Digital transformation case study showcasing Freestone Homes Montana’s full website redesign, brand refresh, SEO improvement, and analytics overhaul — resulting in higher traffic, stronger buyer engagement, and a modern, scalable marketing ecosystem.
Freestone Homes Montana Digital Media Case Study Website Redesign • Brand Refresh • SEO • Digital Analytics
freestonehomesmontana.com
Executive Summary
Freestone Homes Montana partnered with Phoenix Rising Marketing & Entertainment to modernize its digital presence by strengthening the brand, repairing core marketing infrastructure, and establishing a cohesive, scalable platform capable of supporting long-term growth.
The engagement re-architected the website and navigation, elevated the brand identity, rebuilt SEO and analytics foundations, stabilized domain and workspace operations, and aligned social channels into a conversion-ready ecosystem. The work also introduced Freestone’s luxury narrative—clarifying why the development sets the bar as the premium brand within Missoula County. Key outcomes: 216% pageview growth, 128% new users, and 2× listing pageviews within 30 days of launch 12% higher engagement and 21% lower bounce rate driven by clearer navigation and improved user pathways 61% increase in high-intent desktop users from modernized visual design, accessibility, and mobile-first experience standards Top 1–3 SEO rankings for subdivision terms and improved visibility for luxury development queries from rebuilt SEO + metadata foundations Integrated luxury brand identity with clarified buying paths, creating a unified narrative across web and social that primes PR and advocacy Accurate GA4 tracking with Looker reporting and campaign-ready measurement, readying future paid media and CRM expansion Stabilized domain, email, workspace, and martech systems enabling reliable campaign execution and increased verified human traffic
Freestone is now positioned as a top-tier luxury home community in Missoula County — supported by a digital experience that is built for credibility, visibility, and increased acquisition and conversion.
Freestone Homes had immediate need to rebuild its digital presence from fragmentation, inefficiency, and confusion into a cohesive, credible, luxury showcase that accurately reflects the community, improves buyer clarity, and supports realtor activity to drive long-term organic growth. The Challenge
SEO & Discoverability Weak metadata, missing foundational SEO elements, and limited organic visibility Poor keyword alignment for local and luxury real estate search Canonical conflicts, indexing errors, and inconsistent metadata inheritance No structured schema or metadata hierarchy, and a limited backlink profile
Website Functionality & UX Broken links, outdated pages, and non-functional pathways Inconsistent or missing information across key pages Poor navigation structure that confused buyers and realtors Lack of clarity, hierarchy, accessibility, and intuitive flow
Analytics & Tracking Inaccurate or incomplete GA4 implementation No segmentation or national ad campaign support No event tracking or behavior insights No reliable reporting for leadership or realtors
Brand & Visual Cohesion
Inconsistent styling across pages No unified visual identity across digital touchpoints Photography, layout, and aesthetic did not reflect quality of homes No emotional or aspirational narrative
Phoenix Rising developed a cohesive digital strategy focused on rebuilding Freestone Home’s entire ecosystem — from UX and navigation to brand consistency, SEO foundations, and analytics accuracy — establishing a modern, luxury-standard platform capable of supporting growth. The Strategy
SEO & Discoverability Rebuilt metadata foundations to restore clarity and search visibility Established keyword alignment for Montana, Missoula, and luxury real estate Structured metadata, titles, and URLs to resolve indexing issues and long-term ranking Improved naming conventions and prepared a scalable schema framework Analytics Accuracy & Reporting Framework Full audit and recommendations for enhanced Google Ads performance, and targeting Implemented accurate GA4 configuration with event tracking and segmented reporting Established dashboards for buyer behavior, realtor traffic, and insights Built a dependable analytics backbone for decision-making
UX & Information Architecture Redesign New site structure for clearer hierarchy, accessibility, and usability Unified emails, domain, and workspaces for operational stability Simplified website navigation & internal link pathways for user flow Prioritized mobile-first layouts for modern browsing behavior Brand Alignment & Visual Cohesion Unified a consistent visual identity and logo across all touchpoints Introduced luxury-forward color, typography, and design elements Imagery and layout system updates to reflect architectural quality Established a clear narrative and emotional tone
The Transformation | Homepage The updated homepage elevates Freestone’s identity above the fold, improving clarity, hierarchy, and immediate understanding of core actions. The redesigned layout strengthens credibility and allows users to see essential information without scrolling.
