About Zeroqu

Zeroqu is a platform built for the shipping industry that makes it easy to work towards sustainability, beyond just meeting the minimum compliance requirements.

Considerations that went into creating the site

Skip the problem-solution pitch

One insight that the founders and leadership team at Zeroqu shared with us was that the maritime market is full of pitches framed around a problem and a solution. This framing works because it quickly establishes relatability.

But what do you do when everyone else is doing the same thing? You look for alternatives that help you stand out.

An alternative way to connect with the reader is to state a point of view. That’s why we used the phrase “Green is Good” on the site. The Zeroqu team already had this line when we started working together, and we decided to retain it. This opening line also helped set a positive tone for the overall pitch, which is unusual in the maritime world and therefore tends to stand out to the target audience.

Leverage framing techniques

Goal framing

Goal framing is when you use language like “Kickstart & accelerate your journey to green” or “Smoothly accelerate your sustainability journey while hitting all your business goals”. These phrases signal positive progression towards a goal and deliberately avoid reminding readers of their struggles.

Emphasis framing

Using phrases like “joyful to use” frames the experience of emissions compliance and performance management as something positive rather than burdensome.

Make strategic visual design choices

For the hero section, we definitely wanted to avoid showing ships because every website in the sector does so. We were asked to just go with a green leaf. But then we thought it might be nice to have at least some visual clue about the sector. And everyone agreed with that - and that’s how the subtle hint of the ocean came along. The video effect also added some vibrancy and life to the hero section.

Structure information for readability

An important aspect of the landing page was to treat it like the ‘front door’: a page that guides visitors to specific interior pages without presenting everything upfront. That’s why we kept just enough information about the product and solution on it. Readers who want to explore more can easily navigate to the relevant sections on the product page.

The copy about features and solutions was also written to focus on what the reader can do (‘you can do XXX’) rather than just what Zeroqu does (‘we do XXX’). Every feature has a benefit, and each benefit ultimately ties to a fundamental value. Writing this way makes the copy more readable for the target audience.

Pick concrete and abstract phrases wisely

Research has shown that abstract language does a better job when we want to signal potential or leadership. When our aim is to provide clarity, specificity or a better understanding of features and benefits, more concrete language helps.

For example, “Green is Good” uses the abstract concept of “green” to represent environmental sustainability, evoking potential and leadership.

Similarly, words like “modern” (platform) and “advanced” (emissions management and performance optimization) better convey innovation and leadership in the field.

When it came to features, we used concrete descriptions. For example, naming the specific compliance requirements here, “CII emission compliance, Smart EU ETS, Fuel EU maritime compliance”, enhances understanding and relevance, which is the purpose of detailing these features.

Final business outcome

The Zeroqu team has been promoting the product to its target audience through its network, and its well-designed website has been key to ensuring that its pitch is not lost.