Branding and web design are such a huge part of crafting a strong business presence. Interior Designers are built on visual identity after all. Your project images are your calling card and one of the best ways to maximize your brand visibility. So if your website isn’t up to date, both on the front and back end, that means your images aren’t being showcased in the best way possible.
While there are several quick ways you can update your site, there is definitely a sweet spot to how often you should be redesigning. With years of experience crafting custom websites and our bespoke templates for Interior Designers, we’ve honed that timing to two years. That means every two years you should be assessing your website and redesigning based on these key factors below:
Photography by Madeline Harper
SEO Updates
SEO or search engine optimization plays a large roll in how your site ranks in Google searches. To maximize your brand’s visibility, it’s important to keep SEO up to date throughout your website and blog. Here are some of the key areas to implement to make sure your site is reaching its full SEO potential.
Update Keywords – Keywords are crucial to your site’s SEO and a great way for potential customers to find you. Not sure what your keywords should be? Just think backwards. What would someone Google to hire you or shop your products? For us – you’d probably Google “Austin Web Designer” or “Web Designer for Female Entrepreneurs”. Hint: Don’t waste a keyword on your business name. That will appear enough in your site for Google to pull it.
Update Broken Links – It is super beneficial to link to other websites with related content to your posts but sometimes links change. Nothing is a bigger bummer as a user (or as Google) when you click on a link that doesn’t go anywhere. Make sure all links are in working order sitewide.
Cross-Reference Blog Posts – As you continue to create new posts + content, it is a great practice to go back and cross-reference these in older posts. The more times you can encourage a visitor to click within your website, the better!
Aesthetic Changes
Tastes change, brands evolve and chances are your aesthetic will too. Every few years, it’s a great idea to take stock and make aesthetic changes to color palettes, logo edits, and even font styles. Your website is the foundation of your marketing strategy so creating a site that truly reflects your brand is essential to a strong visual identity. Here is a quick check-list of what to consider:
Color Palette – Screen colors change as technology changes and it’s important that’s taken into consideration when updating your website color palette. What looks great printed will likely look very different online. We always opt for a softer white background on our websites than the standard #FFFFFF pure white, as it’s easier on the eyes and a more natural light.
Logo Strength – Logo suites need to be updated regularly too. Just like in interior design, trends change in graphic design as well. There are different places and ways to utilize your logo suite and they should be updated overtime to keep fresh and relevant.
Font Style – We always try to select timeless, seasonless fonts for our custom web design clients, but not everyone does! Fonts like handwritten scripts are particularly telling of age. Over time, things like font size, kerning and tracking (the space between letters) should be adjusted and updated.
Visual Layout – Page content has changed drastically over the years. It’s now less and less important to have 5 individual pages on a website, and some sites are even opting to keep all content on a single landing page. Do your photos need to be larger? Is there enough negative space to guide a viewers eye through the site?
Photography – One of the most common mistakes people make is not updating their website photography. In addition to an updated portfolio, home page, about pages and service or process pages should always reflect your newest, latest work that you are most proud of.
Portfolio Updates
Not only does photography play a large role in the look of your website but also in your branded portfolio. Do you want to focus on a signature style? Making portfolio updates to emphasize certain projects is a great way to guide your readers to your signature design style. Clear out older projects that may feel dated and make room for the latest reveals. Video content is another great way to build out a robust portfolio and in turn a strong website.
Remember, your portfolio is your calling card to potential clients. It should be clean, minimal, easy to navigate and should let the gorgeous images take center stage.
Refreshed Copy + Process Changes
Have you had any process changes that need to be reflected in your website copy? Or maybe you are wanting to overhaul your copy and really create an impactful guide to your process as well as tell your brand story. This is the area that really makes your website feel authentic to you and your business. Great copy and a clear and thorough design process can attract the right clients. Here are some of our guides to writing great content and curating a quality digital presence: How to Write the Perfect About Page, What to Include in Your Interior Design Inquiry Form.
A website redesign doesn’t necessarily mean you have to overhaul your whole site but more so update elements that aren’t running efficiently or no longer fit your brand aesthetic. Whether you’re looking for a website refresh, or need to make a website for the first time – we can help! Want to learn more about our design process? Click here! And for our limited release website templates, click here. You can test our available templates and shop your favorite style, including add-ons like custom copywriting and full website implementation.
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