Drawings Into Commissions: Building an Architecture Firm Website

To build an architecture firm website, show your best projects with the brief and the result, explain your stages of work, name your architects, and end every page with a way to start an enquiry. A homeowner or developer should understand what you do, see proof, and feel able to write to you within a few minutes.

• A website needs five pages for an architecture practice: home, projects, services, about and contact, as laid out on the Northlight Architects sample. AI Web Maker built that 5 page sample in 46 seconds.
• In the United States, you become an architect by earning a licence from the board of the state or territory where you practise; there is no national licence. NCARB
• Under the AIA's Rule 4.201, members must not make misleading or false claims about their qualifications, experience or performance, and must state accurately their responsibilities on work they claim credit for. AIA
• Since 21 October 2024 the FTC's rule on consumer reviews and testimonials has been in force; it authorises civil penalties for knowing violations. FTC

What must an architecture firm website do for its visitors?

It must prove you can design, show how you work, and make the first conversation easy. Visitors arrive with a plot, a house or a site and a worry about cost and risk.

Think about who is on the other side of the screen. A homeowner wants to know if you will understand a family kitchen extension. A developer wants to see that you can handle a larger scheme. A business owner wants a building that works for staff and customers. All three begin the same way: they look at projects, then they look for a person.

Your site is not a catalogue of everything you have drawn. It is a short argument that you are the right firm for this kind of job. That argument is made of evidence: finished work, a clear process, named people and a calm tone. Drop the long statement about your philosophy from the front page and lead with a building instead.

Decide the one action you want. For most practices it is a project enquiry, not a purchase. Everything on the site should lead there. Pick the kinds of project you want more of, and let the site favour them. If you want more houses and fewer shopfronts, show houses first.

Which pages does an architecture firm website need?

Five pages carry nearly everything: home, projects, services, about and contact. More pages can come later, but these five answer a stranger's questions in order.

The Northlight Architects live website is a good model, and it is a fictional firm made to show what AI Web Maker builds, so its people, reviews, prices and contact details are invented. The home page carries sections called "What we offer", "Selected work", "How a project moves", "The practice" and "Start an enquiry". Each section hands the visitor on to the page that goes deeper.

Page	What it must do	Where to see it on the sample
Home	Say what you design, for whom, and where, then point to work and an enquiry	Home
Projects	Show finished work with the brief and the result	Projects
Services	Explain the stages of work from first brief to completion	Services
About	Introduce the practice, its approach and its architects	About
Contact	Give direct details and a project enquiry form	Contact

Keep the menu short, with those five names in plain words. Visitors do not want to decode clever labels. A small number of pages also keeps each one strong. If you later add a page, make it earn its place, such as one page for a specialist service you want to be known for.

Resist the urge to add a page for every project. A single projects page with a few well chosen entries, each opening into more detail, is easier to keep up to date. It also keeps your best work in one place instead of scattered.

What should the projects page say?

Show each project with three things: the brief, what you did, and the result. A photograph alone does not tell a client how you think.

The Northlight projects page is headed "Our Projects" and has a "Selected Work" section. Copy that restraint. A few projects, each told properly, beat thirty thumbnails. Choose work that looks like the work you want next.

For each project, write a short paragraph on the brief in the client's terms. A family needed more light and a link to the garden. A school needed a hall that could be used after hours. Then say what you designed to answer it, in plain words. Finish with the result: what was built, where, and when it was completed. State only facts you can stand behind. Do not invent figures, awards or savings.

Add the place and the type of building, because that is what people search for and compare. Include a plan or a sketch next to the photographs where you can. Drawings are your craft, and showing them tells a client you think before you build. Write a caption for every image so it makes sense without the text.

Credit matters here, and the AIA treats it seriously. Its guidance says failing to give appropriate credit is one of the most frequent violations of its Code of Ethics, and it covers websites among other public representations. The guidelines are for AIA members, but the habit is good for anyone. If you were the architect of record, say so by taking credit for the project. If your role was narrower, such as interior design or a competition entry, define that role clearly and acknowledge the architect of record. Name major team members where you can. Never overstate your involvement.

