Guide · Architecture
The architecture website standard.
What a tier-one website in architecture & construction must do in 2026, with research, essentials, common mistakes and scorecard targets.
By the Sovren studio · November 2026
Your portfolio is judged online before you are shortlisted. This guide sets out what a tier-one website in architecture & construction must do in 2026, and how to tell whether yours does.
How your clients choose
80%+
of professional services buyers visit a firm’s website to decide whether to work with it, even after a referral.
94%
of B2B buying groups have already ranked their shortlist of firms before they make contact.
The research is clear on direction: clients form their view of your firm online, often before they contact anyone. See why this now matters for every firm.
Eight essentials
- A portfolio filterable by sector, scale and location
- Project pages that explain the brief, the approach and the result, not only photographs
- Credentials, awards and registrations placed next to the work
- Team profiles that show who leads each sector
- Fast image delivery on phones without losing quality
- An inquiry form that routes by project type and size
- News and published thinking that show current expertise
- Accessible galleries, with descriptions and keyboard control
Five common mistakes
- Image-only pages with almost no text for search engines or AI assistants to read
- Full-screen galleries that load slowly on phones
- A project list that stopped being updated years ago
- No clear way to start a conversation about a new project
- A generic studio page that could describe any practice
The scorecard targets we recommend
| Measure | Target |
|---|---|
| Performance (Lighthouse, mobile) | 90+ |
| Accessibility | WCAG 2.2 AA, independently audited |
| Usability (System Usability Scale) | 80+ |
| Task success: visitors able to start a project inquiry unaided | 90%+ |
| Security headers grade | A or better |
You can test the first and last of these yourself today with Google PageSpeed Insights and Security Headers. How the Sovren Scorecard works.
Before you commission a new website
Use our 11 questions to ask before you commission a website, and build your internal case with our business case guide.