How to Become a Showit Website Designer [Updated for 2026]

Jan 18

Please note that this post contains affiliate links and any sales made through such links will reward me a small commission – at no extra cost for you :)

I remember staring at my first Showit project feeling completely overwhelmed. After years of designing exclusively in Squarespace, I'd just agreed to take on a coaching client who insisted on Showit. I had no idea what I was doing.

That panic moment led to one of the best career decisions I've made. Learning Showit opened up an entirely new client base, allowed me to charge premium rates for custom design work, and gave me creative freedom I never had with template-based platforms. But the learning curve? That was real.

If you're a website designer considering adding Showit to your service offerings - or maybe transitioning to Showit exclusively - you're probably wondering if it's worth the investment of time and money to learn a completely new platform.

TL;DR: Becoming a Showit website designer requires learning a drag-and-drop design platform with a steeper learning curve than template-based builders, but offers significantly more design flexibility and higher earning potential. The transition typically takes 1-3 months of focused learning, costs $300-$500 for training and practice sites, and opens access to a premium client market willing to pay $4,000-$10,000+ for custom designs.

But here's what most people miss:

Showit isn't "harder" than other platforms - it's just different, requiring actual design thinking rather than template customization
The investment pays for itself with just one Showit client project at premium rates
Most Showit designers started with other platforms (Squarespace, WordPress, Wix) and successfully transitioned - you're not starting from scratch

After designing websites since 2017 and completing 85+ projects across multiple platforms, I can tell you exactly what it takes to become a successful Showit website designer. Let me show you the realistic path, including what nobody tells you about the transition.

Why Showit? Understanding What Makes It Different

Before we dive into how to become a Showit designer, let's talk about whether you should. Because Showit isn't necessarily better than other platforms - it's different, and that difference serves specific types of designers and clients.

The Showit Advantage: Creative Freedom at a Price

Showit operates fundamentally differently than platforms like Squarespace, WordPress, or Wix. Instead of working within template constraints or coding everything from scratch, you're working with a true drag-and-drop canvas where literally anything can go anywhere.

What this means in practice: You can overlap elements, create custom animations, design truly unique layouts that don't look like templates, and maintain pixel-perfect control over every visual element. For designers with strong aesthetic vision, this freedom is exhilarating.

But here's the nuance most people miss: this freedom requires actual design skills. With Squarespace, the templates keep you from making terrible design choices. With Showit, nothing stops you from creating something visually chaotic. You need to understand design principles - visual hierarchy, white space, typography, color theory - not just how to use the tools.

The Client Market: Who Actually Needs Showit?

Here's something crucial: not every client needs or wants Showit. Understanding who Showit serves helps you decide if this investment makes sense for your target market.

Ideal Showit clients:

Coaches, photographers, wedding professionals, and creative entrepreneurs who view their website as a brand experience, not just an information delivery system. They have strong visual brands and want websites that feel custom and distinctive.
Service providers willing to invest $4,000-$10,000+ in their websites. Showit's complexity and customization justify higher project rates - clients paying $1,500 for a basic site probably don't need Showit's capabilities.
Businesses that prioritize aesthetics and brand alignment over DIY maintenance. Showit requires more designer involvement for updates compared to Squarespace's simpler editing interface.

Not ideal for Showit:

E-commerce businesses needing robust shopping features. Showit partners with WordPress for blog functionality and integrates with external e-commerce platforms, but it's not built primarily for online stores.
Budget-conscious clients or those wanting to maintain everything themselves easily. The complexity that allows custom design also makes simple updates less intuitive for non-designers.
Businesses needing extensive custom functionality. While Showit is incredibly flexible visually, it has limitations for complex functionality compared to WordPress with custom development.

Understanding this client fit helps you evaluate whether investing in Showit skills aligns with your target market and business model. Want to understand more about different website platforms and their ideal clients? Each serves different needs.

Here is a preview of Showit websites I’ve designed over the past few years:

Here are my top tips for becoming a Showit website designer.

Step 1: Invest in Quality Training (Don't Try to Wing It)

If you want to become a Showit website designer, your first step is to learn how to design a website. A good starting point is one of the many online courses available on Showit design.

