How to level up your website and get clients: 10 essential tips for Interior Designers and Home Stagers
Outshine your competition
If you are in the home or creative industry e.g., an interior designer, home stager, property stylist or photographer you know you need a website to showcase your portfolio, attract clients and build trust.
I see a lot of DIY websites and I understand that designers and creatives like to create their own websites especially when they are new in business. Often, it’s also another creative outlet and if you use a website builder like Squarespace e.g., it’s easy to update and maintain yourself.
If website design is not your “main business”, you can’t always keep up with the latest trends or changes in website design.
In this post, I’ll give you ten tips and provide you with the information you need to level up your website to make it more effective
Ready? Let’s get started!
1) Website copy (text) is crucial: Crafting the perfect first impression
The first impression
I know you want to show off your latest designs but you still need to give website visitors context. On your home page, it’s important to start with a meaningful headline so people know instantly that they are in the “right place” – something vague like: “Beautiful interiors” or “A home you love” vs “Interior design for busy professionals in Melbourne” is much more specific and is also helpful for SEO (search engine optimization) because you automatically include your keywords (search phrases) that will help you get found when someone is looking for your service.
Write in the first person (and not “we”) if you are a one-person business and don’t have a team.
Headings and sub-headings
Google needs to understand what each page is about. Apart from a main heading you need subheadings. Ideally, you can understand what the site is about just by reading the headings. Try it on your site! There is no exact rule when it comes to the total number of words on your home page. Aim for about 300 and cover the following on your home page:
Who you are
What you do
How your visitor benefits from your service
Other pages especially blogs benefit from more text (think 1000 plus words) but always think quality over quantity.
Can people read your words?
An important side note. Make sure there is enough contrast for the text and photo so it’s readable. I like to use a text box or split image design to ensure the text is visible.
If you’d like more guidance with website copy and don’t just stare at a blank page, you can download my free website copy roadmap here.
2) Do we still use banner slides in web design?
I still see a lot of moving banner slides on interior design websites, especially home pages. If you rely on this area of your website to showcase your portfolio, you’ll be disappointed. Most website visitors will not stick around past the second photo and will quickly scroll down. Everyone is so used to scrolling down from our social media habits. If you like this feature, just use two photos. I also prefer to set the image changeover to slow (5 seconds). Be mindful of people with photosensitivity e.g. who find fast-changing or flickering photos or features difficult to handle.
3) Boost local visibility: Add your location and service areas
Yes, it's obvious, but I see many businesses that don't list their location. It's not a big deal for online businesses, but if you serve a local area, you need to state where you are and the areas you serve. This helps with local Google ranking and improves user experience. It's frustrating when you have to search a website up and down to find the business's location, only to discover they are in a different city (or even a different country). This can lead to potential clients losing interest.
4) How to curate your design portfolio to attract the right clients
Show a selection of your best work and of the type of projects you want to attract more of. If you want to focus on kitchen design in the future, show more kitchen designs in your portfolio or if you’re home stager and want to move from occupied staging to vacant, try to add your vacant staging projects. If you don’t have enough yet, try to display single rooms or write a blog post about your approach so potential clients see you as an expert in that area. You can supplement your own photos with stock images but always make it clear that it’s not your work. The only purpose is to show your design aesthetic.
One more tip: Check if your portfolio pages have a call-to-action and not just photos. Don’t leave people hanging. Always add a contact or work with us option. Make it as easy as possible for people who are impressed with your portfolio to reach out. Don’t miss this opportunity!
5) Protect yourself: Review the licensing for your website images
It makes a huge difference to your website if you use professional photography. I always recommend investing in professional photos. Plus make sure that you have the right license to use them for web and/ or social media. If you’re a home stager and you want to use the photos from a listing you staged, check with the photographer directly if you can use the pictures. Most also like to be credited but in my experience, that’s not always the case and it’s always best to ask. I sometimes add a “credit page” to the website where I list the photographers (and other professionals).
6) Speed Matters: Optimise your photos
Large photo files slow your website down. It has an even bigger impact if you are a creative with lots of pictures. Never use the original photo size from the photographer. The maximum size should be under 500KB according to Squarespace but I usually aim for less than 250KB.
Change the actual size of the photo (pixel). This will already lower the file size.
Compress photos using free online tools like tinypng.
For details on how to optimise your photos for your website, head over to this blog post.
It covers why and how to name your files, which file format to use (jpg or png?) and how to compress your photos for the web without loss of quality.
It’s a very important step for user experience, accessibility and SEO.
7) Why you should display pricing on your website
This is still such a “controversial’ topic but I feel strongly about it. Please add your prices or at least a “starting from” price range. Just put yourself in your client’s shoes. You don’t want to create an extra step- we are all busy. Unless someone is determined to work with you, they just move on to the next person. Most people are reluctant to contact a business to find out their pricing. I also don’t want to download the price guide in exchange for my email address and then be added to a newsletter!
If you’re an interior designer, project prices vary but you could add the price of your consultation including the features and benefits plus e.g., a range for a kitchen or bedroom project. For home stagers, a price guide depending on the size of the house/ number of bedrooms is beneficial. Never just list your pricing on your services page without further context e.g. add client testimonials to support how beneficial it is to work with you (what’s in it for the client?)
8) Converting website visitors into loyal clients with an email newsletter
Include a lead magnet (freebie) which could be a quiz e.g. “Find Out Your Design Style” or a pdf document e.g. “5 Tips to Style Your Bedroom for Restful Sleep” (I’m sure you can come up with something better!) The idea is for people to sign up with their email address and in exchange get the information. Always be transparent about this step!
From then on, you’ll be able to email them and stay “top of mind” even if they can’t work with you straight away. I strongly believe it’s about building a relationship and not just a way to pitch your services. Give as much value as you can and build trust.
9) Is an Instagram feed a good Idea?
I always discourage my clients from using an Instagram feed. There are several reasons:
Connecting a third-party app slows down your website
Your Insta feed might not always be “on brand”
The Insta feed occasionally disconnects.
The solution: a “fake” Insta feed: If you are keen to have this feature, I sometimes create a gallery with selected photos that look like it’s connected to Instagram. This way you can control which photos are displayed and you can still add a clickthrough URL. Although, again it’s something I discourage. We want to move website visitors from socials TO our website and don’t want to release them back to be (potentially) lost forever.
10) Display social icons in your footer, not the header
If you think about the customer journey and your website goal, you probably either want visitors to contact you to enquire about working with you OR to sign up for your email newsletter. Why would you tempt people to leave?
In my opinion, social icons should always be in the footer. At least people see them when they’ve familiarised themselves with you and your offerings before they check you out on socials.
Your website will look different on different screens. Make sure you test it on your phone, laptop and if possible desktop.
Finally, check all your pages for a call to action. Do you ask people to contact you or book a consultation? Are there enough opportunities for visitors to take the next step? It will improve your conversion rate if you do.
Looking for a Squarespace website that ticks all the boxes to help you grow your business? Click here to check out my premium interior design/home staging website template. Together we can launch your website in one week!
