Top 5 Reasons I Love Showit (And I Know You Will Too)

You probably already know this, but I LOVE Showit. Like seriously love it. I actually credit Showit with helping me fall in love with web design — which led to me returning to college to earn a degree in graphic design.

But if you didn’t know that… and you’re just scratching your head, wondering what the heck Showit is… I’ll tell ya!

Showit is a website builder for photographers. It’s actually for anyone who wants a totally custom (and super awesome) website. But it started out almost a decade ago, as a way for photographers to create truly awesome and one-of-a-kind websites… when our only options were bad flash template sites.

Tired of my own clunky, icky flash site, I started with Showit back in the early days of my wedding photography biz. I fell in love with the platform and have basically “grown up” with it as I’ve transitioned into a designer, and now branding specialist.

I’ve watched Showit grow up too.

Back then, before anyone was worried about mobile web traffic or scrolling sites, Showit was also flash-based. (But totally customizable!).

When I attended Showit United in 2015, they announced their long anticipated Showit 5 — an answer to the demise of Flash. Showit 5 (as opposed to the “old” Showit Desktop) allowed the creation of endless scrolling pages and WordPress integration.

Even though I’m no longer a wedding photographer — and I design websites for all sorts of creative lady entrepreneurs (photographers, hair stylists, fashion stylists, and coaches… to name a few!), I STILL think Showit is the best web design platform out there — for myself and my clients. So today, I’m sharing My Top 5 Reasons I Love Showit (And I Know You Will Too!).

1. Freedom

“Freedom to be me,” boasted one of their early taglines… and it’s a mission that Showit hasn’t wavered from.

I still remember stumbling across Showit, early in my photography career (circa 2009).

After a year of a soul sucking flash website template I was ready for something that was really “me.”

I loved how Showit gave me the ability to create whatever I wanted.

It was basically a “blank slate.”

And it’s still that way today (but better!).

Because Showit is totally customizable, you don’t have to feel trapped — like you would with a website template. But not to worry — if you’re not ready to create a site from scratch, Showit has a library of free and paid templates that are easily customizable — and you can switch at any time. It’s great for when you’re first starting out and haven’t yet established your brand.

And when you are ready, you can hire a designer (Oh, hi there! That’s me! Check out my web design services here >>) to create something truly custom and on-brand for you.

For designers, like myself, Showit offers a blank canvas and complete creative control. (Um… yes, please!)

You literally start with a blank canvas (which is their term for the various blocks that make up a page). So you really don’t have to conform to a template or a theme at all. Then you can create a website that is entirely custom and one-of-a-kind — and coordinates perfectly with your branding. And even better, enhances your brand experience.

2. Programming

As in, no programming required.

Can I get an amen for that??

When I went back to college to earn my degree in graphic design, I knew I wanted to be a web designer. But half-way through the design program, I started getting a little nervous… because I hadn’t learned a thing about web programming or development!

I remember asking my major professor, when I’d learn to code…

And he ask me why I’d even want to.

He told me I needed to focus on being a design nerd, and let the programming nerds handle the code.

So reluctantly I agreed. But he was right, cuz #aintnobodygottimeforthat

Well, at least, I don’t.

I’m too busy honing my design nerdiness for my awesome clients.

And turns out, I’ve got an awesome team of programming nerds, that have had my back since BEFORE I even started the design program…

Yes, Showit has taken care of all the programming and code for me, so I can focus entirely on my speciality — design. And frankly, why would I want to bother with anything else? With their brilliant “drag + drop” model, and endless options to customize, I can create websites EXACTLY how I want.

Again, #freedom

3. WordPress

And speaking of freedom from programming…

I was soooo excited when Showit announced the launch of Showit 5 — with one of their best and most brilliant features — WordPress blog integration.

WordPress is more than a powerful blogging platform — it’s arguably the best content management system online, boasting over a quarter of all websites on the entire Internet! (source).

So, not only was Showit’s WordPress integration exciting — it was also absolutely genius.

Because of Showit’s design capabilities, what once required premade themes or hiring a developer, is now easily achieved with the click of a mouse. Drag and drop, baby!

The options really are limitless.

4. Support

One of my faaaaaavorite features about Showit is the support. They are real people, who are super friendly, and even more helpful.

Via live chat from Arizona, you can connect with the Showit team (really, some of the nicest folks you’ll ever come into contact with), and they’re always eager to help.

I asked a lot of questions — especially when I was starting out with the new Showit 5 software. And I’m sure I asked a lot of dumb questions.

But they never made me feel dumb.

They always take care of a problem. And when they don’t know, they find out.

All this to say, the Showit team has never left me hanging.

Which is why, I guess they feel like they’re a part my my team, too.

But don’t think you’ll be spending hours on chat support — because there’s plenty of other help to get you started.

Showit offers an extensive library of online tutorials for almost any question you could think up. And there are step-by-step instructions to walk you through it.

If you can’t find an answer there, you can also ask in the Showit User Facebook Group. Just like the Showit team, the group offers a supportive community of fellow Showit users, eager to answer your questions.

Which brings me to my #5…

5. Community

I saved this for last because I think it’s my favorite thing about Showit.

Showit is more than a company. It’s a community.

It’s a community of fellow photographers and creative entrepreneurs who uplift and encourage each other.

I remember when I first heard about Showit. And I thought a subscription equated to a ticket… admission to the “cool kids club.”

Now I realize that Showit is much more like a real-life version of the high school theatre program. Yeah, I was a theatre nerd, and I did all the musicals in high school. Us theatre kids were kinda nerdy, and a little awkward. But we were doing what we loved, with all our heart, and we were doing it together.

And I think that’s what the Showit community is. (Except we’ve all got super slick websites, so we’re not so nerdy or awkward anymore…)

It’s an online community of fellow artists who are super passionate and legitimately excited about what they’re doing.

It’s also an in-person community.

Showit hosts an annual gathering, Showit United, for Showit users and photographers to connect and learn together about their business and their craft. It’s one of the only photography conferences I’ve attended and the whole experience was really transformative. (You can read more about my Showit United experience here).

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So, have I convinced you yet?

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