Why Showit5 is the Best Website Platform for Photographers
Over the years I’ve used almost every platform under the sun to build websites for myself and other creative businesses. I think my very first website for my photography business was on an early version of Weebly #shame.
As far as websites go, there are two things I’ve learned to be just as true now as they were in 2008. One, that not every platform is built equal (do your research, homies). Two, that you get what you pay for. A platform that does more is going to cost more, but if that’s what you need to stand out it’s worth every. dang. penny.
I want to preface this post by saying I am not an affiliate of Showit5 and all opinions stated in this are my own.
Here are my top reasons why I believe Showit5 is the best website building platform for creative entrepreneurs - especially photographers - in 2019. It is not a list of every incredible feature but instead a review of the features I think set it above other website builder platforms.
Design for Visual Thinkers
Even though I’m able to code, it’s 2019 and I’m all about working smarter, not harder. I’m a visual thinker and most of my creative entrepreneur clients are equally as right-brained. To be able to imagine a website and all its intricacies from the front end and design it in a way that gives clients room to grow and adapt is invaluable.
Don’t get me wrong, I still love and use Squarespace for lots of my personal and client websites, but the layers and drag/drop capabilities and customizability of Showit are light years beyond what Squarespace currently offers. It is truly a blank canvas for you to build and design without limitation.
Wordpress BLOGGING
The design for your website and blog is created in the Showit5 in-browser software, but to create and publish a blog post you use Wordpress. This would make the transition from an existing Wordpress site seamless with very little learning curve for a business owner.
WORDPRESS PLUGINS
Since Showit5 blogs are managed through Wordpress, you can still therefore use plugins (within reason) for your site. Backend plugins, such as Yoast for SEO and analytic plugins, work the best without risk of compatibility issues. Which leads me to my next point…
Thorough SEO Capability
Both Showit and Wordpress have excellent SEO capability. If you are diligent with adding titles, descriptions, and keywords to your site your traffic will benefit greatly. Showit makes SEO easy enough for beginners and customizable enough for experts.
Ps… If you’re new to SEO I have a free email course to get you started.
+SITES ARE EVERYTHING
So many creative entrepreneurs are branching out to more than one service/product offering. Servicepreneurs are getting into the passive income product scene. A wedding photographer might start a boudoir studio. The list of opportunities for your brand is endless.
The Showit 5 +Site feature allows you to create an unlimited amount of websites and webpages under the roof of your main account.
This would be super handy for a client-only website or for a second branch of your business.
Control over mobile site design
This is one of the non-negotiable “wins” of Showit5 over other platforms. In Squarespace, all of your pages and columns are treated as stacked items when viewed on mobile. This ends up looking decent, but if you’ve used spacing workarounds in your custom Squarespace site or if you want more control over the appearance of your mobile site.
If you peek at your analytics, I can bet there are a large % of visitors to your site on mobile devices. This can’t be ignored from a sales, marketing or UX perspective.
CLIENT FREEDOM
My Showit5 clients invest in a custom design up front, as well as a monthly or annual subscription to the software. But after their website is launched, they have the perpetual freedom to change out images and other details as needed without ever having to hire a coder/designer for hourly work. Most of my clients are savvy enough to make small changes on their site and enjoy the option to do so as their portfolio changes and business grows. Text, images, layout… everything is at their fingertips.
Community + Support
Entrepreneurship can be a lonely island, but with Showit you are never stuck without resources or assistance if needed. The Showit5 community is filled with experts and is always available if you are wanting design help and the online support offered by Showit is super fast to respond for bigger issues.
Time is money
Ultimately, anything that can make your business more profitable (gorgeous website = brand value = increased booking of better clients) or save you time is going to be massively valuable to any entrepreneur. There are only so many hats someone can wear, so streamlining the design process and keeping things customizable at any time is both practical and efficient.
Plus, anything that makes blogging easier and less time consuming is a WIN. Blogging is still an integral part of a healthy SEO practice, so being able to put posts together easily (thanks, Wordpress) is amazing.
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There are hundreds of gorgeous, customizable Showit5 templates out there but if you want a unique, complex website built from the ground up I would recommend a designer that is familiar with the platform. A one-time investment for a template or custom design on Showit5 (and a killer launch strategy) can take you far in your creative industry.