When Clean Design Kills Conversions: A Case Study with Greg Merillees

Many cosmetic surgery center websites make two fatal mistakes—they sound like medical textbooks and look too “clean” to build trust. Today, we have Greg Merrilees back with us. He’s the founder of Studio1 Design, who has been creating conversion-focused websites for over a decade. His team specializes in designs that prioritize results over aesthetics. Our collaboration on the cosmetic surgery center Quintessa—one of the many projects Greg and I have worked on together—perfectly illustrates why clarity beats cleverness. In our discussion, we break down Quintessa’s complete transformation from clinical copy and sparse design to compelling StoryBrand messaging with strategic conversion elements. This premium cosmetic surgery center, with five Wisconsin locations, doubled its organic traffic and keyword rankings in just over a year by shifting from doctor-speak to patient-speak while abandoning the minimalist design trap. We explore how messaging like “At Quintessa, we believe beauty is personal and so is your journey” replaced sterile procedure descriptions, and why social proof above the fold outperforms clean white space. This episode shows you exactly how the right SEO and design team can transform a site from a digital brochure to a revenue engine in just months. So, without any further ado, on with the show!