Rebrand and full rebuild from The Glass Discounters to King Double Glazing. Conversion-first architecture built around a self-serve Instant Estimate Tool: price before contact details, not after. Desktop Lighthouse: Performance 99 · SEO 100 · Best Practices 100.
Freelance technical lead, Mar–Aug 2026. King Double Glazing is a Melbourne retrofit double glazing business. They upgrade existing window frames with insulated glass units rather than replacing the whole window. The brief was a full rebrand from The Glass Discounters plus a new site. The actual deliverable is a conversion funnel built around one insight: show the price before asking for the phone number.
Timeline
Mar 2026
Engagement starts: rebrand evaluation
Client had an existing site under "The Glass Discounters" brand. Lighthouse: Performance 57 mobile, LCP 13.1s. Brief: new brand (King Double Glazing), new site, new positioning. A full restart.
Apr 2026
Stack decision: Next.js 16 from scratch
Next.js 16 + Tailwind v4 + Neon + Drizzle + Resend. Full control over the Instant Estimate Tool UX and CMS integration. No WordPress, no page builder.
Apr 2026
Funnel pivot: 27 routes → 5 pages
Original plan was a 27-route SEO content cluster with suburb pages and a blog. Mid-project pivot to a tight 5-page conversion funnel with the Instant Estimate Tool as the primary CTA. SEO infrastructure preserved for future expansion.
May 2026
TinaCMS integration + launch
Content migrated to TinaCMS (git-based JSON). Visual editor live via Tina Cloud. Full ecosystem handed to client. Lighthouse: Performance 99 · SEO 100 · Best Practices 100 on desktop.
Key technical decisions
01
next.js 16 › wordpress
WordPress couldn't support the Instant Estimate Tool UX without heavy plugin stacks. Next.js 16 App Router gave full control over the multi-step calculator, server actions for lead capture, and zero plugin bloat dragging down Core Web Vitals.
02
price-first estimate tool › contact-first quote form
Standard trades sites gate the price behind a callback. The Instant Estimate Tool shows a price range before asking for contact details. Qualify first, capture second. Filters tyre-kickers before they reach the owner's phone.
03
5-page conversion funnel › 27-route seo cluster
The SEO content plan was killed mid-build. The client needed leads in 30 days, not 6 months. A tight funnel pointing every visitor to the estimate tool converts faster. The SEO infrastructure (schema, sitemap, suburb template) is preserved for when the time is right.
04
tinacms (git-based) › sanity cms
TinaCMS stores content as JSON files committed to the git repo. No external CDN, no separate database. Visual editor via Tina Cloud. Content is version-controlled with code. Simpler handoff for a non-technical client.
05
resend + token confirmation › smtp / contact form plugin
Two-step quote confirmation: customer receives a link, clicks to confirm, then KDG gets the lead notification. Filters junk submissions before they reach the owner. DKIM/SPF/DMARC configured from day one.
Instant estimate tool: token confirmation flow
quote server actiontsx
1// server action: quote submission + token confirmation
9// KDG only notified after customer confirms; filters junk
10}
The multi-step calculator produces a price range in under 60 seconds. On submit, the customer receives a confirmation link. KDG only gets the lead notification after they click it. Junk submissions are filtered at the email layer before they reach the owner's inbox.
