{"id":33770,"date":"2023-06-13T15:00:08","date_gmt":"2023-06-13T13:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.architect-us.com\/blog\/?p=33770"},"modified":"2023-06-11T08:50:05","modified_gmt":"2023-06-11T06:50:05","slug":"5-tips-for-architects-designing-their-own-websites","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.architect-us.com\/blog\/2023\/06\/5-tips-for-architects-designing-their-own-websites\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Tips For Architects Designing Their Own Websites"},"content":{"rendered":"
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1. Design for Mobile First<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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We’re no longer living in the desktop and laptop era. Mobile browsing has surpassed desktop browsing. In fact, Google now uses mobile-optimized design<\/strong>\u00a0as a key search engine ranking factor.<\/p>\n

It’s easier for a browser to scale a small website to a desktop than vice versa. A site viewed on a smartphone or tablet might look squished or require some strange stretching to be viewed correctly.<\/p>\n

This makes for a poor user experience<\/strong> and can result in a higher bounce rate<\/strong>. Think of your users and design for the most commonly used devices.<\/p>\n

You also need to ensure your site looks great on different devices. Just because it looks good on an iPhone doesn’t mean it’ll look good on a Galaxy or an iPad. You can test your website<\/strong> by using online tools that can emulate the view on different devices.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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2. Prioritize Speed<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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Modern <\/span>website design must be optimized to load quickly. While you might want large, high-quality images to show off your portfolio of projects, big images take time to load, and that means lost visitors.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Rather than uploading 10 MB files all throughout your site, first take time to resize and fit images to the widest possible dimension of your text body. Resizing your photos is the easiest way to ensure higher website speed.<\/span><\/p>\n

We recommend keeping files to 1500 pixels or less on the longest edge. We also recommend having image file sizes at 200 KB or less. One of our favorite apps to use for reducing image size is <\/span>Squash. Once downloaded, all you have to do is drag and drop your images into the app and it will automatically compress them. Super fast and easy!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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3. Content is most important<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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Your website should be a showcase of your expertise and skills as an architect. However, and contrary to popular belief, your project portfolio<\/strong>\u00a0is not the best way to communicate that expertise.<\/p>\n

Your portfolio certainly answers the question of whether or not you can design great projects, but for most clients, your aesthetic is just one part of why they will hire you. They have more pressing questions, like ‘how do you work,’ ‘what’s the timeframe,’ ‘what’s the cost,’ and many other basic questions. The more you are able to answer the concerns of your target audience<\/strong> the more time they will spend on your site, and the more likely they are to contact you.<\/p>\n

Content can take many forms, there are blog articles, FAQs, podcasts, videos, infographics, slide shares, and many other ways to communicate your expertise. Find a format that works well for you, and try to add new content to your website on a regular basis.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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4. Design<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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Just like a building’s design has to create a sense of harmony and consistency, your <\/span>website design architecture <\/span>must follow suit. However, architects often struggle with the <\/span>website design process, because they try to translate their three-dimensional architectural style into a two-dimensional world. This rarely has the intended effect and usually results in confusing visitors.<\/span><\/p>\n

Your website’s design should be a reflection of your brand, not a reimagining of your body of work. Let your work stand out on it’s own, captured in high-quality professional photography.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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5. Clear Message<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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When someone visits your website, it\u2019s important to keep your messaging clear and concise. <\/span>Within 10 seconds <\/span>of someone visiting your site, they should know exactly what you do and who you do it for. You want to capture people\u2019s attention, then draw people further into your website:<\/p>\n