May 15, 2024
I’ll just come right out and say it, but when I first discovered Showit, I immediately fell in love.
And I can’t help but think that if you’re an online, creative business owner, you will too.
Because in my opinion, it’s one of the best website platforms known to mankind.
Although, I promise to tell you a few reasons you shouldn’t choose Showit because even though I absolutely adore it, it’s not the best website platform for every business.
So let’s talk about everything you need to know about Showit (the good, the bad, and the commonly asked questions) in this ridiculously honest review.
Showit is a website builder made for creatives. (It was actually originally built to be used by photographers so they could showcase all of their images, but has since grown to become adored by the creative business community at large.)
And while Showit is the new kid on the block, in comparison to website builders like WordPress that have been around since the beginning of website builders, Showit is giving other website platforms a serious run for their money.
And that’s because with Showit, the creative possibilities are endless, it’s easy-to-use, and the tech side is far less daunting.
Plus, Showit websites are gorgeous. Just look…
(Designed by me!)
A Showit website designed for a destination wedding photographers Sabrina & Eric Ryan
A Showit website designed for Coconut Creative Studio, a marketing agency:
A Showit website designed for a Virtual Assistant Agency for Therapists
Stunning, right?! And those websites are gorgeous BECAUSE they’re built on Showit, I promise.
Because Showit is literally a drag-and-drop platform, you don’t have to spend any time learning how to code or battling with impossibly hard-to-use WordPress themes.
If you want to drag an image to another section on your home page, you just drag it.
If you want to move a section of text over a few inches, you just drag and drop it.
It’s literally that easy.
Which means whether you’re DIYing your website or have a few updates you want to make after working with a Showit website designer (ahem, like me), you won’t have to waste years of your life on countless design forums trying to figure out how to make the simplest edits.
Showit website look different because on Showit, you can do and design anything.
(After all, Showit was literally built for creatives.)
Whether you want a section of scrolling text, buttons that change color when you hover over them, or a web page with a layout unlike anyone else’s, Showit makes it easy to go crazy with creativity.
(Which can be a con, but more on that later.)
Point is, if you want a website builder that doesn’t make you color (aka design) within the lines, Showit’s the way to go.
(It’s also why so many designers have switched from other website platforms like Squarespace and WordPress because they are able to create websites for their clients that are truly custom!)
Listen, it’s likely that at some point, you’re going to encounter a problem with your website.
(Even if you work with a Showit website designer like me who gives you custom videos that walk you through how to make all kinds of edits to your website on your own.)
And when that happens, you’ll likely panic because nothing is more anxiety-inducing than having your website not work the way you want it to. But. Another reason to absolutely love Showit is that their customer service is unreal.
Not only are they ridiculously responsive, but they’re incredibly kind and you’ll never get stuck trying to problem-solve with a robot. Instead, you get real humans who sometimes even send you funny GIFs.
Fun fact, about 60% of internet traffic is happening on mobile. Which means… optimizing your website for mobile isn’t just a nice-to-have, it’s absolutely essential.
And luckily for anyone using Showit… designing your mobile view has never been easier. In fact, you can have your website and mobile view open, side by side, at the same time, so that you can edit your mobile view as you edit the desktop view.
For example:
If you’re someone who cares about having clients and customers find you organically online, Showit has your back.
It’s easy to write meta descriptions, tag headlines, add alt text, optimize images, and more. And there are a million resources that will teach you how to DIY your SEO for Showit, specifically.
ALSO. Showit partners with WordPress for blogging. Which is amazing because you still get to use Showit’s user-friendly platform while getting to access the powerhouse blogging capabilities only WordPress has.
A true win-win.
When it comes to Showit, there are a few downsides. I’ll admit it.
If you sell A LOT of products, Showit probably isn’t the best website platform for you. And that’s because when it comes to e-commerce integration, Showit is limited.