It’s okay if you don’t have any design experience - that’s what the course is for!

These courses will give you an understanding of the backend of how to navigate the platform - from creating menus, page layouts, site canvases, sliding galleries, and so much more!

If you already have some experience in designing websites and have taken a few courses on graphic design or similar subjects, then congratulations — you’re well on your way!

Why Self-Teaching Showit Is Harder Than Other Platforms

With Squarespace or Wix, you can reasonably teach yourself through YouTube tutorials and experimentation because you're working within template structures. The platform constrains your options in helpful ways.

Showit has no such guardrails. You can literally drag anything anywhere, which sounds great until you're staring at a blank canvas with infinite possibilities and no idea where to start. The freedom that makes Showit powerful also makes it overwhelming for beginners.

What structured training provides:

Systematic understanding of Showit's design philosophy and tools. Not just "here's how to add a button" but "here's how to think about layouts and structure in Showit."

Best practices developed from years of Showit-specific work. Things like proper layer organization, naming conventions, and design systems that keep projects manageable as they scale.

Common pitfalls to avoid that you'd only discover through painful trial and error. Like how to structure mobile designs that actually work instead of breaking when you add elements, or how to use Showit's canvas system without creating performance issues.

Templates and resources that give you starting frameworks to customize rather than building everything from absolute scratch initially.

The Training Programs Worth Considering

The best ones are often taught by industry experts who have years of experience behind them, so they can pass on their wisdom to students like yourself.

Here are some options:

If you’re wondering, “why would I pay for a course when I go online and learn for free?” then listen up.

Sure, you can scour Google and YouTube, but as someone who has taken a couple dozen courses, there’s nothing like learning in an organized format. These courses are built to tell you everything you need to know and tend to leave out the fluff.

Some courses are better than others, but they definitely save you time and tend to be straightforward. I love learning through online courses.

The realistic investment: Expect to spend $300-$500 on quality training, plus $19/month for a Showit subscription while you're learning and building practice sites. That feels like a significant upfront cost, but one Showit client project at premium rates ($4,000-$8,000) pays for your entire education and then some.

Learn website design strategy

Beyond how to use Showit, you need to know how to set up a website from a strategic standpoint. It’s not just about pretty colors and whimsical fonts.

A Showit course you purchase may already cover this, but it’s worth mentioning in case it only covers how to use the platform.

Strategy leads design choices so it will only make you a stronger designer to have this knowledge in your back pocket.

Not to mention your clients will have better results if their websites are infused with strategy to lead people to take action, which increases happy testimonials and referrals.

Step 2: Build Practice Websites/Pages

This is where you’ll really be tested to see if you actually like using Showit and (if you haven’t designed a website before) if you enjoy the process of infusing elements to build a page.

You’ll want to create a Showit account and sign up for the trial. Inside any of the templates, you should play around with the features.

Think about these questions…

Do you enjoy piecing together a web page?

Do you find it exciting to play around with different elements?

Do you find yourself losing time because you’re having so much fun and so lit up?

This is why starting with a trial and using as much of the 14 day window as you can is important.

If you don’t enjoy the time you’re spending in the backend of Showit, then designing a website may not be the right direction for you, and that’s okay!

The practice progression that actually works:

Site 1: Rebuild your own website or portfolio site. Use something you deeply understand so you can focus on learning the tools rather than figuring out content strategy and messaging simultaneously. This first site will take forever and look rough - that's expected.

Site 2: Create a site for a fake business in a niche you want to serve. If you want to work with coaches, build a practice coaching site. If you want wedding clients, build a wedding photography site. This helps you understand industry-specific needs while building portfolio pieces.

Site 3: Offer a friend or connection a discounted site. Having a real client with real feedback (even if they're not paying full rate) helps you experience the collaboration process, feedback implementation, and problem-solving that's different from working alone on practice sites.

The realistic timeline: A 5 page practice site could take 20-40 hours when you're learning, though experienced Showit designers can build sites in under 10 hours. Expect to spend 40-80 hours total on practice before you're confident taking on full-rate client work.

I know this feels like a significant time investment, but it's the difference between confidently delivering professional results versus fumbling through your first paid project and undercharging because you're not sure of your skills yet.

