AI assistants recommend architects when they can match a practice to a specific project: the type of building, the location, the planning situation and the budget. Portfolio sites full of images and short captions give them little to work with. Write up projects in words, explain how you charge and how you handle planning, link to your ARB Register entry, and use the protected title "architect" only if you're entitled to.
Key takeaways
- Homeowners ask AI about their project, not about "architects": "do I need an architect for a loft conversion in a conservation area?" Project and service pages answer that.
- The title "architect" is protected by law. Only people on the ARB Register may use it, though anyone may provide architectural services.
- ARB recommends linking to your Register entry from your website, emails and social media.
- RIBA's Find an Architect and Chartered Practice directories, Houzz and your council's planning register are all public places your work can be found.
- The Architects Code requires architects to promote their services responsibly and accurately.
What do people ask AI when they're looking for an architect?
They describe the house and the plan, and ask who can help and what it costs. The prompts below are illustrative examples of the kinds of questions people ask, not measured search volumes.
| Intent | Example prompts (illustrative) |
|---|---|
| Urgent | "My planning application was refused, who can help me resubmit?", "Need drawings for building control quickly for a kitchen extension" |
| Comparison | "Architect or architectural technologist for a single-storey extension?", "Is a RIBA Chartered Practice worth paying more for?" |
| Local | "Architect in Norwich who does Passivhaus homes", "Architectural designer near Stockport for a loft conversion" |
| Price | "How much does an architect charge for a house extension in the UK?", "Architect fees for planning drawings only" |
| Trust | "Is [name] a registered architect?", "Reviews of [practice name] on Houzz" |
Where does AI get its answers about architects?
From public pages it can read and cross-check: your website, the Architects Register, professional directories, planning records and review platforms. Google says its AI Overviews and AI Mode use pages that are indexed and eligible to show a snippet, with no extra requirements (Google Search Central, 2025).
| Source | What it is | Why it matters for practices |
|---|---|---|
| Your website | Projects, services, fees, team | The only place that can describe each project, the brief and the planning outcome in full. |
| ARB Architects Register | The public register of UK architects | ARB says a quick search shows whether someone is a genuine architect, and "If someone is not on the Architects Register they are not a UK architect" (ARB, n.d.). |
| RIBA Find an Architect | RIBA's search and Chartered Practice directories | RIBA says it will help clients find an architect from more than 4,100 accredited Chartered Practices, and its directories explain how to get a free tailored shortlist (RIBA, n.d.). |
| Council planning registers | Public records of planning applications | Councils publish applications online, and many include the agent's details; Leeds, for example, says this includes "the details of your planning agent if you have used one" (Leeds City Council, n.d.). |
| Planning Portal | Online planning and building control service for England | Where many homeowners start: permitted development guidance, the Interactive House and online applications (Planning Portal, n.d.). |
| Houzz | Design platform with professional listings and reviews | Lists "Architects & Building Designers" with ratings (Houzz, n.d.). |
| Google Business Profile | Listing on Search and Maps | Where "architect near me" questions start. |
| US equivalent | State licensing boards, coordinated by NCARB | NCARB covers 55 licensing jurisdictions and points the public to their licensing board (NCARB, n.d.). |
What do the title and conduct rules mean for your marketing?
They mean your website, Google profile and directory listings must describe you accurately, because that's what an assistant will repeat.
- The protected title. "The title 'architect' is protected by law in the UK, under Section 20 of the Architects Act 1997" (ARB, n.d.). It can only be used by someone on the Register, but "anyone, architect or not, can legally provide architectural services in the UK" (ARB, n.d.).
- Business names. ARB says a business can use "architect" in its name only "if there is an architect in control and management of all of the architectural work".
- Online evidence. ARB lists "web content that clearly show that the offender was claiming to be an architect when they weren't on our Register" as evidence in prosecutions (ARB, n.d.). That includes your Google profile name and category.
- Honest promotion. Under the Architects Code 2025, in force since 1 September 2025 (ARB, n.d.), architects meet Standard 1 when they "Promote their services responsibly and accurately" (1.2) (ARB, 2025).
If you're an architectural designer or technologist, this is the part to get right. Describe yourself with the title you hold, say what you do, and keep "architect" out of your business name, Google profile name and page titles. Your clients are asking the same questions; you can answer them just as well.
The 7-step plan to get your practice recommended
Link to your Register entry everywhere. ARB recommends linking from your website, email signatures and social media, describing it as "an instantly verifiable guarantee" of your qualifications. It suggests practices with several architects use a search-results link for the practice address, and that you keep your Register profile up to date and public (ARB, n.d.).
Turn each project into a written case study. For every project page, state the building type, location (town or area, with the client's permission), the brief, the constraints (conservation area, listed building, tight plot), the planning route and outcome, and your role. Captions like "Residence, 2025" don't answer anyone's question. Get client consent before naming addresses.
Explain how you charge. Homeowners ask about fees more than anything else. Explain whether you charge a fixed fee per stage, a percentage or hourly rates, what each stage includes, and what's usually extra (surveys, structural engineer, planning fees). Give ranges only if you can stand behind them.
Write pages for the projects you want. Rear extensions, loft conversions, new-build homes, listed building work, retrofit. Explain the process, whether planning permission or building regulations approval is usually needed, and how you handle each step. Point readers to the Planning Portal for permitted development guidance rather than overstating what's allowed.
