By: Samantha Youngblood, Projio
When I was in middle school, I told my dad I wanted to be an architect. I loved drawing, details, and rearranging the furniture in my room. But there was a problem: I was terrible at math. My aspirations took a hit after a parent-teacher conference where my teacher let my dad know that no amount of math tutoring was going to change that. So, instead of drawing buildings or designing spaces, I built my career in content.
Architecture and content marketing share more than you might think. Both start with a clear purpose. Both require understanding and consideration for the audience. And both rely on structure, vision, and creativity. The best content— like the best buildings— is purposeful, engaging, and improves the experience of those who interact with it.
In this post, I’ll walk you through the fundamentals of content marketing for architecture firms: what it is, how to build a smart strategy, and how tactics like SEO can help your work get the visibility it deserves. (No math required.)
What Is Content Marketing for Architects? (And No, It’s Not Just Blogging)
Content marketing is simply sharing helpful, thoughtful, or inspiring content online to attract the right kind of attention. That content could be a blog post, a photo essay, a project case study, or even a quick behind-the-scenes video of a work-in-progress. The point is to show people what you do, how you think, and why they should hire you.
That’s why starting with a content strategy matters. A strategy gives your efforts direction, helps you prioritize what to create, and ensures you’re not just putting content out there that nobody is finding.
Start With a Strategy, Just Like You Start With a Site Plan
Before you can publish anything, take a step back and plan. A basic content strategy helps you focus on the right message for the right audience and saves you from wasting time on content that goes nowhere.
Know Your Audience
Start with the people you’re trying to reach.
Ask yourself:
- Who is your ideal client?
- What problems are they trying to solve?
- What questions do they ask before hiring you?
If one of those questions is “What can I expect from the process?” that’s your cue to create a clear “what to expect” web page. Use content to answer questions before they’re asked because it shows you know what your clients need.
Know What Makes You Stand Out Online
Most people start their search for an architect online. They’re looking for someone who:
- Looks credible (professional website, clear portfolio)
- Feels approachable (human tone, simple language)
- Offers something specific (a niche, a point of view)
- Tells stories (not just specs and credentials)
Ask yourself:
- What makes your work different?
- What do you care about that others might overlook?
Use that to guide your content style, topics, and tone. It helps your firm feel more authentic.
Know Your Goals
Be clear about what success looks like.
Your goals might include:
- Brand visibility: You want more people to know your firm.
- Lead generation: You want more calls, emails, or inquiries.
- Informational content: You want to proactively answer common questions for more people.
- Educational content: You want to share ideas, trends, advice, or thought leadership.
Once you define your goal, you can decide what to create and how to measure if it’s working.
Content Formats That Work for Architects
The next step is choosing what to create. The best content shows your work and shares your thinking. It builds trust by helping people understand what you do and how your services can help them.
Here are a few content formats that work well for architecture firms:
- Project spotlights: Walk through the before, during, and after of a recent build or renovation.
- Behind-the-scenes posts: Share design sketches, material choices, or the space challenges you solved.
- Process overviews: Explain what clients can expect, step-by-step.
- Client testimonials: Let clients describe the experience in their own words.
- Trend commentary: Talk about materials, sustainability, space planning—whatever excites you.
- FAQs: Answer the questions you hear over and over again.
Pro tip: Always include visuals. In architecture, visuals do a lot of the talking. That’s just as true in marketing. Whether it’s a photo, a digital rendering, or a time-lapse video, make visuals a core part of your content. Clean, consistent imagery builds credibility fast and helps people imagine working with you.
Optimizing Content to Get Found Online
When you publish content online, you’re writing for two audiences: real people and search engines. The goal is to be easy to find and worth reading once someone gets there.
Here’s how to make that work:
- Use keywords naturally. Think about what your ideal client might search for, then include those terms in your headings, copy, and image descriptions.
- Be helpful. Share useful information, answer real questions, and invite people to engage. It’s not just about broadcasting.
- Incorporate social proof. Short, specific testimonials or client quotes go a long way.
- Demonstrate EEAT. That’s experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. Google looks for these qualities—and so do your clients.
Final Thoughts on Content Marketing for Architects
I didn’t become an architect, but I still think about design daily. If you take one thing from this post, let it be this: your work deserves to be seen. Not just in award submissions or on Instagram but in thoughtful web content that reflects your passions, answers real questions, and helps future clients say, “Yes, that’s who I want to work with.”
To recap:
- Start with a basic content strategy.
- Use visuals, such as photos and renderings, generously.
- Create content that reflects your personality (and make SEO part of the process).
- Be helpful, not just promotional.
At Projio, we help architects and design professionals build a professional online presence that’s smart, affordable, search-optimized, and visually pleasing. If you’re ready to make your work easier to find, we’d love to help.