What to Focus on During Practice

Don't just randomly build sites. Practice strategically:

Master Showit's canvas system and how desktop/mobile designs relate. This is probably the trickiest aspect of Showit - understanding how changes on desktop affect mobile and vice versa. Many beginners create desktop sites that completely break on mobile.

Develop efficient workflows for common elements. Figure out your process for building navigation menus, contact forms, footer sections, blog layouts. Having repeatable workflows dramatically increases your speed.

Experiment with Showit's animation and design features. Parallax scrolling, hover effects, slide-in animations - understanding these features helps you create dynamic sites that showcase Showit's capabilities.

Practice solving real design problems. How do you handle long-form content pages that need to stay visually interesting? How do you design for clients with lots of text but minimal photos? How do you create clear visual hierarchy when you can put things anywhere?

Build sites that aren't your personal aesthetic. If you naturally gravitate toward minimalist design, practice building something bold and editorial. Versatility makes you more marketable to diverse clients.

One thing I did during practice that helped immensely: I recreated sections from websites I admired in Showit. Not copying entire sites, but seeing a layout I liked and figuring out how to build it in Showit. This developed my problem-solving skills and showed me multiple approaches to common design patterns.

Step 3. Learn SEO

It’s not enough just to know how to build a great looking website – you also need to know how to make it look good to search engines too.

This means using SEO (search engine optimization) techniques to increase traffic from search engines like Google.

These techniques include things like adding keywords to title tags, image file names, and alt text. You also want to understand how to write proper meta descriptions and the importance of resizing all images before uploading them to your clients’ websites.

If this all sounds like gibberish to you, no worries! A lot of designers don’t know what SEO is at first.

And sadly, SEO is commonly overlooked by Showit website designers.

But I promise it’s not as scary as it sounds.

Since SEO tips and best practices can range immensely depending on the type of business you have, it’s definitely best to learn from a course. In other words, the SEO you implement for an international ecommerce brand is going to be different for a small business owner like an online coach or photographer.

I might be a little biased but I recommend my Showit SEO course, SEO Strategy Simplified ;) You can sign up for my free training, where I give an intro to SEO and the importance of blogging to reach page 1 of Google. I’ve been in the SEO space since 2016 and spent 3 years at agencies helping billion dollar global brands improve their online search presence, so if you want to learn from someone with real world experience, I’m your go-to SEO gal!

Step 4: Understand Showit's Ecosystem and Integrations

Showit doesn't exist in isolation - it partners with WordPress for blogging and integrates with numerous third-party tools. Understanding this ecosystem is crucial for becoming an effective Showit website designer.

The WordPress Partnership: What You Need to Know

Here's something that confuses many new Showit designers: Showit handles the design and static pages, but blogs run on WordPress. This hybrid approach gives you Showit's design freedom for main pages and WordPress's robust blogging platform for content.

What this means practically:

You'll need basic WordPress knowledge to set up and style blog sections. You don't need to be a WordPress developer, but understanding how to install plugins, customize blog templates, and troubleshoot basic WordPress issues is essential.

Blog design requires different thinking than main pages. The WordPress portion has more constraints than Showit's main canvas, so you need to balance consistency with the realities of each platform.

For designers who've never touched WordPress: This learning curve is manageable. Showit provides WordPress blog templates designed to match your main site design, and most styling happens through Showit's interface. You're not coding WordPress themes from scratch.

But you do need to understand: WordPress updates and maintenance, basic plugin management (for SEO, forms, security), how to troubleshoot when the integration has issues, and how to explain to clients that their blog lives in a slightly different environment than their main pages.

I've had Showit clients confused about why their blog felt different to update than their regular pages. Being able to clearly explain the WordPress partnership and what that means for their workflow prevents frustration and sets proper expectations.

Essential Integrations Every Showit Designer Should Know

Email marketing platforms: Showit integrates with ConvertKit, Flodesk, Mailchimp, and most major email platforms. Understanding how to properly set up opt-in forms and make them work reliably is crucial - broken email signups cost your clients money.

