Case Study

RoughWorks
& Seubert Associates

RoughWorks
& Milkjar Candle Co.

RoughWorks
& OLVR

RoughWorks
& Maurice Law

Website Development Custom Web Portal Ongoing Maintenance SEO Audit & Optimisation PPC Advertising (Google Ads) Strategic Web Consulting Shopify Development Custom 3D Integration Data Integration & Theme Coding Branding & Visual ID UX Strategy Web Design & Dev
The Challenge

Paperwork Chaos, Digital Silence

Candle Flickering in the Corner

Custom Luxury, Standard Platform

Honors Heritage, Hides Impact

Overview

Overview

Seubert & Associates, a major, trusted name in insurance and risk advisory, had built their reputation over decades. However, their digital front was stuck in the past. The public website was mostly a static brochure, and the critical client workflow—especially for requesting Surety Bonds—still relied on a clunky, manual system of emails and paper forms.

The result? The Surety Bonding department was crushed under a mountain of administrative work, manually processing hundreds of bond requests every single week. Seubert needed to do more than just update their look; they needed to transform their website into a mission-critical business application to kill the bottlenecks and serve clients faster.

Overview

Milkjar Candle Co. had everything going for them: incredible, clean-burning products, a loyal local following, and a strong mission. But online, their light was dim. Their beautifully designed e-commerce site was underperforming, and the algorithms weren't in their favour.

The key problem was one of visibility and efficiency. Potential customers couldn't easily find them on Google, and their paid advertising budget was being wasted on expensive, low-converting keywords. The Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) was low, and their organic reach was stuck—meaning their growth was limited by their digital marketing, not their product quality.

Overview

OLVR (pronounced "Oliver") had a bold vision: to bring the deeply personal experience of designing an engagement ring into a real-time, 3D online environment. They wanted the convenience of e-commerce blended with the bespoke feel of a luxury boutique.

The problem? Their existing Shopify site could only handle basic catalog shopping. It wasn't built to integrate thousands of live-priced diamonds, render intricate 3D CAD models on the fly, and update pricing instantly. We had to figure out how to keep a rigid platform and turn it into a high-powered, mission-critical customizer without sacrificing performance or luxury.

Overview

Maurice Law is a true pioneer—Canada's first and largest Indigenous-owned national law firm. Their mission is powerful: advancing Treaty and Aboriginal rights. However, by 2024, their digital presence was failing to tell that story. The old website was generic, dated, and text-heavy.

The problem was a massive disconnect: the digital experience felt conventional, not reflective of the firm's groundbreaking work. Crucial information was buried, making it hard for community members seeking resources or corporate stakeholders looking for expertise to find what they needed. Maurice Law needed a brand and a website that honored their deep Indigenous roots and matched their modern legal prowess in equal measure.

Key Problems

Outdated Web Presence

The existing website was just an online brochure, not a tool that reflected the firm's forward-thinking advisory role.

Manual Workflows

Critical services, like surety bond requests, were handled via email and paper, creating huge administrative headaches.

Internal Bottlenecks

Hundreds of requests per week were manually processed by the internal team, slowing down service delivery and draining resources.

Poor Client Experience

Clients had to navigate tedious, old-school processes for urgent requests, eroding the convenience expected in the digital age.

Poor Organic Reach

The website was not optimised for search engines, so customers weren't finding Milk Jar when searching for niche candle terms.

Wasted Ad Spend

Google Ads campaigns were inefficient, spending money on expensive, generic keywords with low conversion rates.

SEO Technical Debt

The site was held back by technical issues like missing metadata, broken links and slow loading elements.

Crowded Market

Operating in a competitive space, Milk Jar needed expert help to strategically stand out without a massive marketing budget.

Standard Shopify Limits

The existing e-commerce platform was stuck on basic catalog shopping, not the real-time 3D customization required for bespoke jewelry.

Live Data Integration

We needed to connect Shopify to a constantly changing database of thousands of diamonds with live pricing and availability, updated constantly.

3D Rendering on the Fly

The platform had to instantly render photorealistic CAD models of the ring (setting and stone) as users made component changes.

Bespoke Luxury UX

The final product had to look stunning and high-end, rivaling top-notch video and photography to match the premium brand.

Identity Crisis Online

The generic, corporate-style website failed to convey the firm's unique Indigenous identity, rich heritage, and pioneering mission.

Muddled User Journeys

Potential clients, community members, and job seekers couldn't easily find resources or specific practice areas tailored to their needs.

