The challenge
Kettleridge Supply's 22 branch locations acquired new contractor accounts almost entirely through counter-rep relationships and outbound cold calls. The website was a single generic page with a branch-finder list — no branch-specific content, no online contractor-account application, and nothing that spoke to how a purchasing manager actually evaluates a new distributor: brands stocked, will-call hours, territory coverage, and credit terms. A contractor searching 'HVAC distributor account application [city]' found nothing usable and called a competitor's counter instead.
What we did
Built genuinely distinct branch pages, not address listings
Each of the 22 branches got real content: brands stocked at that location, will-call hours, counter staff, and territory coverage — the specifics a contractor actually compares before opening an account, not a template with the address swapped.
Moved the account application online
Credit application and business verification, previously a phone-only, rep-gated process, became a structured online funnel a purchasing manager could start outside counter hours — while keeping the counter rep in the loop for approval, not replacing them.
Separated distributor search intent from residential contractor search
'HVAC distributor near me' and 'plumbing supply account [city]' are searched by purchasing managers evaluating suppliers, not homeowners looking for a contractor — a distinction the existing site's content never made, and one that changed which keywords and pages actually mattered.
Built content around what a purchasing manager actually weighs
Brand availability, territory and delivery coverage, and account terms — the real decision factors for a B2B channel buyer — rather than the trust-and-reviews content that works for homeowner-facing trades.
The result
Organic contractor account signups rose 218% over ten months, with cost per new account down 31% as digital took real share from the rep-only acquisition motion. All 22 branch pages now rank on distinct local signals rather than competing with each other, and overall organic branch-location traffic nearly doubled.
“Our counter reps were our entire growth engine for thirty years. Nobody had ever built a version of that relationship that worked online, and it turns out purchasing managers wanted exactly that — they just couldn't find us first.”