Beyond the Build: Why your website still needs SEO in 2025
In our recent piece Why You Still Need a Website in 2025, we explored why high-performing, owned platforms are still critical in a digital world. But let’s be real, just having a website isn’t enough anymore.
Your site needs to have SEO incorporated from the beginning to be discoverable and deliver impact. It requires more than just good looks; tacking SEO on after launch simply isn't enough.
If no one can find it, it’s not working
A beautiful website without a search strategy is like putting a masterpiece in a locked gallery. It might look and feel fantastic, but who’s seeing it? Too often, brands assume good design alone will drive traffic. Spoiler: it won’t.
Even some of the world’s most recognisable names have launched polished sites that launched with a whisper and not a bang, largely due to skipping the strategy that makes websites searchable. Visibility is designed, engineered and has to be intentional. And it needs to start early.
SEO is not an add-on, it’s core to your digital product
Every design, content, and information architecture decision made in the early stages of a website project can directly shape how well your site will perform in search. By integrating SEO from day one, you’re influencing everything from user flow and page structure to URL formatting and accessibility.
And to be specific, this is not about stuffing in keywords. It’s about deeply understanding your audience; what they’re searching for, how they search, and how your platform can show up as the answer that best matches their intent. Making these choices upfront doesn’t just optimise search, it improves the overall experience for every user who lands on your site.
Search is shifting. Fast
Google’s still a giant, but it’s no longer the only player in town. AI-powered tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Claude are changing the search landscape and the way that your customers are seeking information. These tools don’t just link out, they serve up answers inside their own ecosystems, and you need to be prepared.
So your site doesn’t just need to be found. It needs to be understood. Structured in a way that both search engines and AI can easily parse and prioritise. That means clear hierarchies, intuitive navigation and schema that makes sense to both bots and humans.
To expand on this notion and challenge our industry conventions further, we are entering into a new search era where agents will interact on behalf of us with products autonomously. This poses an important question.
Are we building websites for humans or AI agents?
Put simply, are we building with User Experience (UX) or Agent Experience (AX) at the forefront? The answer? It’s both.
Note: ‘Agent Experience’ was first brought to my attention in an article written by Mathias Biilmann, where he defines AX as “The holistic experience AI agents will have as the user of a product or platform”.
Good SEO = better accessibility
There’s an additional bonus in doing SEO well. Accessibility.
Our very own accessibility aficionado, Andrew Stone often speaks about how the same elements that help search engines understand your site-semantic structure, alt text and clear headings, also support assistive technologies.
Optimising for search performance isn’t just good practice, it creates a more human-centred experience, enabling people of all abilities to access and engage with your content. That’s good for business and it’s the right thing to do. Businesses have an increasingly important role to play in building meaningful connections with their customers and being more accessible is a perfect place to start.
SEO isn’t a set-and-forget strategy
One of the biggest myths we hear? That SEO is a launch task. Something to tick off the list. In reality, it’s a living, breathing strategy. Algorithms shift. User behaviour evolves. Competitors raise the bar. If you want to stay visible and valuable, your search strategy needs to evolve too.
Continual updates ensure you’re not just keeping up, but staying ahead and adapting to the constant changes to varying algorithms.
Built to perform, from day one
When SEO is embedded from the beginning, your site doesn’t just look and feel exceptional, it works harder. It becomes easier to discover, more aligned with user intent, and primed to scale with your ambition. Traffic grows, engagement deepens and conversions rise not through shortcuts, but through smart foundations.
At Juicebox, this is how we build. Strategy-led. Performance-driven. Designed to evolve.
A stunning website that no one visits doesn’t shift the needle. But a platform designed to be seen, understood and experienced by humans, algorithms, and AI alike? That’s what delivers long-term impact.
Interested in brand-led, human-centred design, technology and marketing? Get in touch with us today.
