Case 12: Searching for an architect should mean finding an architect

RSUA is committed to ensuring that when a member of the public searches for an architect in Northern Ireland, search engines direct them to qualified architects rather than to individuals or businesses that may claim to be architects but are not.

Our aim is to protect the public and maintain the good reputation of architects.

You can read more about this work here.

Case 12 – McNeill Architectural Consultancy

In June 2025, RSUA raised its concerns with the Architects Registration Board (ARB) that Broughshane-based firm McNeill Architectural Consultancy was misusing the title “architects”.

Following ARB intervention, the following changes were made with the welcome cooperation of the business:

1. Previously, when searching for the name of the business on Google, the top search result had the title “Architects Ballymena”. This is no longer the case.
2. Previously, the business included numerous instances of the word “architects” across most of its webpages in its website metadata. These webpages are no longer live.¹
3. Previously, the business was listed on the online directory Good Architects, with the Director described as “a highly qualified architect” and “a chartered qualified architect”. These webpages are no longer live.

Screenshots – before and after

Before:

After:

Before:

For example, on the homepage:

After:

These webpages are no longer live.

Before:

After:

These webpages are no longer live.

Ongoing Work – role for members

RSUA has eight other cases live with ARB currently. We will report on these in due course.

If you become aware of any instances of title misuse, please contact Curtis Large, RSUA Policy and Public Affairs Officer, at curtis@rsua.org.uk

1. Metadata keywords are tags in a webpage’s code that help search engines understand its topic. Adding the word “architects” could allow a business to appear higher in search results when people search for that term. ↩︎