Dated Visuals & Content

The old site was text-heavy and lacked the visual impact necessary to connect with diverse audiences, including Indigenous communities.

Undervalued Expertise

Lawyer profiles and practice areas were not highlighted effectively, failing to showcase the firm's deep, specialized expertise across Canada.

The Solution

From Paper Trail to Digital Pipeline

Turning the Wick Way Up

Bending Shopify to Our Will

A Modern Gateway for Justice

What We Did

Fixing the Foundation

Rough Works stepped in, ready to build and innovate. We recognized this was a classic case of needing the reliable workhorse—a system built tough for accuracy and speed. Our two-pronged approach tackled the website's look and, more importantly, its function, turning it into a powerful tool that drives the business forward.

What We Did

Fixing the Foundation

Rough Works was brought in to make sure every dollar worked harder and every search result counted. We approached this as a two-fold mission: a deep dive into Performance Marketing to fix the foundation and sharpen their focus. We turned their organic reach and ad efficiency into the reliable workhorse they needed for growth.

We treated Shopify as the rock-solid foundation—leveraging its secure checkout and inventory management—and then layered custom innovation on top. We built a bespoke, powerful 3D ring designer interface that harmonized three complex data streams into a single, seamless user experience.

We partnered with Maurice Law to reimagine their brand from the ground up, treating the process with the highest levels of respect and discovery. The goal was to build a brand that is grounded in tradition and focused on the future. We delivered a new visual identity and a website completely rebuilt for the user.

500+ Submissions Weekly
Best Advertising Return
First Page Rankings
A Keyword Roadmap
ROAS Jumped to 3.4
Best Advertising Return
First Page Rankings
A Keyword Roadmap
Custom Platform
Live Data Bridge
Dynamic Cart Logic
Aesthetic Cohesion
Brand Identity Refresh
Story-First Homepage
User-Centric Architecture
Humanized Team Profiles

Automation Triumphs

The eBonds portal now automatically collects hundreds of requests, eliminating manual data entry and email clutter for the Surety department.

Best Advertising Return

Sharper targeting and tighter creative pushed ROAS to new highs—every ad dollar is working harder, and the pipeline shows it.

First Page Rankings

Strategic SEO work moved priority keywords onto page one, turning organic search into a steady, compounding source of qualified traffic.

A Keyword Roadmap

A research-backed keyword roadmap now guides content and campaigns, so every new page is built to rank and convert from day one.

Better Bang for their Buck

Advertising Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) increased significantly from the previous 2.9, meaning every dollar spent generated much more revenue.

A Holiday Season Hit

Milk Jar achieved its best-ever advertising return during the busy holiday season, proving the strategy delivered results when it mattered most.

Showing Up Strong

The site climbed the search rankings to land on the first page for valuable niche terms, like “soy candles Calgary,” where they previously had zero presence.

An Empowered Marketing Team

Milk Jar’s internal team gained a clear, actionable keyword roadmap and a strong foundational understanding of how to manage their digital growth moving forward.

The 3D Engine

We installed a custom ring designer interface with an embedded WebGL viewer. This allows customers to rotate, zoom, and see photorealistic models of their ring instantly as they choose settings, metal, and stone.

Three Data Streams in Harmony

We wrote custom API code to synchronize diamond data, 3D CAD models, and Shopify’s pricing system in real time. If a user selects a 1.5-carat oval, the visual and the price update instantly—no guesswork involved.

Capturing Every Custom Detail

Since Shopify doesn’t do this natively, we extended the cart to capture every custom attribute (Diamond ID, setting, metal) when the user hits “Add to Cart.” This ensures precise fulfillment and no order errors for OLVR’s team.

Luxury Visuals First

We collaborated closely with their creative agency, Module, to design a UI that features full-bleed videos and luxurious imagery, ensuring the innovative functionality matches the high-end brand narrative on every page.

Authentic, Modern Narrative

We developed a refreshed visual identity and messaging strategy built on the firm’s core values: access to justice, persistence, and reconciliation. This included a warm, earthy color palette and subtle Indigenous motifs for a respectful, professional look.

Telling the Unconventional Story

The new homepage immediately addresses Maurice Law’s unique status, using bold photography and video (in partnership with Module Creative Agency) to put the firm’s mission front and center. The site now educates and inspires from the first click.

Clear Paths to Expertise

We restructured the site to provide distinct, tailored pathways for different audiences. Dedicated pages for complex practice areas like Specific Claims and Governance speak directly to the unique concerns of community leaders and stakeholders.

