Having an Internet presence is a given for almost all businesses these days, but how often does having a website actually translate into profit? K+BB asked several top kitchen and bath designers to share their journeys in cyberspace—and how often they lead to a stop at the bank.

One of the first kitchen and bath designers on the web in 2001, Peggy Deras, CKD, CID, owner of Kitchen Artworks in the San Francisco Bay Area, shares her thoughts on the best website content and search engine and keyword optimization…

"Most kitchen and bath firms think web marketing is the same as putting an ad in the Yellow Pages or a magazine. It's not. Consumers on the web are looking for information. A site needs content to make them stay long enough to get to know you and want to learn more. A website is an opportunity for you to introduce yourself and your design and business philosophy to the public. Be yourself on your website. Insincerity and/or hype will show through and people will be disappointed when they meet you if you don't live up to what you have presented on your site. Your site should reflect your personality and philosophy of business. Become the authority on what you do best and tell a story. Do a good job with that and they will call you with the intention of hiring you—after this darned recession is over.

"The 'how' [to make a great website] involves finding and hiring a web designer who is as good at websites as we are at kitchens. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is also critical now, as is keyword optimization, if you want to rank well with the search engines (Google, Yahoo, etc.). However, content is far more important than SEO and keywords, and content is the one thing you have control over. If you have content that will draw viewers because it is interesting and unique on the web, you don't really need to worry as much about SEO and keywords. That issue takes care of itself when you have designed your site (graphics and pretty pictures, etc.) around relevant content.

"I decided to put up on my website all the subject matter that I was constantly faxing my clients back in the days before the web. I made a page for each subject: Cabinetry, Lighting, Flooring, Coping with Remodeling, Finding and Hiring a Contractor, etc. At the time, I felt that the information would be a good resource for my current clients, and it was. Ultimately though, it turned out to be information that was of interest to the wider public. A lot of other sites linked to my content and my Google rank kept climbing. For many years my website was among the top five k & b sites on all of the search engines, because of my unique content.

"From 2003 through the fall of 2007 I was getting 70 percent of my new leads from my website and the blogs I began later. My phone began ringing less, but the leads were stronger and I contracted with most of the people who called. Now, I'm not getting any leads from anywhere. What nibbles that come are still from the web, but I am not able to reel them in—but that's the times we are in, not the premise.

"Creating a great website takes easily as long as creating a great kitchen, start to finish. Don't give it short shrift and the results will pay off handsomely."


Nancy Hugo, CKD, who started a website for her eponymous firm in Phoenix, AZ, in 2001, talks about how to market a website and how her cyber-presence has led to new clients…

"I have landed several large projects from my website over the years, so it's been a very positive selling tool. Some of the projects were from clients who were relocating to the Phoenix area and needed help remodeling their new homes. Others have been local projects. Matter of fact, I just got one that will start after the New Year! I find people visit my site and almost memorize what they like before I get to their home.

"I started marketing my website with my webmaster's suggestions more than five years ago. Because I am on flickr and my pictures on my website are connected to flickr, I have more than 260,000 hits on my pictures alone. I also link my site to other sites, such as my two blogs, other peoples' blogs, Facebook and LinkedIn. Plus, it's mentioned in my profile on the NKBA site, on my Google profile, in the articles I write for magazines and when my pictures are used in advertisements. My website link is under my name every time I send out an email. Naturally, it's on my business card, which I had out constantly.

"In addition, under the 'blog' area on my toolbar is a newsletter for the design community I send out every week. I sell advertising on it to local vendors and suppliers. It's getting more than 1,000 hits a month, and it's only four months old.

"I would advise everyone to have a website. Keep it clean, not cluttered! Use more pictures than text and link to everything you can."


Tracey Stephens, NKBA member, ASID, of Tracey Stephens Interior Design, Inc. in Montclair, NJ, explains why photos make all the difference and how her website, launched in 2004, leads to more than one-third of her business…

"The most important thing about a website in our industry is to have professional photographs and a visually appealing website design. Crappy photos don't sell your work! I professionally photograph almost all of my kitchen and bath projects and it is totally worth the expense. I add new photos about three times a year, and I tend to put up three or four projects at a time. Sometimes when clients look at an 'after' shot, they don't realize how much work went into it, so I spell it out. For each space, I show a small 'before' shot and describe the 'problem' and then my 'solution.' Once the new photos are up on the site, I send out an email to my list with a small photo and a link to the site. That usually prompts at least one client to respond with 'I have been meaning to call you about....'

"Not only is my website my online portfolio, I also have a webpage on the New Jersey ASID website with a link to my site, and I get quite a few jobs through that. My website brings me more than 'cold' leads. When someone has been referred to me and has only seen the work I did at their friend's house (or maybe not even that), I can direct them to the site. Also, when meeting with clients, if I'm describing an idea I've done in a project before, I can show them an image on the site as reference. Plus, a client from about eight years ago, with whom I had lost touch after she moved, rediscovered me thanks to finding my website online. She then hired me to remodel her kitchen, which I just photographed last week to feature on my website."


Becky Sue Becker, CKD, of Designs by BSB in Lawrenceville, GA, tells how she uses her website as a digital brochure that she regularly updates with new information…

"I have used my website as a support tool more than anything else. I have put it all out there, so to speak, on my website so that clients can learn a great deal about me, my services and products offered, my pricing in detail, see my portfolio and read my blog. My website is my digital brochure.

"My goal is to update my website quarterly. I believe that new information helps keep traffic flowing, whether it be new information on my services, time lines, achievements or adding additional projects to my portfolio. As for my blog, which is incorporated into my website domain, I currently aim to blog three to four times per month. Subjects vary greatly and often depend on what is on my plate. For example, I have blogged about educational seminars and trips, new product offerings, my accomplishments and achievements (being published or awards I've won), or simply news regarding special offers or events that may interest my clients. I try to be very diverse, in an attempt to appeal to a broader audience.

"Across the board I try my best to make use of tags with every aspect, especially the photography and blogging. This in turn gives better exposure through the search engines. The areas of my website that have the biggest hits are the client testimonials, my portfolio and the blog. Additionally, clients have stated that they appreciate the upfront and detailed description of my services and fees structure.

"I find great value in having [a presence on the Internet]. Clients have the opportunity to see a broad range of information about who I am and what I have to offer. In the end, the historical credibility of my experiences gives additional reassurance to prospective clients that they have chosen the best designer for their project."


Clare Donohue, of One to One Studio Kitchen and Bath Design in New York City, explains how her website helps match her with the perfect clients…

"My website is the gateway through which clients select me. It is also a filter, designed to encourage the right clients to make contact and discourage the clients who are inappropriate. My website is not just a portfolio, it lays out exactly how we will work together, what the renovation process is like and what it will cost.

"If a client reads my website, they pretty much have all their questions about me answered before we meet. It even gives suggestions on where to go for design help if I'm too expensive for them. By the time someone calls or emails me, they've gotten most of the info they need about me, and they have mentally already hired me. About 95 percent of leads who come via my website lead to real jobs.

"All of my clients began their search by Googling. All of my business comes through my website or other websites where I am listed or written up editorially, and link to my site. I would advise other designers to list themselves and their websites for free on Google maps and on every free referral site you can find. You will not regret it."