In this blog post, I’m sharing what to do with your website during the design process and how exactly to ‘share’ about your new brand in your marketing.

If you haven’t even hired your designer yet, sharing about a revamped website can feel like it’s a long way off, but hang in there! I think it’s super smart to think about your launch strategy, and your desired launch date before you even begin the design process. It’s so critical you explain these expectations to your designer too so you can stay on the same page.

Many business owners aim for a specific launch date, whether it’s a special occasion like the spring equinox or simply timed with personal events like school breaks. While having a goal is great and sometimes it’s necessary, I’ve also seen deadlines add unnecessary pressure. Is there an actual date we need to hit? Or can you take a bit more time and care to make sure you’re creating exactly what you want to create? I’ve worked with both clients! Sometimes there truly is a date we need to hit. Other times, we can flow with it a bit more. Luckily, there are flexible ways to approach your website redesign, so you can avoid stressing over launch day. Let’s dive in! ✨

Two Approaches to a Website Redesign:

Option 1: The Landing Page Approach

This is the most common option across industries—using a splash page or landing page while your designer works behind the scenes. It’s like giving your audience a sneak peek of what’s to come, building anticipation. However, keep in mind that this could result in a temporary dip in SEO or impact your current offers. 🫣 High-end brands often choose this route for the “wow” factor. If you choose this option here’s my top tip: boost your email marketing to keep promoting your offers during the redesign. Since website makeovers can take 4 weeks to 3 months, plan accordingly when scheduling your redesign.

If you have a specific date you want to hit and you want to go with this approach then I suggest actually giving yourself a 3-4 week buffer (making sure the site is final and updated at least 3 weeks before that special date). The reason: You’ll see down below in this article that I suggest giving yourself time to build OTHER marketing pieces and freebies and plan your launch with more care. By giving yourself a buffer you’ll be able to create those additional marketing pieces with more ease. All of this is to say: just because the site is ‘final’ doesn’t mean you have to remove the landing page right away.

Option 2: Keep the Site Live During Redesign

I’m actually seeing an increasing amount of my clients opt for this option. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can keep your website live while it’s being updated. Designers can work on it gradually, ensuring it looks presentable as updates are made. This approach is ideal for businesses that rely heavily on their site and don’t want to interrupt customer flow.

If you have a specific date you want to hit you just want to communicate that with your designer so they can make sure everything is in working order before that date!

Take Some Time to Prep before Launch

Once your site is “live” and updated with your new branding, don’t feel the need to announce it immediately! ❤️ Take your time to finalize your freebies, refresh your content, and plan your marketing strategy. You can of course do this during the website design process, but if you weren’t able to do it then, you can totally take a couple weeks after “launch” to do that! Because here’s the thing: your audience might not be as interested in clicking over to your new website without you reminding them about that freebie or new resource you created. Give your audience a reason to click over to that new website! Update your freebies, record a few new podcast episodes, or write a new blog post, so when you’re ready to share your website, you’re offering more than just a new design—you’re offering value.

How to Share About Your New Brand and Website

So how should you share about your new brand and website? Below I’ll share my suggestions for social media and email marketing. On-brand social media templates are a fantastic way to showcase your new website. If this isn’t already included in your design package, you can customize one of my sets from The Sundai Shop here >. Or if you’re just looking for mockups for your website or freebie you can download the Mockup Template package for free >

Once they’re ready, you can plan a sequence of posts to introduce your fresh brand to your audience.🤠

The graphics to create:

I’ve created a Strategic Mini Guideline below to share all about your new website and brand on instagram. This is the order, or sequence, I suggest with proposed caption themes but feel free to listen to your own instinct on this. ✨

