In this post I’m sharing the lessons I’ve learned after designing 10+ Showit website that you can learn from right away!
I started using the Showit website builder back in 2022! Over the years I have learned a lot about Showit itself but also about designing websites. The information I share below will be helpful if you are a website designer or if you’re a business owner trying to DIY your own site! These lessons have been invaluable and took time to learn so I wanted to share them with you!
Here are the lessons I’ve learned and the key takeaways for you:
- Showit’s flexibility is unmatched!
- The value of being able to completely optimize for mobile
- Showit templates can be customized to feel completely unique to different businesses
- Using canvas templates will make your life so much easier when designing or updating a website!
- Less is often more when it comes to design
- Strategy is more important than just having a pretty site
- Showit is great for SEO
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Showit’s flexibility is unmatched!
I originally started my web design business working on Squarespace. When I discovered Showit; I never turned back! The design capabilities within Showit without having to use code are unmatched! It’s a drag and drop platform so you can literally design every little corner of it how you want to! Think about it as Canva but for designing websites.
The fact that code isn’t required has been really great because that means my clients don’t have to worry about code breaking or having to update it. And I know exactly what I can promise, design wise, without worrying if there’s code that can make it happen!
Why the Showit website builder is the best for coaches and wellness entrepreneurs
It’s honestly the best platform for coaches and wellness entrepreneurs because I can capture your brand’s essence with the design flexibility. You can really bring people into your world with your website!
Another added bonus is that, once it’s designed and set up, the maintenance is really easy. I teach you exactly how to maintain and update your website if needed! Which is great for small business owners because you don’t want to continuously spend money on your website!
Custom Showit website design clients
You can see two of my custom design clients below. They both have such different brands and I was able to create completely unique designs that represent them using Showit!
The value of being able to completely optimize for mobile
We all know how important it is to have a mobile optimized website these days. Meaning; a website that looks good and functions well on mobile devices. More than half of the people visiting your website will probably be viewing it on their mobile phones. Because of this, your website has to look good and be easy to navigate on both desktop and mobile.
A lot of website builders offer mobile optimization but Showit takes it to the next level. You can design your mobile version completely independently of the desktop design. Not going to lie, this does make extra work for designers but it is so worth it!
Over time I have learned that mobile optimization should not be an after thought! It’s just as important as the desktop design, and depending on where your audience is finding you, possibly more important!
Your mobile design should be really clean and clear. The desktop version should be too but there’s more space to add cute elements and graphics. Sometimes I will hide specific elements on the mobile version just so it doesn’t seem overly cluttered!
Showit templates can be customized to feel completely unique to different businesses
I used to think that I needed to start every single website from a blank canvas. Which I do for my custom design clients. However, that’s a higher ticket service and not everyone wants to invest in a custom website. When I started out I felt like I was cheating if I used a template to start my design but I’ve learned that it’s definitely not cheating. And it will make my own life a whole lot easier while designing and my clients don’t really care.
Clients want their website to represent their brand, they want it to share their information and function properly. They want the end result; they don’t care how you got there.
Using templates to design websites has made my design process so much easier! And helped me keep my sanity during busy seasons! I use templates for my VIP Design Day and my clients are aware of this! They pick the template they want and I can customize it to make it completely unique for them!
Starting a design with a template is not cutting corners. It’s providing a seamless service and experience for your clients. And if they really want a full custom website they can definitely invest in that and then you can start with that pretty white canvas!
Here are some of my Showit templates customized for my clients
Using canvas templates will make your life so much easier when designing or updating a website!
We just touched on using Showit website templates to design. We also talked about how some clients might want (or need) a full custom website. Even though you are creating your design from scratch you can still use canvas templates in custom websites as well as template customizations.
This doesn’t mean your design isn’t custom or unique, it just means you’re saving yourself a whole lot of time! You can have a set of different canvases for specific sections of your website. For example, have 3-5 different options pre-designed for website menus. There aren’t a million different design options for menus anyways! So if you have a few already designed you can pull it in and customize it without having to start from scratch every time!
Another section I like using pre-designed canvases for is testimonials. If you want a testimonial slider then it’s great to have a few canvas options to choose from. Or FAQ sections where you have to add drop down options. You will save yourself time when it comes to adding the functionality here. You can modify the design to match the branding and layout but won’t have to spend time creating canvas views etc.
Less is often more when it comes to design
When I started designing websites I thought I had to make every little inch of the screen seem interesting. I would see so many design layouts on pinterest where there was overlapping, graphics, animations and so on. The first couple of years I focused on designing these types of websites. Over time I learned that less is actually more when it comes to website design.
Your clients may even ask for a more complicated design and maybe you can do it if it works for their business and website goals. But if you want a strategic website designed to convert then it needs to be clear and simple to navigate. The purpose of a website is to grow your business and make money; don’t make it hard for clients to find how to work with you or whatever else they’re looking for.
Strategy is more important than just having a pretty site
Piggy backing off of my last point here. Of course you want a pretty website, one that represents the brand and business. But what’s the point in a pretty website if it doesn’t convert? If your users find it hard to navigate?
Your brand messaging, planning your user journey and SEO strategy are the most important if the website is going to be used to grow a business. It’s important for the people who are visiting your website but also for Search Engines and AI Search to learn what your website is about. These platforms need to understand your content so they can serve it to users when they search for content related to your business.
A simple flow of a website is easier for Search Engines and AI Search to understand.
Showit is great for SEO
I’ve always known Showit was good for SEO which is why I was okay jumping ship to start using Showit exclusively as a designer. But overtime it has just proved itself over and over again!
Adding SEO to websites is super easy! If you want to learn how to add SEO to a Showit website you can read this post, it walks you through exactly how to do it: Showit SEO: How to Add SEO to Your Showit Website the Right Way
You must know by now; I am a huge fan of blogging to grow your business! And Showit integrates with WordPress for blogging. This is really great for SEO! Think about it, majority of blogs are hosted on WordPress. It’s a powerful tool for blogging and it seamlessly connects to your Showit website. So there’s another little bonus of building SEO on Showit!
You need to be intentional with your SEO strategy
A huge part of optimizing your website for SEO is adding keywords. It’s important to choose keywords that are high in search volume and low in difficulty.
If I’m being totally transparent this is a huge lesson I learned the hard way! I invested in SEO before I learned how to do it myself. And unfortunately, I didn’t see any results! I left my main web pages that were optimized alone, not making changes to disturb the SEO for over a year. Because it can take anywhere from 6-12 months for search engines to start ranking your web pages. But even then; crickets!
That’s when I decided to learn SEO myself and the revolution I had was that the keywords you pick for each page are going to make or break that SEO strategy. You have to have keywords that are actually being searched and they can’t be words that are too hard to rank for when you have a smaller website.
So be sure to carefully select the keywords you want to optimize your website for because it will make the biggest difference!
A little encouragement
If you are a designer or you’re in the middle of designing your own Showit website; I hope these lessons I learned will help you! I know it can be a lot of work designing websites but it’s also a lot of fun! Once you work out the kinks and get into your groove it all feels so much smoother!
And if you’d rather skip the overwhelm and have your site brought to life in just one day—I’ve got a cozy little VIP Day with your name on it. I’ll take care of the strategy, design, and tech, so you can launch with confidence and finally feel proud to share your website. Book a consultation to see if a VIP Design Day is right for you!
The Beginners Guide SEO: Simple Steps to Start Showing Up on Google
My Journey From Showit Website Designer to SEO Strategist for Introverts
Showit Website Templates for Coaches (That You Can Launch in a Day!)
How to Create a Website Content Strategy That Works While You Sleep!
