Sotelo Landscaping: Hardscaping Leader in Delaware Rebrands Online
Hardscaping Leader in Delaware Rebrands Online
We rebuilt Sotelo Landscaping's website on a modern Next.js stack, replacing an outdated legacy site. The new site features responsive design and faster load times — resulting in stronger local SEO and higher lead conversions.
What the client needed
The family-owned hardscaping company needed a website that reflected their craftsmanship and drove quote requests from customers in Newark, Middletown, and Smyrna, DE. They also needed help coordinating with the previous web company to transfer the old website and assets, since the vendor would not allow direct updates to the live site.
- Improve mobile usability for customers across all devices
- Boost local SEO for Newark, Middletown & Smyrna, DE
- Generate service inquiries via prominent CTAs
- Build a custom before/after image slider to showcase project transformations
- Use machine vision to tag and label hundreds of project images for faster publishing
- Handle domain ownership and hosting so future updates can be managed directly
Tech Stack
Before & After Metrics
The legacy site was entirely replaced. We coordinated with the previous company to transfer the old website, handled domain ownership and hosting management, moved image assets out of the application bundle into AWS S3 + CloudFront, used machine vision to tag hundreds of project photos, and built a custom before/after slider to better showcase completed work.
| Aspect | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Platform | Static HTML/PHP | Next.js (React + SSR/SSG) |
| Load Time | ~4–5 seconds (slow) | ~1–2 seconds (fast) |
| Media Delivery | Images bundled with site deploy | Images migrated to AWS S3 to reduce bundle size |
| Image Workflow | Manual sorting and labeling | Machine vision tagging + organized media library |
| Mobile Score | Poor — unoptimized layout | Excellent — Lighthouse ~95/100 |
| SEO | Minimal, generic meta tags | SSR pages, optimized metadata |
| Updates | Hard-coded / hard to update | Dynamic template rendering |
| Ownership & Hosting | Vendor-controlled update process | Client-controlled domain + managed hosting workflow |
| Integrations | Basic static contact form | Analytics, Maps, secure form, SSL |
Before & After
Before
After
Key Features
Mobile-First Responsive Design
Layout adapts seamlessly to any device — phone, tablet, or desktop.
High-Performance Stack
Next.js running on AWS delivers fast page loads.
Custom Before/After Slider
Built a custom image slider component to showcase project transformations with a more interactive before/after experience.
Machine Vision Media Tagging
Used machine vision workflows to tag and label hundreds of project images for faster organization and publishing.
SEO & Local Focus
Targeted keywords and Google Maps integration boost search ranking.
Transfer & Hosting Coordination
Worked with the previous vendor to transfer the legacy site and handled domain ownership and hosting setup so the client could regain control.
Secure Lead Forms
Custom integrated contact forms with spam protection.
The Result
Software InFocus rebuilt Sotelo Landscaping's entire website from scratch, migrating and revamping all content while coordinating the legacy site transfer and restoring control over domain ownership and hosting. We also implemented a more scalable image workflow with machine vision tagging and a custom before/after slider for project showcases. Post-launch analytics show a 4× increase in load speed and significant drops in bounce rate. Lead generation improved via streamlined contact forms and trust signals like testimonials and certifications.
I am writing to share my experience regarding a recent project to develop a website for my business. For quite some time, I had a website created by a company that unfortunately did not provide a satisfactory presentation or quality. The design and functionality fell short of my expectations and did not effectively represent my business. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to work with Matt Russo, an exceptional individual who greatly assisted me in creating a website that is both appropriate and professional for my business needs. Matt's expertise and dedication made the entire process smooth and successful. If you are currently seeking a web developer to build or improve your business website, I can confidently say that Matt Russo is the right person for the job. His work deserves a five-star rating out of five, and I recommend his services one hundred percent.