Quick outline
- Why I rebuilt my studio site
- Real builds I made: Webflow, Squarespace, Format
- What I loved, what bugged me
- Simple tips that saved my bacon
The backstory, quick and honest
I’m Kayla. I run a small architecture studio. Last winter, I redid my website. It was slow, messy, and didn’t show my work well. Big problem, right? Clients judge fast. So I tried three tools like a nerd on a deadline: Webflow, Squarespace, and Format. I actually built real pages in each. If you want a deeper side-by-side look at how those three stack up for studios like ours, check out this in-depth comparison of architect-friendly website builders. I’ll tell you what happened, with real examples, wins, and a few facepalms. For the full diary of that rebuild, you can peek at the play-by-play in I Built My Architect Website Three Ways—Here’s What Actually Worked.
Webflow: My main “architect website builder”
I started with Webflow because I wanted control. Not wild control—just enough to make clean layouts, big images, and simple project filters.
Here’s what I built in Webflow:
- I made a Projects Collection. Each project had fields for location, year, size, and type. Think “Elm Street ADU, 640 sq ft, Portland, 2023.”
- The homepage had a grid with filters by “Residential,” “Commercial,” and “Civic.” I used Finsweet Attributes to make the filter buttons. It took me an hour. It felt like Lego.
- On project pages, I used a lightbox gallery. I added alt text like “Cedar House kitchen with oak island.” Simple, but it helped.
- I embedded a 3D stair model from Sketchfab on “Glass Box Studio.” My client loved spinning it on their phone.
- I added a Calendly button for consult calls. Folks clicked it. A lot.
- I compressed all images with TinyPNG. Then I set lazy loading. My mobile score on PageSpeed jumped from 34 to 88. That was a nice day.
Real numbers from week one:
- 2 real leads came in from the form
- One lead turned into a café remodel
- Average time on “Cedar House Remodel” was 2:21 (Google Analytics told me)
What surprised me? The site felt classy on a cheap Android phone. No stutter. No weird crops. It just worked. If you’re looking for even more interface ideas, I grabbed a few from this roundup of the best building-construction websites people actually use in the job trailer.
What bugged me? It’s powerful, but it can feel… picky. I broke my grid one night by changing a class in the wrong place. Fixed it in ten minutes, but I did mutter to myself. Twice.
Cost I paid: About $23 per month on the CMS plan (yearly billing). Worth it for me.
Squarespace: The fast, tidy backup
A month later, I built a quick version in Squarespace 7.1 for a local home show. I used a Portfolio layout, Summary Blocks, and a Gallery section. No code. Very tidy.
Real things I did:
- Built a simple “Projects” grid in a morning. Like, coffee-to-lunch easy.
- Used the built-in image editor to crop a hero shot. No Photoshop.
- Connected Squarespace Scheduling for consult calls. That part felt smooth.
- Switched to a serif font for headings. Gave it a magazine feel. My mom noticed. She never notices fonts.
Where it shined:
- Speed to publish. It was live the same day.
- Clean design with little effort.
- Blog was simple. I posted a field note about soffits and rain.
Where I struggled:
- I wanted project tags to filter live on the page. I had to fake it with separate pages. Not ideal.
- Image control was good, not great. Crops were close, but not perfect.
Would I use it again? Yes, for a fast launch or a simple portfolio site. It’s calm. It stays out of your way.
Format: Lean and gallery-first
Format is built for visual folks. Photographers love it. Architects can use it too. I made a tiny gallery site for a townhouse set. (For a different flavor of lightweight, design-first builder, you can see how Voog handled my test drive in My Week Building Sites With Voog—Role-Play Review.)
What worked:
- The grid loaded fast. Tap, tap, tap—images, full screen, nice.
- Client proofing was handy. I sent a private link with markups on “Ferry Loft Study.”
What didn’t:
- I needed stronger project pages with text blocks, plans, and credits. It felt a bit thin for me.
- Fewer knobs to turn. Which is good, until it’s not.
I think Format fits a student portfolio or a photo-heavy feasibility deck. For my studio site, I needed more structure. And if you want to compare yet another niche player, here’s my take on building three quick sites with Octane Website Builder.
Real examples from my builds
- Elm Street ADU: Project page with year, size, location, and a 10-photo lightbox. One evening build. Got me an ADU consult in two days.
- Cedar House Remodel: Before/after slider embed on the kitchen. Client said, “Oh wow,” which is the dream.
- Glass Box Studio: Sketchfab 3D stair embed. Also a downloadable PDF plan set. I kept it under 10 MB. Nobody likes giant files.
- Contact page: Simple form, Calendly button, Google Map embed. I added a short note on budget ranges. That cut down the “just curious” emails.
What I loved (and where each tool fits)
- Webflow: Best for control and growth. Clean CMS for projects. Smooth filters. You can make it feel truly yours.
- Squarespace: Best for fast launch and stable updates. Polished, simple, very little fuss.
- Format: Best for lean galleries and student work. Show images first; talk later.
What bugged me (tiny gripes, but still)
- Webflow: Naming classes can get messy. Make a system early. I used “proj_” for all project stuff. Saved me later.
- Squarespace: Live filters and custom grids are limited. You can nudge things, not reshape them.
- Format: Project detail pages felt too light for case studies.
Little tips that made a big difference
- Keep image widths about 1920 px for hero images. Use 1400 px for grids. Compress with TinyPNG or Squoosh.
- Use one accent color. I used a warm clay tone. It played nice with concrete and wood photos.
- Pick fonts that don’t fight the projects. I used Inter for body, a calm serif for titles.
- Write short project blurbs. “North light. Tight budget. Durable floors. Built-in bench.” Clients actually read that.
- Add alt text that says what’s in the shot. Helps search. Helps people. It’s kind.
- Put your face on the About page. Mine is a dusty hard hat photo. People email more when they see a human.
To keep sharpening the marketing edge of your freshly built site, check out the resources on Justbang’s blog—it’s packed with straight-talk guides on SEO, performance tuning, and content strategy that can help turn your portfolio into a steady lead machine.
Another exercise that sharpened my local-SEO eye: scanning how completely different industries nail geo-specific landing pages. Take a quick glance at this “Skip the Games” Salina example—notice how it centers the city keyword, keeps the copy conversational, and plants a bold call-to-action up top. Picking apart that structure (even though the topic is miles from architecture) can give you concrete ideas for tightening your own location pages and converting nearby prospects.
A small contradiction I learned to accept
I wanted my site to be artsy. But I also wanted it to be crystal clear. Those two don’t always agree. So I kept the layouts strict and let the photos carry the mood. Funny thing—clients called more after I cut clever words and kept plain ones. Go figure.
My verdict, simple and clear
- My main builder: Webflow. It gives me the control I need for an architect site. Filters, CMS, fast pages, and room to grow.
- My quick-launch pick: Squarespace. When a show pops up and I need a clean site by Friday, it’s perfect.
- My gallery-only pick: Format. For tight image sets or a student portfolio, it’s neat and lean.
For a broader comparison of today’s top platforms, the annual rankings at Website Builder Awards offer a quick snapshot of who’s excelling in speed, flexibility, and support. And if you’d like to see how other contenders—from Wix to WordPress—measure up for design firms, this [comprehensive