SEO & MARKETING TIPS FOR INTERIOR DESIGNERS & HOME PROS
If you’re an interior designer, home stager, or home organizer—get actionable answers on branding, SEO, services, and getting booked.
PODCAST:
How to Get Found in Search and AI with Melanie (Mel) Zaelich
Melanie recently joined the Leah Rae at Digital Trailblazers on their podcast to give insights to their listeners about showing up in search.
She teaches this, and more, in The SEO-Powered Website™ Program.
SEO & MARKETING TIPS FOR INTERIOR DESIGNERS
SEO Is More Human Than You Think
Google and AI are ultimately trying to answer the same question people ask every day: Who should I trust and recommend?
And just like a person, they need enough information to understand that your business exists, that you’re credible, and that you’re relevant to what someone is searching for.
That’s the foundation of my Modern Search Factors™:
SEEN — Can Google and AI find evidence that your business exists?
TRUSTED — Do you have the experience, reviews, expertise, mentions, and other signals that give them reasons to trust you?
RELEVANT — Is it clear what you do, who you help, where you work, and what you’re an expert in?
The stronger those signals are across your website and the rest of your online presence, the easier it is for search engines and AI platforms to understand when your business is a relevant source or recommendation.
Be seen. Be trusted. Be relevant.
That’s how you build authority in modern search.
AI is talking about your business—and you need to know what it’s saying.
Because, as we all know, AI isn’t always accurate.
Hit play or click here to see exactly how to check what Meta AI is saying about your business.
Whether people are actually using Meta AI to research you isn’t really the point. The bigger issue is this: if Meta AI is getting information about your business wrong, there’s a good chance other AI platforms may be getting it wrong too.
This is a simple way to see how clearly your business is being understood online and where you may need to strengthen your information.
Check it regularly.
Discovery + Search: The Two Sides of Marketing
Most businesses need both.
Search is about being found when someone is already looking for what you offer. Think Google, website SEO, and AI recommendations.
Discovery is about getting in front of the right people before they’re actively searching. Think Instagram, social media, podcasts, video, and even word-of-mouth. The goal is: be where your clients are.
Search is being in front of someone actively looking for what you offer. Think online searching, like Google and AI, or even physically looking in a neighborhood for something specific.
Discovery?
That’s the side I’m still working on.
Get recommended by AI? I can do that.
Get someone to stop scrolling and follow me on Instagram?
Much harder.
That’s exactly why I joined the YAP Challenge. I want to get better at showing up consistently, speaking on camera, creating stronger content, and connecting with the people I’m trying to reach.
Because great marketing isn’t just about being found.
It’s about being discovered, remembered, and found when someone is ready to hire you.
Optimize Your Google Business Profile Services
Your Google Business Profile lets you add descriptions to each of your services—and this is an easy place to give Google more context about what your business actually does.
First, review your services. Google may automatically add services it thinks you offer, so delete anything that isn’t accurate.
Then optimize the services you do offer:
1. Click on a service
Open the service you want to update in your Google Business Profile.
2. Use AI to help write the description
Go to Claude or ChatGPT and use this prompt:
“Write an SEO-friendly Google Business Profile service description for [SERVICE]. Include relevant keywords naturally and keep it under 300 characters.”
For a local business, you can also include your city or service area when it makes sense.
3. Copy, paste and save
Add the description to your Google Business Profile and save your changes.
That’s it.
A well-optimized service description won’t magically move you to the top of Google overnight, but it gives Google clearer information about what you offer and when your business may be relevant to a local search.
Small optimization. A few minutes of work. One more signal helping Google understand your business.
AI-Built Doesn’t Automatically Mean Search-Ready
One of the biggest misconceptions about AI website builders is that the finished site is automatically optimized to show up in Google or AI search results.
AI can absolutely help you build a website, but building the website and optimizing it for search are two different things.
A search-ready website still needs:
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Clear messaging
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The right keywords
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Content that matches what people are actually searching for
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Strong trust and authority signals
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A strategy that helps Google and AI understand who you are, what you do, who you help, and where you work
Think of AI as the contractor.
You’re still responsible for the blueprint.
And there’s another important piece: not all AI-built websites are created equally. Some are technically sound and easy for search engines and AI systems to understand. Others may look great to a visitor but provide very little useful, crawlable information behind the scenes—essentially appearing like an empty shell to search technology.
A beautiful AI-built website can be a great starting point.
But don’t assume AI-built means search-optimized.
The real goal is a website that looks good to people and clearly communicates your expertise to Google and AI.
