Interior Design Websites: 12 Reasons to Update

You started your interior design business and one of the first things you did was set about building your website. Maybe you were on a budget and wrote it yourself without a considered plan, UX design, or clear brand voice.  Strategic keywords and SEO did not factor in the copy and sales generation was a subconscious nod rather than an exact science.  Nevertheless, you’re satisfied with the result. It could read better, but it does the job right?  That all depends on your expectations from your website. 

Your interior design website should be so much more than your home address.

A well-constructed and updated website should act as a lean, mean sales machine, continuously driving traffic and generating sales.  It’s not just there to look pretty.

And if it’s not organically creating sales, perhaps it’s time to review and refresh?

Since writing your website, you may have established a clearer direction. Perhaps you are targeting niche clients with specific pain points, budget and location. Or maybe you’ve introduced new offers, developed a new online course or expanded your product base. You may have accumulated case studies, testimonials and accreditations. Over time you’ve rethought your strategy, pricing structure and services. Much like a house renovation, your website is a work in progress. It should never remain static. Neglecting your website is like ignoring your shop window. You wouldn’t keep it the same over time. It evolves with the seasons, changes with new offers and works hard to encourage visitors to step inside and discover more. It’s your reputation at stake but more importantly, your sales.

Establish and revisit your brand voice and tone

Sometimes it takes time to grow into your brand voice, find your feet and figure out where you want your business to sit.  Now your business is becoming more established, it’s easier to determine the right tone for your brand. If you’re offering luxurious, high-end products and services, naturally your voice will align with a professional, premium and elevated tone.  For services that target the more affordable end of the market, adopting a friendly, welcoming and down-to-earth approach will encourage the right demographic. Creative brands can risk a more bohemian approach, exploring playful, fun and less serious tones that fit with their ideal customers. All fairly obvious.

As well as aligning with your clients, your brand tone should ideally reflect your personality, since authenticity sells. This especially applies to solopreneurs, freelancers and small businesses.

So don’t be afraid to show who you are and what you stand for. If your brand is high-end, it doesn’t mean you can’t use plain language that is clear and concise. Get the balance right and speak from the heart, in a way that feels natural to you. Once you lean into your true self, those ‘right fit’ customers that will make your life easier, should naturally find their way to you.

Inject Authenticity

People like real people so your web copy should reflect your true self.  Alongside photos add a bio to your website. Show us who you are as an interior designer and highlight your aspirations, values and passions. Offer us a glimpse of what you’re like as a person. What made you go into interiors and what experiences shaped your style?  What makes you come alive in a way that’s infectious to others?

The more you become established, the more you have to share. Capture your journey in words. ‘Business' blogs that spotlight your brand are perfect for connection. Let the audience in and show us your world. Don’t be afraid to anecdote mundane everyday tasks. It makes you and your interior design business relatable. Written case studies or case study blogs are a great way to do this. Why not journal a project with weekly updates? Inviting your audience to share your day-to-day builds familiarity and trust. As your team expands, don’t forget to introduce them too. Add ‘Meet the Team’ bios highlighting individual strengths and personalities that connect with your audience and help them understand what they bring to the team. 

Clients buy from people they know and trust. So let them get to know you. 

Streamline UX Design

What is User Experience (UX) Design? To enhance the user experience, the flow of copy and relevant links should be designed to make it easy for customers to navigate.

Every page and link should be clear so their path through the website is smooth. Each word should inch them further along the decision-making process.

How often have you entered a website only to be taken to some dead-end link? You’re unclear where to go next, return to where to go next, return to where you started and end up frustrated. You’ve lost momentum, the process was far from smooth and you’ve given up. There’s only one way you’re heading. It’s back to the search engine to explore alternative competitors.  

As your website expands, your user journey becomes more complex, so test it out. Ensure the flow makes sense and it hasn’t become a complex maze. Instructional content coupled with clear links should make transitions seamless. Try entering your website as a customer with a single sales enquiry in mind. Travel in the direction that would be natural to that search and see if you’re satisfied with where it takes you both physically on the page and psychologically in your journey towards a purchase or appointment. Has the copy convinced you you’re on the right site? Do you feel the designer can competently complete the project? Do you understand how they work? Now your website is established, you should have collated some valuable metrics from Google Analytics. You can track which pages are most frequently visited, how long they stay and at what point they enter and exit the website.  Research the results and leverage them to your advantage.   

Utilise Experience to Generate Sales  

Your copy should steer the visitor toward a sale. Does that mean it needs to sound sales-y? No. You are simply guiding the customer. By identifying and addressing their pain points, solving their dilemmas and alleviating any concerns, you are helping them understand the advantages of working with you, what they can expect and what you offer. The higher the price tag, the bigger the risk which means you need to work harder to convince the client to choose you. Building trust is essential.

Good copy should remove all barriers until you reach a point where the potential buyer can see no reason not to proceed and a million reasons why they should.

