Architecture - Web Design
An architecture website has one primary job: make someone who's never met you confident enough to reach out. That takes more than beautiful photography. It takes a site structured to serve both commercial and residential buyers, that loads fast despite heavy imagery, and that guides the right visitors toward a consultation or RFP with as little friction as possible.
Overview
Seven things every architecture site needs. We build all of them in from day one.
Visitors should be able to sort your work by project category: residential, commercial, healthcare, educational, adaptive reuse, and whatever your primary typologies are. A single scrolling gallery asks commercial procurement teams and homeowners to do too much work.
Photography gets visitors in the door. The challenge narrative, design approach, project outcomes, and key specs are what keep them there and build confidence. Each featured project should have its own page.
AIA membership, LEED AP designation, NCARB certification, and state licensure are trust signals. They belong in the hero, in team profiles, and in project case studies, not buried in a footer.
Over half of architecture website research happens on mobile devices. Clients browse on tablets during site visits and in client meetings. High-res photography has to load fast and display cleanly at every screen size.
A residential inquiry and a commercial RFP need different follow-up workflows. Conditional intake forms built with Gravity Forms route submissions to the right team member automatically, without requiring the client to figure out who to contact.
Architecture firms design accessible buildings. Your website should meet the same standard. WCAG 2.1 AA compliance is both the right thing to do and a professional credibility signal, particularly with institutional and government clients who require it.
Clients hiring an architecture firm are hiring the people. Principal profiles, educational backgrounds, specialties, and project credits matter. A strong team section converts browsers into inquiries.
Process
Five stages from kickoff to launch. Every one built around how architecture buyers actually behave online.
We start by understanding your firm's project mix, primary client types (commercial, residential, or both), current website pain points, and goals for the new site. We look at how your competitors present their work and where the gaps are.
Before any design work begins, we map the site structure. Portfolio taxonomy, navigation hierarchy, service-line pages, team structure, and contact pathways are planned out so the design serves the strategy rather than overriding it.
Our design work reflects your firm's visual identity and design sensibility. We also run an accessibility audit during the design phase so WCAG compliance is built in rather than retrofitted after launch.
We build on WordPress with the tools your firm needs: Gravity Forms for project intake, Mailchimp for email list integration, WooCommerce and Stripe if you sell plans or charge deposits online, and platform connectors for Monograph, BQE Core, Deltek Ajera, or Deltek Vantagepoint where applicable.
Every site goes through our Optik Method quality checklist before launch. We test across browsers and devices, check all forms and integrations, validate image performance, and confirm accessibility compliance. Nothing ships until it passes.
Architecture firm websites rely on a set of tools that general-purpose agencies often don't know well. We do.
Project management
Purpose-built project management for architecture firms. We build website-to-Monograph bridges so project inquiry data flows into your existing workflows without manual re-entry.
PM, billing & CRM
All-in-one project management, billing, and CRM for A&E firms. We connect BQE Core to your site's contact and intake forms so client data lands in the right place from the start.
ERP & CRM
ERP and CRM tools built for architecture and engineering practices. We integrate these platforms into project intake and client management workflows so the gap between website inquiry and project setup is as small as possible.
Project intake
Our standard for project intake, RFP submission, and consultation requests. Conditional logic routes submissions by project type and budget range, so a residential design inquiry and a commercial RFP go to the right person automatically.
Plan sales
For architecture firms that sell stock plans, custom blueprints, or charge consultation retainer deposits online. We build clean storefronts within the portfolio experience so the transaction doesn't feel disconnected from your brand.
Nurture & portfolio
For firms nurturing past clients, prospects, and referral partners, and for residential and interior architecture firms with a strong Houzz presence. We connect both so your website and existing channels reinforce each other.
Pricing
Every project's scoped after a free strategy call. These are real ranges from the architecture firm sites we've built, not minimums designed to get you in the door.
Boutique or solo practice
$2,000-$5,000
One-time build
Mid-size or dual-audience firm
$5,000-$8,000
One-time build
Large firm / plan sales
$8,000-$12,000
Scoped individually
Most architecture firm websites land in the $2,000-$12,000 range. Where a project lands depends on the number of portfolio pages and case studies, the complexity of typology filtering and navigation, integration requirements, and how much content development support you need. We don't quote from a menu because no two architecture firm websites have exactly the same requirements.
Send us your project and we'll scope it straight -- no pushy sales.
Deeper reads pulled from our blog, all written with architecture in mind.
Good to know
Most architecture firm websites fall in the $2,000-$12,000 range. Smaller boutique practices with straightforward portfolio requirements sit at the lower end. Mid-size firms with typology filtering, deeper case studies, and platform integrations sit in the middle. Large firms with plan sales, complex integrations, or multi-typology navigation typically exceed $15,000. We scope every project individually after a discovery call.
We audit your existing portfolio content early in the process to understand what carries over, what needs to be reshot or rewritten, and what can be retired. For large portfolios, we build import and migration workflows so projects aren't manually re-entered. We also help you decide on typology taxonomy and filtering logic before the migration begins so the structure is right from the start.
Both. We handle the full scope: strategy, information architecture, visual design, development, integrations, and launch. You work with senior practitioners throughout, not a handoff chain from designer to developer to project manager.
A typical architecture firm website takes 8-14 weeks from the strategy call to launch. Larger projects with custom integrations or extensive portfolio migration can run longer. We'll give you a realistic timeline during the discovery phase, not an optimistic one.
Yes, in some cases. If your current WordPress site has a solid foundation but needs a design refresh, updated portfolio architecture, and new integrations, we can work with what's there. In other cases, a clean rebuild is the faster and more cost-effective path. We assess this openly during the discovery call.
After launch, you move into ongoing care if you choose a maintenance plan. That covers core, plugin, and theme updates, daily backups, uptime monitoring, and support access to the same team that built your site. You're not handed off to a helpdesk. Learn more about WordPress maintenance for architecture firms.
Still have questions? We're happy to answer them, let's connect.
Tell us about your project and we'll take a look. No pushy sales, no wasted calls.