While you can absolutely integrate your Showit website with 3rd party platforms like ThriveCart to sell digital products online (like I do on my shop page!), it’s not the website builder you’d want to use if you’re a product-based business.
So if you’re selling a lot of products online, I’d stick to website platform like Shopify instead.
The creative freedom you have with Showit is both a pro and a con because if you’re not a Showit website designer, staring at a blank canvas with a million and one options for ways you can do literally EVERYTHING can feel overwhelming.
And when you have unlimited creative freedom, but don’t have an eye for or background in design, it’s easy for your website design to start to look messy. However, the good news is, there are so many beautiful Showit website templates that will give you the perfect base to start from.
That way, all you have to do is add in your colors, images, and copy, make some small tweaks, and launch on your own.
So while the endless design possibilities can feel daunting if you’re DIYing it, just know that there are more guided design options for Showit, too.
(There are even stunning free templates, too.)
Showit does offer tiered pricing with the cheapest plan starting at $19 per month ($228 if you pay for the full year). But if you want a blog, your plan will cost $24/monthly or $288/yearly. And if you want to migrate old blog posts over from WordPress or Squarespace, you’ll be paying $34/monthly or $408/yearly.
And if your blog receives high traffic and you have a lot of blog posts (like 30 GB), Showit plans are upwards of $64 per month.
Whereas website platforms like WordPress, Squarespace, or Wix tend to offer slightly more affordable starter plans (for example: Wix has a starter plan of $6 if you need a ridiculously basic website).
All of those platforms also offer more expensive plans, too (like some really expensive plans), but they come with a lot more features than Showit offers (like the ability to sell products, massive storage capabilities, and increased online security support, just to name a few examples).
Probably Showit’s biggest con is that it can’t do everything in one place. Unlike other website builders like WordPress and Squarespace that can integrate email marketing, e-commerce, membership areas, IG feeds, blogging, and more…
Showit is more limited.
And while there are plug-ins that can help you get everything you want done, it takes more effort. (Like when it comes to e-commerce, you’ll need to embed a plug-in. Which isn’t the end of the world, but definitely requires more effort.)
Although I do think, over time, Showit will continue to make their platform even easier to use, for right now, they don’t have everything you could need all in one place.
Yes! No matter which Showit plan you’re eyeing, it includes hosting (and if you go for the plans that include a blog, you’ll have a self-hosted WordPress blog, too).
That means you don’t need to spend any money on a website host like GoDaddy or BlueHost because it’s included.
(You’ll still need to purchase your domain, however!)
No, although Showit was originally created for photographers specifically, it’s used by all kinds of service-based businesses.
I’ve designed Showit websites for design studios, skincare experts, health and wellness coaches, and so many more brilliant people in all kinds of industries.
Point is, Showit is a website platform for all sorts of service-based businesses.
Definitely. Showit offers a 14-day free trial. And when you use my link, you get a FREE month. So if you’ve been curious about dipping your toes into the Showit website world, start with a free trial before you fully commit.
I know I already chatted about how Showit partners with WordPress for blogging, but just in case you’re still a tad confused on how that whole thing works, keep reading.
While your blog will be powered by WordPress, you’ll be able to design your blog posts through Showit. Basically, you’ll be using WordPress to blog, but using Showit to make your blog and individual blog posts look good.
(And if you want a more in-depth explanation, watch this video that Showit made to explain the answer to this very question.)
It’s the best of both worlds.
Showit is unreal. If you’re a website designer looking for unmatched creative freedom and want to build your clients websites that are 100% unique, Showit is amazing.
If you’re a creative business owner wanting a website that’s beautiful and doesn’t require you to learn how to code to make edits and updates on your own, you’ll love Showit.
But if you’re a big business looking to sell loads of products, host a membership, or want a website platform that doesn’t require outside plug-ins, Showit isn’t your best bet.
Get one month FREE with this link.
Or, check out my Showit website design services, submit an enquiry, and we can chat about the stunning website I’d love to design for you.