SEO website design that earns its keep
Strategic WordPress websites built around search visibility, clear content and the humans who you want enquiring
A good looking website is nice.
But if the right people can’t find it, understand what you do or work out what they’re supposed to do next? Then it’s not very helpful.
My SEO website design service brings together website strategy, a search-friendly structure, WordPress development and conversion-conscious design to build a site that does more than look polished.
I’m thinking about how your pages fit together, how search engines navigate and understand your website, how humans move through it and whether the whole thing supports the business you’re wanting to grow.
Your website shouldn’t simply look the part.
It should earn its keep.
A good-looking website isn't automatically a good website
You can have beautiful branding, polished photos and a homepage that gets plenty of compliments.
If your website is difficult for search engines to understand, confusing for humans to navigate or vague about what you actually do, then looking good only gets you so far.
A website that’s doing its job should help the right people:
- find you when they’re searching for what you offer
- understand you without playing detective
- trust you enough to keep exploring
- take the next step without wondering where the heck they’re supposed to click
And all of that depends on more than colour palettes and clever animations.
Your website structure, content hierarchy, technical foundations, SEO, usability and design all need to pull in the same direction.
Because the prettiest website in your industry isn’t much use if it’s quietly sitting there waiting for someone to stumble across it.
Good web design makes things look right. Strategic web design makes the whole thing work together.
SEO shouldn't be an afterthought
Many websites are built first and optimised later. Which is a bit like building a house and only then asking where the plumbing should go.
By that point, you may already have a page structure that doesn’t support the way people search, important services buried too deep, content competing with itself or technical decisions that make search visibility harder than it needs to be.
With SEO website design, I’m thinking about those things from the start.
That means considering things like:
- how your pages are structured and connected
- what each page needs to be found for
- whether search engines can easily crawl and understand the site
- how your content hierarchy supports your priority services
- where metadata, internal links and technical SEO foundations fit
- how humans actually move through the website once they land there
And because search is changing, I’m also thinking about whether your website gives AI tools clear context around your business, services and expertise.
Clear structure, useful content and strong technical foundations make your website easier to understand … for humans and machines alike.
The goal isn’t to bolt SEO onto your website. It’s to build with visibility in mind from day one.
So, what goes into SEO website design?
Quite a bit more than choosing a nice font and making sure the buttons match.
When I design and develop a website, I’m looking at how all the moving parts work together. For your humans, your business and search visibility.
Depending on your project, that can include:
Website structure and page hierarchy
Making sure your key services, content and conversion paths are easy to find
SEO-friendly architecture
Building pages and internal links around how your humans search and how search engines understand your site
Conversion-conscious design
Using layout, hierarchy and calls-to-action to guide visitors towards the next logical step
Responsive WordPress development
So your website works properly across desktop, tablet and mobile
Technical SEO foundations
Including crawlability, indexing considerations, URLs, headings, metadata and other behind-the-scenes essentials
Content implementation
Making sure the words and design support each other rather than fight for attention
Performance and usability considerations
Because nobody enjoys waiting 11 years for a page to load
Analytics and search tracking
So you’re not launching your shiny new website and then guessing what happens next
AI visibility considerations
Helping create a clear, well-structured website that gives AI tools useful context about your business and expertise
Hi, I'm Rachel
And I don't look at websites through a design-only lens
I’m an ex-lawyer turned SEO and AI visibility strategist,
copywriter and WordPress website designer.
Admittedly, that’s a slightly eclectic career path. But it means when I’m working on your website, I’m not only thinking about whether it looks polished.
I’m thinking about:
- how your humans find you
- what they need to understand once they land
- how your pages and services fit together
- whether your content makes the value of what you do clear
- what Google and AI tools can understand about your business
- and whether the website in fact makes it easy for the right people to take the next step
Here’s a fun fact: websites don’t exist in neat little silos.
Design affects usability. Copy affects conversion. Structure affects search visibility. Technical decisions affect performance. And all of it needs to support what your business is currently trying to achieve.
That’s why I like being able to join those dots rather than looking at your website as a collection of colours, code and boxes that need filling.
Your website needs to work as one strategic whole.