Also settle permission before you publish. Check with the client that you may show their home or business, and ask whether any details, such as the street or the interior, should be left out. A written note from the client costs a minute and avoids an awkward call later. The rules on photographs and copyright differ by place, so check your own position.

How do you describe services, stages and fees?

Describe your work as stages a client can follow, and explain how fees work in general terms. Clients fear surprises more than they fear cost.

The Northlight services page is headed "Architectural services from first brief to completion" and has a section on how a project moves forward. That order is the point. A client wants to see the road before agreeing to walk it. Set out your own stages in the words you use with clients: first conversation, feasibility, design, planning or permit submissions, technical drawings, and support during construction.

Under each stage, write what the client gets and what you need from them. Keep it short. Two or three sentences per stage is enough. A stage that sounds vague raises doubts, and a stage with a clear outcome builds trust.

Fees are the hardest part. Many practices do not publish a price list because every project differs, and that is fine. What you can do is explain how fees are usually set, whether as a fixed sum for defined work, a percentage of construction cost, or an hourly rate for smaller tasks. Say which approaches you use and what affects the figure: the size, the complexity and the stages included. Then invite an enquiry for a proper quote. Do not publish a number you cannot honour, and never quote another firm's prices.

Be honest about what you do not do. If you do not manage the building work, say so and explain how clients usually proceed. If a feasibility conversation is offered before a full commission, say so. The AIA Best Practices collection even lists residential walk through consultations as a service architects can offer homeowners; a first meeting like that can lower the barrier to starting. Offer only what you actually deliver.

How should the about page present the architects and their registration?

Name the architects, show their faces, and state their registration accurately. The title architect is regulated, so use it with care.

The Northlight about page has sections for "Our Story", "Design Philosophy" and "Meet the Team". Do the same. Tell the story of the practice in a few honest paragraphs: when it began, what it cares about, and the kind of work it takes on. Then introduce each person with a photograph, a role and a line about their background.

On registration, the rules are strict. In the United States there is no national licence. NCARB explains that each state or territory sets its own requirements, usually a mix of education, experience and examination, and that once you have earned a licence you can officially call yourself an architect. NCARB's own page on titles adds that regulation often limits the term architect and its derivatives to people who have completed the licensure process. Many jurisdictions treat words like architectural, and even design professional, as implying licensure.

That has a practical meaning for your team page. Give the title architect only to people who hold a licence where they practise. For unlicensed staff, use titles your state board accepts, and check before you print them. NCARB says that in 46 jurisdictions the term architectural associate is prohibited, so do not copy a title from another firm without checking. Where an architect is licensed, say where. Rules differ by place and this is general information, not legal advice, so check your own licensing board or association.

If you work outside the United States, the same care applies under your own country's register. Show the registration number if your regulator expects it, and keep it current. Accuracy here is part of how clients decide to trust you.

How does a visitor start a project enquiry?

Give them a short form and direct contact details on the contact page, and a link to it on every page. Make the first step feel small.

The Northlight contact page is headed "Contact Northlight Architects". It offers "Get in touch directly", "Send an enquiry" and "Where we work". That trio covers three kinds of visitor: the one who wants to phone, the one who wants to write, and the one who first needs to know whether you cover their area.

Design the form around what you need to give a useful reply. Ask for a name, an email and a phone number. Then ask for the site address or town, the type of project, a rough timeline and a few words on the brief. Let people attach a photo or a plan if they have one. Do not ask for a budget as a required field; some people do not know it yet, and a blocked form loses an enquiry. An open text box for a budget range, marked optional, works better.

Say what happens next. Tell the visitor how soon you reply and what the first conversation looks like. If you offer an initial call or a site visit, say so and say whether it is a paid step. People send enquiries when they can picture the next step.

Think about the enquiries you do not want too. If you only work in certain areas or above a certain project size, state it on the page. That saves you time and spares the visitor a wasted message. Test the form yourself on your phone before you publish, and make sure the notification reaches an inbox you read daily.

How does the site earn trust, and what do the review rules say?

Trust comes from real projects, named people and honest claims. If you show reviews, they must be real, and the rules against fake ones are now firm.

