Are you planning to redesign your website for your design business? There are a few must-haves that every designer needs to have on their interior design website. In this article, we discover the 5 must-haves that every interior designer, architect, stylist, or any other premium service provider needs to have on their sites.

Why website in the first place

While most businesses in today’s day and age understand the value and importance of having a website that represents the business, many still have sites from the… ahem… beginning of the century. Of course, today there are really no excuses for not having a well-functioning and representative website, even if it just contains a few pages.

So, what are the must-haves on an interior design website?

The first thing you need to understand is that the visitors who come to your website might be completely new to your brand and business, so your business needs to give them the best possible first impression – and it needs to be created in a second.

A compelling brand message

Many designers think that as long as they have images of their beautiful work, they don’t need many words. But even if your website and portfolio are worthy of the best design magazines in the world, you still need to make it clear who you are, who you serve, and what you do – just like any other business.

A location

You cannot expect the visitors to want to play guessing games trying to figure out where in the world you are located and serve your clients. Even if you have a global design business, you still need to tell the visitors exactly that. But most designers don’t operate globally – hence it’s critical that you clearly state where you are based, and what areas you serve.

This doesn’t only help you bring clarity to your clients, but Google loves your site for the clarity too and rewards you with lots of clicks from the search engines.

Pictures of you and the team

Your website needs to have pictures of you and your team! Anyone seriously looking to hire a designer and – particularly – invite them to their homes – needs to know the people behind the business. Add a picture of you and your team members to your site.

Your process

Again, your pictures might tell a great story from the publicity point of view, and of course, are a critical part of your marketing and branding, but if you want to attract high-end clients, you need to describe your process o. your website.

This will make you look like the professional you are, making your clients respect you, and understand that you are serious, and you run a real business. Also, your clients need to understand how you work to be able to decide whether it’s the right fit for them.

Bonus: you also want to describe your different packages and pricing, if not the exact prices, at least the ballpark, on your interior design website.

A simple method for getting started

You might think that people usually will figure out how to get in touch with you and hire you, but if you don’t provide a simple process to buy from you, you’re adding unnecessary friction to the buying process.

Your clients have most likely never hired a designer before, so they don’t know what to expect, and how it works. But since you are a seasoned pro, you can guide them through any obstacles and uncertainties along the way. Make doing business with you easy and enjoyable.

A few additional things you need to have on your interior design website

• You want leads, right? Make sure you have a compelling free offer on our site, and that it’s easy to find, and easy to receive
• See that copyright text in the footer (at the bottom of the site)? Does it say 2017? It doesn’t exactly give a “We’re detail-oriented professionals” kind of vibe, or? If it says anything but the current year, change it. Just do it, today 🙂
• About page – obviously. But, it’s about what you can do for them, not a long-winded story about you and your passion
• Portfolio of the types of work you want more of
• Blog – you need to create articles that help your clients understand your method and positioning, and help search engines to send you more prospective clients
• List of your authority builders such as media mentions

There you go, the 5 must-haves to have on your interior design website (and a few more extra tips).