Architect website: showcase your projects and win clients

An architect website exists first to turn your most beautiful projects into concrete quote requests. In France, a client looking for an architect in Lyon, Bordeaux or Nantes almost always starts on Google, then judges a firm on the visual quality of its portfolio, the clarity of its fees and how easy it is to get in touch. A good architect website therefore showcases your projects in large format, explains your process from start to finish and offers a clear call to make contact, all designed to be found on Google and cited by AI tools. That is exactly the role of a site that showcases your projects instead of merely existing.

In short

• The visual portfolio is the heart of the site: professional photos, projects sorted by type (house, renovation, public building, extension) and detailed case studies.
• Display your fees transparently (calculation method, ranges, how a mission unfolds) to reassure and filter serious leads.
• A clear contact option (short form, phone, booking) must be visible on every page, especially on mobile.
• Local SEO (Lyon, Marseille, Toulouse...) and your Google Business Profile bring in geo-targeted clients.
• Expect generally between 1,500 and 6,000 euros for a polished architect site, or a setup fully financed with 0 euro upfront with Lenobot.

Why an architect needs a site that showcases projects

Architecture is a visual profession and a profession of trust. Before even calling you, a future client wants to see what you can do and picture it in their own home or premises. A well-built site does this pre-selection work for you, 24/7.

Concretely, a high-performing architect website answers three questions every prospect asks:

• Does this firm do projects like mine? (style, building type, budget)
• Can I trust them? (projects, reviews, background, awards)
• How do I contact them easily? (form, phone, booking)

A Strasbourg firm specialising in renovating old buildings will not have the same site as a Paris studio focused on public buildings or offices. The right site reflects your positioning and speaks directly to your target clientele.

A portfolio, not a brochure

Many architect sites look like static leaflets. Yours should work like a living gallery: large full-screen images, smooth navigation, and the ability to click through to discover each project's story. This staging is what separates a site that impresses from one people leave in five seconds.

The visual portfolio: your best salesperson

The portfolio is the most important element of your site. Here is how to build it so it converts.

1. Professional photos. A magnificent project photographed on a phone looks mediocre. Invest in an architecture photographer, at least for your three or four best projects. The difference in perception is enormous.

2. Clear categorisation. Sort your projects into categories your clients understand: single-family home, renovation, extension, raising a building, commercial premises, public building. Someone wanting to extend their house in Nantes should find your extensions in one click.

3. Real case studies. For your best projects, tell the story: the initial brief, your design choices, the constraints (planning rules, budget, sloping plot), the result. These detailed pages are also excellent for SEO, because they answer specific searches and demonstrate your expertise. It is a pillar of the E-E-A-T strategy to prove your expertise.

4. Before / after. On renovation projects, before/after is remarkably effective. It makes the value you bring tangible.

Fees and process: transparency reassures

The topic of fees worries many prospects, who imagine architects to be unaffordable. By clarifying this point on your site, you reassure people and screen out contacts who do not match your clientele.

You do not have to display a price down to the cent. Instead, explain how you work:

• The calculation method (percentage of works cost, flat fee, or by time spent).
• Ranges depending on the type of mission (sketch only, planning permission, full mission with site supervision).
• How a mission unfolds, step by step, so the client can picture what they are buying.

Type of mission	What it covers	Cost indication
Advice / sketch	Feasibility, first ideas	A few hundred euros
Planning permission	Full file submitted to the town hall	Percentage of the project
Full mission	From design to site supervision	8 to 12% of works generally
Major renovation	Diagnosis, design, coordination	Variable by scale

This transparency is a differentiator: most of your competitors stay vague, so being clear sets you apart. The detailed ranges are always confirmed during the first conversation.

A clear contact option: do not lose the prospect

A magnificent portfolio is useless if the visitor does not know how to reach you. Contact must be ever-present and frictionless.

• A short form: name, phone, project type, city. Three or four fields are enough. The longer the form, the less it gets filled in.
• Your phone number clearly visible, clickable on mobile. Many clients prefer to call.
• Direct booking if you wish, to set up a first conversation without email back-and-forth.
• A call-to-action button at the top and bottom of every page ("Discuss your project").

Half your visitors arrive on a mobile. If your site is slow or the contact button is tiny, you lose clients. To go further, read our tips to turn visitors into clients.

Getting found: local SEO and AI

A beautiful invisible site brings nothing. Your future clients type queries like "architect Bordeaux", "renovation architect Lille" or "planning permission architect Marseille". Your site must appear for these searches.

Local SEO first

The first priority is local SEO: a polished Google Business Profile, pages dedicated to your service cities, and client reviews. This is often what brings the most requests for an architecture firm. Our guide to dominating Google Maps details how to proceed.

Visibility in AI tools

More and more people ask ChatGPT or Perplexity "which architect should I choose for an extension". To be cited by these tools, your site must present clear, structured content that demonstrates your expertise. This is the challenge of GEO, explained in our article on how to be visible in ChatGPT and AI.

A good architect website therefore combines aesthetics (to convert) and solid technical structure (to be found). The two go together.

How much an architect site costs and how to finance it

The price depends on the ambition of the portfolio, the number of pages and the care put into the design. In France, expect generally:

• 1,500 to 3,000 euros for a polished showcase site with a portfolio.
• 3,000 to 6,000 euros for a custom site with detailed case studies and advanced features.
• Beyond that for very high-end projects with bespoke content and animations.

The real issue is not the headline price, but the return: a single architecture project signed thanks to the site often repays the investment many times over. Beware of very cheap sites that hide fees or skimp on the fundamentals, as we explain in the hidden costs of a cheap website.

At Lenobot, we offer a different model: the setup is 100% financed, no upfront payment, and we reserve a single company per sector and per city. You can check whether your sector is still available and get a quote within 48 hours, with no commitment.

Frequently asked questions

Does an architect really need a website?

Yes, in the vast majority of cases. Word of mouth remains valuable, but even a recommendation leads the prospect to search your name on Google. Without a site, or with an outdated one, you lose credibility at the decisive moment. The site is also the only channel that shows your work in large format, 24/7.

What must an architect website absolutely contain?

A strong visual portfolio with professional photos, a page on your approach and background, a clear explanation of your fees and process, client reviews, and a simple contact option visible everywhere. This combination is what turns a curious visitor into a quote request.

Should you display your fees on the site?

Not necessarily down to the cent, but explaining your calculation method and giving ranges reassures enormously. Most firms stay vague, so a little transparency sets you apart and screens for serious leads. The precise figure is set during the first appointment.

How long does it take to create an architect site?

Expect generally two to six weeks depending on the richness of the portfolio and the availability of your photos and texts. Preparing professional visuals is often the longest step. With an agency that handles everything from A to Z, you stay focused on your projects.

How can my site bring me local clients?

Through local SEO: an optimised Google Business Profile, pages dedicated to your service cities, geo-targeted case studies and client reviews. These levers make you appear when someone searches for an architect in your city. You can also talk to a Lenobot expert to build this visibility.

Conclusion

A successful architect website is not a simple showcase: it is a salesperson working for you continuously, staging your most beautiful projects, reassuring on fees and making contact easy. Well built and well referenced, it turns Google searches into concrete appointments, in Paris as in Toulouse or Nantes. If you want a site that truly showcases your work, with no upfront payment and exclusivity for your sector in your city, check whether your sector is still available: we call you back and you receive a quote within 48 hours.