Case Study Categorization: Steep Slope vs. Low Slope
Insight
When organizing portfolio case studies for a roofing contractor, categorizing by roof type (steep slope vs. low slope) is often clearer and more useful than categorizing by building use (commercial, residential, multifamily, industrial). Roof type maps directly to the technical scope of work and the materials involved, whereas building-use categories can overlap in confusing ways and may not reflect how customers actually think about their problem.
Context
During a website review for [1] (sbswi.com), the team evaluated the existing case study taxonomy: Commercial, Residential, Multifamily, Industrial. Several problems surfaced:
- "Industrial" vs. "Commercial" — No clear differentiation. The category appeared to have been added without a defined rationale and had never been used.
- "Apartments" vs. "Residential" — Apartments can have either flat or pitched roofs, making them hard to place. A multifamily building with a flat roof has more in common with a commercial project than a single-family home.
- Thin content risk — Some categories (residential, multifamily) had very few case studies to populate them, making the taxonomy feel sparse.
Brandon Aman (client) proposed simplifying to just "Steep Slope" and "Low Slope" as the primary organizing principle.
Why This Works
| Criterion | Building-Use Categories | Roof-Type Categories |
|---|---|---|
| Technical clarity | Low — a "commercial" building can be either flat or pitched | High — directly describes the work |
| Customer relevance | Moderate — customers identify with their building type | High — customers often know their roof type |
| SEO value | Moderate | Moderate (can be enhanced with service-specific pages) |
| Portfolio flexibility | Rigid — thin categories look empty | Flexible — most projects fit cleanly into one of two buckets |
| Avoids overlap | No — apartments, multifamily, and residential blur together | Yes — steep/low slope is mutually exclusive |
Decision Made
- Remove "Industrial" — no meaningful distinction from commercial; never used.
- Evaluate simplifying to Steep Slope / Low Slope — Brandon Aman to finalize the structure before the next meeting (March 23).
- The existing categories (Commercial, Residential, Multifamily) may be retained as secondary filters or sub-labels within the two primary buckets if needed.
Application
This pattern applies broadly to any trade contractor building a portfolio website:
- HVAC: categorize by system type (forced air, radiant, mini-split) rather than building type
- Electrical: categorize by project scope (service upgrades, new construction, EV infrastructure) rather than residential/commercial
- Plumbing: categorize by work type (repiping, fixture installation, drain systems)
The underlying principle: organize by what you did, not where you did it, especially when the "where" categories are ambiguous or unevenly populated.
Related
- [2]
- [3]
- [4]