Advertisement
Starting an interior design business requires a different approach to most other industries, as you will need to showcase your talents. This is as opposed to let’s say a store selling clothes or products that come pre-made, i.e., straight from the factory into the shop ready to sell commercially. Interior design is all about using multiple products, carpentry, and being able to blend various elements together to create the desired style/look. And the best way to display your interior design skills and finished products is to go online!
Company Name, Buying a Domain Name, and Logo Design
Now this may seem like we are stating the obvious, but there are a few key components to starting your interior design business that can easily be overlooked.
- Business Name to Match a Logo: Try not to make your business name too long ‘or’ if you do, think of catchy initials for the business. For instance, International Business Machines is IBM. Try a business name generator to get started. Once you have your name, your logo design needs to be just as memorable as your business name.
- Unique Business Name: Look for a unique business name that is catchy. And ok, that is stating the obvious, but there is another good reason behind this obvious statement. Let’s say you name your interior design business ‘Apple Design’. When people search for your business, your search engine and social media results will be up against giant US firm ‘Apple’ and if you look now, there are tons of other businesses out there called ‘Apple Design’. As a result, the best company name to limit the amount you have to pay for online marketing (including SEO) is to choose a unique name by researching the web.
- Check the domain name is available: Once you have chosen your business name, check that the domain name is available. Now, for the best results in search engines like Google, Bing, or Yahoo, you will need a TLD (Top-Level Domain) name with authority–this is the last part of your domain name. The most authoritative TLDs are .COM or one with your country’s name. For example, if you live in the UK, then .CO.UK. If these are not available, .BIZ is also a good choice.
The idea is to limit confusion and not run into competition online. If you don’t, you may find that this minor oversight will end up costing you in additional marketing fees to battle name-same businesses not even in your niche. Try to remember that online competitors are not always a company in your interior design niche, but other companies sharing a similar name in another industry.
Build an Interior Design Portfolio Page
If you decide to use a website builder for your website design, then well done. This is perhaps one of the most cost effective and least time-consuming ways to get your website up and running. Plus, most website builders include logo design tools, a hosting server to store your website, and your domain name as well as give you a pre-built and user-friendly portfolio page to work on. Check out these portfolio examples that may just inspire you.
When you choose your website builder, look at the various templates offered. You should be looking for an interior design website template if available. Should you find that there isn’t anything specifically aimed at interior design or nothing takes your fancy, then your next aim is to find a template with a portfolio. A good hint we can give you is to never be afraid to ask questions. Use the website builder company’s live chat or email support to ask if you can choose a template you like and add a portfolio page for your interior design work.
Learn How to Present Your Website’s Content & Sync it With Your Offline Content
A great guide to choosing a website template and adding quality content is ‘Every Word Counts’. It is about winning customers online, and below we have a couple tips to add to this book.
- Keep content consistent: Now following on from this, a key point to make when you are running a business that attracts customers online is to make sure your offline services reflect the same message as your online services. It is quite easy to get carried away with your online content and forget that it does not match your offline content. Consistency is the key, and this also counts for your social media, any blogs about your business, and directory citations. The last thing you want to do is confuse potential and/or existing customers with mixed messages.
- Use Quality Images: Finally, never settle for second best, or go down the path of ‘that will do’. Your business is an interior design company. That means presentation online is just as important as how well you present your interior design projects. Hire a professional photographer, learn about photography, and study competitor’s images.
Follow these two important points, and your online and offline media will always display high-quality images showing off every detail of your work as well as giving your business a solid reputation for not cutting corners and being the best at what it does. In the end, it all amounts down to presentation!