How we get from "this website isn't working" to one that does
No disappearing into a developer cave and resurfacing six weeks later with a surprise website.
Here’s what the process looks like.
01. We work out what your website needs
We’ll start with a short fit call to talk through your current website, what isn’t working and what you need the new one to achieve.
For many new builds and major website redesign projects, the smartest starting point will be my SEO & AI Visibility Strategy Intensive so we can work out the structure, priorities and visibility issues before anyone starts designing.
Already have a solid, recent strategy? We may be able to head straight into the website project.
02. We get properly briefed
Once the direction and scope are clear, I’ll dig into your business, audience, services, brand, existing website and anything else that needs to inform the build.
This is also where we lock down practical things like functionality, page requirements and what needs to stay, change or quietly disappear.
.
03. I map out the website
Before I start designing, I work through the site structure and page hierarchy.
What belongs in the main navigation menu? Which services need their own pages? How should people move through your site? Where do we want them to go next?
In other words, we sort out the bones before worrying about the wallpaper.
04. The design and development begins
Then I bring the site to life in WordPress.
I’ll build the agreed pages with usability, responsive design, SEO foundations, content hierarchy and conversion paths in mind … so the finished website works as one connected whole.
05. You review and we refine
You’ll have a chance to review the website and provide consolidated feedback.
I’ll work through the agreed revisions, test the site across devices and tidy up the inevitable little things that reveal themselves once everything’s in place.
06. We launch the thing
Once everything’s approved and tested, it’s time to send you new website out into the wild.
I’ll take care of the agreed launch tasks and make sure the essentials are in place so you’re not left staring at WordPress wondering what button you’re supposed to press next.
What's built into your website project?
A strategic website build involves a few more moving parts than installing WordPress and hoping for the best.
Depending on the agreed scope, your project can include:
Strategic website structure
Page hierarchy and navigation built around your services, humans and business goals.
Custom WordPress design
A website designed around your brand rather than squeezing your business into a one-size-fits-all template
Responsive development
Built to work properly across desktop, laptop, tablet and mobile.
SEO foundations
Search-friendly structure, headings, URLs, metadata implementation and the technical basics that help search.
Conversion-conscious layouts
Clear content hierarchy, calls to action and user journeys that make the next step easier.
Content implementation
Your agreed website copy uploaded and structured so the words and design work together.
Analytics and search tracking
The agreed measurement tools set up so you can see what happens once your website goes live.
Testing and launch support
Final checks across the website before we release it into the wild.
This could be a good fit if ...
Your current website looks fine but isn't pulling its weight
You're planning a new website or major redesign and want SEO considered from the start
Your website structure has become messy as your business has grown
You want your content, design and SEO foundations working together rather than living in separate little universes
You need a WordPress website you can manage once it's handed over
You want clearer pathways that help the right humans understand what you do and where to go next
You care about visibility, usability and business goals as much as how your website looks
Website design packages built around what your site needs
Not every website needs 10 pages. And two 6-page websites can involve wildly different levels of thinking, functionality and complexity.
These packages are designed to give you a useful starting point. Once I understand your website, goals and strategic foundations, I’ll recommend the scope that makes the most sense.
The focused website
From $3,897
For established businesses with a simple service structure and a small number of core pages
- custom WordPress website design & development
- up to 3 agreed website pages
- responsive design for desktop, tablet and mobile
- SEO-friendly website structure
- technical SEO foundations
- SEO metadata implementation
- internal linking across the agreed pages
- conversion-conscious page layouts and calls to action
- supplied website content uploaded and formatted
- contact form setup
- analytics and search tracking setup
- website testing before launch
- two rounds of consolidated revisions
- website handover at launch
The core website
From $5,987
For professional service businesses that need more room to explain what they do
- custom WordPress website design & development
- up to 6 agreed website pages
- responsive design for desktop, tablet and mobile
- SEO-friendly website structure
- technical SEO foundations
- SEO metadata implementation
- internal linking across the agreed pages
- conversion-conscious page layouts and calls to action
- supplied website content uploaded and formatted
- contact form setup
- analytics and search tracking setup
- website testing before launch
- two rounds of consolidated revisions
- website handover at launch
The expanded website
From $8,697
For firms with more services, expertise or website territory to cover
- custom WordPress website design & development
- up to 10 agreed website pages
- responsive design for desktop, tablet and mobile
- SEO-friendly website structure
- technical SEO foundations
- SEO metadata implementation
- internal linking across the agreed pages
- conversion-conscious page layouts and calls to action
- supplied website content uploaded and formatted
- contact form setup
- analytics and search tracking setup
- website testing before launch
- two rounds of consolidated revisions
- website handover at launch
Need something a little different?
