Airqua’s SEO-First Content and Authentic DIY Approach Power Water-from-Air Sales
Jon Rowe founded Airqua in 2021 after hearing about flood-stricken villages lacking clean water. The Australian company sells solar-powered atmospheric water generators that turn humidity into drinking water. In this interview he shares how SEO-rich how-to guides, authentic visuals, and a solid CRM system have turned a niche tech into a repeat-purchase business.
In this edition of the Ecommerce Authority Playbooks series, we dive into how
Airqua – Water from Air grows, retains customers, and prepares for the future of search in 2025 and beyond.
The interview
1. What’s the quick origin story of your brand, and what makes your product or positioning genuinely different from other options in your niche?
Jon Rowe: Airqua – Water from Air has been around since 2021. It started after I was listening to the BBC one night and heard the horrific stories of floods wiping out towns and villages in Pakistan. Even with all of that water, kids were suffering because they could not get a clean glass of water. I went on search for a solution globally and found the inventor of Atmospheric Water Generators sitting in Woodford QLD (about an hour away). We met up and it all went from there. These water from air machines are ground breaking. Coupled with solar power, we can generate drinking water almost anywhere.
2. Since launch, what have been the 1–2 real turning points for your brand-specific decisions, pivots, or experiments that noticeably changed your growth or profitability-and what did you learn from them?
Jon Rowe: 1) We experimented with putting an entire Instruction manual online in text form with images, in addition to a PDF download. This had a massive impact on us jumping up to the top of of search engine rankings, as the increase in infomation was food for the bots. I’m also a big believer in using photos from use cases where possible, rather than studio photography. Both of these strategies add to our authenticity, particularly important with cutting edge technoloy.
2) Implementing a CRM to automate regular email outs to previous customers for them to change their filters. This adds revenue and solid profit by increasing the frequency of repeat purchase. Previously the system was to just wait until the customer contacted us for filter replacements which was very rare. This practice also keeps our brand top of mind for the existing customer and increases referrals. We are perceived to be looking after the customer right through their 10+ year journey with the product.
3. Which 2-3 channels drive most of your revenue right now (for example SEO, paid social, email, marketplaces, influencers), and what have you learned about making those channels work in your category?
Jon Rowe: SEO – we are #1 on most key words
Networking and events – getting people to see and taste the water
Email – filter repalcements
4. How are you thinking about search in 2025 – Google, AI assistants like ChatGPT, and other discovery platforms? What, if anything, have you changed in your content or site to stay visible as AI search grows?
Jon Rowe: We made a conscious decision right from the start to write content in a way that solves problems and answers questions. Rather than standing on a soap box telling the world how good we are or using AI created drivel. This approach will remain as we talk about solving other problems – such as providing water for ‘thirsty’ AI data centre cooling. Approximately 130,000L of public water is consumed by a data centre every day, depleting an already scarce resource.
5. What do you do to turn first‑time buyers into repeat customers and advocates? Are there specific experiences, content, or community touches that work especially well for you?
Jon Rowe: Keeping in contact via CRM and phone calls. Also addressing any issues with the product as soon as possible.
6. If you had to write a short playbook for an ecommerce founder one stage behind you, what would you double down on over the next 12 months – and what would you stop doing entirely?
Jon Rowe: Double down on meaningful interaction with your potential customers and current customers. Authenticity based on face to face meetings, stories, case studies, real reviews are so important. Stop creating content for the sake of creating content. Use AI sparingly, if at all. Provide as much information as you can about your products, including DIY videos where applicable. This makes you ‘real’ and the go to business.
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