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The Transformation | Homepage The refreshed footer introduces a clear call to action and required compliance links, creating a more trustworthy and conversion-ready experience. The improved structure ensures users can access all critical information quickly and easily.
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The Transformation | Navigation The simplified, consolidated navigation dramatically reduces cognitive load, giving users a single, intuitive entry point to explore homes and key community pages. This update eliminates confusion and streamlines the buyer journey.
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The Transformation | Navigation Global “Previous,” “Next” and “Back to Homes” navigation allows buyers to browse inventory seamlessly, while the new MLS links provide a direct path to realtor listings. This improves usability and supports both buyers and sales partners.
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The Transformation | Development
The refreshed Development page now leads with a strong hero image and clearer, more compelling narrative—instantly showcasing Freestone’s unique luxuries and lifestyle value. Buyers can understand the development at a glance.
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The Transformation | Site Maps Updated site maps provide accurate, up-to-date geographical representation and introduce a clear CTA that drives users toward available homes. This improves transparency, navigation, and buyer confidence.
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The Transformation | Architecture
A new introductory section clarifies how buyers should explore architectural options, creating a structured and informative starting point for evaluating designs. This elevates understanding and reduces friction.
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The Transformation | Architecture
Consistent photo sizing, alignment, spacing, and button placement create a polished, high-end presentation of home designs. This improves scannability and reinforces the premium nature of the community.
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The Transformation | Contact By moving the click-to-call higher in the navigation and exposing the lead form, the redesigned Contact page removes friction and encourages buyers to reach out more quickly. The new personalized messaging increases trust and conversion likelihood.
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The Transformation | Facebook & Instagram
Unified branding across Facebook and Instagram ensures that Freestone’s digital identity remains consistent, credible, and fully under brand ownership. Updated profiles strengthen trust and make future content strategies scalable.
IG: @FreestoneHomesOfficial FB: FreestoneHomesOfficial
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The Transformation | YouTube The updated YouTube channel applies correct branding, adds a clear subscribe pathway, and strengthens visual hierarchy—making the channel more recognizable and improving viewer engagement.
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@FreestoneHomesMontana
The Transformation | SEO & Social Share
SEO updates enabled existing Freestone listings to surface in search alongside major platforms like Redfin, while customized social share cards now present clean, compelling previews when content is shared. This enhances visibility and professional perception across channels.
SEO
SOCIAL SHARE
Phoenix Rising rebuilt Freestone’s digital operations from the ground up — creating a cohesive command center, analytics pipeline, and workspace structure that replaced years of fragmentation, broken systems, and inconsistent data. The Operational Infrastructure
Core operational improvements included:
Central Command Center for all assets, metadata, sitemaps, and brand files Unified email structure leveraging the Freestone domain, consolidation of inboxes and logins Re-engineered digital workspace with clean permissions, correct integrations, and reliable system connections GA4 + Looker Analytics pipeline for accurate, unified website, campaign and landing page reporting SEO metadata command table with consistent titles, descriptions, and hierarchy Organized media ecosystem for all photos, drone footage, and visual assets Social, brand & narrative architecture for future content and touchpoints Systems consolidation, DNS updates and operational workflow for edits, approvals, staging, QA, and launch Technical cleanup including broken link and bug fixes, navigation repairs, redundant page removal, and proper indexing This operational foundation is what made the UX, brand, SEO, and analytics transformation possible — and what positions Freestone for sustainable long-term growth. It also ensures that future builders, realtors, and internal teams can operate efficiently without technical debt or platform instability.
