Top Tips For Architect Websites Revealed (With Video)
In today’s digital age, having a well-crafted and strategic website is essential for businesses, especially for architects and interior designers. Your website acts as the book cover for your business, providing potential clients with a first impression and an enticing reason to explore more about what you offer. In this post, we delve into an insightful conversation with Smrithi Chandran and Jonathan Hughes from Chandran Hughes Architects, who share their journey and top tips on creating an impactful architect website.
If you’d prefer to watch instead, then here’s our YouTube video!
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The Website is an Enticer
Your website should be more than just a digital business card. It’s an enticer, like a magazine cover that draws people in. Potential clients should be able to explore your projects and get excited about the prospect of working with you.
Smrithi and Jonathan emphasize that their website plays a crucial role in attracting new clients who admire their completed projects.
Importance of Brand Identity
If I’m being perfectly honest, I would say that paying someone to establish your brand identity is not absolutely crucial when you’re starting out. That is a larger investment than what most startup businesses can afford. And as Smrithi explains in the video, discovering their brand identity became more essential as they grew. Whereas for the first two years, Chandran Hughes Architects focused on running their practice and bringing in leads.
Only after gaining stability, they began to ponder questions like, “Who are we as architects?” and “What do we want our practice to represent?”. It's important to have a clear brand identity that resonates with your values and showcases your unique style.
Crafting a User-Friendly Website
Here’s what I discussed with Smrithi and Jonathan, on the most crucial aspects of a successful architect website:
1. High-Quality Images: Showcase your completed work with high-quality images that reflect your architectural style. Images should portray spaces as they are lived in to give potential clients a realistic view of your work.
2. Clear Process Explanation: Many clients aren’t fully aware of what an architect does. Simplify the process on your website so it’s easily digestible. Avoid overwhelming them with too much information.
3. Personal Branding: As architects, you are your brand. Potential clients should get a sense of who you are and how you work, through your website. Personalize your content to reflect your personality and professional approach.
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Leveraging Mobile Optimization
In the modern mobile-first world, ensuring that your website is mobile-optimized is no longer optional. Smrithi noted that while initially, their analytics showed a predominance of desktop users, it later shifted to more mobile users. This emphasizes the necessity of having a responsive design that works seamlessly on all devices.
Enhancing with SEO
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is vital for the long-term growth of any business. By investing time on your site’s keywords, especially long-tail keywords, this will have a great return on the growth of your site.
I discussed this with Smrithi and Jonathon, and was thrilled to learn that they love writing blog posts! This is one of THE best ways of educating, teaching, informing and/or showcasing your audience and therefore incorporating long-tail keywords.
What are long-tail keywords? These are multi-word phrases that are a lot more specific than single keywords, and using these you’re able to hone in on your niche a lot better. So a great way of implementing these onto your website, is to create blog posts.
The Power of Client Testimonials
Client feedback and testimonials add invaluable social proof to your website. The Chandran Hughes Architects website, houses several Google reviews, and they're contemplating using video testimonials too!
Video testimonials can be particularly persuasive, providing real-life endorsements of your work, which can significantly enhance your credibility and trust with potential clients.
Telling Project Stories
Besides showcasing beautiful images, narrating the journey of each project can add depth and context to your portfolio. Sharing the challenges and solutions encountered during the project can make them more relatable and insightful for potential clients.
By showcasing the results that you gave your clients, it adds that extra bit of credibility to your work and brand. Your potential clients know what to expect from working with you.
Incorporating Interior Design Services
Smrithi and Jonathan also offer interior design services, emphasizing that collaborating with other consultants allows them to offer comprehensive end-to-end solutions. This holistic approach ensures clients receive detailed, high-quality outcomes tailored to their needs and budget.
In cases where you offer multiple services, or work within different industries, you can separate your portfolio into sections, by having a dropdown menu on your website.
Building Email Lists
Building an email list is a powerful strategy for maintaining client relationships and generating new leads. While Chandran Hughes Architects hasn’t implemented newsletters yet, they recognize the potential benefits.
Sending regular updates, project stories, and exclusive offers can keep clients engaged and foster loyalty. Your email subscribers are your loyal followers, more so than your following on social media. Why? These subscribers have exchanged their email addresses to join your community, so they’re a little more serious than the audience on your social media. Plus, you own this data, as opposed to your followers on your social media accounts.
To Conclude
Creating a compelling architect website requires a blend of high-quality visual photos & videos, clarity in communication, and a reflection of your unique brand identity. By following the insights, also shared by Smriti Chandran and Jonathan Hughes, architectural firms can enhance their online presence and effectively attract new clients.
Explore our freebies linked here, to get started on crafting a remarkable portfolio website for your business.