Architect Marketing 101

Welcome to Internet Marketing for Interior Designers

This page has been designed for Interior Designers to learn about the fundamentals of website development and Internet marketing. From the basics of setting up a website to more advanced topics like search engine optimization (SEO for Interior Designers) and Google Ads for Interior Designers, you can find it all here. ZDigital specializes in website design and Internet marketing for Interior Designers, and we strive to be your partner and resource now and in the future. Let us know if you have any questions or need any assistance - we would love to help you!

Get Found by New Clients!

In addition to giving referrals confidence and enthusiasm to contact (and ultimately) hire you, your website can also be a tool to have new clients find you. Thousands of clients use the Internet every week to find Interior Designers, are you getting your fair share of the business?

Step 1: 

Establish a website so referrals can easily find you. 

Step 2: 

Generate Traffic To your site to attract new clients.

There are numerous strategies to attract leads online, and they vary in cost and effectiveness. For example, the most basic step is optimizing your Google My Business Page, which will bring your website more visitors. If you want to be more aggressive, you can run targeted ads on Google that only when people search for Interior Designers in your area.

How A Website Brings You Clients:

A Tool To Move Prospects Towards Becoming Paying Clients

Most Architects rely on referral and word of mouth business, and the first way your website will generate revenue for you is by serving as a reference point for your prospective clients. Prospective clients can learn about you, your style and see your best work as featured in your website. When you’re recommended to a prospective client, the majority of those potential new clients will look you up on Google. When they do a search for you, (called name search), your website should definitely appear high on the Google search results page, and preferably in the first position. 

Be Found And Look Good

You have to be easy to find online, and you want your clients to find your website directly, not your Yelp page or Houzz profile page. In addition to having  a portfolio showcasing your favorite projects with high quality photos or videos, your website should be personalized so your clients can get a feel for who you are so they develop confidence to move forward and contact you. (As we say, you have to be found, then you have to look good). 

Effective Architect Websites Function As Sales Aids 

If your potential clients can't find you on Google, they’ll easily find all of your competitors there. Once they find you, they can see your work, learn about your approach and easily contact you by filling out the “Get A Quote” form on your website. Simply put, a website functions as a sales aid to help convert people from prospects to paying clients. 

Google My Business Listing

In addition to a website, Architects should have an optimized Google My Business Listing. Your Google listing takes up about half of the screen on a laptop or desktop computer and features your work as well as providing all of your contact information, and client reviews. On a phone, your Google My Business Listing takes over the entire mobile screen. An optimized Google My Business Listing will showcase your projects and your services. Once your Google listing is set up, your firm can now appear in Google Maps when people search for Architects in your area.

Architect Category Search

When people are looking for an Architect, they take to Google for research. Establishing an effective online presence gives your business a chance to be found by prospects that are using the Internet to search for Architects. Every day, people type “architects near me” or “Top architects in _____” (Category search) and your website can appear in the Google search results for these searches.

Architect SEO / Search Engine Optimization

There’s a lot we can do to increase the likelihood that your site will appear in search engine results and optimizing a website for SEO (search engine optimization) takes time and expertise. This is not easy nor is it guaranteed - this is a very competitive arena. To put it simply, basic SEO includes working on the content on your website as well as the metadata (What Google finds) that's built into the website code. With ZDigital, we have several different SEO options depending on how aggressive you want to be. Imagine how busy you would be if your website appeared at the top of Google search for Architects in your area!

Google Ads For Architects 

Google Ads are an advanced level of online marketing for architects. With Google Ads, your ad can appear at the top of specific Google search results. This creates a highly targeted audience - we put your ad right in front of people that are searching for Architects. Google Ads operate on a pay-per-click basis, so you only pay when someone clicks on your ad. If you’re looking for new clients, Google Ads can bring you qualified leads very quickly. Your ad can literally be in the number #1 position in Google in a matter of hours! And you control the budget and you can turn your ads on and off like a faucet.

Can I Build My Own Architect Website?

Simply put. If you’re tech savvy - then yes you can, but we don't recommend it. To put it simply: Given the value of what one client is worth to you, we recommend leaving your Architect website development to a professional.  

