CASE STUDY:
Website Redesign & Brand Positioning
JTL Books
JTL Books engaged us to build a foundational web presence for their growing practice that they could sustain.
We provided strategic website redesign and research-driven market positioning to help them transform from “generic bookkeeper” to mission-driven, professional specialist, through a web presence that reflected Jake’s wry, candid personality.
We also did some quick Google Business Profile upgrades and offered training on partially automating content creation for their ongoing local SEO.
“Had a superb experience with Excellent Presence. My website was struggling to get traffic but their strategic and technical expertise totally turned things around. They fully understood my business needs and tailored a solution that was just right.
The best part? My online presence has improved significantly, and I’m already seeing more clients coming in. Highly recommend them if you’re looking to boost your business online.”
-Jake Lenderman, JTL Books
About the Project
Jake was building a new bookkeeping practice with early impressive results: His financial guidance had helped one local contractor grow from $600K to ~$2.5M in annual revenue in under two years.
During our strategy session, what immediately stood out was Jake’s mission to help contractors evolve from “manual laborers” into true business owners. As a part-time real estate investor himself, he understood both sides of the equation. To Jake, this wasn’t just about bookkeeping. It was growth mentorship rooted in his lived experience.
Yet, his website told none of this unique story.
Beyond the acerbic wit reflected in his logo tagline–”Go from ‘Oh f#%k’ to fully balanced”–nothing else on the site communicated JTL Books’ unique personality or real-world expertise.
In fact, like many small business owners, Jake’s bio read like every other generic bookkeeper. The site’s DIY aesthetic undermined their credibility with the high-value contractors and real estate investors they wanted to serve. And their most impressive client success story was curiously absent.
The Strategic Foundation
Before touching a single word on JTL Books’ website, we conducted comprehensive market research. We needed to understand how their ideal clients search for services, to be able to discern which positioning would give them the greatest competitive advantage.
The Keyword Research
Initial research revealed fascinating insights about their target market.
The Market Analysis
Search trends in Jake’s industry proved even more compelling.
The Brand Refresh
Our market analysis directly informed JTL Books’ new, high-value brand positioning, preparing to take him from generic service provider to specialized expert.
Here’s what we came up with:
“Houston-Area Bookkeeping and Accounting Services for Real Estate Investors and Contractors: Helping hardworking entrepreneurs transition from ‘manual laborer’ to business owner.”
And we applied subtle imagery that helped Jake’s target audience literally see themselves in his website.
Each word was strategically chosen — and positioned:
The Website Revamp
The project Jake engaged us for was
more for conversion fundamentals than pure aesthetics.
So we maintained a similar look and feel.
For this conversion-focused revamp addressing user experience (UX), psychological barriers, and credibility gaps, the Services page received particular attention.
The old page spoke broadly about the company. It then displayed rates, even before defining the company’s offerings.
For continued credibility, the new page acknowledges JTL’s two distinct user personas. To continue building trust, it specifies how they help both audiences. Finally, it highlights the details of what they do.
JTL Books wanted users to book a free consult after viewing their services. But this was goal was muddy on their former site.
To reduce friction while guiding users toward booking, we did a few subtle, but high-impact CRO tweaks, like replacing “Join” buttons with low-pressure wording (“Start Free”).
We also tweaked the navigation menu for better clarity and user-friendliness.
The old booking page was short and sweet. But the site hadn’t made it clear that users’ first step was a free consult.
(Those “Join” buttons from the Service page’s pricing tables led here. So did the “Book Online” links from the top menu.)
For clarity, we gave users insight into the free consult process to instill trust and continue reducing friction.
The old Contact page mixed in company info with an unclear differentiator.
We crafted a sleek, clear page that delivered what their local users expected to see: Multiple ways to contact, hours, and service areas right up front.
This also helped get their Google Business Profile approved next.
The Google Business Profile (GBP)
JTL Books added minimal GBP optimization onto their project, so we kept it basic, but high-impact.
Their old listing displayed their home photo and wrong address. We corrected that by converting the listing to a service area business, adding their logo and service areas.
To build initial credibility, we highlighted their “$600K to $2.5M revenue” success story, construction accounting expertise, business categories, specializations, and social accounts.
Once we legitimized their Google Business presence, we were able to add the new phone line Jake had been trying to get approved for a while.
Finally, JTL needed options for consistent GBP management that wouldn’t overwhelm their limited schedule. Since they use AI, we crafted custom prompts. They can now draft in-demand tips and insights in minutes to make his business active and visible in local search results.
The Result
Jake’s rebrand from “every man” bookkeeper to focused specialist enables the brand to attract higher-value clients who understand the difference between bookkeeping and financial partnership.
Partially-automated marketing systems help JTL Books start getting consistent visibility without constant manual effort.
JTL Books’ web presence now authentically showcases Jake’s real-world expertise—helping contractors go from tradespeople to business owners—as his primary competitive advantage.
“Had a superb experience with Excellent Presence. My website was struggling to get traffic but their strategic and technical expertise totally turned things around.
They fully understood my business needs and tailored a solution that was just right.
The best part? My online presence has improved significantly, and I’m already seeing more clients coming in. Highly recommend them if you’re looking to boost your business online.”
-Jake Lenderman, JTL Books
