Mistakes Interior Designers Make On Their Websites
We’ve been astonished to see some interior designers’ approach to their portfolios. Many interior designers are using their websites as a storage facility for all of their projects, and it’s kind of painful to watch. Site visitors are only going to spend 3 minutes maximum on a website, but on average, visitors have made their mind up about a business (based on the info on the Homepage), within 8 seconds.
We’re here to list 3 big mistakes interior designers may make on their website, and what to avoid.
Here’s a quick peek at a recent launch for an incredible interior design studio, based in LA.
Recent Project
ATWATER INC STUDIO
An award winning, boutique interior design studio
1. Far too much information
When you choose to include absolutely ALL of your projects in your portfolio, this is hurting your site’s performance. There is a science behind this, where too much choice can lead to cognitive overload. It is also referred to as ‘choice paralysis’, and if your site visitors hit this overload mode it can lead to frustration and then eventually them leaving the website without taking any actions.
When you include all your projects into the portfolio, your potential leads & clients really don’t know where to focus their attention.
This can be the same with your press articles. If you have 30 articles you’ve had written about your work/studio, chances are that not many people are going to scroll to a 2009 press article, in the year 2024! So use your judgment as to the number of articles you have, and which ones are the BEST ones to showcase.
2. Treating the website like a magazine
We once had a request to design the website ‘in a magazine style’ format, emulating an article, and in an artistic style. This is fine (to an extent), but we have to remember that the science behind web design is a whooole lot different to that of a magazine article. The psychological behaviour of website visitors, is different to that of magazine readers.
This goes back to the short attention span of our site visitors, and the fact that we only have 8 seconds to give our site visitors a great first impression!
Instead of thinking of the website as a magazine, think of it like the cover to a magazine. Meaning it should entice people enough, to want to book a call with you, or book your services.
3. Crowding with unnecessary content
When it comes to your site copy, you’re writing this for your ideal client avatar (ICA) (aka, your absolute favourite type of clientele, and those looking to purchase from you). What you choose to include will be dependant on their needs and what they’re looking for, but stick to the core content and not much else.
We like to make use of bullet points and Accordion Blocks on Squarespace. This is why this is such a great platform, because they’ve got built-in features which enable you to create a clean & minimal website. Accordion, Scrolling and Summary Blocks are a good way to include whatever core copy you need to include, but without cluttering the page.
To conclude
Many customers expect interior designers to excel in web design as well. But, would you trust a chef who serves poorly prepared meals at their own restaurant? Or trust a website designer, who has a poorly constructed site?
Research indicates that web design heavily influences psychological perceptions. Modern clients demand meticulous attention to detail when creating their dream spaces. If an interior designer's website is poorly designed, it sends a message that they lack attention to detail and a passion for design.