Scheduling tools: Many coaches and service providers need Acuity, Calendly, or similar scheduling integrations. Knowing how to embed these seamlessly so they match the site design is a valuable skill.

E-commerce solutions: While Showit isn't primarily an e-commerce platform, it integrates with Shopify, WooCommerce, and other solutions. Understanding the limitations and possibilities helps you guide clients appropriately.

SEO tools: Showit has built-in SEO features, but understanding how to use them effectively - and how they differ from Squarespace or WordPress - is essential. Many designers make the mistake of treating Showit SEO the same as other platforms. Want to understand how to optimize Showit for SEO? The platform has specific considerations.

Forms and lead capture: Showit has native form functionality, but it's relatively basic. Knowing when to use Showit's native forms versus integrating more robust solutions like Typeform or Gravity Forms serves clients better.

The knowledge that sets you apart: Clients come to Showit designers expecting not just design skills but platform expertise. Being able to confidently recommend and implement the right integrations for their specific business needs justifies premium rates.

Step 5: Build Your Showit Portfolio Strategically

Here's something most new Showit designers get wrong: they build whatever practice sites they feel like building, then wonder why they're not attracting their ideal clients. Your portfolio needs to be strategic, not random.

Showcase the Right Work for Your Target Market

If you want to work with wedding photographers, your portfolio needs to feature photography-focused sites with gorgeous image displays and portfolio layouts. Showing a bunch of coaching sites won't convince photographers you understand their needs.

If you want coaching and consulting clients, demonstrate sites with strong messaging, clear service positioning, and trust-building elements. Photography-heavy sites without strategic copy won't appeal to this market.

The strategic portfolio approach:

Identify 2-3 specific niches you want to serve as a Showit designer. Maybe wedding vendors, health coaches, and creative consultants. Don't try to show you can design for everyone - depth beats breadth when attracting premium clients.
Build 3-5 portfolio pieces specifically showcasing design that would appeal to each niche. These can be practice sites, discounted real projects, or strategic spec work - but they need to demonstrate you understand that industry's specific needs.
Include variety within your niche focus. If you're targeting photographers, show you can handle minimalist elegant sites, bold editorial layouts, and soft romantic aesthetics. Versatility within a niche is valuable.
Feature before/after transformations if possible. "I redesigned this coaching client's site from Squarespace to Showit" with clear before/after comparison demonstrates the value of custom Showit design versus template limitations.

How to Present Your Showit Work

Don't just show static screenshots. Share actual live links where potential clients can experience how the site actually functions - animations, mobile responsiveness, interactive elements. Showit sites shine when experienced, not just viewed as images.

Highlight Showit-specific features. Call attention to design elements that specifically showcase what's possible in Showit versus template platforms. Overlapping elements, custom animations, unique layouts - these demonstrate why clients should invest in Showit.

Include project context. Briefly explain each client's goals, your design strategy, and the results when possible. "This wellness coach needed to justify raising her rates to $5,000 - we created a site that positioned her as the premium choice in her market."

Show your process, not just finished products. Some designers include wireframes or design evolution to demonstrate their strategic thinking. This proves you're not just randomly placing elements - you're thinking through structure and user experience.

Feature testimonials from Showit clients specifically. Social proof from clients who invested in custom Showit design validates your expertise in this particular platform. Generic website testimonials don't carry the same weight.

Step 6: Price Your Showit Services Appropriately

Showit exists at the premium end of the website design market. Clients choosing Showit over Squarespace or Wix are specifically opting for custom design and are expecting to invest accordingly.

Typical Showit project rates:

Basic Showit sites (5-7 pages, simpler design): $3,000-$5,000. These are straightforward layouts without extensive custom work but still fully custom design versus templates.

Standard Showit sites (7-10 pages, strategic design): $5,000-$8,000. Most Showit website designer projects fall in this range - comprehensive sites with custom layouts, strategic messaging, and thoughtful design.

Premium Showit sites (10+ pages, extensive customization): $8,000-$15,000+. Complex sites with custom animations, extensive content, multiple service offerings, and strategic positioning.

Starting rates for newer Showit designers:

When you're building your portfolio and still developing speed, starting at $1,000-$2,000 for basic projects is reasonable. This covers your learning curve while providing professional deliverables.