Connecting Faces with Expertise

We overhauled the Our Team directory with high-quality portraits and detailed, filterable bios. Each profile highlights the lawyer’s credentials and, where applicable, Indigenous affiliations and community work, fostering vital personal trust.

The Results

Thousands of Hours Saved

Glowing Online, Maximum ROI

A Design & Tech Forward Shopping Experience

A Digital Presence with Purpose

What We Did

A Future-Proof System

The impact was immediate and transformative. By turning a slow paper trail into a seamless digital pipeline, we positioned Seubert as a forward-thinking leader in their industry. This project proves that even the most traditional businesses can leap forward when their web presence works as hard as they do.

More than 1,000 clients adopted the online system almost immediately, meaning faster responses for customers and thousands of hours saved internally.

The Proof

Web Facelift

We started with a clean, modern redesign for the public site. This refreshed look aligns with Seubert's brand, making it easier for users to navigate and reinforcing their expertise.

eBonds Portal

At the core, we built a custom, secure eBonds client portal from the ground up, handling the entire bond request process online—from submission and document upload to real-time status tracking.

Workflow Automation

We mapped Seubert's exact workflow into a reliable digital experience that instantly routes requests, organizes documents, and eliminates countless emails and phone calls.

Ongoing Maintenance

We don't just launch and leave. Continuous security updates, instant-response monitoring, and iterative enhancements based on real user feedback.

What We Did

Sharper Spend, Bigger Glow

By combining technical SEO fixes with a razor-sharp PPC strategy, Milk Jar's online visibility and ad efficiency improved dramatically, allowing them to scale sales without scaling their budget. Their light is no longer flickering; it's glowing brightly across the web.

The increased efficiency was felt most profoundly during the holiday season, their busiest time of year.

The Proof

A Full SEO Audit

We combed through the site to uncover every technical hang-up—from slow-loading images and broken links to missing structured data—then cleaned things up to dramatically improve site health and speed.

Targeted Keywords

We ditched the generic, expensive search terms and hunted for specific, high-intent keywords Milk Jar could realistically rank on, then updated titles, headings, and product copy to match.

PPC Optimisation

We restructured Google Ads campaigns around high-converting phrases and branded terms, dramatically improving Quality Score with copy that emphasised Milk Jar's mission.

A Collaborative Strategy

Weekly data check-ins and active content guidance—suggesting blog topics that organically boost SEO—gave Milk Jar a strong roadmap and the confidence to keep building.

What We Did

Bespoke, Digital, and Future-Proof

We successfully delivered a platform that is among the first of its kind in the jewelry space, turning an age-old tradition into an unforgettable digital journey. We've positioned OLVR as a tech-savvy innovator ready to capture a niche market of design-conscious buyers.

What used to require multiple in-person consultations can now be completed with confidence in just a few clicks.

The Proof

In-Showroom Experience

Customers can finalize complex, bespoke designs in minutes with a few clicks, drastically reducing the need for multiple in-person consultations.

Future-Proof Platform

The interfaces we built allow the OLVR team to easily update diamond inventory and add new product lines (like pendants) without developer intervention.

Confidence in Purchase

The real-time, photorealistic 3D rendering ensures a true "what you see is what you get" experience, building massive trust for a luxury purchase.

E-Commerce Mold Broken

We delivered a powerful, live-data custom configurator on the reliable Shopify platform, proving that complex, high-value retail can be done completely online.

What We Did

New Brand, Sharper Focus

The launch of the new brand and website was a definitive success. Maurice Law's digital presence now authentically embodies their identity, instantly communicating the sense of purpose and integrity they deliver every day. The site became a powerful tool that both honors their roots and drives their modern legal practice forward.

Crucially, the new, clearer site structure immediately led to improved engagement across all key user groups.

The Proof

Increased Engagement

Analytics showed users spent significantly more time on targeted practice area pages, as the content was now highly relevant to their legal queries.

Impressed Institutional Clients

The polished, professional web experience instantly instills confidence in corporate and government stakeholders engaging with the firm's work.

Positive Community Feedback

Members of Indigenous communities noted that the site felt authentic and spoke to them directly, succeeding in moving away from a generic law firm feel.

New Gateway for Justice

The website transformed from a conventional, outdated site into a modern, trusted resource that educates, inspires, and guides users on their journey.

Happy Clients
"Working with Seubert was fantastic because they embraced innovation and welcomed suggestions for an improved web experience."
Jennifer Fietz
Vice President, Imaginarium
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