How to Tell if Your Showit Website Designer Is an SEO Expert

If You Only Read One Part of This Article, Read This Summary To Ensure You Don’t Put Your Existing Showit SEO At Risk.

A Showit website designer does not need to be an SEO expert to be talented at design… BUT…. if you have a website that already sends ranks, sends organic traffic, and brings in qualified visitors (whether on purpose or by accident)… hiring a Showit Website Designer who only knows the basics of SEO could undo years of hard work.

This is the distinction I want you to remember.
“Basic SEO included” is NOT the same thing as SEO expertise.

A true SEO expert should be able to explain what they are reviewing, what they are protecting, why they are recommending a change, and how they will measure what happens after launch. (…and preferably they would have reviewed all of this before your first consultation).

At High Tide Strategy, this is why SEO is built into our website strategy from the beginning. We benchmark performance, map keyword opportunities, evaluate structure, write conversion-focused copy, and make design decisions with the full picture in mind.

If your designer cannot explain the nuance behind those decisions, keep asking questions.

And if you want the full vetting framework, use our 15 SEO questions to ask before your Showit website redesign before you sign a contract.

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How to Tell if Your Showit Website Designer Is an SEO Expert

A talented Showit website designer can build a beautiful website.

An SEO expert should also be able to explain what happens to your search visibility when they start changing it.

This distinction matters because web design and SEO are two different disciplines. Plenty of excellent designers specialize in design, and there is nothing wrong with that.

The issue starts when “SEO included” gets interpreted as “SEO expertise.”

If your current website already ranks, brings in organic traffic, earns backlinks, or has content Google consistently sends visitors to, I want you to ask deeper questions before anyone starts rebuilding it.

At High Tide Strategy, we look at benchmark data before we make structural decisions. We want to know which pages are already performing, which keywords are driving visibility, where visitors are entering, and what should be protected before anything changes.

This gives us a reason for every recommendation we make.

You do not need your designer to recite SEO terminology.

You need them to explain what they are reviewing, why they are making a change, and how that decision could affect the search visibility you already have.

If you want the full list of questions to bring into your designer consultation, start with our 15 SEO questions to ask before your Showit website redesign.

“SEO Included” and “SEO Expertise” Are Not the Same Thing

A lot of Showit website design packages mention things like “basic SEO,” “SEO-friendly site structure,” or “SEO included.”

Those phrases are not inherently bad. They are just broad.

This is where I want you to ask what is actually included.

Are they only adding page titles, meta descriptions, and alt text? Are they researching keywords before structuring the site? Are they benchmarking current rankings? Are they reviewing redirects, internal links, technical SEO, and post-launch performance?

Those are very different levels of support.

At High Tide Strategy, we treat SEO as part of the website strategy, not a checklist we complete once the design is finished.

We benchmark your existing visibility, map keyword opportunities, review current URLs, plan site structure, and account for how visitors move through the site before launch.

This gives us context before we make recommendations.

If someone says SEO is included, they should be able to explain what that actually means for your specific website.

If the answer stays generic, I would keep asking questions.

The goal is not to catch anyone in a mistake. It is to understand whether the level of SEO support matches the value your current website has already built.

If you want a deeper list of what to ask, our 15 SEO questions to ask before your Showit website redesign walks through the full process.

“SEO Included” and “SEO Expertise” Are Not the Same Thing

A lot of Showit website design packages mention things like “basic SEO,” “SEO-friendly site structure,” or “SEO included.”

Those phrases are not inherently bad. They are just broad.

This is where I want you to ask what is actually included.

Are they only adding page titles, meta descriptions, and alt text? Are they researching keywords before structuring the site? Are they benchmarking current rankings? Are they reviewing redirects, internal links, technical SEO, and post-launch performance?

Those are very different levels of support.

At High Tide Strategy, SEO is part of the website strategy from the beginning. Our Showit website design process includes benchmark research, keyword mapping, site structure, copy strategy, and technical considerations before launch.

This gives us context before we make recommendations.

If someone says SEO is included, they should be able to explain what that means for your specific website and why each step matters.

If the answer stays generic, keep asking questions.

The goal is not to catch anyone in a mistake. It is to understand whether the level of SEO support matches the value your current website has already built.

An SEO Expert Can Explain What They Are Protecting

Before someone changes your website, they should be able to tell you what is already working.

This might include pages earning organic traffic, keywords already ranking, backlinks, strong internal links, or pages contributing to inquiries.