As you build efficiency and portfolio depth, increase rates progressively. After your first 5-10 projects, you could be at $2,000-$4,000 for standard sites. After 20+ projects with strong results, $4,000-$6,000+ becomes achievable.

Don't stay at starter pricing out of fear. I see designers who've completed 30+ Showit projects still charging $3,500 because they're nervous about raising rates. Your pricing should reflect your growing expertise and efficiency.

Want guidance on website designer investment and pricing? Understanding value-based pricing changes how you position yourself.

Step 7: Master the Client Process Specific to Showit

Working with Showit clients requires a slightly different process than template-based platforms. Understanding these nuances helps you deliver better results and avoid common frustrations.

Setting Proper Expectations About Showit

Before a client commits, they need to understand:

Showit requires annual subscription costs in addition to your design fee.

The blog lives in WordPress, not Showit. This hybrid approach confuses some clients initially, so clear explanation prevents frustration later.

Custom design means longer timelines than template customization. A custom Showit site could easily take 4-6 weeks (or 1-2 intensive VIP days if you offer that service model).

Managing the design feedback process:

Showit's flexibility means clients can request literally any change they imagine. Setting clear boundaries around revision rounds prevents scope creep that kills profitability.

Real-time collaboration tools work beautifully with Showit. Using Slack or project management tools like Asana where clients see progress and provide immediate feedback keeps projects moving and reduces endless revision rounds.

Mobile design requires specific feedback sessions. Many clients don't think about mobile until they see it, then want significant changes. Building mobile review into your process prevents late-stage revisions.

The training and handoff process:

Decide upfront what level of control clients will have. Some Showit designers maintain full control and handle all updates. Others train clients to make basic changes themselves. Your service model determines your approach.

Create clear documentation for whatever you expect clients to manage. Showit's interface isn't as intuitive as Squarespace, so "figure it out yourself" doesn't work well. Loom videos showing exactly how to update specific elements saves endless support questions.

Set boundaries around post-launch support. Showit sites are complex enough that "unlimited support" can become a time drain. Clear policies about what's included post-launch versus what requires additional fees protects your time.

Setting up an onboarding and offboarding process

This is an often overlooked step in becoming a website designer, but it is so incredibly important. In order to deliver an excellent experience to your clients, you need to have a seamless process for onboarding and offboarding.

For onboarding, think:

Contracts/invoices
Sending questionnaires
Requesting images/content/visual branding from your clients
Setting up a Google Drive folder (or other content hub)
Assigning tasks for materials you need from your clients

For offboarding, think:

Sending final files to your client (fonts, color codes, Canva graphics, etc)
Sending a “what happens next” email with any video walkthroughs, referral info, and how you handle questions/ongoing support
Taking screenshots for your portfolio
Mailing client gifts
And more!

There’s a lot that goes into designing websites for clients, and it can overwhelming to keep track of it all in your head.

Trust me - clients will remember how easy and organized (or confusing and complicated) your process is. Clients will greatly appreciate an organized approach to their project.

This is one of the biggest pieces of feedback that I get from my clients - how easy it was to work together and figure out each step of the process.

I invested time and money in this part of my business before I even had clients, so I highly recommend you do the same if you want referrals for website design services.

I love using Dubsado (get 20% off your first month) for my business. It’s great for sending invoices, contracts, and forms. You can also add canned emails and automate their delivery which is an amazing workflow to have set up in the backend.

In terms of project management, I love using Asana for all tasks, deadlines, and messages/feedback throughout the project. If Asana is foreign to you, I learned so much from Louise Henry’s Uplevel with Asana course.

You can also use Clickup or another project management software.

Step 8. Start Marketing to Ideal Clients

Once you have the knowledge of Showit (affiliate link), learn SEO, create a couple mock homepages, and establish a way to collect payments, you are ready to start working with clients!

There are so many ways to get clients. Here are a few:

Instagram
Facebook
YouTube
Referrals
Family/friends
Masterminds/group coaching programs
Podcasts
Blogging/SEO

Marketing most likely will be a big lift in the beginning while you start nailing your messaging and processes for content creation. Be ready to put yourself out there for a few months without getting a lot of inquiries. This is normal so don’t get discouraged!

