Simply Smart Interiors is a locally owned Hunter Douglas dealer based in Edmonton, Alberta. The company is led by Diane Hopkins, who brings more than 30 years of interior design experience. Combined with her partners, the leadership team represents over 70 years of design expertise.
Their primary market is residential homeowners, along with select builder partnerships. While aligned with the Hunter Douglas dealer network, they operate independently and compete within the broader Edmonton blinds and window coverings market.
When they approached us, they were relying entirely on a templated Hunter Douglas co-op website.
The Real Problem
The issue was not design quality. It was control.
Simply Smart Interiors was operating on a manufacturer-provided templated website. Every dealer received essentially the same structure. They had:
- No meaningful control over SEO
- No control over content strategy
- No technical flexibility
- No backlink authority
- No citation strategy
- No structured local optimization
- A minimally optimized Google Business Profile
As a result, they were not ranking for competitive Edmonton search terms. They were effectively invisible in organic search.
Their primary goal was straightforward: Rank for “Blinds Edmonton.”
However, the larger objective was more strategic — build independent authority rather than rely on the manufacturer’s infrastructure.
Why the Problem Existed
Manufacturer co-op sites are designed for brand consistency, not local competition. From a structural SEO perspective, these platforms create several limitations:
- Shared templated content across multiple dealers
- Limited ability to create locally targeted service pages
- No control over schema or technical markup
- No strategic internal linking structure
- No authority-building backlink strategy
- Minimal differentiation between dealers in the same city
In competitive local markets like Edmonton, this structure makes it nearly impossible for a dealer to outrank independent competitors — or even other dealers.
Simply Smart Interiors needed ownership.
Strategic Approach
The strategy was not aggressive. It was consistent. We focused on three core objectives:
- Establish an independent digital infrastructure
- Build localized service authority
- Execute sustained, long-term local SEO
This was never a short-term campaign. It was a multi-year commitment to incremental growth in authority.
Implementation
1. Full Website Rebuild
We rebuilt the site on WordPress using:
- Astra theme
- Elementor page builder
- Kinsta managed hosting
The website rebuild was not about visual reinvention. It was about structural control. Key architectural decisions included:
- Dedicated service pages for each product category (vertical blinds, roller shades, motorized blinds, etc.)
- Hyper-targeting service pages specifically to Edmonton without creating thin city pages
- Clean internal linking between product categories and supporting content
- Optimized heading hierarchy and semantic structure
- Proper metadata alignment per service
- Performance-focused hosting environment on Kinsta
We intentionally avoided overbuilding unnecessary city landing pages. Instead, we strengthened core service pages and reinforced local relevance throughout.
2. Google Business Profile Optimization
Their existing Google Business Profile was underutilized. We:
- Corrected category targeting
- Optimized service descriptions
- Structured product associations
- Improved NAP consistency
- Built citation alignment across directories
Local SEO begins with entity clarity. We ensured Google clearly understood who they are, what they do, and where they operate.
3. Content & On-Site Optimization
Over the past three years, we have continuously:
- Refined page content for search intent alignment
- Adjusted keyword targeting as rankings evolved
- Improved internal linking pathways
- Strengthened service authority signals
- Updated content in response to algorithm changes
There were no major design overhauls after launch. The improvements were structural and iterative.
4. Backlink Strategy
We did not pursue aggressive link bursts. Instead, we built 5–10 quality backlinks per month consistently over three years. This included:
- Local citations
- Niche-relevant placements
- Contextual backlinks tied to service categories
The compounding effect of steady link acquisition contributed significantly to ranking durability.
Results and Impact
This engagement has now been active for three years.
Organic Growth
- 32% year-over-year increase in total organic traffic
- 31% increase in organic new users
- Significant keyword position improvements (Feb 2024 → Feb 2026 comparison)
Major Ranking Gains
- Hunter Douglas Edmonton: Position 5 → Position 2 (fluctuates between 1–2)
- Vertical Blinds Edmonton: 18 → 6
- Hunter Douglas Dealers Near Me: 58 → 8
- Hunter Douglas Blinds Repair: 15 → 1
- Blind Stores Near Me: New → 28
- Blinds Edmonton: Currently fluctuating in top 3 organically
The most notable development was blind repair.
Originally not a strategic priority, blind repair rankings have grown steadily and are now third in the city. This has become a meaningful revenue channel and expanded their service mix beyond product sales.
Business-Level Impact
While we are not publishing revenue figures, the outcomes are clear:
- Revenue has increased over the three-year engagement
- Blind repair is now a significant part of the business
- Showroom traffic has increased
- Brand authority within Edmonton has strengthened
- They now compete directly with both independent blind stores and other Hunter Douglas dealers
Importantly, they are no longer dependent on the manufacturer’s digital ecosystem. They own their digital presence.
Timeline Insight
The growth pattern is worth noting.
- First six months: strong movement upward
- Months 6–12: plateau phase
- Year 2–3: gradual competitor displacement
We did not pivot strategy dramatically during plateaus. We maintained consistency. Over time, competitors were overtaken one by one.
This case reinforces an important reality in local SEO:
Durable rankings are often the result of sustained structural execution, not sudden campaigns.
Closing Perspective
Simply Smart Interiors did not require radical reinvention. They required ownership, structure, and consistency.
By replacing a restrictive co-op platform with an independent WordPress architecture, implementing disciplined local SEO, and maintaining steady authority building over three years, they moved from complete invisibility to top-tier competitive positioning in Edmonton.
This project demonstrates that in competitive local markets, long-term structural discipline outperforms short-term tactics.
And in this case, it transformed a dealer-dependent web presence into an independently ranked authority.