Why do so many of the people who book a consultation turn out to be the wrong fit?
If you’ve ever prepared properly for a consultation, only to discover ten minutes in that the budget and the brief are miles apart, you’re in very good company.
The good news is that you can fix this on one page of your website. Marketing your interior design services starts with your services page, because that’s where a curious visitor decides whether to book, and where the wrong-fit ones can step away before they take up precious time.
I like to think of that page as a design scheme: You bring a handful of carefully chosen elements that work together, so someone can picture the whole room before they commit. Get it right and the people who book arrive already half-sold on your way of working.
Coming up is a six-part framework I call SCHEME to help you do exactly that.
Why your interior design services page matters
I often notice that interior designers frequently don’t include a services page on their websites.
They think its a given that the project photos prompt consultations. They can – but often mis-aligned ones. That’s because your portfolio shows what you can do but your services page shows what it’s like to work with you – and how you specialise.
Without one, a visitor who has only seen photos fills in the gaps themselves, and they often guess wrong: “probably out of my budget” or “probably only does whole-house renovations.”
A clear page does three jobs at once. It invites the right clients in, lets the mismatched ones step away, and ensures people who do book consultations have a better idea of what you do. That means your conversation starts with project itself, instead of the basics.
It’s also the kind of page Google and AI tools like to refer from when someone asks “how much does an interior designer cost?” I cover that in How to Get AI to Refer Your Interior Design Services, and your services page is the perfect place to put it into practice.
The SCHEME framework: six things your interior design services page needs
Marketing interior design services doesn’t need to be complicated. Each letter below is one thing a visitor needs to feel before booking, with a fill-in-the-blank starter and a quick swatch test you can try on your own page today.
- S: Spot your ideal client
- C: Clarify what’s included
- H: How it works, in three steps
- E: Explain the investment
- M: Make it believable with client proof
- E: Easy next step
S is for Spotlight your ideal client
Before anyone reads about your design offers, they should recognise themselves. That means getting specific about the kind of project, the kind of home and the kind of client you love working with. “Dream homes” and “beautiful spaces” fit everyone, which means they fit no one in particular.
It can also help to say who your services aren’t for! I know! It sounds a bit backwards, but a kind, honest “probably not the right fit if…” makes the right people lean in and saves everyone else a wasted hour.
Fill in the blank:
I design [type of project] for [type of client] who [what they care about or what’s going on for them].
This is a great fit if […]. It’s probably not if […].
So that looks like:
I design calm, layered family homes for busy parents in Sydney who want a house that works as hard as they do.
This is a great fit if you’re renovating a home and want a design partner from concept to installation. It’s probably not if you’d like to manage the build yourself and only need a concept.
The swatch test: Cover your name and logo. Could a stranger tell from the first sentence which projects you want to be hired for?
C is for Clarify what’s included
Clients often can’t tell the difference between a consultation, a design package and full service design. (Some might not have a clue what “full service” means).
A fuzzy offer is the quickest route to a fuzzy enquiry, so name each service, say who it’s for, list what’s included (and what isn’t), and give a sense of the commitment involved.
Give every service you offer the same structure and the same amount of space, so no offer looks like an afterthought. And use the words a client would actually type, like “interior design services” or “e-design”, in your headings, because that’s also how people (and search engines) find you.
Here’s how to get started on your structure.
Fill in the blank:
[Service name], for [who it’s for]. Includes [three or four deliverables]. Not included: [what’s out of scope]. Typical timeline: [number] weeks.
Room Refresh, for one or two rooms that aren’t working yet. Includes a concept board, a furniture plan and a shopping list with links. Not included: ordering, delivery or installation. Typical timeline: four to six weeks.
The swatch test: Could a visitor explain the difference between your services in one sentence?
A layout tip: You can include an overview of each service on one-page. If you are in your first few years of design, that’s fine. Later on, when you are super clear on your niche and your preferred services, you can expand these to include greater details of each scope, or even have a dedicated page for each service.
In that case, you would link that first page of service overviews to each of your individual service pages.
H is for How it works, in three steps
Buyer psychology means that as people become more invested, questions and hesitations op up. Your “H” step address these early on.
People worry most about the bits they can’t picture: how long builders will be in their home, what happens if they don’t love the concept, how much of their time will be needed for meetings.
Showing your way of working in three simple steps answers some of these. Share a simple 1-2-3 outline that gives a shape to the whole project. (A longer version can live on your process page, which I walk through in Interior Design Website Content: 10 Must-Haves Every Designer Needs).
Think in verbs: meet, plan, present. Or listen, design, install. Alliteration works well too: call, curate, create.
Pick the three that describe how you actually work, and add one short explanatory line under each.
Fill in the blank:
Call. A relaxed 30-minute chat about your home and what isn’t working.
Curate. I pull together a concept, a palette and a plan for you to react to.
Create. We bring it to life, from sourcing to the final styling.
The swatch test: Could a visitor describe your process to their partner after reading it once?
E is for Explain the investment
Leaving out numbers may feel discreet, but can be confusing. A client may gather your services are well out of reach, and even if money is no object, no-one likes to be ambushed with a quote.
A starting figure filters out wrong-fit enquiries before they take up an hour of your calendar, shows you’re confident in what you charge, and lets a serious client step forward without negotiating blind.
If a project figure feels too specific, publish your paid consultation fee instead, which sets a benchmark too.
Fill in the blank:
Design fees for [service] start from £X, with furnishing budgets typically from $Y. The final figure depends on [size, scope, level of finish and timeline].
