Case file — PRJ-013
Max On Top.
A South African supplier of decorative surfacing — bonded panels, high-pressure laminates, metal and compact laminates, carrying European brands like Arpa, Fenix and Homapal. The buyer is an architect or interior designer specifying a finish, and they need to see it before they can spec it.
The brief
Max On Top sells surfaces. That is a category where the product photograph does the selling and the technical sheet closes it — an architect will not specify a laminate they cannot see properly or a panel whose spec they cannot check. The old presentation buried a deep catalogue behind generic corporate pages, and the bonded-panel service, which is the real differentiator, was not obvious at all.
The build
We led with the service that makes them different: bonded panels, pressed, precision cut, edged and ready to assemble. The catalogue sits behind a clear product structure rather than one long list, technical and sustainability documentation gets its own route for the people who need it, and an Inspirations section shows the surfaces in finished rooms so a designer can picture the result.
Scope of work
- S-01DESIGN
Product-led layout where the surface itself is the hero, not the chrome around it.
- S-02DEVELOPMENT
WordPress build the team extends themselves as ranges and finishes change.
- S-03CATALOGUE ARCHITECTURE
Ten-plus product categories organised so a specifier reaches a finish in two clicks.
- S-04SEO
Structured for the searches architects actually run: surface types, brands, applications.
The details that mattered
- The catalogue is the pitch. Ten-plus categories, each with its own route. A specifier looking for compact laminate should never have to read about the company first.
- Bonded panels made obvious. The finishing service is the reason to choose Max On Top over a merchant. It leads the homepage instead of hiding in a product tab.
- Documentation as a first-class path. Technical and sustainability sheets have their own section. Architects arrive with a checklist, not a browsing mood.
- Two branches, one site. Johannesburg and Cape Town both surfaced without splitting the brand into two experiences.
Quick answers
What did the Max On Top build involve?
Design and development of a product-led WordPress site for a decorative surfaces supplier: a structured catalogue across ten-plus product categories, a lead position for the bonded-panel finishing service, technical and sustainability documentation routes, an inspirations gallery, and SEO for surface, brand and application searches.
Do you build sites for manufacturers and suppliers?
Yes. Max On Top, MBFI and Afrikelp are all product- and specification-led builds in the registry. The pattern is the same: lead with the thing that makes you different, put the technical depth one level down where the specifier will look for it, and keep the catalogue editable by your own team.