This subtle approach involves carefully curated copy. Now that you’ve worked with clients, listened to their questions, addressed their concerns and solved their problems, utilise this information to your advantage.

Include a Call to Action

Did you include a call to action? Did you make it clear?  You’ve worked hard to bring the client to the brink of purchase. To clinch the deal, you need one more direct push. This comes in the form of a clear, persuasive call to action. You might think the interior design industry is above these cheesy sales tactics, but that depends on how you frame it. If executed correctly, it is not overtly cringe. Your client may not even be aware of it. They’ve come this far in the decision-making process. They’re interested in hiring you or enquiring about your services. They need one clear instruction on what to do next and a final push to do it now. Present them with your contact link, tell them what to do and make it easy.

Chop Your Copy

There’s a reason that copywriters don’t charge by the word.

When it comes to website copy, less really is more.

That doesn’t mean copy need to be scarce. It does mean however that ruthless editing is key. Are you repeating yourself? Not just in the sentences that sit closely together but those you write on other pages. Revisit your whole website when adding new content to ensure no overlap. Can you say the same with two words that you could say with five, without confusion or loss of tone? If you’re using a grammar tool such as Grammarly beware that it isn’t always right. Sometimes it doesn’t recognise context so, question when you should ignore it. Are you choosing extravagant words when clear simple ones perform better? There’s a fine balance between elevated tone and simple clarity. Have you included excess words such as really, very and actually when they contribute absolutely nothing? Note sometimes they do add something. It is useful to recognise when they can actually help and are a really useful addition and when they are not. Edit, edit and re-edit. You’ll know when you’ve gone too far as your copy won’t flow well. It’s easy to add it back. As your business grows, you’ll have more to share. Use the opportunity to reflect on existing copy before expanding on content. Select what should stay and what should go and keep the flow and brand voice consistent overall. Remember your copy represents your business image. It pays to get it right.

Leverage SEO Keywords

In your haste to publish your interior design website, you may not have taken the time to research volume versus keyword ranking or explore lucrative long-tail keyword opportunities. You may have skipped past the SEO altogether omitting to identify the keywords your business is targeting. Fast forward to now and you have a much clearer idea. You understand your customers better. You are aware of your competitors. This makes it easier to do the research. Remember also that keywords change in line with trends and competitors so it’s always wise to revisit them and adapt with the algorithm. If you're competing in an oversaturated market, consider, drumming down on some under-utilised keyword options that still have significant search volume but are easier to rank for, or a specific USP angle or niche that’s less competitive. Get strategic. Take this opportunity to revisit your blogs to target identified keywords that drive traffic to your website. Make them work harder.  Rewrite your existing content for greater optimisation.

Consolidate Evolving Design Style

Maybe it took time for your signature style to evolve. Your experience, trade connections and personal taste helped shape your design aesthetic. It’s time to establish a presence and build brand recognition based on your distinctive trademark. Target relevant keywords, hone in on your USP and add words to your images. Check out competitors with similar design styles. Notice the keywords they employ and leverage their power in search engines by including them in website copy and blog content. Conduct your search in incognito mode and get undercover to avoid influencing the algorithm.

Update Offers, Products and Services

So now you’re more experienced, you may want to introduce a new pricing strategy. Maybe you’ve undergone further training to deliver a new design service. Or perhaps you’ve branched out and you’re selling more products. As your business grows so too should your website. Update these changes as soon as they are operational to maximise full sales potential.   

Showcase Your Successes

You’ve accumulated testimonials, client case studies and accreditations. Maximise their marketing potential. Always add words to your before and after pictures to engage your audience and evidence problem-solving skills. Readers want to understand the process and feel a human connection. Squeeze the juice out of keyword opportunities for website ranking by turning your case studies into blogs. The SEO potential they offer, in the form of frequently searched questions, is HUGE. Take full advantage. Harness the power of social proof by adding them to your website as you expand your portfolio and spotlight any awards and accreditations.

Blogs

No website is complete without mentioning blogs. They are an essential part of your SEO strategy and the number one tool for driving traffic to your website, outranking social media content and paid ads. But they take so much time to write. It’s tempting to omit them. As a freelancer who is flying solo, I get it. They are often the first on the list to get sidelined in favour of client work, social media and Facebook advertising.

In the words of Bill Gates, ‘Content is King’. This still rings true today. If you want your website to rank well, you need to focus on good quality SEO content.

60% of marketers say that inbound marketing (SEO content, etc) is their best source of high-quality leads. It’s not just churning out content for content’s sake. I’m talking original, properly researched keyword content that adds value, with relevant high-performing backlinks, strategic to your business. With so many avenues to explore, it’s easy to forget the basics. Content is key. Ignore it at your peril.

We’ve explored many ways your interior design website should evolve as your business grows. It’s often the first place a visitor will search to check out your services so it must reflect well. If your website has remained dormant for many months, it’s probably time for an update. Nurture it regularly to make it work hard for you.