Your website might need four pages. Or eight. Or a particular piece of functionality that refuses to fit neatly into a package.
That’s fine.
These packages are starting points, not rigid little boxes. Your fixed-price proposal will reflect the size, complexity and functionality of the website you actually need.
Need the words sorted too?
I can also scope SEO website copywriting alongside your build so your structure, content and design work together from the start.
And for many new websites or substantial redesigns, we’ll begin with the SEO & AI Visibility Strategy Intensive so we know we’re building the right website before anyone starts disappearing into WordPress.
Questions you might be asking
Why do you build websites in WordPress?
Because WordPress gives established businesses a strong mix of flexibility, control and room to grow.
It also means you’re not locked into a proprietary website platform that only one provider can manage.
Once your site is live, you can update content yourself, work with another WordPress professional if you ever need to, or add functionality as your business evolves.
In other words, I want you to own a website and not feel held hostage by it.
Do I need the SEO and AI Visibility Strategy Intensive before you build my website?
Not always.
For many new websites and substantial redesigns, starting with strategy makes sense because it helps us work out what your website needs before we start working on it.
That might include your site structure, priority services, visibility issues, content gaps and what deserves attention first.
If you already have a solid, recent strategy in place, we may be able to head straight into the build.
We’ll work that out on the fit call rather than making you pay for strategy you don’t need.
Can you write the website copy too?
Yes.
I also offer SEO website copywriting, so I can scope the words alongside the website build if you need both.
That can be particularly useful because the structure, content, SEO and design are being considered together rather than arriving from separate planets and hoping they get along.
If you already have professionally written content, that’s completely fine too.
Can you redesign my existing website rather than starting again?
Absolutely.
A website redesign might involve rebuilding the whole site, restructuring parts of it or working with what’s already there.
The important bit is working out why you’re redesigning it first.
If your current website has deeper problems with structure, messaging, SEO or visibility, there’s not much point slapping a fresh coat of paint over them and calling it done.
Is SEO included in the website build?
SEO foundations are built into the way I approach the website rather than treated as an optional extra at the end.
Depending on your project, that can include search-friendly site structure, page hierarchy, URLs, headings, metadata implementation, internal links, crawlability and indexing considerations.
That doesn’t mean your website will magically rank number one the second it launches.
SEO involves far more than the build itself, including content, authority, competition and what happens after launch.
Will my new website be optimised for AI search too?
I’ll consider AI visibility as part of the broader website strategy, particularly around clear structure, content hierarchy and making your business, services and expertise easier for search technology to understand.
But there’s no mysterious “make ChatGPT love my website” toggle hiding in WordPress.
AI visibility depends on more than web development alone, which is why I look at it alongside SEO, content and broader authority signals.
Will the website work on mobile and tablets?
Yes.
Responsive design is part of the standard build, so your website will be designed and tested across desktop, tablet and mobile.
Because making someone pinch, zoom and swear at their phone isn’t much of a user experience.
Can you add booking systems, memberships, e-commerce or other functionality?
Potentially.
Forms, booking systems, memberships, online shops and more involved integrations can be scoped depending on what you need.
I’ll tell you what I can manage myself and, if something needs a specialist developer, I’ll tell you that too.
Do you provide WordPress training?
Yes, personalised WordPress training is available as an optional add-on.
Rather than giving you a generic tour of every button WordPress ever invented, I’ll focus on the parts of your website you need to know.
What happens after the website launches?
You can manage the website yourself, book training so you feel more confident doing that, or talk to me about ongoing website and SEO support if you’d rather not add another thing to your own to-do list.
Before you rebuild, work out what your website really needs
We’ll start with a short chat about your goals, your current website and the smartest strategic next step.