Ka Lun Chan
Section313

Project

WhereFamily-owned local business
RoleRedesign, build & search

Union City Smog Check: a local business site built to convert

A family-owned smog station got a fast, mobile-first site that answers drivers’ questions and gets them to call or drive over.

Small business · Modernization · Small-business modernization / Local SEO / Mobile-first UX

Visit unioncitysmogcheck.com
Union City Smog Check home page: the headline Union City smog check, done fast, with Call now and Get directions buttons beside a photo of the station
Union City Smog Check on a phone, with full-width Call now and Get directions buttons above a photo of the station
Fig. 313 Union City Smog Check on desktop and phone

Problem

Most smog check searches happen on a phone, close to a deadline, from someone comparing a few nearby stations. The business needed to be found, trusted and reached in seconds, and generic stock imagery made it look like every other listing.

Built for

  • Drivers with a DMV smog notice
  • People searching for a smog check nearby
  • Owners of STAR-directed vehicles

What I built

Modernizing a STAR-certified smog check station’s website: mobile-first UX, local SEO, real photography, clear conversion paths, and a fast static React build.

  1. 01Search
  2. 02Answer
  3. 03Trust
  4. 04Call
  5. 05Arrive
Mobile-first redesign
Call and directions are the first two actions on every phone screen.
Clear service pages
STAR smog checks, a smog check guide, prep tips, FAQ, and location and hours.
Real business photography
The actual station and customers’ cars instead of generic stock or SEO imagery.
Local SEO, AEO and GEO
Answer-first pages such as “Do I need a smog check?” for search engines and AI assistants.
Static React build
Prerendered pages that load fast and leave nothing to patch.

Key decisions

What should the imagery say? 313-3.1

  • RejectedStock photos chosen for SEOCheap and plentiful, and they say nothing about this shop.
  • ChosenReal photos of the station and real carsVisitors recognize the place when they arrive, and the site earns trust a stock photo cannot.

What is the conversion? 313-3.2

  • RejectedAn online booking formAdds a step for a business that takes walk-ins.
  • ChosenCall now and Get directionsWalk-ins need no appointment, so the fastest path is a tap to call or navigate.

How should the site be built? 313-3.3

  • RejectedA site-builder or CMS templateEasy to start, heavier pages, and ongoing updates to maintain.
  • ChosenStatic, prerendered ReactFast on a phone, cheap to host, and nothing for a small business to keep patched.

Outcome

  1. Call and directions one tap away on every phone
  2. Services, STAR certification, hours and prep tips each easy to find and answer
  3. Real photography that shows the actual station
  4. Fast static pages a small business never has to maintain

Capabilities

React, Static prerendering, Local SEO, SEO / AEO / GEO, Mobile-first UX, Conversion design

See it live

Lessons

  • For a local business, the website’s job is to end the search, not to be browsed.
  • Real photos are a trust signal and a search signal at the same time.