The Reporting Freestone’s analytics were rebuilt from the ground up — implementing a clean GA4 configuration, event tracking, Looker dashboards, and fully aligned metadata + schema setup implemented. For the first time, Freestone now has accurate, trustworthy, decision-ready reporting across all pages, listings, and traffic sources.
Data obfuscated for security
The Results
A measurable lift in traffic quality, engagement, and buyer visibility in the 30-days after the redesign.
Quality & Experience
Depth of Engagement
Traffic Growth
↑ 216% Pageviews
↓ 21% Bounce Rate
↑ 12% Engagement Time
Traffic and Engagement
Audience Expansion
SEO Improvements Top 1–3 ranking for subdivision terms Top 1–2 for luxury development queries Top 3–6 for design studio searches Appearing on Redfin and Google rich snippets
Top Performing Pages Architectural Designs Homepage Development page Contact page
↑ 128% Total Users ↑ 128% New Users ↑ 41% Pageviews per User ↑ 61% High Intent Desktop Users
Majority U.S. + Canada Key regions driving top user volume Increase in verified human users SEO, PPC, Direct, IG top drivers
What This Means - Freestone’s digital ecosystem now:
Reflects the true luxury quality of the homes through its cohesive digital presence Provides a modern, mobile-first, intuitive experience that improves buyer understanding and property discovery Clarifies buying paths (build-to-suit vs. pre-built) to support faster decision-making for buyers and realtors Establishes a unified luxury narrative that strengthens market positioning and primes PR, advocacy, and word-of-mouth Establishes a scalable foundation for accurate reporting and long-term paid and organic growth Provides leadership with accurate reporting for long-term strategic decision-making Delivers verified, high-quality human traffic through strengthened SEO and metadata foundations Establishes a stable marketing infrastructure — domain, email, workspace, and martech — to support future campaigns
Freestone is now positioned as a top-tier luxury home community online — with the operational and analytics infrastructure to support continued expansion.
Continued Optimization | New Listings Feature
The homepage update, in concert with Google ads campaign, immediately doubled listing traffic and shifted buyer behavior from exploration to conversion — putting real inventory at the center of the digital journey.
↑ 2x Listing Pageviews vs Prior Week Baseline
↑ 20-40% Pageviews Target Markets
The Homepage Update Achieved Three Wins 1. Higher visibility → more new users 2. Stronger listing attraction → higher listing CTA clicks 3. Faster buyer journeys → reduced internal browsing (expected)
Key Proof Points
Buyer Behavior Shift ↓ Bounce on listing pages (higher relevance)
↓ Internal browsing (buyers moved directly to inventory) ↑ Listing CTA clicks (homepage CTA became top performer) Visibility & Performance #1 most-viewed page = Listings within 24 hrs Higher-qualified users (more desktop, longer session depth on listings)
What’s Next
Content, Community & Visual Expansion Updated drone/seasonal media with new branding
Integrated Social Media Instagram & Facebook: content series, build updates, and audience growth YouTube: testimonials, design walkthroughs, seasonal lifestyle storytelling Unified content strategy across Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube Website Enhancements Dynamic template for “Homes / Models / Estates” Realtor resource hub (bios, listings, downloadable packets) Missoula Lifestyle page to deepen community + search relevance
Editorial storytelling: Montana lifestyle, river access, design progress Local PR + community visibility strategy to grow awareness and authority
SEO Expansion Roadmap
Schema markup implementation Authority-building content and backlink acquisition Monthly SEO tuning cycle to improve ranking stability
Referral & CRM Automation Realtor and client referral integration + tracking CRM setup for lead capture, routing, and automated follow-ups Lead nurturing sequences for high-intent buyers
Advertising & Conversion Optimization Google Ads expansion with GA4 conversion pipeline AI marketing ecosystem to drive user acquisition A/B testing for hero, CTAs, messaging, and form fields
Thank You Stacy D. Thomson Founder & Director of Innovation phoenixrisingsd.com
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