SEO for architects: get found by people planning a build

Why portfolio sites stay invisible

A typical practice site has a full-screen slideshow, a project grid and a short bio. To a search engine this is mostly images with no text. Nothing explains what the project was, where it stood, what the brief was, or what the client wanted. A homeowner searching "architect for a rear extension in [town]" finds nothing to match.

The fix is not to bury the beauty under text. It is to give each project a short page that sits beside the images: the brief, the constraints, the materials, the approach, the result. These details also help a prospective client picture working with you.

Search behaviour differs by client. A homeowner starts with a problem such as a cramped kitchen. A developer starts with a site or a use class. A school or charity starts with a funding round. Pages should address one of these starting points, and the studio page should say which clients you serve most.

What we build

We write the text with your team, then your designers choose the images. The parent SEO services page describes the wider method.

Images are the asset, so treat them carefully

Google Images and Pinterest send real visitors to architecture sites. To benefit, each image needs a descriptive file name, alt text that says what is shown, and a size small enough to load quickly. Large unoptimised galleries are the usual reason an architect's site scores poorly on Core Web Vitals. We convert images to modern formats, set sizes, and lazy load below the fold, as described in Google's image guidance.

Check client permission before publishing images of private homes. Some clients want the town hidden or the photos delayed. We build a field on each project page for approved details, so nothing goes live that the client has not agreed to.

Titles, registration and claims

In many places the word architect is a protected title. In the UK it is regulated by the Architects Registration Board; in the US it is regulated state by state; Australia and Ireland have registers too. Make sure staff listed as architects are registered and that your pages use titles correctly. Check with your registration body if unsure. We also avoid claims about awards or rankings that you cannot document.

Credits matter as well. Name the photographers, consultants and contractors on each project, and link to them where they agree. Mentions between professionals produce the kind of natural links that help a young studio build authority.

How the project runs

1. Review of the portfolioWe choose the projects that show the work you want more of and the ones with permission to publish.
2. StructureProject types, hubs, process and studio pages are planned on one page of paper.
3. Text and imagesWe draft captions and text; you check accuracy and add drawings or diagrams.
4. Speed and trackingImage compression, layout stability and enquiry tracking go in before launch.

We also check that the site works on a phone, because many first-time clients browse portfolios while commuting, and a gallery that stalls loses them.

Price guidance

Projects start at $1,500 and our rate is $30 an hour. A small studio with eight to ten project pages sits near the base. A site that must be rebuilt for speed or a practice with many sectors costs more. We provide a fixed quote within one working day. For general ranges see the cost of SEO, and for the link between design and search see website design.