When Ironmaster's new ecommerce site started slowing down, they needed a trusted partner who understood their business and their platform. Miva's ProPerform program helped them identify the problems, fix them fast, and turn their site into a high-performing sales engine.
Ironmaster has been a leader in home gym strength training equipment for over 40 years. Known for their durable, modular designs, they've built a loyal following among fitness enthusiasts who value quality and performance.
As the company's Senior Director of Marketing, Brian LaCourse oversees a small but capable team that manages most marketing in-house. When they launched a new website designed by an outside agency, they expected a faster, smoother customer experience. Instead, they got the opposite.
"We had been experiencing slow page speeds the instant our new website was published," Brian said. "Eventually, we applied some updates that didn't result in any improvements."
The slowdown wasn't just frustrating. It was affecting the customer experience. Visitors began leaving feedback about long load times and security concerns during checkout. "We received feedback from customers that our slow website made them worry about checkout security," Brian explained. "It was a poor reflection on our brand."
Ironmaster tried tackling the issue themselves by optimizing image files and tweaking design elements. But nothing worked. "We changed JPGs to WebP files, made some design adjustments, but the speed just didn't improve," said Brian. They needed a deeper, more technical solution and a team they could trust to get it done right.
When Miva's account team suggested ProPerform, Brian was immediately interested.
ProPerform starts with a detailed site audit that pinpoints performance issues, SEO opportunities, and areas for technical optimization. "The audit touched on everything," Brian said. "It felt like a complete snapshot of where the whole website was, and Miva made it easy to get the most out of our investment."
From there, the Miva team worked directly with Ironmaster to prioritize key fixes. The process was structured and transparent. "There were clear expectations and timelines," Brian said. "The audit report was crystal clear, in-depth, and actionable."
ProPerform zeroed in on the biggest issues–page load speed and code efficiency. The team applied a series of optimizations to HTML, images, and checkout flow that made an immediate impact.
"ProPerform solved our page load speed issues, which we had failed to do twice previously," Brian said. "They applied optimizations quickly that were just too numerous for our team to handle in-house."
Ironmaster didn't have to overhaul its internal processes, either. "Aside from reviewing a bi-annual audit, no change was required internally, which was great news," Brian explained. The whole experience fit easily into their existing workflow.
What stood out most to Brian was the partnership aspect of working with Miva. "The Miva team is subject matter experts, not just in performance, but in our website's backend, so they're literally the most qualified agency for the job," he said.
He also appreciated how easy clear lines of communication made everything. "The lines of communication were already established, which streamlined relaying technical information," he said.
After ProPerform's recommendations were implemented, Ironmaster's site performance took a huge leap forward.
An independent report confirmed what the Miva audit showed: Ironmaster's SEO rating jumped from a C to an A. "Our page load speeds are now as fast as they can get, and our overall site health score from outside sources averages 94+," Brian said. "It exceeded our expectations."
With faster load times came increased customer confidence. "Customer trust in our website has increased, and our confidence in new site content to be impactful for our business has been restored," Brian said.
The improvements went beyond numbers; they impacted how the team works. "ProPerform is a necessary business tool that should be utilized once or twice per year," Brian said. "It helped us look at our site as a whole and prioritize fixes that aligned with our goals."
Looking ahead, Ironmaster plans to continue using ProPerform to stay ahead of changing technology and tackle UX improvements in its next audit.
The audit was so impactful and positive. This is what we need to do to stay on top of new technology because it's constantly changing.
For Brian, the best part of working with Miva is knowing they're in it for the long run. "When I think about partners, I think about Miva," he said. "They act a lot like us–a growing company that stays grounded, focused on customer service and high-quality products."
His advice for other Miva merchants? Don't wait. "The only thing I would change would be to do it sooner," Brian said. "Don't delay. You don't know what you don't know until you do an audit."