Search engine optimization (SEO) can often feel like an enigma. You’ve heard it’s important to your business. But you don’t have time to figure out yet another thing on your own. Especially as you’re already navigating a long enough list daily. 

While it may be low on the priority list given the visual world you live and work in, let’s 1) clarify the role of SEO as it relates to your business and 2) simplify expert SEO strategies for interior designers. That way, you can feel more confident about the topic, put the information into action, and increase your online visibility.

What is SEO & why does it matter to interior designers?

SEO refers to the process of increasing the visibility of your website. So whenever people type in specific keywords related to 1) your services, 2) your potential products, and/or 3) any industry-related topics you have information or expertise on, your brand appears in the search results. 

It seems easier (and may come more naturally) to keep your eyes fixed on social media, yet Instagram and other social platforms can only take you so far. Not to mention, it’s a lot of work to keep up with. Don’t you think? 

Yes, SEO is its own rich layer of brand-building efforts. But rather than thinking of it as another thing to do, consider it a sustainable part of your larger marketing strategy. As an interior designer, it’ll allow you to further your brand’s reach – beyond social media. And who wouldn’t want to elevate their online discoverability?

What are keywords? How do I find the right ones for my brand?

First, let’s unpack the definition of a keyword and how to apply them to your brand. 

Keywords are terms woven into your online content (e.g., Website pages) to make it possible for people to find your site on Google.

Some *examples of keywords related to your industry might include:

• Style-specific: modern interior design, organic modern style, traditional design style
• Location-specific: toronto interior design firm, ontario interior designer, interior designer gta 
• Service-specific: full service residential interior design, interior renovation projects, new construction design

*To choose the right keywords for YOUR brand (ideally a set list of 10-20), it all comes down to thoughtful research. 

This is where an SEO copywriter can lend a supportive hand because they’ll spend a thoughtful amount of time choosing keywords that meet the following criteria: 

1. Low competition (e.g., not many paid ads) 
2. High CPC (cost per click), meaning the conversion rate is high 
3. High search volume (between 50-3,000+)

And they’ll also consider your competition’s SEO situation to give you a greater possibility of getting noticed (and standing out). But if you’re at a point where you need to handle this on your own, Ubersuggest is a valuable, easy-to-use keyword research tool to get you started. It has a free subscription level, which offers you basic access to its capabilities. 

Now that we’ve covered the “basics,” let’s get into the SEO strategies for interior designers like you. 

Expert SEO Strategies for Interior Designers Who Want to Increase Online Visibility

1. CREATE YOUR ‘GOOGLE MY BUSINESS’ PROFILE

For whatever reason, Google My Business is often a missed or forgotten opportunity. However, it’s a great (and straightforward) platform to help meet your objectives when it comes to SEO.

So be sure you have an active, complete profile. It will support your visibility online (you’ll appear on Google Maps) and let potential clients and customers know what services you offer. Plus, it can give an organized look into what people have to say about their experience working with you – through reviews.

Take time to fill out all the essential information – from your phone number to business hours, location, business description, web address, and signature services. You’ll also want to add visual brand assets (think your logo as your profile image) and preferred project photos (once per quarter to stay current) to help your brand stand out. 

And finally, consider creating an automated off-boarding process to actively gather reviews for your profile. Once a project is complete, ideally 1-2 weeks later, your client would receive an email inviting them to share their words. Google gives you a direct link to ask for reviews, making it easy for clients to successfully share their positive feedback. A win-win for your Google Search and Maps presence. 

2. TAKE YOUR WEBSITE’S USER EXPERIENCE SERIOUSLY

User experience refers to how smooth and enjoyable it is for someone to interact with your website. Just as you desire to create a beautiful experience offline – within your clients’ homes – your brand’s online home deserves the same special treatment. 

What makes a good website? For starters, it should be functional and responsive. Focus on organizing the structure of your website and its core pages. Make it easy to navigate from page to page – including a tasteful amount of in-page call-to-action buttons. You’ll also want to prioritize the mobile layout (Showit makes this a breeze). And keep a pulse on broken links – fixing or replacing them when needed. 

While this strategy is a bit more technical, Ubersuggest is – once again – an excellent resource for checking your website’s SEO performance. With its site audit capability, you get an instant look into on-page issues and recommendations. 

Note: Studio McGee is a worldwide brand with an endless supply of press. These numbers are on the extreme end in terms of SEO done well.

3. OPTIMIZE WEBSITE IMAGERY 

Did you know your images can appear in search results? You’ll want to focus on the file names (SEO title) and descriptions (also known as alt text in the SEO world) for every image used on your website, preferably before uploading to your site. 

Your image alt text is essentially an HTML code used to describe the appearance and function of an image on a page for the Google algorithm. While you’re working through this, be sure the alt text (ideally 125 characters or less) relates to the image and incorporates a primary keyword of yours (if and when appropriate). 

FYI – the image file name (SEO title) and alt text (description) can be the same. 

Other imagery pieces that might not be on your radar are 1) the size of your photos and 2) any unused or extra media elements. Compress your photos using Photoshop (or a free online tool) to save your site’s load time. As for any images or videos you’re not actively using, go ahead and remove them from your site’s media library to lighten your load time.

Are your images already uploaded and placed into your site’s design? Rest assured, you can still implement this best practice without having to start from square one, thanks to Showit. In the backend of your website, you can easily update the file names and alt text – right from your media library.

4. OPTIMIZE WEBSITE COPY PER PAGE

A common theme interior design-minded brand designers and copywriters see across websites in the industry is minimal messaging on a webpage. While this may seem intriguing, especially when you notice some of the most renowned interior designers abiding by this format, it’s not a trend you should follow.