Start with the proof you already have: finished work, credits, registration and the stages you follow. These are stronger than adjectives. Add a short client comment only if it is genuine and you have permission to use it. Attach a name or a project, with the client's consent.

On reviews, the law has tightened. The US Federal Trade Commission announced a final rule on 14 August 2024, in force from 21 October 2024, that bans fake or misleading consumer reviews and testimonials, such as reviews by people who do not exist or who had no real experience with the business. Its own guidance says the rule authorises courts to impose civil penalties for knowing violations. In the United Kingdom, since April 2025 the law bans posting or commissioning fake reviews, and the CMA can fine a company up to 10% of its global turnover. Links to both are below. This is general information only, and rules differ by place, so check your own regulator.

In practice, that means never writing a testimonial yourself, never asking a friend to pose as a client, and never paying for praise that hides the payment. If you ask clients for reviews, ask everyone, not just the happy ones, and do not edit the meaning. If a quote is trimmed, keep it faithful.

The same honesty applies to claims about your work. The AIA's rule against misleading statements about qualifications, experience or performance is a sound standard for any firm. Do not say you designed a building you only advised on. Do not claim awards you have not won. A modest, accurate site beats an inflated one that a client can check in a minute.

Keep the contact details real and visible too. A genuine address, a phone number that is answered and an email that is read are signs of a practice that exists. Pair them with the same name on your Google Business Profile, as discussed below.

How do you make the site work for every visitor?

Make it fast, readable on a phone, and usable by people with disabilities. Architecture sites are image heavy, so this takes care.

Start with phones. Google uses the mobile version of a site's content, crawled with the smartphone agent, for indexing and ranking, which is called mobile first indexing. Many clients will first see your work on a phone, perhaps after a friend sends a link. Check that every project image fits the screen, that text is readable without zooming and that buttons are easy to tap.

Images deserve discipline. Large photographs are your strength and your risk. Resize them before upload so pages load quickly, and use a handful of strong images per project rather than a long scroll. A slow page loses the impatient visitor before they see your best building.

Accessibility is both fair and sensible. The US Department of Justice's guidance of 18 March 2022 says Title III of the ADA prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities by businesses open to the public, and it names the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines as helpful technical standards. WCAG 2.2, the current version, became a W3C Recommendation in October 2023. The DOJ lists common barriers: poor colour contrast, colour alone used to give information, images without alt text, videos without captions, inaccessible online forms and mouse only navigation.

For an architecture site, that translates into clear steps. Write alt text for every photograph and drawing, describing what it shows, such as "ground floor plan of a two storey house with a courtyard". Keep text dark on a light background or the reverse, with strong contrast. Do not put key information only inside an image. Make sure the enquiry form can be completed with a keyboard and that each field has a clear label. If you use video, add captions. These habits help every visitor, not only those with a disability.

How do local clients find an architecture firm website?

They search for architects in their town or for a type of project in their area, so say where you work and keep your details consistent everywhere.

Most of your clients are local or regional. Put your town, your service area and your project types in plain words on the home page, the services page and the contact page. The Northlight contact page has a "Where we work" section for exactly this. A visitor and a search engine both learn where you operate.

Claim and complete your Google Business Profile. Google's guidelines ask a business to represent itself as it is consistently represented and recognised in the real world: its real name, address, phone number and hours. Use the same name, address and phone number on your website, your profile and any directory entries. Differences confuse clients and weaken trust.

You can also tell search engines about your practice in a structured way. Google supports LocalBusiness structured data, which can tell Google a business's hours, departments and other details. Many site builders handle this for you, and AI Web Maker sets up the forms and pages that carry these details, so check that your name, address and hours are filled in correctly.

Write for people first. Google's ranking systems are designed to prioritise helpful, reliable information created to benefit people, not content made mainly to rank in search. For an architect, that means real project descriptions and honest explanations of your process, not pages stuffed with place names. If you want a quick check of what holds your pages back in search, AI Website SEO Tools lists the problems on any site and how to fix each one.

