SMACNA Website Redesign

SMACNA Website Redesign

The Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors’ National Association (SMACNA) and its members are no strangers to complex systems and cutting-edge solutions. As the national voice for sheet metal and HVAC contractors, SMACNA leads an industry filled with forward-thinking professionals who design, build, and maintain the systems that keep buildings running and people feeling comfortable.

While SMACNA has long been a trusted source for industry standards, business resources, and professional education, its website wasn’t keeping up. The outdated design and confusing structure made it difficult for members to find what they were looking for, whether that was a safety guide for a jobsite or the registration form for an upcoming safety training. SMACNA knew it was time for a change. They wanted a website that worked the way their members do: smart, efficient, and always looking ahead.

CLIENT
Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors’ National Association (SMACNA)

CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
Sitefinity

INTEGRATIONS
NetSuite
Tizra
CMR
Higher Logic
SearchBlox

SERVICES
Information Architecture
User Experience
Web Design
Development
Integration
Analytics
Search Engine Optimization

The Challenge

The existing website, built on an older CMS, created friction for both members and staff. Navigation was clunky, search results weren’t always helpful, and valuable content – technical standards, safety guides, event details – was often buried or hard to access, especially on mobile.

On the backend, the staff experience was just as frustrating. Updating pages, adding events, and featuring new resources took too much time and too much effort. Plus, the site’s design didn’t reflect SMACNA’s leadership or the future-focused spirit of the contractors it represents.

SMACNA came to Matrix Group with a big goal: build a digital experience that feels as modern and capable as the people using it.

The Solution

Matrix Group partnered with SMACNA to rebuild the website from the ground up, moving to the Sitefinity CMS and designing a user experience that’s clear, modern, and easy to manage.

The new site features a dynamic homepage with bold visuals and clear entry points to top content and the navigation was completely restructured to help users find what they need faster.

Other key upgrades include:

  • A new About the Industry section of the website that explains who SMACNA members are and even features a Sheet Metal 101 write up.
  • Technical Standards, THE thing that SMACNA is known for, is now in the main navigation.
  • A reimagined Resource Library with filtering by topic and content type so contractors can find just the right resources to manage their businesses.
  • A new Calendar of Events for everything from webinars to major conferences, with the ability to filter by type and category.
  • Enhanced search, strengthened by improved taxonomy and better indexing of all SMACNA content.
  • A mobile-friendly, accessible design that performs across all devices.
  • A streamlined CMS that makes content updates easy and efficient for staff.
  • A direct connection to members’ portal, where they can seamlessly navigate to their dashboard to view chapter relationships, book purchases, and event registrations.

Captivating images and videos integrated throughout the site to boost visitor engagement.

The Result

The new SMACNA website is already delivering exactly what members need. The feedback speaks for itself!

Members are reporting a dramatically better experience:

  • They can find what they need faster, thanks to improved navigation and search.
  • Technical Standards are front and center, no longer buried or hard to reach.
  • Events are easier to browse, filter, and register for.

The organization is seeing big wins across the board:

  • Staff can update content quickly and independently.
  • The site performs beautifully on mobile and meets accessibility standards across the board.
  • SMACNA’s sheet metal standards are ranking on the first page of Google for key industry terms.
  • SMACNA members can see themselves and their work featured throughout the site, something not showcased before.
  • The new platform is flexible, scalable, and built to support future growth.

Most importantly, the new site is built to tell SMACNA’s story and grow. The site gives SMACNA the flexibility to evolve and expand its digital presence as the needs of the industry, and its members, continue to change.

Partnering with the right agency for our website redesign project was critical for SMACNA. The project was extremely high profile with our member base, board of directors and executive committee. From day one, we knew Matrix Group was the right partner. They were knowledgeable, confident, experienced and responsive, and made us feel like a priority client throughout the duration of the project. We would absolutely work with them again.

— Susannah Forde, Executive Director, Marketing & Communications, SMACNA