Why? Because if you’re looking to achieve SEO success and increase awareness of your business, you’ll want to write more – not less. Google loves (and favours) webpages with at least 300 words.

But maybe that feels like a stretch for you. If that’s true, here are a couple of ways to increase your on-page word count:

• FAQs
• Email newsletter opt-ins
• Mini “about the designer” sections
• Invitational sections to navigate elsewhere on your site (e.g., visit the blog, portfolio, shop)
• Testimonials 

Beyond word count, you should also prioritize using on-brand keywords in the right places, such as:

• Headlines
• URLs
• Titles of your webpages (50-60 characters in length) 
• First intro paragraph of each page
• Meta descriptions of your webpages (150 characters in length) 

5. COMMIT TO BLOGGING

Some think blogging is a lost cause, which couldn’t be further from true. 

Is it yet another business to-do that requires you to give more of your precious time? Yes. 

But is it worth it? Also yes. 

Some of the top interior designers maintain an active blogging status. That’s because they fully understand the importance and how it plays a part in the success of their business. After all, there are two things Google appreciates. And that’s 1) fresh content and 2) evergreen content (meaning posts that have value for years; they’re not time-specific). Also, once you write a purposeful, optimized blog post for your readers, it’ll go to work for you by:

1. driving traffic to your site,
2. building brand recognition,
3. increasing inquiries,
4. demonstrating your expertise, and
5. earning you backlinks (more on this in a minute); to name a few. 

Here are some best practices to make it worth your energy and time:

• Create a shortlist of 3-5 cornerstone blog pieces for your brand. ​​These are the topics you want to rank the highest for on Google. These should align with your signature services and overall mission while serving as a post you’ll link back to time and again as you write new posts. Some industry examples include: benefits of full-service design, reasons why you should hire an interior designer, and how to style an organic modern home. 
• Write at least 1,500 words (Google will reward you for it!). That may seem like a lot. But when you write about a topic you have a lot of knowledge on, you’ll probably arrive at that goal much faster than you anticipated.
• Incorporate imagery. Preferably imagery custom to your brand. But stay open to using stock imagery if and when needed. Remember your file names and alt text here! 
• Enter a keyword-rich title & meta description. If you’re using Showit for your website, you’ll use WordPress for your blog. WordPress makes it fairly effortless to stay on top of your SEO work for every blog post. 
• Post it and promote it. Break up the content into bite-sized posts for social media sharing (both Instagram & Pinterest). A much more natural, non-salesy way of promoting your new post! 

6. SHARE WORK & GET PUBLISHED

Rather than viewing your portfolio as just another space to share project images, consider it a chance to go into detail on the story behind your preferred work – in a case study format. 

Describe the project, particular client needs you addressed, any challenges you helped navigate along the way, and a snippet of the client’s review. Doing so will paint a more complete (and intriguing) picture of your expertise and unique experience you have to offer potential clients. Once again, you can repurpose the write-up for a social media post and share it on Pinterest to extend your reach, inviting more backlink* possibilities. 

A backlink is a link to your website that lives on someone else’s website. Backlinks play an important role in your SEO efforts. They serve as a “stamp of approval” that your website is a reputable source. 

Maintaining a professional portfolio (and SEO optimized website) further showcases your credibility and establishes trust in your industry. The result? You attract the right kind of attention to your business and potentially draw in organic publicity. 

*If you’ve been featured in an online piece, be sure to confirm the publication linked back to your website (and also that they have the correct web address). If not, get in touch with them to reclaim and reap the benefits of the backlink opportunity. 

REMEMBER, SEO TAKES TIME.

This isn’t something that’ll bring overnight success. In fact, most experts claim it takes at least six months before you start seeing any results. So while you wait, connect your site to Google Analytics and Google Search Console to keep tabs on your efforts.

Feeling overwhelmed by these supportive SEO strategies for interior designers? Always know you can leave the detailed work to the professionals. 

What’s a website designer’s role in SEO, compared to a website copywriter?

An important disclaimer: It’s not your designer’s role to do it all for you. Service providers advertise signature packages for a reason. On the other hand, it’s important to note that not *all* copywriter’s specialize in or offer SEO strategy. Do your research. Ask the important questions. And you’ll be able to determine the suitable investment for you. 

All that to say, when it comes to SEO, here’s the breakdown of what an SEO-minded copywriter is *typically* responsible for, compared to a brand & website designer.

• Website Copywriter: 
  • Website audit 
  • On-brand keyword research (at least 10 relevant keywords) 
  • Write optimized copy per each primary page (typically 5-6 pages in total) 
  • Write optimized headlines, URLs, SEO titles, and meta descriptions per each primary page (typically 5-6 pages in total) 
  • Bonus – your copywriter may even provide an Instagram-optimized bio AND blog content writing! 

• Brand & Website Designer: 
  • Apply page titles and meta descriptions in the backend of Showit using your copywriter’s approved copy 
  • Apply H1 text tags in the backend of Showit using the copywriter’s approved copy 
  • Compressing brand images you supply for ideal webpage load times 

• BOTH:
  • Map out and recommend a successful user experience to execute through website copy & design 

That’s why there’s so much value in hiring a copy-design partnership. Meaning, a brand & web designer and SEO copywriter who’ve worked together to seamlessly deliver the optimized results you’re looking for, visually and verbally. Yes, it’s an investment. But an important one you’re making into the future success and growth of your business. 

Interested in learning more about what a Duelle Made and Woven Copy Studio website looks like and how we put these SEO strategies for interior designers to work? Inquire today.