Website case study · Heavy civil construction · Pacific Northwest
MJ Hughes Construction: a website as capable as the crews behind it.
A heavy civil contractor building highways, dams, rail, marine and fish passage projects needed one website for clients, trade partners and job seekers. We designed it, launched it in 2025 and still manage it today.
The Results
Real results from Google Search Console and Google Analytics, shown as percentage change. This year’s July 13 to October 12 compared with the same dates last year.
- +104%clicks from Google Search
- +36%times the site appeared in Google results
- 55%better average Google ranking
- 2xtime on site per visit
- +20%more visits engaged
Search figures are from Google Search Console for mjhughes.com; time on site and engagement are from Google Analytics.
The Brief
Founded in 1996, MJ Hughes Construction is known for precision, safety and integrity across the Pacific Northwest. Their old website did not match the scale of the work, and it had to serve very different visitors.
Show the work credibly
Real projects, real photography and context, so owners and agencies can judge capability in seconds.
Serve three audiences
Clients, trade partners and job seekers all arrive with different questions and need their own clear path.
Attract good people
Hiring is a growth lever for a contractor, so the careers experience had to sell the company as well as list openings.
A Project Library That Earns Its Keep
Projects are organized into Highway, Dam, Rail, Marine, Fish Passage and Special Projects, so a visitor finds relevant work in a click. Each project page pairs photography with a plain-language story of the challenge, the approach and the result.
It pays off in search. Project pages, the careers page and the company’s downloadable safety and HR documents all show up on Google, bringing in visitors who were never searching for MJ Hughes by name.
Built for Phones on Job Sites
Superintendents, subcontractors and applicants often look at the site from a phone. The video opening, navigation and Contact button are designed for a thumb, and pages stay readable on a small screen.
Visitors notice. They now stay about twice as long per visit as they did a year ago.
What We Built
A site that shows the work, then gets out of the way.
A full-screen video opening
The home page opens with footage from a real job site, so capability is clear before anyone reads a word.
Clear paths for each audience
Who We Are, Careers, Projects and Trade Partners sit in the main menu, with Contact one tap away on every page.
A careers hub
What it is like to work at MJ Hughes, benefits explained in expandable sections, and current openings with clear titles and locations.
Mission, vision and values
The Who We Are page explains People, Integrity and Excellence in plain language, which helps clients and candidates see the company behind the work.
News worth featuring
Milestones like the Makah National Fish Hatchery Weir Repair, named a 2026 SEAW Infrastructure Project of the Year, get a place on the home page.
Easy to keep current
New projects, photos and job openings can be added without breaking the layout, so the site keeps up with the company.
What We Do for Them Every Month
We built the site and we look after it, so their team can stay focused on the work.
Search engine optimization
We do SEO for MJ Hughes as an ongoing service, improving pages and content so more of the right people find the company on Google.
Monitoring
We monitor the site to make sure it stays online and working, the same as for every website we manage, and we are alerted if something goes wrong.
Hosting, security and backups
The domain, hosting and security are handled, and the site is backed up so nothing is lost.
Updates on request
New projects, photography and careers content: they send it over and we put it live.
Questions About This Project
Is this a WordPress website?
Yes. It was built on WordPress with a custom design, so the MJ Hughes team can add projects and jobs themselves. We still look after WordPress sites like this one. Most of our new websites are custom-coded for each business, with no template or page builder.
Do they own their website?
Yes. As with every client, MJ Hughes owns the website, the domain and the content. There is no long-term contract.
Could you do this for my company?
That is what we do for contractors, manufacturers and professional firms: a website that shows the work, serves each kind of visitor and gets found. See our website design service or start with a free audit.
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