# Project Pages That Win Commissions for Architecture Firms > Clients hire architects from project pages, not homepages. What most architecture firm websites miss, and how to make a project page an argument. By Don Dimal, Founder, Hutt Studio. Topics: Websites, Architecture. Canonical: https://www.hutt.studio/blog/project-pages-that-win-commissions-for-architecture-firms Clients don't hire an architect from a homepage. They hire from a project page. It's where a client decides: *they've done something like mine, and they did it well.* Most architecture firms treat that page as a photo album. It should be an argument. ## The shortlist Take a developer planning a mid-rise building on a tight corner lot. She has a list of six firms. Her job tonight is to cut it to three. Firm one has stunning photography. Each project is a title, *Residence 07*, and twenty images. No location. No size. No word on what the challenge was. Firm two has fewer, plainer photos. But every project opens with one line. *"Eight storeys on a 40-foot lot: how we fit 46 units without a variance."* Then the brief, the key move, a few sketches, and the result. She keeps firm two. She can't tell if firm one has ever solved her problem. The photos were better at firm one. The project pages were better at firm two. ## What clients are really checking The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada tells clients to weigh "past performance on similar types of projects" when choosing an architect. ([RAIC](https://raic.org/node/101805)) So every project page is answering one question: *have you done my kind of project?* Photos alone can't answer it. A beautiful image of a staircase doesn't tell a client the budget, the site, the constraint or the outcome. And clients skim. Nielsen Norman Group found people read about 20% of the words on an average page. ([NN/g](https://www.nngroup.com/articles/how-little-do-users-read/)) So the words that matter have to come first, and be few. ## The anatomy of a project page that wins work ### 1. A title that says what it is Not *Residence 07.* Try *"Laneway house, Leslieville."* Type of project, plus place. This helps the client and it helps search. Someone looking for a laneway house architect in Toronto can now find you. ### 2. One line that frames the problem The most useful sentence on the page. What made this project hard? *"A heritage facade, a 1.5-metre setback, and a client who wanted daylight in every room."* Clients recognise their own problem in it. That's when they lean in. ### 3. The facts, in one glance A small block of plain facts: - Type and location - Size (square feet or units) - Timeline - Your role and scope - Builder and other key partners This is what clients skim for. It's also what search engines and AI tools read to understand your work. Google uses the text around an image to work out what it shows. ([Google Search Central](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/google-images)) ### 4. The key decision Pick one design move and explain it in three or four short sentences. Why that roof. Why that courtyard. Why the stairs sit there. This is where your thinking shows. Anyone can hire a photographer. Few firms explain their choices well. ### 5. Process, not just the finish Add a sketch, a model photo or an early diagram. Clients rarely see this, and it builds trust fast. It shows how you'll work with them, not just what you'll hand over. ### 6. The result, in the client's words A line from the client, if you have it. A measurable outcome, if there is one. Sold out in a weekend. Approved first time. Won an award. ### 7. A way forward End with a clear next step. *"Planning something similar? Tell us about your site."* Link to two or three related projects. Most project pages just stop. That's the moment a client is most interested, and there's nowhere to go. ## Organise by what clients search for Most firms list projects by date. Clients don't think in dates. They think in project types. Let them filter by type: custom homes, multi-residential, commercial, heritage. Each type can have its own short landing page. That page also gives search engines a clear signal of what you do. ## Fewer projects, told better Our view at Hutt Studio: six strong project pages beat twenty weak ones. Cut the projects you don't want more of. If you're done with kitchen renovations, take them off the site. Every project you show is a request for more of the same. ## A quick audit Open your three best projects and check: 1. Does the title say the project type and location? 2. Is there one line saying what made it hard? 3. Can a client find size, timeline and scope in five seconds? 4. Is one key decision explained? 5. Is there a clear next step at the end? If most answers are no, your best work is underselling you. ## Sources - [How to choose an architect](https://raic.org/node/101805) (Royal Architectural Institute of Canada) - [How little do users read?](https://www.nngroup.com/articles/how-little-do-users-read/) (Nielsen Norman Group) - [Google image SEO best practices](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/google-images) (Google Search Central)