One of the most important sales tools that you have is the one that is most often overlooked!! That's your website, of course! It's the first place many of your prospective clients will find you - so what does it SAY about you?? It's also the first place that press or potential partners will go to check out your business. This is all BEFORE they ever talk to you or ask you a question. So you can't explain how you meant to add new photos, or describe which web pages are the most important ones. Your website should be the BEST representation of your business. Is yours?? If not, try these tips to get that sales tool into shape!

1. Outside Opinion

One of the smartest things you can do is to ask someone you trust - a friend, a fellow designer, a mentor - to look at your website and give you their honest opinion. Have them review each page with a critical eye. Is your site easy to navigate? Does it quickly spell out who you are and the services you offer, without too much copy? Use this feedback to make some critical decisions about changes you may need to make.

2. Time for Change

How long has it been since you last had a refresh on your website? Does it look a little less than chic? You may want to add a new design to your budget and your calendar. At the very least, check your portfolio and start to weed out anything at all that looks dated or past-its-prime. Be ruthless! You should always only show your VERY best interiors and photos. And if you have a lot of details shots (photographers love those) remember that potential clients prefer to see overall rooms. Your website needs to really showcase your best work!

3. At Your Service

Another page we tend to forget is our Services page. Have you added or dropped a service? Have you changed your process or what you offer for full-service design? ALLLL of that needs to be up-to-date on your website. Use this as a good time to think about your services and what you may want to add or rework. 

4. All About You

This is another place for you to shine! It shouldn't be a list of your resume or just bulletpoints about your awards. Let your personality through! Potential clients want to know if they can connect with you, so give them some idea of who you are and what your design viewpoint is. Yes, you can list team members, but if your name is on the door then you need to be the star of this page! And on your contact page, I know you want them to fill out a form, but you also need to give them SOME other way of getting in touch. Consider an info@ email at the very least. Because press and partners won't want to fill out a form about their design budget.

Remember that updating your website can't be one-and-done, either!! Set regular dates in your calendar to give your site a once-over. And to help you make the most of those updates, download my FREE Guide to Managing Website Updates!