Most designers think SEO is keywords and tech stuff.But done right? SEO forces good branding too.
You can’t get found or booked without being clear about:
• luxury or budget
• full-service or advice-only
• who you’re NOT for
That’s branding.
SEO done well makes you clarify:
• What kind of interior designer are you
• What level of investment you serve
• Where you work—and where you don’t
• Why a client should choose you
No vague language.
No “I design for everyone.”
When SEO and branding work together,
your website stops being nice to look at
and starts bringing in consistent leads of quality clients.
And when the right people land on your site, they:
✔️ recognize themselves
✔️ feel aligned
✔️ reach out confidently
SEO isn’t a growth trick.
It’s also a branding filter.
Go to The SEO-POWERED Website™ Course
How I made six figures in interior design…without full-service design.
I got paid for:
✅ my opinions
✅ my expertise
✅ my design direction
✅ my problem-solving
Many homeowners want to do much of the project management themselves but they need someone with design skills, expertise and who knows what works.
That’s what advice-based design is.
And it’s the BEST decision I ever made.
Want the blueprint?
The Advice-Based Interior Designer™️
Course teaches you exactly how to capture this growing market, brand your business and run an efficient business that gives you maximum freedom and profit.
Go to The Advice-Based Interior Designer Course
Listen to Melanie on LuAnn Nigara's Podcast, A Well-Designed Business
Set up Google Alerts to track when your business, name, or key topics are mentioned online.
It’s an easy, free way to monitor your visibility, protect your reputation, and uncover SEO and content opportunities—without constantly searching.
Example (Interior Designer – Condo Niche):
If you specialize in condo design, you could set alerts for:
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“condo design trends”
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“small space interior design”
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“condo renovation ideas”
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“Minneapolis condo interior designer”
Now, instead of guessing what to post or write about, you’ll see what people are already talking about in real time. That means you can create content your audience is actively searching for, jump on media opportunities, and position yourself as the go-to expert.
Here’s how easy it is:
1. Go to google.com/alerts
2. Type in a topic you want to track (your business name, your niche, “interior design trends (year),” or even your competitors)
3. Choose how often you want updates.
It takes 2 minutes to set up—and saves you HOURS of scrolling.
Waking up in the morning, only to find yourself in a real life nightmare, is no way to start a day.
If you own a business, you are more likely to have your social accounts hacked.
👉 Hackers often target business accounts because they can access valuable assets like ad accounts and data. They may exploit personal accounts to gain access to the business account.
👉 Adding two-step authentication, adding your ID and photo, changing your password on your accounts will take an hour or so, but do it now before you lose what you have worked so hard for.
SEO Myths:
- SEO is complicated
- SEO is dead
- SEO is only about content
- SEO, AEO & GEO are the same
- SEO requires a new website
- SEO requires lots of monthly maintenance
- SEO converts leads
- SEO is separate from content & social marketing
- SEO is separate from branding & messaging
- SEO is only for the techie people
- SEO is not for online businesses
- SEO is only for local businesses
- SEO is needs to be perfect to work
- SEO is all technical
If you made your own website, you CAN do your own SEO.
And even if you didn’t design your own website,
you CAN learn SEO.
Want to know the secret to staying consistent with SEO each month?
Here are the three Melanie uses consistently:
1️⃣ Google Search Console – a data goldmine
2️⃣ Schema Markup Generator – a visibility booster
3️⃣ Google Gemini – my creative SEO assistant
Together, they help me track what’s working, show up stronger in search, and keep my content fresh (without losing my mind).
Melanie Zaelich’s interior design company, Happy Place Interiors, doesn’t have hundreds of thousands of followers—just around 1,500.
She’s not “Instagram famous.” She’s not trying to be.
Yet Better Homes & Gardens reached out to her directly for expert insight.
Why?
Because her website showed up when they searched.
That’s the power of SEO.
That one feature created a ripple effect:
• Instant credibility with potential clients
• A high-authority backlink that boosts rankings
• Increased visibility in search
• More opportunities continuing to find her
This is the SEO "loop," where visibility builds trust, trust improves rankings, and rankings bring more visibility.
SEO compounds.
You don’t need to be “insta-famous.”
You need a system that helps your website get Seen, Trusted, and Relevant.
That’s exactly what she teaches inside her SEO course.
Looking to get featured?
Build credibility?
Get found?
Time to start with SEO.
Here’s the article:
https://www.bhg.com/kitchen-trend-designers-say-outdated-11735740