Image 1: A new photo of you (your face). This can be a new formal image of you, using your new brand imagery, or a more candid casual iphone photo. Either way, in the caption use this as an opportunity to reintroduce people to who you are and your new offerings. Share what you’ve been up to (any new certifications? summer travel winding down?). Position this post so people understand where you’ve been and what’s been going on behind the scenes.
Image 2: A Value-Based text only graphic. This graphic can be a quote you love, a fact you believe in, or a strong stance. In the caption, share your business values, and your reasoning for making a pivot in your business / why you decided to launch a business.
Image 3: Image of your website, logo or both. Share that you have a new website that’s officially live! This could be a carousel, single image, reel, (or whatever the latest and greatest instagram tool is). This post should feel celebratory. In the caption, share your call to action. It could be asking people to hop on a free call or sign up for your new freebie. If you’re able to give an incentive (i.e a discount that expires in a week, or a freebie that will expire in a week) that can help to drive more traffic to your website.
Image 4: A photo of you. In the caption share in detail what your services are (or what your primary service is). Share what’s included, why it matters, and how it’s impactful. Feel free to grab the copy for this caption directly from your new website to do this.
Image 5: A testimonial graphic. Okay okay, prepare to hear some crickets after posting this. Testimonial graphics don’t exactly encourage reshares or saves. But do not mistake the “lack of engagement” for “big impact”. 93% of consumers read online reviews before making a purchase. 62% of consumers are more likely to purchase if they see photos and videos of other customers. If you have real clients with real results to share, I suggest sharing these pretty consistently on instagram - It’s where your audience is, after all. In the caption I suggest elaborating on this testimonial with a specific story about this client.
Image 6: Your regularly scheduled instagram content. More on that below…

Tips for sharing on Instagram

Before announcing your rebrand, ensure you have a few weeks of regular Instagram content ready - whatever that looks like for you! The goal is to keep the momentum going post-launch. Consistency is key for building trust. Plan at least two weeks of posts before the launch, follow with the launch sequence, then continue posting regularly for two more weeks. Consider creating a 90-day marketing plan to promote your new offers after the launch and keep reminding them of the real value and reason to click over to that website.

Tips for sharing with Email Marketing

If you have an email list, structure your launch similarly to your Instagram strategy. Share regular content for two weeks, launch your website, and then continue emailing for another two weeks. Provide more value to your email subscribers than your Instagram followers (a general rule of thumb), and consider offering them an exclusive promotion to encourage sign-ups. Consistency is key here, too—your audience needs time to share in the excitement and, ideally, click that 'book a consult' button.

New to email marketing? I recommend FloDesk for its ease of use and beautiful design. You can get 50% off your first year with this link!

Need to see a real example of a “launch”? I got you.

For Kaileen Elise’s Brand and Website relaunch in 2024, I feel she launched easefully, with care and using her own voice 🤩 (which I know is important to most of you). This isn’t to say I think you should copy her words or tone of voice - In fact, please don’t. Make it your own! This is just an example of how she was able to build some anticipation, share about the website, provide tons of new value, and then continue her existing marketing strategy.

What Kaileen did:

Shared a few sneak peek “snap shots” a few times in stories 4 weeks leading up to the big launch
She chose a date AFTER we were very close to final so we weren’t stressing over hitting the deadline. She then chose a TIME of day during launch day where she could be on IG stories and celebrate in the comment sections with her community.
Leading up to the launch she posted this > (https://www.instagram.com/p/C6JlOeSyo2W/)
On the day of, she shared this post > (https://www.instagram.com/p/C6Mj4TCB_3B/)
She provided some context to the redesign here > (https://www.instagram.com/p/C6PHuwjh_c6/)
And she had a personal recap where she mentioned the site design again in case anyone missed her previous posts > (https://www.instagram.com/p/C6WXQCMO_lH/?img_index=1)
Regular scheduled content via instagrm and email marketing sandwiched
She wrote a few new blogposts here > ( https://www.kaileenelise.com/blog-home )
She refined her freebies and made them super easy to understand here > (https://www.kaileenelise.com/free)

That’s it! Whether you’re a client reading this or you’re someone on the internet looking for some guidance, I hope this blogpost feels supportive for wherever you are in the process.

If we haven’t met yet, I’m Jena Thielges a Brand and Website Designer. I specialize in working with women who are coaches, therapists, healers and service providers. Founded in 2019 on seven years of agency experience, Sundai Studio is more than a brand and web design studio—it’s your energy, embodied in design. Because even your branding should feel aligned.

Check out my offers here and get in touch if you’re ready to book a free consult call!