This matters because redesign decisions should not happen without context.

A page may look outdated and still be valuable. A venue blog may bring qualified visitors every month. A service page may rank for a keyword you did not intentionally target.

At High Tide Strategy, we benchmark this data before we recommend structural changes. We want to know where visibility already exists and which pages have earned authority.

Then we can make informed decisions about what stays, what changes, and what has room to improve.

This is also why I care less about whether someone can list SEO terminology.

I want to know if they can look at your actual website and explain what deserves protection.

If they cannot identify the pages, rankings, links, or traffic they are working with, they are redesigning without the full picture.

An SEO expert should be able to show you what they found and explain how it influences the plan.

The Biggest Green Flag? They Can Explain the Nuance

At this point, I would stop looking for someone who simply says they “do SEO.”

Listen to how they explain it.

Can they tell you why a page should stay? Why a URL needs to change? Why one keyword deserves its own page while another does not? Can they explain what they would monitor after launch?

More importantly, can they tell you when the answer depends on the data?

This is usually where real SEO expertise becomes obvious.

At High Tide Strategy, we build recommendations from benchmark data, keyword research, site performance, conversion goals, and the existing authority your website has already earned.

Sometimes the answer is to change something.

Sometimes the answer is to leave it alone.

I care much more about being able to defend the decision than following a generic SEO rule.

If you are looking for a team that blends sophisticated Showit design with SEO strategy, conversion copywriting, keyword research, and performance data, you can explore our Showit website design collections.

And if you already know you want that level of strategy involved in your redesign, schedule a Showit website design consultation with Mandy.

Frequently Asked Questions About Showit Website Designers and SEO

FAQ 1: Is Showit good for SEO?

Yes, Showit can support strong SEO. The platform itself is only one part of the equation.

Your site structure, keyword strategy, copy, internal linking, technical setup, and ongoing optimization all influence how well the website performs in search.

FAQ 2: Does my Showit website designer need to be an SEO expert?

Not every website designer needs to specialize in SEO.

If your current website already earns organic traffic, ranks for valuable searches, or has established authority, I would want an SEO expert involved before major changes happen.

The more you already have to protect, the more important this becomes.

FAQ 3: What does “SEO included” usually mean in website design?

There is no standard definition.

For one designer, it may include titles, meta descriptions, and alt text. Another may include keyword research, redirects, site architecture, content strategy, and post-launch monitoring.

This is why I recommend asking what the scope actually includes instead of relying on the phrase itself.

FAQ 4: How can I tell if a website designer really understands SEO?

Ask them to explain how they will evaluate your current rankings, pages, URLs, backlinks, copy, and site structure before making changes.

You are looking for specific reasoning, not a list of SEO terms.

Our 15 SEO questions to ask before your Showit website redesign gives you a deeper interview framework.

FAQ 5: Can changing my Showit website hurt my rankings?

It can.

Changing URLs, removing ranking content, altering internal links, rewriting copy, or creating technical issues can affect search performance.

This does not mean you should avoid redesigning your website. It means the changes should be intentional and informed by what your existing site is already doing.

FAQ 6: Should SEO happen before or after my Showit website is designed?

I would involve SEO before the site structure and copy are finalized.

Keyword research can influence which pages you need, how they relate to one another, what belongs in your navigation, and what each page should communicate.

Adding SEO after those decisions are already made limits what it can influence.

Final Thoughts: Your Showit Website Designer Should Be Able to Defend the Strategy

By now, the biggest distinction should be clear.

A designer can be incredibly talented and still not be the right person to lead the SEO side of your website.

If your site already has rankings, traffic, backlinks, or pages that are doing meaningful work for your business, I would not treat SEO as a nice-to-have add-on.

I would want someone involved who can explain what is working now, what needs to be protected, what should change, and why.

That is the standard I would use when evaluating any Showit website designer.

You are not looking for someone who can repeat SEO terminology.

You are looking for someone who can explain the reasoning behind the decisions they are making and show you how those decisions connect to visibility, conversions, and long-term site performance.

If you are still comparing designers, use our 15 SEO questions to ask before your Showit website redesign as your interview guide.

If you want to see what this level of strategy looks like inside a full website project, you can explore High Tide Strategy’s Showit website design collections.

And if you are ready to talk through your own site, goals, current rankings, and what should happen next, schedule a Showit website design consultation with Mandy.

Your redesign should not force you to choose between a sophisticated website and a strategic one.

You can have both.