Whichever you choose, focus on 1-2 in the beginning. Trying to sell your services on too many platforms dilutes your efforts and you’ll be spread too thin. If you focus on a specific platform or two, you’ll have a much higher chance of seeing results and attracting clients.

Some great content ideas as a website designer are: your framework, your process, behind-the-scenes, website tips/advice testimonials, screenshots of your website work (both mock sites and client sites), and more! You can include these in both static posts as well as videos.

Common Mistakes New Showit Designers Make (And How to Avoid Them)

After completing dozens of Showit projects and helping other designers learn the platform, I've seen the same mistakes repeatedly. Let me save you from these painful learning experiences.

Mistake 1: Overcomplicating Designs Because You Can

Showit's unlimited design freedom is both blessing and curse. New designers often create overly complex sites with excessive animations, overlapping elements everywhere, and layouts that are "creative" at the expense of usability.

The result: Sites that look impressive as design specimens but confuse visitors and don't convert well. Form over function is always a mistake, regardless of platform.

The fix: Start with simple, clean layouts that prioritize user experience and conversion. Add creative flourishes strategically where they enhance the experience, not just because Showit allows it. Ask "does this serve the user's journey?" before adding any element.

Mistake 2: Neglecting Mobile Design Until It's Too Late

Many new Showit designers build beautiful desktop sites, then discover their mobile versions are completely broken. Showit's desktop-first canvas makes it easy to forget mobile responsiveness until the end.

The result: Either scrambling to rebuild mobile layouts at the last minute, or launching sites with poor mobile experiences that hurt conversion rates and SEO.

The fix: Build and check mobile layouts as you go, not at the end. Establish your desktop design direction, then immediately create the mobile version of that section before moving forward. This catches mobile design problems early when they're easier to solve.

Mistake 3: Poor Layer Organization and File Management

Showit gives you complete freedom in how you organize layers, which means many beginners create chaotic files with unnamed layers, no grouping strategy, and elements scattered everywhere. This becomes a nightmare when you need to find and edit specific elements.

The result: Projects that become impossible to maintain or update efficiently. What should take 5 minutes takes 30 because you can't find the right layer among 200 unnamed elements.

The fix: Develop systematic naming conventions and layer organization from your first project. Group related elements, name layers descriptively, and maintain structure throughout the project. Your future self (and any designers inheriting your work) will thank you.

Mistake 4: Underestimating Project Timelines

New Showit designers often think "this will take about as long as a Squarespace site" and give unrealistic timelines. Then they're working until 2 AM trying to meet deadlines because custom design takes significantly longer than template customization.

The result: Burnout, frustrated clients receiving rushed work, and unsustainable business models where you're making minimum wage despite charging decent rates.

The fix: Track your actual time on early projects to understand your real pace. Build in buffer time for revisions and unexpected complications. Showit projects realistically take 15-25 hours for standard sites when you're building efficiently - price and schedule accordingly.

Mistake 5: Not Explaining the WordPress Blog Partnership Clearly

This communication gap creates so many frustrated clients. They don't understand why their blog feels different to manage than their main pages, or they're confused about where to make certain updates.

The result: Clients who feel frustrated with their sites despite beautiful design, constant support requests, and negative word-of-mouth because they feel the experience was confusing.

The fix: Explain the WordPress partnership clearly during sales conversations, create distinct training for blog versus main page updates, and set proper expectations about the hybrid nature before clients commit. Prevention is easier than damage control.

The Reality Check: Is Becoming a Showit Designer Right for You?

Before you invest time and money into becoming a Showit website designer, let's get real about whether this aligns with your goals and situation.

You're Probably a Good Fit for Showit If...

You have a design background or strong aesthetic sense. Showit rewards designers who can think from blank canvas, not those who need templates for structure and guidance.

You want to work with premium clients willing to invest $4,000-$10,000+ in their websites. The Showit market exists at the higher end - trying to sell Showit services to budget-conscious clients creates misalignment.

You enjoy the actual design process and customization. If you love the creative problem-solving of designing unique solutions for each client, Showit's freedom is energizing rather than overwhelming.

