Sandbanks DigitalWeb design for architects
Portfolio-led websites that turn your work into commissions. High-impact, image-first project galleries, credible ARB and RIBA signals, clear pages for the work clients search — extensions, new-builds, planning, listed buildings — and enquiry capture that pins down the brief, built by two Dorset founders.
Where most architects' websites lose commissions
The gaps we fix on almost every practice site we rebuild.
A stunning portfolio that loads like treacle
Your images are the pitch — but full-resolution photography dropped straight onto the page crawls on a phone and sinks your Google ranking. The very thing meant to win the client is what drives them away.
Projects shown with no story
A wall of pretty thumbnails doesn't sell your thinking. Clients commission architects for judgement — the brief, the constraints, the planning battle, the outcome. Without written project studies, your best work reads as wallpaper.
Credentials left implicit
ARB registration, RIBA chartership, awards and a planning-approval track record are what reassure a client spending six figures. Left off the page, you look like every unregistered “designer” competing on price.
No page for the work you want more of
Clients search “architect for extension”, “listed building architect”, “new build architect [town]”. Without dedicated project-type pages you never surface for the commissions you actually want.
Enquiries that arrive with no brief
A bare contact box brings tyre-kickers and half-formed ideas. Capturing project type, site status, budget band and planning stage means the conversations you have are real, briefed and worth your time.
Invisible in local search
One “contact” line never ranks “architect [town]”. Proper location signals, Google Business Profile and reviews put you in front of the homeowners and developers searching nearby.
A portfolio that wins commissions
Sharp galleries that stay fast
High-resolution project photography, optimised and deferred so it loads instantly on a phone — full visual impact with none of the speed penalty that hurts rankings and first impressions.
Written project studies
Individual pages for signature projects — brief, site, approach, outcome — that sell your judgement and surface for searches like “barn conversion [town]” or “extension architect”.
Project-type service pages
Dedicated pages for residential work, extensions, new-builds, listed & conservation projects and planning support — each earning its own high-value search.
ARB / RIBA credibility
Registration, chartership, awards and your approval track record placed where they convert, and marked up so search engines read your credentials too.
Brief-qualifying enquiries
Forms that pin down project type, site status, budget band and planning stage, so your time goes to briefed, serious commissions rather than curiosity.
Local SEO & reviews
“Architect [town]” and project-type targeting, Google Business Profile setup and a review flow — the signals that win the local pack.
From quote to live site
Audit
We check where you rank for the work you want — “architect [town]”, “extension architect”, “listed building” — review your Google Business Profile, and see how your portfolio and credentials compare locally.
Scope
We agree the galleries, the project studies that prove your judgement, the project-type pages and a briefing enquiry form, at a fixed price up front.
Build
We design and build in Next.js with a staging URL from week one — with the galleries already optimised for speed — so you can review it on a phone before launch.
Launch & rankings
We handle DNS, your Google Business Profile and citations at launch, then work your rankings for project-type and local searches on a monthly plan if you want it.
What actually wins architectural commissions online
Choosing an architect is a visual, high-trust, long-horizon decision, so the website carries more of the sell than for almost any other profession. A prospective client studies the portfolio to judge whether they like your work, reads project stories to understand how you think, and checks your ARB registration and RIBA chartership to know you're the real thing — all before they ever make contact. A grid of thumbnails with no context, or credentials buried in a footer, leaves each of those questions unanswered.
The practical tension is that the portfolio that sells you — large, beautiful photography — is exactly what makes most practice sites slow, which damages rankings and the first impression on a phone alike. Handling it properly — modern image formats served at the right size, off-screen images deferred, each signature project written up with its brief and outcome, and an enquiry form that captures budget and planning stage — lets you present everything at full impact and converts browsers into briefed, serious commissions.
of the 429 Dorset business websites we audited fail Google's Core Web Vitals on mobile — and the average scores just 77/100 for web health.
Read the Dorset Website Health Index →Common questions from architects
Can you show my portfolio properly without slowing the site?
Yes — it's the single biggest win for a practice. We serve high-resolution project photography in modern, optimised formats and defer off-screen images, so your work lands at full impact while the page stays fast. That protects both your rankings and the crucial first impression on a phone.
Will a new website actually win me commissions?
Commissions come down to portfolio, credibility and being found for the right work. A proper build delivers fast galleries, written project studies that sell your judgement, visible ARB/RIBA credentials, dedicated pages for the project types you want, and local SEO. Most practices see more — and better-briefed — enquiries within three to six months.
Do you display ARB and RIBA credentials properly?
Yes. ARB registration, RIBA chartership, awards and your approval track record sit where they reassure a client, and are marked up with schema so search engines understand them. For a six-figure commission, that credibility does a lot of the quiet selling.
How much does an architect's website cost?
A portfolio-led architect site with project studies, service pages, credibility sections and brief-qualifying enquiry capture is £0 upfront on a monthly plan — typically our Professional tier at £129 per month, covering hosting, support and updates. A simpler site starts at £75 per month (Essentials); larger, study-heavy builds are £199 per month (Premium).
Do you handle the local SEO as well?
Yes. Every site ships fast, structured and schema-marked — and we keep the galleries from dragging your speed down. Ongoing local SEO targeting “architect [town]” and your key project types, plus Google Business Profile and reviews, is an optional monthly retainer.
Architects web design across Dorset
We build architects websites for firms across Dorset and the wider South Coast: