About Meritage Homes

Meritage Homes is one of the top five public homebuilders in the United States, widely recognized for its energy-efficient homes and dedication to quality construction. Established in 1985, Meritage has deep experience building homes in California, Arizona, Texas, and Florida. Their focus is on entry-level and first move-up homes, where innovation, thoughtful design, and sustainability come together to offer homeowners a "Life. Built. Better." experience.
 

With an eye on future growth, Meritage Homes embarked on a digital transformation to serve the evolving needs of modern homebuyers. The result is a scalable, flexible, and high-performing digital ecosystem that keeps pace with a changing business landscape and continues to provide exceptional user experiences. 
 

Challenge: Engineering for Speed, Scale, and Self-Service

Meritage’s legacy website increasingly struggled to keep pace as the homebuilding marketplace changed. The platform became difficult to maintain, limiting the digital team’s ability to create new features quickly or respond to market shifts. Key challenges that drove the need for modernization included:
 

• Outdated User Experience: The site design and navigation no longer reflect modern digital standards, resulting in lower engagement and conversion.

   

• Limited Speed-to-Market: Rigid architecture slowed down content updates, campaign launches, and new feature rollouts across divisions.

   

• Lack of Composability: The monolithic setup restricted integration flexibility and scalability for future enhancements.

   

• Underpowered Search Capabilities: The legacy search experience fell short of customer expectations set by aggregator platforms like MLS, making property discovery cumbersome. 

  
   

Solution: A seamless, flexible, and scalable platform

To modernize its digital presence, Meritage Homes partnered with XCentium to build a new experience on Sitecore XM Cloud. The solution delivered a streamlined, mobile-optimized user experience with faster load times, clearer navigation, and a modern design that enhances community and floor-plan discovery. A powerful, search-centric experience—powered by Sitecore Search—now allows homebuyers to filter and explore listings with the ease of platforms like Zillow or Redfin. The new ecosystem integrates Google Maps, Matterport, Lead Fusion calculators, and Salesforce CRM to create a connected buyer journey and real-time insight for sales teams. A robust promotions engine in Sitecore Content Hub enables localized, market-specific campaigns, while enhanced lead-capture tools and Salesforce automation improve conversion and end-to-end tracking. With realtor tools, QMI-focused listings, and a future-ready architecture leveraging Vercel and Next.js, Meritage Homes now has a flexible, scalable, and efficient digital foundation built for growth.

Outcome

Meritage partnered with XCentium to address these issues and build a modern, responsive website on Sitecore XM Cloud. This next-generation SaaS CMS provides the scalability, flexibility, and advanced content tools needed to create and manage dynamic digital experiences.
 

Key highlights of the solution included:
 

Streamlined User Experience: The new design emphasizes clarity, performance, and conversion through a modern, responsive interface optimized for mobile and desktop. Simplified navigation and faster load times ensure that homebuyers can effortlessly explore communities, floor plans, and promotions.

Search-Centric Experience: At the heart of the new platform is Sitecore Search, enabling an intuitive, aggregator-like experience comparable to Zillow and Redfin. Buyers can easily filter by location, price, amenities, and availability, making property discovery seamless and engaging.

Integrated Digital Ecosystem: Integrations with Google Maps, Matterport, Lead Fusion calculators, and Salesforce CRM ensure data consistency and a connected buyer journey from discovery to sales. The integrations also provide real-time insights to sales and marketing teams, informing and improving interactions with prospects.

Robust Promotions Engine: Powered by Sitecore Content Hub Promotions, marketing teams can manage and localize campaigns across national, metro, and community levels. This flexibility enables tailored promotions that resonate with buyers in specific markets.

Enhanced Lead Generation & Conversion: Through Sitecore Forms and dynamic landing pages integrated with Salesforce, the site captures lead more efficiently and supports end-to-end funnel visibility. Automated workflows ensure timely follow-ups and improved lead nurturings.

B2B Enablement and QMI Focus: Realtor engagement easier than ever with dedicated agent tools and access to listings, which emphasize Quick Move-In (QMI) home discovery and drive near-term sales opportunities.

Content at Scale and Future-Ready Stack: Leveraging Sitecore Content Hub and XM Cloud on Microsoft Azure with deployment on Vercel and a Next.js front end, the site enables rapid content authoring, cross-division collaboration, and scalability for future innovation. 

Conclusion
 

The new website has been a major step forward for Meritage Homes. With the use of Sitecore XMC, Salesforce, and Sitecore Search, Meritage has a powerful platform that not only meets their current needs but is also set to evolve with their future goals.

Immediate benefits include: 

Enhanced Experience: Faster load times, smoother navigation, and improved usability across devices.

Performance Gains: Achieved near real-time delivery of pricing and availability, resulting in measurable site improvements:

Higher Lead Conversion: Enhanced forms and Salesforce integration improved capture and tracking.

Lower Cost of Ownership: SaaS-based, composable setup reduced infrastructure and maintenance costs.

Increased QMI Leads: Boosted visibility and sell-through of Quick Move-In homes.

Accessibility Compliance: Improved inclusiveness and WCAG alignment.

Stronger Engagement: AI-driven, localized content increased user interaction.

Marketing Agility: Flexible controls empowered teams to launch and manage campaigns faster.

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