With some of today’s website builders, a DIY option may be tempting. Some Architects try to save money by doing it themselves (or delegating it to an employee or family member), and when this happens,  many of the keys to a successful web presence are often overlooked. (Like SEO basics, for example). There’s much more to professional Architect website design than anyone other than a professional web developer knows.

Attention needs to be paid to a website’s load time, the site’s navigation and overall layout, a second version needs to be optimized for mobile devices (mobile friendly or responsiveness), the correct size of photos to use, and most important the SEO elements. We’ve seen hundreds of Architect websites that “look good,” but they had numerous problems like broken links, slow load times, and the biggest problem is they don't show up in Google search. Oftentimes, this is  because whoever built it only knew to think of the “looks” and not the “performance.”  Optimizing a website for SEO is technical and is very important to success online. 

Sure, you could spend hours learning how to use a website builder and possibly put together a good looking website, but not only are you using your valuable time, it’s likely to have many shortcomings that will come back to haunt you in the future.

Responsive Website Design For Architects

Responsive design, (also called mobile friendly), simply means that a website will display correctly on all devices, by adjusting its size to display properly on a phone, a large computer screen or an iPad. Responsive design is crucial today because the vast majority of Internet use is from phones. If your website doesn't display properly on a smartphone, users will become frustrated and leave. Additionally, Google penalizes websites that aren't mobile friendly in Google search results.

Your Architect Website Should Differentiate You And Connect With Your Prospect

Architects' websites play a huge role in connecting with prospects. In addition to presenting your best work, presenting your style, philosophy, and the uniqueness of your approach can create differentiation and help connect you with your future clients. 

Let’s Set Up A Call To Discuss Your Website!

Architect Internet Marketing 101
Website FAQS 

How Should I Select A Company To Design My Website?

Get a feel for the company's level of customer service and satisfaction by reading their reviews on Google. Ask them how many websites they have built - If it's under 100, they may lack the needed experience. Ask about how they will support you in a year or two when you want to make changes to your site. Be cautious with freelancers as they are known to not be available later for support. Ask about additional online marketing services that you can grow into in the future. Do they have an office? Are they an established company with customer service and support? How many Architects do they work with? 

Why Does An Architect  Need A Website?

The main reason is to increase sales, and there are two ways an Architect website will help you do this - the first is to convert potential clients (Give your referrals confidence to become clients) and the second is to attract new clients by being found in Google and other search engines. 

What Is The ROI On An Architect Website? 

Return on an Architect website investment is really straightforward - it’s simple math. Consider what a new customer is worth. Then determine how many new clients your Internet presence needs to bring you in a year to pay for itself. 

Do I Need To Be Tech Savvy To Have An Architect Website? 

Nope! Your Account Manager will speak to you in easy to understand, everyday language and answer any and all the questions you may have about Architect websites and Internet Marketing. If you have questions, your Account Manager is your go-to Internet partner that is available to you for support and advice on an ongoing basis. 

How Long Does It Take To Build An Architect Website? 

Development time depends on the size and overall complexity of your site. Once we have all of your content, (photos, logo, text), under normal circumstances, ZDigital will have your website built within 3 to 4 weeks. 

How Much Does An Architect Website Cost? 

It depends on many variables including complexity, functionality and other factors. We always provide clear specs and quotes, but as a general guideline, a range of one to two hundred dollars a page for initial design and development is an estimate for most Architect Websites. 

What Is Website Hosting And Support? 

Hosting and support fees cover the hardware, software, backups, security, etc. Everything that gets and keeps your website online 24/7.  ZDigital also includes unlimited ongoing support and service, including revisions and  future edits and changes to your website.

I Already Have A Website, Do You Redesign Existing Websites?

Of course! We do Architect website redesigns all the time. Having a site is a great start because it means you have a starting point for content. ZDigital will bring your site to current standards for mobile design, functionality, search engine optimization, and performance.

Have a free strategy call with a specialist: (760) 983 2844

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ZDigital is an Architect website company offering quality, mobile-friendly websites.. We specialize in professional website design services for Architects. We’ll design and develop a modern and custom Architect website for you.