Use your planning record. Applications are public, and many councils show the agent. Make sure the practice name on your applications matches your website and Google profile, so the public record and your claims line up.
Claim directory listings that fit your status. RIBA Chartered Practices should keep their Find an Architect listing current. RIBA's criteria include a full-time principal who is a Chartered Member, at least one in eight staff being Chartered Members, and valid professional indemnity insurance (RIBA, n.d.). Complete Houzz and Google with the same name, area and services. Ask every client for a review at handover, the same way and without incentives (Google Business Profile Help, n.d.; CMA, 2025).
Add structured data. Use LocalBusiness markup with name, address, phone, website and opening hours (Google Search Central, n.d.). Schema.org has no architect-specific type, and its general ProfessionalService type is deprecated (Schema.org, n.d.), so LocalBusiness is the safe choice. Add
sameAslinks to your Register entry and RIBA page.
Also check that robots.txt and any firewall allow OAI-SearchBot (OpenAI, n.d.), PerplexityBot (Perplexity, n.d.) and Claude-SearchBot (Anthropic, n.d.). Image-heavy pages built in JavaScript galleries are worth checking with a text-only view: if the words aren't there, nothing can read them.
Mistakes that keep practices out of AI answers
- Image-only portfolios. A gallery with no text answers no prompts.
- "Architect" in a non-architect's business name or Google profile. It's a criminal offence for individuals and ARB treats web content as evidence.
- No mention of location. "We work across the UK" won't match "architect in Norwich".
- No idea of cost. Silence on fees sends price questions to someone else's page.
- Inconsistent names. A trading name on planning applications that differs from your website and Google profile makes the public record harder to connect to you.
- Keyword-stuffed Google names. Google's guidelines say your name should reflect your real-world name and not include unnecessary information (Google Business Profile Help, n.d.).
How do you check whether AI recommends your practice?
Ask the assistants what your clients ask, and log the answers monthly.
- Pick 10 prompts from the table, using your town and the project types you want.
- Run each in ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google (AI Overviews and AI Mode), Gemini, Claude and Copilot, logged out or in a private window where possible.
- Note whether you're named, which practices or directories appear instead, and which sources are cited.
- Check how you're described. If an assistant calls a non-registered designer an "architect", fix any source that says so.
- In Google Search Console, AI feature traffic is included in the Performance report under the "Web" search type (Google Search Central, 2025).
SearchCrow runs these checks for you. It asks the major AI assistants the questions homeowners and developers ask about architects in your area, shows whether your practice is mentioned and which sources they rely on, and suggests what to fix first. It's built for small practices and sole practitioners.
FAQ
Why doesn't ChatGPT recommend my architecture practice? Usually because your site shows beautiful images but doesn't answer the questions homeowners ask: what kind of projects you take on, roughly how fees work, whether you handle planning applications, and which areas you cover. If a competitor's project pages say "two-storey rear extension in a conservation area, approved by Bath and North East Somerset", that is far easier for an assistant to match to a prompt.
Can an architectural designer call themselves an architect online? No. The title "architect" is protected under section 20 of the Architects Act 1997 and can only be used by people on the Architects Register. Anyone can legally provide architectural services, so "architectural designer" or "architectural technologist" are fine. ARB says web content can be used as evidence when it prosecutes misuse, so check your website, Google profile and directory listings.
Does linking to the ARB Register help with AI visibility? No AI platform has said it is a ranking factor. ARB recommends that architects link to their Register entry from their website, email and social media because it gives clients an instantly verifiable check of their status. That same link lets anyone, including an assistant searching the web, confirm a claim that you're an architect.
Is RIBA Find an Architect worth being on? It is where RIBA directs people looking for a Chartered Practice, and RIBA offers clients a free tailored shortlist from its Chartered Practices. Being listed means meeting RIBA's Chartered Practice criteria, including Chartered Member principals and professional indemnity insurance. No AI platform has said it weights RIBA listings, but it's a credible public page about your practice.
What structured data should an architecture practice use? Schema.org has no architect-specific type, and its general ProfessionalService type is deprecated. Use LocalBusiness or Organization markup with your name, address, phone, website and opening hours, matching the visible page. Add sameAs links to your ARB Register entry and RIBA listing if you have them. Google says its AI features need no special markup.
Sources
- AI features and your website, Google Search Central
- Local business structured data, Google Search Central
- ProfessionalService, Schema.org
- Guidelines for representing your business on Google, Google Business Profile Help
- Get reviews on your Business Profile, Google Business Profile Help
- Who can use the title architect, Architects Registration Board
- What ARB do to regulate use of the title 'architect', Architects Registration Board
- Link to your Register entry, Architects Registration Board
- The Architects Code 2025, Architects Registration Board
- New Architects Code coming into effect September 2025, Architects Registration Board
- Architects Register, Architects Registration Board
- RIBA Chartered Practice Directories, RIBA
- RIBA Chartered Practice UK membership, RIBA
- Planning Portal, Planning Portal
- Planning privacy notice, Leeds City Council
- Find professionals, Houzz UK
- NCARB, National Council of Architectural Registration Boards
- Fake reviews (CMA208), Competition and Markets Authority
- Overview of OpenAI crawlers, OpenAI
- Perplexity crawlers, Perplexity
- Anthropic crawler FAQ, Anthropic