Meet Mudslinger Events. They run badass mountain bike races in Oregon that make grown cyclists weep with joy. Their events? Pure gold. Their website? A digital dumpster fire disguised as "being thorough."
Picture this: You've got a website so "helpful" it's like that friend who gives you 47 different directions to the same Starbucks. Technically accurate? Sure. Actually useful? HELL NO.
Mudslinger's Triple Crown series—the best 'season pass' for the year—was sitting there like a gorgeous person with terrible pickup lines. All dressed up with nowhere to go.
The kicker? Cyclists were literally telling friends to trust them and register because they knew the website wouldn't convert them.
As a new consultant taking on my very first client project, I dove into understanding what was really happening. Through conversations with the founder and informal interviews with local cyclists, a clear pattern emerged.
The website had become a victim of its own thoroughness:
The problem wasn't that Mudslinger didn't have enough information. They had ALL the information. Like, aggressively ALL of it.
The problem was they'd turned their website into a Choose Your Own Adventure book written by someone having a panic attack.
The surprising insight: Racers weren't asking for more information. They were asking for the RIGHT information, presented clearly, when they needed it.
Working within budget constraints (no fancy surveys or extensive user testing), we focused on fundamentals:
1. Value-First Positioning for Triple Crown
Instead of burying the Triple Crown in race details, we repositioned it as the premier experience and moved it to the top of the navigation. We clearly articulated why someone would choose the full series over individual races.
2. Information Layering Strategy
Using card sorting methodology, we separated information into two categories:
3. The "Rider Guide" Solution
We created downloadable PDFs for detailed race information, removing the overwhelm from the main pages while satisfying the detail-oriented riders who wanted comprehensive information.
This approach solved two problems simultaneously: reduced cognitive load for casual browsers while providing depth for serious participants.
Buckle up for these numbers, because they're about to make you question everything you know about "more is better."
Triple Crown went from struggling to SOLD OUT
But wait, there's more! Mike was so pumped about the results, he added a WHOLE NEW RACE to his calendar.
Timeline: These results materialized over six months, with registration improvements visible within weeks of implementation.
"After starting to work with Megan Eckman in the fall of 2023, she continues to be a force in the design and thought process around our multiple web pages. So many businesses need a fresh set of eyes to render a refined vision, and with a bit of effort, her process has yielded results in 2024. As we continue to make time to adjust our vision with Megan's consulting, we encourage your business to consider her for yours."
Every business reaches a point where "adding more information" stops helping and starts hurting. The challenge isn't having enough content, it's organizing it in a way that guides users toward action rather than overwhelming them into paralysis.
The question worth asking: Is your website helping customers make decisions, or is it making them work too hard for the information they need?
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