and SEO scores.
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