One Template System for a Rebrand

A template system that told the Pure Storage story the same way on every product and solution page, tested before rollout, consolidated from 44 pages to 23, and used as the foundation for the 2020 web refresh.

The problem

In 2019, the product and solution pages on purestorage.com had no shared structure. Each page told its story in a different order, at a different length, with a different number of calls to action, and a single product page could carry well over a dozen of each. Messaging led with Pure's own product terms and specifications instead of the visitor's problem, and the site carried more product pages than products. Most visitors grabbed the datasheet or left within seconds.

The approach

The goal was a template system that told the Pure story the same way on every page, so producers could build pages to a standard and visitors could find what they needed at their stage of the decision.

1. Map each section to the buyer's journey. Every product and solution page followed one sequence, from a story for every visitor at the top to a clear way to contact Pure at the bottom.
2. Build the governance into the template. The templates set where each component goes, how many to use, how calls to action are prioritized by placement and size, and word and character limits for every section. Producers could build a page from the content spec without a designer on every request.
3. Test before rolling out. In 2019, an A/B test put a version of the FlashArray//X page built on the new template against the existing page. The test version led with the visitor's problem, added a secondary navigation so visitors could jump to the part of the story that matched their stage, and moved the full resource list to the bottom of the page. Time on page rose 18%, and the secondary navigation drove the biggest gain in engagement.
4. Consolidate before migrating. Product and solution pages were cut from 44 to 23, retiring pages that split one story across several URLs. Page names and terms were aligned to one shared taxonomy, built with SEO and brand.
5. Migrate, then refresh. The product and solution portfolio moved onto the new templates first. In October 2020, the web refresh launched 80 pages on the templates as part of the company's brand refresh, with redirects planned ahead of launch and post-launch issues triaged by priority.

1. OverviewThe story, for every visitor
2. Technology and specsFor evaluators comparing options
3. Resources and featuresThe evidence that justifies the choice
4. Customer quoteProof for the purchase decision
5. ContactA clear next step to Pure

My role

I defined the template strategy and its content standards, designed the FlashArray//X test, and led the initial launch: migrating the product and solution portfolio onto the new templates in partnership with an outside design agency, product marketing, and SEO. For the October 2020 web refresh, I was part of the cross-functional team that planned, reviewed, and coordinated the launch. The organic search program was a partnership with the SEO team.

The result

+75% page views, +62% high-intent formsYear over year, in the first full year after the web refresh built on the templates.

• First quarter after the refresh: page views up 43%, high-intent form submissions up 27%, and global keyword rankings up 21%.
• During the template migration, PDF downloads rose 25% year over year.

Before and after

“Before” images show pages ahead of the template migration; “after” images show the same pages on the new templates. Select any image to see it larger.