SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is a no-brainer for any business looking to get found by local clients. Investing in a website for your business without a plan to drive traffic is a complete and total waste of your time and hard-earned money. Before we dive into some specific steps for getting noticed by local interior design clients, let’s take a quick second to define SEO.
Interior Design SEO Basics: What are the different types of SEO?
There are four main types of SEO: on-page SEO, off-page SEO, technical SEO, and local SEO.
On-page SEO for Interior Design Firms
On-page SEO involves optimizing individual pages of your website to rank higher on the search results page. Generally speaking, we’re optimizing for Google here since they are the gold standard for the rules we need to comply with. This part of SEO entails optimizing your content–the words and images on the page, including meta tags, headings, and images.
Off-page SEO for Interior Design Firms
Off-page SEO focuses on building backlinks and improving the website’s reputation and authority with search engines. This can be done through guest blogging, social media engagement, and influencer partnerships. It’s this category where every one of those hard-won media placements that feature your latest project comes in. Your profiles in various local directories or professional sites like Houzz help here as well.
Technical SEO for Interior Design Firms
Technical SEO deals with the technical aspects of website optimization, such as site speed, mobile-friendliness, security, and site structure. Basically, Google is not planning on sending its users to a broken website. If you don’t have these basics in place, all your effort related to other facets of an SEO strategy is a complete waste of time. That big investment you’re considering to redesign your website may never pay off in the way you hoped if you don’t get this part right.
Local SEO for Interior Design Firms
Last but certainly not least is local SEO, which involves claiming your local interior design business’s Google Business Profile, adding and managing your location and contact information across the web, and requesting customer reviews. That’s what I’m here to breakdown for you in this post!
Why Focus on Local SEO for Interior Designers?
Plenty of designers travel to their client’s locations in all parts of the world, but generally, your target market starts with local clients right in your hometown.
Focusing on local SEO allows you to reach these potential customers when they’re searching for interior design services in your area. You can optimize your website and Google Business Profile for local searches with a few simple steps. This will increase your visibility in local search results and attract more qualified leads.
Local SEO also helps you compete with larger interior design firms by targeting customers in your specific geographic area. This is one way local SEO has the edge over other marketing strategies for interior designers.
Step-by-Step Local SEO Strategies for Interior Designers
1. Research Local SEO Keywords for your Interior Design Business
Keyword research is the foundation of any successful SEO strategy. Start by brainstorming keywords related to interior design and your location, such as “interior designer [city]” or “home renovation [neighborhood].”
Use keyword research tools like Google Keyword Planner (my favorite free tool), Keywords Everywhere (my favorite low-cost tool), or SEMrush (my favorite professional-level tool and the platform we use at GreenHouse Creative to find and track keywords for our SEO clients —this is my affiliate link for a 7-day free trial). Look for keywords with high search volume and low competition.
Once you have a list of target keywords, incorporate them naturally into your website content, meta tags, headings, and image alt-text.
Need to know where your keywords go? Here’s my go-to list. Your keywords (or key phrases) go in:
- Your Title Tag or SEO Title (use all 67 characters!)
- Your on-page H1 Heading or Title
- Within the first paragraph of your body text
- At least one H2 Heading (I like to work in as many of these as I can without making it feel unnatural)
- In the alt-text of each image
- When it makes sense – in the URL itself
2. Optimize Your Interior Design Website for Local SEO
Optimizing your website for local SEO involves making sure it’s user-friendly, mobile-responsive, and fast-loading. Here are a few basic steps to make the most of your website for local SEO.
- Ensure your website design is clean and intuitive.
- Make it easy to navigate with clear calls-to-action.
- Use descriptive URLs, titles, and meta descriptions that include your target keywords.
- Make it easy to contact you. Your name, address, and phone number should be clearly displayed.
- Make sure your images are not too large (this makes your site soooo slooooow) by resizing them to the correct dimensions and compressing the files.
- If you’re a Wordpress person, make sure you choose a high-quality hosting service.
Regularly update your website with fresh content, such as blog posts or project galleries, to keep visitors engaged and improve your search rankings.
3. Optimize Your Google Business Profile for Local SEO
Your Google My Business profile is one of the most important pieces in succeeding with local SEO.
First, you’ll need to claim and verify your business listing. Fill out all the relevant information, including your business name, address, phone number, website URL, and business hours.
Choose the most appropriate categories for your business and upload high-quality photos of your work.
If you have a storefront, include interior and exterior photos of your space. Curious future clients like to know what to expect, and profiles with lots of high-quality images consistently outperform those without.
Always tend to customer inquiries that come through your profile to build trust and credibility.
4. Create Valuable Local Content to Boost SEO for Your Interior Design Firm
Creating valuable content is they key to attracting and engaging local customers. There are a number of ways to add this kind of content to your site.
- Write blog posts, articles, or guides that address common questions or concerns your target audience may have about interior design.
- Share your expertise and insights on local design trends, home improvement tips, or DIY projects.
- Showcase your past projects and client testimonials to demonstrate your skills and credibility. Be sure to include the city and/or neighborhood!
By providing valuable content, you can position yourself as a trusted authority in your local market and attract more potential clients to your website.
5. Request, Monitor, and Respond to Online Reviews from Local Interior Design Clients
Online reviews play a crucial role in local SEO and can significantly impact your reputation and visibility in search results.
Set up a process to encourage satisfied clients to leave positive reviews on platforms like Google, Yelp, and Houzz. Ideally, you’d have a gorgeous, elevated (automated!) process that feels really personal that requests and incentivizes clients to leave you a review at the end of each project.
Monitor your online reviews regularly and respond promptly to any feedback, whether positive or negative.
Thank customers for their feedback and address any concerns or complaints professionally and courteously.
By actively managing your online reviews, you can build trust with potential clients and improve your local search rankings.
6. Create and manage Local Business Listings for your Interior Design Company
In addition to your Google Business, listing your business on other local directories and review sites can help improve your local SEO.
Look for popular directories in your industry or area, such as Houzz, Angie’s List, or Thumbtack, and create profiles for your business.
Ensure your business information is consistent across all listings, including your name, address, phone number, and website URL. When I say consistent, I truly mean character for character. Don’t list your address as “123 Main St.” on one platform and “123 Main Street” on another. We want your name, address, and phone number to be identical everywhere they show up across the web.
Regularly monitor and update your listings to keep them accurate and relevant.
A Note on Interior Designer SEO Services
While you can implement many local SEO strategies yourself, working with a professional SEO agency can provide additional expertise and resources to help you achieve your goals more efficiently. An experienced SEO agency can conduct in-depth keyword research, optimize your website for search engines, manage your online reputation, and track your progress over time.
By investing in professional SEO services, you can save time and focus on running your interior design business and serving your clients while letting experts handle your online marketing efforts. If you’re interested in learning more about the services we offer at GreenHouse Creative, I’d love to hop on an intro call to chat about how we can help!