Finally, link your site from your professional profiles and from any project write ups by publications or contractors you worked with. A few genuine links from real partners help more than many empty ones.

How do you build the website with AI Web Maker, step by step?

Describe your practice, review what is built, edit each page and publish. You can build and preview before paying anything.

Here is the path, in order.

1. Go to the AI Web Maker builder and enter your firm's name, an email, a phone number and a short description of what you design and where. Mention the project types you want more of.
2. Watch the website being built. AI Web Maker plans the pages, writes the words, chooses the photos and sets up the forms. The Northlight sample came out as 5 pages in 46 seconds.
3. Open each page in the editor. Replace the placeholder words with your own, change the photos, and adjust sections, prices and hours. Everything can be changed before going live.
4. Rebuild the projects page with your real work. Write the brief, what you did and the result for each project, and upload your own photographs and drawings with alt text.
5. Rewrite the services page in your own stages and your own words about fees. Keep it honest and specific.
6. On the about page, name your architects, state registration accurately and check titles against your licensing board.
7. Set up the enquiry form on the contact page with the fields you need, and send a test message from your phone.
8. Preview the whole site on a phone and on a computer, then publish.

On cost, building and previewing cost nothing. Going live costs $119 a year of hosting, and the domain name is paid separately. Optional AI work, such as extra blog posts, is paid with credits of about $0.65 each. You do not need any of the extras to launch.

If you want to see what you are aiming for, open the Northlight sample website and click through all five pages. Any architecture firm website example is useful only if you borrow its logic, not its words. Take the order of the sections and the plain headings, and fill them with your own projects.

Frequently asked questions

How many projects should an architecture firm website show?

Show a small number of strong projects, perhaps six to ten, rather than everything you have done. Choose work that resembles the commissions you want next and tell each one properly with the brief and the result. You can add more over time. A short, confident selection reads better than a long archive that hides your best work.

Can I call myself an architect on my website?

Only if you hold the licence or registration your jurisdiction requires. In the United States, NCARB explains that each state or territory licenses architects and that a licence lets you officially call yourself an architect. Many boards also restrict words such as architectural. Check your own licensing board or professional association before you print titles.

Do I need to publish my fees?

No, but you should explain how fees work. Many firms describe their approach in general terms, such as a fixed sum for defined work, a percentage of construction cost or an hourly rate, and say what affects the figure. Then invite an enquiry for a proper quote. Never publish a number you cannot honour.

Can I use client reviews on my site?

Yes, if they are real and you have permission. The FTC rule in force since 21 October 2024 bans fake or misleading reviews, and UK law has banned fake reviews since April 2025. Never write or buy reviews, and do not pose as a client. Rules differ by place, so check your own regulator.

Do I need permission to show a client's project?

It is wise to ask. Confirm that the client is happy for you to show their home or building, and whether details such as the address or interiors should be left out. Keep the agreement in writing. The rules on photographs and copyright differ by place, so check your own position.

How long does it take to build the website?

The first version can take minutes. AI Web Maker built the five page Northlight sample in 46 seconds. The real work is yours: choosing projects, writing the briefs and results, and checking titles and credits. Plan an afternoon or two for that, then preview and publish.

What should you do this week?

Pick a week and treat it as a short project with five small jobs.

On the first day, choose the projects. List the finished work you are proudest of and keep the best six. For each, write down the client's brief, what you designed and the result, and note who else worked on it. Check that every client agrees to your showing it, and list each role plainly so credit is accurate.

On the second day, write your stages. Describe what happens from first conversation to completion in plain language, with what the client gets at each step. Add two honest sentences on how your fees are set.

On the third day, sort out people and titles. Gather a photograph and a short biography for each person. Confirm each title against your licensing board, and note registration details you are allowed to show.

On the fourth day, prepare the enquiry. Decide the fields on your form, the reply time you can promise and the areas you cover. Check that your name, address and phone number are the same on your Google Business Profile.

On the fifth day, build. Open the AI Web Maker builder, enter your details, watch the site appear, and replace the placeholder text with the material you prepared. Preview it on your phone, send yourself a test enquiry and publish when it feels right. You will have a site that works as hard as your drawings do.