London web design guide
By Web Design Studio LondonMost architects in London have a website — very few have one that works hard enough to win a project appointment before the first phone call. The clients you want to reach are already searching online, and the practice that shows up with the right photography, the right credentials, and the right local signals will take the brief.
Ask for advice
01
When a developer in Islington is assembling a shortlist for a new build, the first thing they do is look up every firm online. A portfolio of completed planning-approved schemes with professional photography, project scope, and timescales tells that client far more — and far faster — than a PDF you email them afterwards. A weak site means you lose that evaluation before anyone picks up the phone.
For smaller residential practices, the stakes are even higher. A homeowner spending £150,000 on an extension will look at three or four architect websites before making contact. The practice whose site communicates quality, local experience, and regulatory credibility in the first ten seconds will get the call. The others will not hear from that client at all.
02
A homeowner planning a basement conversion in Kensington has different concerns from a commercial landlord fitting out office space in Shoreditch, and a single Projects page serves neither of them well. Separate specialism pages for residential extensions, new builds, loft conversions, and commercial fit-outs let each visitor land on photography and case studies that speak directly to their brief.
Each case study page should include the borough, the project scale, the planning outcome, and the timescale from initial brief to completion. That level of specificity is what converts a browse into an enquiry — and it is the detail that most architecture websites omit. A client comparing three firms will choose the one whose past work most closely resembles what they are trying to build.
03
Searches like 'architect Hackney', 'planning application support Wandsworth', or 'residential architect Dulwich' come from people who already have a site and a budget. They are ready to appoint, not just browsing. A well-structured site targets your primary boroughs with dedicated content — completed projects in that area, notes on local planning authority preferences, and any area-specific design constraints you have experience navigating.
Without that structure, you will not appear in the searches that convert. Most architecture practices in London have no borough-level content at all, which means the opportunity is largely unclaimed. A practice that builds five or six borough pages for the areas where they have completed the most work can dominate local search for those areas within six to twelve months.
04
An ARB registration number and RIBA membership badge are not just credentials — they are what separates you from unqualified design-and-build firms when a client is comparing several websites in an afternoon. Clients who have not worked with an architect before often do not know what to look for, but they do know that unregistered practitioners exist, and they look for proof of legitimacy before making contact.
Published projects referenced in planning portals, features in local press, coverage in architectural publications, or inclusion in RIBA award long-lists add proof that your approved work exists in the real world. These signals belong prominently on every specialism page and in the footer, not buried in an About section that most visitors never reach.
05
Most architecture websites use a generic contact form that produces a name and email address and nothing else. The first call then has to establish budget, timescale, planning status, and whether the project is viable — time that could be spent on the actual brief. A purpose-built project enquiry form that asks for project type, location, approximate budget range, and planning status qualifies the lead before you speak to them.
For practices that want to be selective about the projects they take on, this is not a minor detail. A client who has already described a £200,000 residential extension in Hampstead in the enquiry form can receive a specific, relevant response within hours rather than a generic acknowledgement. That speed and specificity is itself a differentiator — particularly against larger practices where initial enquiries are handled by administrators.
06
A case study about a completed loft conversion in Hammersmith will attract enquiries from homeowners in Chiswick, Ealing, and Fulham for years without any additional spend — the content compounds over time. We build architecture websites that combine detailed case studies, specialism pages, and borough-targeted content on a CMS you can update yourself when new projects complete.
For practices at different stages, the approach differs. A newly registered architect building their first client base needs a site that punches above its weight — strong photography, clear credentials, and a few well-written case studies. An established practice with 20 completed schemes needs a site that organises that proof into the search architecture that puts each scheme in front of the right next client. Both are achievable; the starting point is where you are now.
Written by
Vali Neagu
Founder, Web Design Studio London
Building conversion-focused websites and web applications for London businesses. Next.js, design, and strategy — in-house, fixed price.
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These commercial pages connect the guide to enquiry-focused services, which supports topical depth and conversion.