How AEC Firms Can Improve Their Website
In our digital day and age, a firm’s website design has become increasingly important. Architecture, engineering, and construction firms can benefit most by improving their website design to stay competitive. They should consider their buyer’s persona and the customer journey.
The most profitable attention, however, will often come from engaging high-value clients. Successful firms should focus on a visual design that’s not only mobile-responsive and user-friendly but also follows modern best practices and is built with world-class design.
The Front Page – The First Thing the Client Sees
An AEC firm’s homepage is the most scrutinized part of a website. It’s the first thing a client sees and should consequently catch their attention, providing them with all the essential information. Its design should be clean, sleek, and easy to navigate, communicating a firm’s identity using a unified color palette, topography, and images.
The general design philosophy can follow conventions established by industry leaders or be unique unto itself. A universally crucial aspect, however, is ease of access. A balance between catching a client’s attention and site usability is key to an optimal user experience.
For sites centering on architecture, a visual design is vital. Bright, high-quality images should present new architectural designs to clients. Particular importance should be given to the header graphic or hero image because it’s the first thing a client sees.
In recent years, the usage of hero videos has risen in popularity. They can be very enticing and add an element of interactivity to the page. The hero section is instrumental in construction industry websites to showcase construction processes or the progress of current construction projects. A downside of hero videos might be slower load times, which can have a negative impact on SEO. However, appropriate video compression and well-configured content distribution networks can dramatically improve these loading times.
One of the principal decisions for an AEC firm’s front page is information density. It should clearly define how many sections and how much information is needed. While firms centering on engineering might want to present clients with specific details, architecture firms could benefit from a minimalistic approach, including mostly images and titles.
An AEC firm’s most important keywords should be evaluated and utilized for on-page SEO. Those can be multi-tier architecture, interior design, mechanical engineering, or building construction.
Project Page – Showcasing your Expertise and Achievements
An AEC project page highlights a firm’s projects and expertise in specific fields. It serves as a firm’s portfolio and should include its best results and achievements. A clean-cut and well-organized portfolio is paramount, especially in digital communication.
An elegant presentation of well-executed projects will impress potential architecture clients. The images should be high quality and showcase a firm’s architectural expertise.
Another attention-grabbing element, specifically for architecture projects, is the inclusion of unbuilt projects. These can be blueprints, concept drawings, architectural models, and building plans. Visual references will allow clients to see different parts of the design process.
When designing an AEC firm’s portfolio, different approaches are viable. Full-screen images lend themselves perfectly to architectural projects. In contrast, grid layouts might be better for companies centering on engineering projects to showcase individual equipment, machines, and processes.
A perfect way to finish a project page is through client testimonials. This way, potential clients can learn from prior client’s opinions, praise, and satisfaction. All while boosting your firm’s overall credibility.
Staff & Leadership Profiles – Who Are You?
This page not only serves as an introduction to an AEC firm itself but also to its leadership. The staff & leadership page should clarify a firm’s mission, values, identity, and branding.
Leadership pictures should comprise professional headshots. For construction or engineering teams, pictures on the job are a great choice. For example, the additional presentation of equipment on a construction site can showcase quality and excellence but will, most of all, communicate authenticity.
Any additional information about specific staff members, such as achievements or projects they worked on, should be provided via internally linked pages. This is especially beneficial for architects to showcase their success.
Careers Page – Getting Your Employee the Right Way
A career page must clearly show what positions in which fields are available. Prospective staff should be able to identify different sections immediately, for example, by using specific images, backgrounds, or icons. Construction jobs, for instance, can be highlighted by displaying construction equipment.
The layout of a careers page should be simple and only include relevant information. Positions should be recognizable at first glance. Any additional information, such as required qualifications or work experience, should be shared on complementary job-level pages.
News/Blog Page – Keep up with Current Industry Trends
While high-quality images are a great way to impress an AEC firm’s clients, a news/blog page drives SEO. A general goal should be sharing insights and news on main keywords, such as construction, engineering, architecture or geographic locations.
Blog posts about industry trends, such as the woman in construction week 2022, can help make a firm’s website rank higher among broader and more directed audiences. It can also help to attract new clients in a specific field, for example, the construction industry. The same is true for articles about architecture. In this niche, topics in related sectors, such as modern art or industrial design, do exceptionally well.
Career advice for both construction workers and engineering students can help attract the attention of prospective staff members.
Lastly, articles sharing information on academic research, for example, new engineering processes, are a great way to establish your site as an authority in the engineering field. It also helps boost your organic search engine optimization.
Strong Call to Action – Make the Sale
A call to action must be professional and aligned with a firm’s general identity. While informal language in a CTA might be a nice touch for an owner-operator company, larger organizations should strive to appear more businesslike.
A high-converting call to action should include a firm’s level of expertise, its location and should always focus on the solutions they provide to their clients.
Vail Marketing Solutions has an exceptional track-record, providing first-class digital marketing and web design services to the most successful architecture, engineering, and construction companies—servicing New Jersey, the New York metropolitan area, and Southern Florida. Contact us for a customized approach in exceeding your marketing needs and customer experience within your industry and region: info@vailmarketingsolutions.com