Your target clients are coaches, creatives, or wedding professionals. These industries have the highest concentration of Showit users and understand the value of custom design.

You can invest 1-3 months learning before earning. Building skills through training and practice before taking on paying clients means delayed revenue that you can afford.

You're Probably NOT a Good Fit for Showit If...

You prefer template-based efficiency over custom creation. There's nothing wrong with being an exceptional template customizer - but that's not what Showit offers, and you'll fight the platform constantly.

Your clients primarily need e-commerce or complex functionality. Showit excels at design but isn't the best platform for stores or complex custom features. WordPress or Shopify serve those needs better.

You struggle with design fundamentals and visual decision-making. Showit assumes you know good design - it doesn't guide you toward good choices like template platforms do.

You need to generate income immediately. The learning investment before you're confident taking on paid work might not work if you need cash flow now.

Your target market is small businesses with limited budgets. Selling $2,000 websites doesn't justify learning Showit when Squarespace or WordPress templates could serve those clients better at that price point.

I've mentored designers who loved Showit and designers who tried it and realized template platforms suited them better. Neither choice is wrong - they're just different paths serving different designers and markets. Understanding your honest preferences and business goals helps you make the smart choice for your situation.

Your Next Steps: The Realistic Timeline

If you've decided becoming a Showit designer aligns with your goals, here's what the realistic timeline looks like:

Month 1: Foundation and Training

Invest in comprehensive Showit training ($300-$500)
Subscribe to Showit ($19/month for practice sites)
Complete the full training course (15-25 hours)
Build your first practice site (15-20 hours)

Month 2: Skill Building and Portfolio

Build 2-3 additional practice sites (30-50 hours total)
Offer a discounted or free site to a real client for experience
Join Showit designer communities for support and learning
Study Showit sites you admire to understand design patterns

Month 3: Market Entry and First Paid Projects

Finalize your portfolio and service offerings
Set your pricing at entry levels ($3,000-$4,000)
Begin marketing your Showit design services
Book your first 1-3 paying clients

Months 4-6: Building Momentum

Complete your first paid projects and gather testimonials
Refine your process based on real client work
Gradually increase rates as confidence and speed improve
Build your reputation in your target niche

Months 7-12: Establishing Your Business

Aim for 5-10 completed Showit projects
Raise rates to $5,000-$7,000 for standard sites
Develop specialized expertise in your chosen niche
Consider expanding services (VIP days, maintenance packages)

This timeline assumes part-time dedicated effort - maybe 10-15 hours per week. If you're going all-in full-time, you could compress this significantly. If you're balancing Showit learning with other work, it might stretch longer.

The key is consistent progress over perfection. You don't need to be a Showit master to take on your first paying client - you just need to be confident you can deliver professional results. Then each project builds your skills and portfolio for the next one.

Ready to Become a Showit Website Designer?

Learning Showit isn't the easiest path into website design - but for designers with the right skills and target market, it's one of the most lucrative and creatively fulfilling.

You're not starting from scratch if you already have design experience. You're adding a premium skill to your existing foundation - one that opens access to clients willing to invest significantly in custom design that properly positions their businesses.

The investment is real: $300-$500 for training, $19/month for practice sites during learning, and 50-100 hours of focused practice before you're truly confident. But compare that to the $5,000-$8,000 you'll charge for standard Showit projects once you're established.

If you're a Squarespace designer, WordPress designer, or working in any other platform and wondering if adding Showit makes sense - consider your target market and business goals. If you're already working with premium clients who value custom design, Showit gives you more tools to serve them at higher rates. If you're serving budget-conscious small businesses who need simple, maintainable sites, investing in Showit might not align with where your business is heading.

The honest truth about becoming a Showit designer: It's harder than learning template platforms but pays significantly better. It requires real design skills, not just technical knowledge. And it serves a specific premium market that values custom positioning and aesthetic distinction.

If that aligns with where you want to take your website design business, the investment is absolutely worth it.

Happy designing!

Looking for more posts about Showit? Check out these blog posts:

showitseowebsite designer

Lauren Taylar https://laurentaylar.com/