Plenty of architecture practices do two kinds of work. They design family homes and extensions, and they also take on offices, shops, clinics or small apartment buildings. On the website, it all sits in one long portfolio.
That feels tidy from the inside. From the outside it is confusing. Good SEO for architects with mixed work starts by giving each kind of client its own clear path. This post explains why, and how to set it up without rebuilding everything.
Two clients, two ways of searching
A homeowner planning a renovation searches like a homeowner. They type "residential architect near me", "architect for house extension" or "custom home architect" plus their town. They want to know what it costs to get started, how long it takes and whether you will listen to them.
A developer or a business owner searches differently. They type "commercial architect" plus a city, "medical office architect" or "restaurant architect". They want to see similar buildings, a sense of how you handle approvals and budgets, and who on the team will run the job.
When both kinds of client land on the same page, neither one finds what they came for quickly. Google has the same problem. A page that tries to be about everything gives it no clear reason to show you for either search.
Split the site into two clear sections
The fix is a simple structure. Give residential and commercial work a section each, with its own main page and its own projects.
- A residential page written for homeowners: new homes, renovations, extensions, the way you work with families.
- A commercial page written for owners and developers: the building types you design, how you work with contractors and planners.
- Pages for the main project types under each one, such as custom homes, additions, offices, retail or multifamily, where you have real work to show.
- Project pages filed under the right section, so a visitor browsing commercial work is not wading through kitchens.
The home page then works like a front door with two signs on it. One line and one button for homeowners, one line and one button for commercial clients. That small change helps people and search engines in the same moment.
Write each section in its own language
The words matter as much as the structure. A homeowner rarely says "single family residential" out loud. They say "our house" or "a new home". A developer is comfortable with "mixed use" and "tenant improvement".
Use the words each client already uses, in the headings and the first lines of each page. That is most of what keyword research means for a practice like yours. A useful exercise is to list the questions each client asks on a first call, then make sure each section answers them.
- Homeowners often ask how the process works, how fees are usually structured, how long design takes and whether you help with permits.
- Commercial clients often ask which building types you have done, how you handle code and zoning reviews, and how you coordinate with engineers and builders.
Answer in plain sentences. You do not need to publish numbers you are not comfortable sharing. A clear explanation of how you work is enough to show you have thought about their worries.
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Let the projects do the ranking work
Project pages are often the strongest pages on an architecture website, and the most wasted. A gallery of photos with a one line caption tells Google almost nothing.
Give each finished project a short write up. Say what kind of building it is, where it is, what the client needed and how the design answered it. Mention the project type in words people search, such as "dental clinic fit out" or "modern farmhouse". We cover this in more detail in our post on writing up a finished project.
Always check the client is happy for the project to be shown before you publish it. Some commercial clients and private homeowners prefer not to be named or located.
Local search still matters for both
Both kinds of client usually want someone nearby, or at least someone who knows the local planning rules. So your Google Business Profile, your address and your service area need to be right and consistent everywhere.
On the profile, choose "Architect" as the main category and describe both sides of the practice in the description. Add photos from both kinds of work. Our page on local SEO for architects goes into the map side further.
How the pieces fit together
SEO is only one part of how a practice wins new projects online. The website comes first, because that is where a client decides whether to get in touch. SEO helps your residential and commercial pages appear for the right searches. Local SEO looks after the map listing. Then conversion work makes sure each section ends with an easy way to start a conversation.
You can read how we think about this for practices on our SEO for architects page and our architecture website design page, or start from the architects overview.
Where to start
Open your portfolio and sort every project into residential or commercial. If one side has very few, that tells you where to write next. Then draft one main page for each side, in the words that client uses, and link the right projects to it.
Curious how your practice website looks to Google today? Run our free SEO audit, or message us on WhatsApp.
Want more inquiries from your website?
We'll look at your website and rankings and tell you plainly what we would fix first. No charge and no sales pitch.