A design consultation is $X [and is credited towards your project if we go ahead].
The swatch test: Could a visitor work out whether they have the right budget without emailing you?
Not sure which of these your site already has? My free guide, The Missing Rooms, walks through the seven sections an interior design website needs, with a quick fix for each, including the process and the asking price.
M is for Make it believable
What better way to cast away doubts than with proof you’ll do a good job! A testimonial about how calm your process felt is perfect near your three steps. Place another that talks about finished results s near your portfolio and your pricing. Scattered at random they get skimmed; placed where a doubt shows up, they do real work.
Vague praise (“a joy to work with”) doesn’t give a visitor anything to picture. Ask a past client what worried them before they started and what actually happened instead, and use their answer. For more on how to write project stories, see my postHow to Build a Portfolio Page That Actually Books Clients.
Fill in the blank:
“We were worried about [fear], and what actually happened was [result].” [Name, project, location]
The swatch test: Is there a testimonial within one scroll of your pricing?
E is for Easy next step
By this stage on your page, you’ve guided the client expertly through your offer, which does a brilliant job building up their trust. What’s left? That small gap between “I’d like to” and “I’m booking.”
That small gap widens without a perfect next invitation. Use one clear next step which invites them to move onto your next stage: your consultation.
Use the same wording on every button. “Book a consultation” is simple, to the point and effective.
For the ultra luxe experience, brand your callout. Luxury brand strategist Racheal Johanson calls hers a “connection call,” since that’s her real aim for the call. Making a connection. The call is positioned for those deciding how to proceed, rather than if to proceed.
Avoid sending them to a “book it yourself” calendar, unless you are extremely booked and actively restricting projects, since it can feel impersonal.
I prefer what leading designer and interior design coach Kimberley Seldon does, which is a callback form for a 20-minute call with her appointment setter who clarifies interest and books the client for a 2-hour initial consultation with Kimberley at $1500.
It’s good practice to devote your enquire page to answering common questions and lingering doubts, from what happens after they press book to timing, budget, smaller projects, and location.
Fill in the blank:
Ready to Enquire? Tell me a little about your home and what isn’t working. I reply to every enquiry within [number] working days, and if it feels like a fit we’ll book a [length]-minute call.
Here’s a fun little challenge: open your services page on your phone and time yourself booking a consultation. If it takes more than a minute, make the necessary tweaks.
The swatch test: Could someone book a consultation with you from their phone in under a minute?
The SCHEME checklist at a glance
Run through this once and you’ll know exactly where your page needs attention before you put more energy into marketing interior design services anywhere else.
| Letter | What your page needs | The swatch test |
|---|---|---|
| S | Who it’s for, and who it isn’t | Could a stranger tell which projects you want from the first screen? |
| C | Each service, what’s included and what isn’t | Could a visitor explain the difference between your services in one sentence? |
| H | Your process in three steps | Could a visitor describe it to a friend after one read? |
| E | A starting price, and what moves it | Could a visitor tell if they’re in range without emailing you? |
| M | Client proof placed next to doubts | Is there a client’s voice within one scroll of your pricing? |
| E | One clear next step | Could someone book from their phone in under a minute? |
One last thing
If your calendar has been full of consultations that fizzle out, or your enquiries aren’t the sort of project you’re hoping for, your services page is a lovely place to course correct.
You don’t need to rebuild everything. Run the swatch test on each letter, and tweak the one that wobbles most.
Quick-fire Questions About Your Website Service Pages
An interior design services page should include who your services are for, what’s included in each one, your process in three simple steps, a starting price, client proof, and one clear next step. Add a short FAQ for the questions clients ask before they enquire.
Be specific about who you love working with, and say who your services aren’t for. Pair that with a starting price and a clear process, and wrong-fit enquiries tend to step away before they book, which is the heart of marketing interior design services without chasing anyone.
My advice is to at least include a starting price. A sentence such as “Every project is unique but in our experience projects like this begin at $X” helps the right clients self-select and saves you hours of unsuitable consultations. If you’d rather not publish project fees, publish your consultation fee instead.
For most designers, one to three. Too many options make it harder for a visitor to choose, so start with the services you most want to sell and give each the same amount of space.
Long enough to answer the six SCHEME questions, and no longer. For most designers that means one good scroll for the overview and a short FAQ, with the detailed process and project examples on other pages.
No, they do the same job, so what matters is the content, not the name. In my experience “services” is the word most people type, so it’s worth using in your page title and headings.
Ready to book more aligned clients?
Your services page works hardest when the right people are arriving to the page. If your marketing keeps slipping off your to-do list whenever projects get busy (it happens to the best of us), my free 30-Day Visibility Plan gives you one doable marketing move a day for thirty days. Most take two minutes. There are 0 deadlines.
It’s a gentle way to keep marketing interior design services going without it taking over your week. Get the free 30-Day Visibility Plan
And if you’d like a head start on the page itself, my Showit templates for interior designers come with a Work With Me page and prompts for what to write. Shop website templates.
Rather hand off your website redesign to an expert? I design custom websites for interior designers too. See how we can work together.
Elle Kwan is the founder of Elle Kwan Studio, which creates editorial Showit websites and templates for interior designers who want to stand out and win more enquiries. A former lifestyle magazine editor, she is a trained conversion copywriter and SEO specialist happiest designing sites that feel like they were styled for a magazine, and creates instant client trust.
When she’s not designing, you’ll find her drinking tea, devouring magazines, or walking her cheeky chihuahua.
Explore Showit templates and free resources at ellekwan.com.
