What really happens to your SEO after a redesign? Your website tech questions, answered simply
Welcome back! Now that I’ve walked you through what it’s actually like to work together on a full web design project, I know you might still have some practical questions—especially when it comes to the more technical stuff. So let’s tackle those now!
And quick side note: you do not need to be tech savvy to have an awesome website.
But if you’ve been wondering things like:
“How do I choose the right platform?”
“Will updating my site hurt my SEO?”
or “Am I gonna be able to make edits to my site on my own later?”
…we’re gonna get into all of that right now.
We’ll cover:
Which website platform is right for you
What happens to your SEO when you launch a new site
And what to expect after your site goes live
Choosing the right website platform
Let’s start with the website platform question. You don’t need to have a platform or subscription set up before we start working together.
In fact, part of the process includes helping you choose the one that best fits your needs, and we’ll take care of the setup so you don’t have to stress about any of that.
At By Emily Jane we stick to using Squarespace and Showit because they’re both flexible, visually strong, and user-friendly enough for you to maintain yourself.
(That’s a big reason I don’t design on WordPress — because it can be powerful, but it also comes with a lot of maintenance.)
If you’re curious and wanna do a little research on your own, there's a quick quiz at byemilyjane.com/platform that’ll help point you in the right direction :)
But here’s a quick overview:
Squarespace is great for people who want an all-in-one platform with built-in tools for blogging, scheduling, and selling. So if you might want an easy way to offer products or memberships in the future, this might be the best fit.
Showit on the other hand is ideal for creatives who want complete design freedom and are okay with integrating additional tools as needed - like for blogging or selling.
The truth about SEO and new websites
The other cool thing about Squarespace and Showit is that they’ve both got great built-in SEO tools so you can’t go wrong with either! So let's talk a little about search engine optimization…
First up—if this is your first time launching a site, you might be surprised to learn that it’s not gonna show up on Google right away, even if someone types in your exact business name. It can sometimes take a few months for Google to index your site.
That said, if you work with us on a custom or semi custom design project, we will set you up with your SEO best practices, like page titles and meta descriptions, compressing your images for faster load times, and making sure your site is mobile-friendly and easy to navigate.
You’ll still need to put in some ongoing effort if you want to show up in the top of the search results for other keywords, because SEO is really a long-term marketing strategy, not a one-and-done setup — so just have that knowledge going in.
What happens to your rankings when you relaunch
Now if you’re reworking or replacing an existing site and you’re worried about messing with your established SEO, it is normal to see a dip in rankings after a relaunch, especially if we’re making big changes like switching platforms, updating your domain, or changing how your pages are organized. That’s unfortunately just part of how Google adjusts to a new setup.
That said, we do take steps to minimize that dip as much as possible - like proper redirects so your old links will still work and an overall structure that’s user-friendly and easy for search engines to crawl.
Basically, we’re doing what we can to make sure the google bots and your visitors can easily find what they’re looking for.
But here’s the real thing i want you to think about: if your current site isn’t helping you book clients or reflect the quality of your work, then keeping it live just because it ranks well is not actually helping you.
Showing up in search results is great—but if the site isn’t doing its job when people land on it, what’s the point?
So instead of letting those SEO fears hold you back, we focus on building something that’s more strategic and user-friendly. And that kind of upgrade can improve things like how much time visitors are spending on your site, which over time helps your search rankings, too.
So yes, the short-term dip is something that can happen—but the long-term payoff is worth it.
Regardless of where you’re starting from, though, if SEO is a major focus for you right now — we can always build in some extra support to your package, like targeted keyword research or a blog content plan, to help you build more momentum over time. If that’s something you’re interested in, just let us know. :)
Post-launch support and future edits
Now let’s talk about what happens after your website goes live.
First of all—you are not on your own. You’ll have two weeks of post-launch email support, which means you can reach out with any tech questions, troubleshooting needs, or tutorial requests.
And when it comes to updating your site, you’ll be able to do things like:
Write blog posts
Swap out text and photos
Or tweak your services or pricing
...without needing to touch a single line of code.
That’s one of the big perks of using Squarespace and Showit—your site stays flexible, so you can make changes with the needs of your business.
And if you do need any more help down the road, like creating a new page or refreshing your branding on your site, you can always book a few hours of focused support. It’s perfect for those small updates without committing to a full redesign.
So if the technical side of things has been making you hesitate about getting started with a new website, I hope this helped take some of that stress off your plate!
And if you’re ready for a site that works for you (and a designer who makes the process feel straightforward and chill), fill out our client application, and I’ll send you a personalized video breaking down your next steps.
Next time, we’re gonna talk about something i’m sure a lot of people are curious about: Is hiring a web designer really worth it? We'll talk about what you're actually paying for, and how that investment tends to pay off. See you there!
