WEB DESIGN
specializing in
Creative
Web design for architects, builders and designers requires finesse.
Match the quality of your website with the quality of your work
Does your website speak to the clients you want or the clients that you’ve had? We design websites that showcase your best work and are optimized for mobile and Google. Search engine optimization (SEO) done correctly is an investment that you make once and continue to reap the rewards as google ranks you according to your expertise and authority. Here are a handful of things we integrate into every website we design.
1. Less is more.
2. The currency of the internet is using the right keywords.
Clever copyrighting is essential.
3. Calls to action should be obvious.
4. Your website is not about you, it’s about your ideal clients.
What are their hopes and fears?
Dwelling Creative Clients
White Sands Design/Build
Luxury Home Builder and Interior Design : Manhattan Beach, California
Living Designs Group Architects
Architecture & Planning Firm : Crested Butte, Colorado & Taos, New Mexico
Bluestone Construction
Heirloom Home builder : Asheville, North Carolina
Ledyard Homes
Custom Home Builder : Park City, Utah
Liz Pulver Design
Landscape Architect : Brooklyn, New York
Alan Powell Design
Custom Homes & Furniture : Arroyo Seco, New Mexico
Chad Manley Design
Contemporary Furniture : Talpa, New Mexico
Janet Fulton
Fabric Artist : Denver, Colorado
Mammoth Mill & Construction
Custom Built Timber Homes : Angel Fire, New Mexico
Elise Lind, Fine Artist
Abstract & Contemporary Artist : Grand Junction, Colorado
Chad Manley Art
Modern Sculpture : Talpa, New Mexico
Jane Starks, Fine Artist
Landscape Artist : Taos, New Mexico
Why designing a website for architects, designers, and builders is different.
You wouldn’t hire a general practitioner to give you surgery. Why would you hire a web designer who does every kind of website under the sun when you can hire a web designer who has worked in your field and specializes in your niche?
Less is more (clean, fast, responsive web design):
Most web designers want a website to be fancy, but because the work you do is already highly designed there is no reason to make a website overly complicated. This sounds easy, but like the clean design of a home, this can be harder than you think. We let your work shine and keep the structure simple. If there are any designed elements, they should be in line with the kind of work you do. For example if your work is modern, you may want to use a sans-serif font. If your work is historical, you might consider something classic like Times New Roman.
Keywords (copyrighting for SEO and your ideal client):
Architects in particular like to keep a website sparse; to let the images speak for the work. Unfortunately google can’t read photos like they can read a paragraph. Every project should have a description including materials, location, square footage and more. This should be written for your ideal clients, but with google in mind. Using clever language that your clients would not think to search with will not get you the organic traffic you deserve. You need clever, succinct, keyword rich copywriting. Organic traffic is best accomplished with education in blog writing. To find out more about the best blog writing practices for architects, builders and designers click here.
Calls To Action (convert web traffic into ideal clients):
All of the marketing we do at Dwelling Creative is meant to Inspire and Educate, but at the end of the day, you want that content to result in amazing new projects. If you don’t lead your ideal client with the proper steps to make that decision you can often lose their interest. There should be Calls To Action (CTA) peppered throughout your site to connect with you or to book a consultation or to download a beach house journal in exchange for an email address. When I mention this to designers they sometimes cringe because it feels to salesy. Consumer data reveals that your clients want to be guided through your process.
You are the guide (establish yourself as the authority):
Lastly, remember that you are the guide, your ideal client is the hero. Your homepage should speak to their hopes and dreams and assuage their fears. Your website is not really about you, it is about guiding prospective clients to their next life transformation. How is your service going to improve their life? Can they trust you to interpret a vision they are not totally clear about? Will you want to get a cup of coffee after the project is over?
There are a lot of things to consider when putting together a new website, that’s why we like to start with a marketing masterplan to research your market, talk about your vision, values and life goals. You can get more information about our masterplanning process here.
If you have any questions about a new website, or a website renovation we’d be happy to help.
Testimonials
Melissa Lind is a great supporter and cheerleader of my products and business as well—sharing ideas and new things she’s learned, which she thinks will help me. It’s been a pleasure to have her by my side as my web designer through this new venture. Thank you!“
I struggled with putting all the marketing pieces together and Melissa dove right in to understand my clients, thinking outside of the box with the ideas about partnering with local galleries and restaurants. Big agencies were too expensive, impersonal or inexperienced; I would not have gotten the same creativity working with anyone else. I am comfortable telling Melissa information about my business; like when I didn’t get a job, she wanted to know why I didn’t get the job and if there were things I could do better to get it the next time. She brings continuity to our marketing with high energy and indelible creativity.
Dwelling Creative is an essential part of my team.”
Melissa is a rockstar.
Talented, creative, client-focused, versatile, timely, communicative and a pure joy to work with. She makes every project feel unique and special, from the first meeting to the final deliverable.”
“Access to talented and creative people is to modern business what access to coal and iron ore was to steel-making.”
– Rise of the Creative Class, Richard Florida
Elevate your creative genius
We pre-qualify your clients by educating them about your process.
Schedule a Free 60 minute consultation.
We design a curated portfolio that speaks to your ideal clients.
Schedule a Free Marketing Analysis.
