Why I Now Design Showit Websites for Coaches and Creatives
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 :)
If you’re an OG reader on this blog and have been following me since mid 2018, you’d know that I live and breathe Squarespace.
But in May 2020, I decided to get serious about branching outside of my “Squarespace website designer shell.” An influencer reached out to me about doing a Showit website, and I happily accepted!
It was perfect timing.
I had already experimented with Showit and was obsessed with its functionality, so this was a very exciting opportunity. I purchased a couple courses and quickly became acclimated to all the details about designing on the platform before this client’s website project began.
Since then, it’s become integrated into my offerings and I’ve added a few Showit websites under my portfolio.
In this post, I’m breaking down the main things I love about Showit and why it’s now a second option I offer to potential clients.
Flexibility of design
If you’ve ever set up a free account with Showit and fooled around with its interface, you know that the flexibility with page layouts and sections is downright incredible.
Here’s some of my favorite features...
Drag an element anywhere on the page
Unlike Squarespace, which offers a grid layout, Showit allows you to click on any element and move it anywhere on the page.
That means you also get to choose the spacing, and can just drag elements closer together. Say you want a heading text to be closer to a paragraph text below it. Just click and drag!
On Squarespace, that would require code. And Showit has a feature that allows you to easily align and space items, so there’s never a concern that elements will look uneven.
Icon and shape options built-in
This benefit is so incredibly helpful! Say you want a solid colored rectangle to appear behind your image. You can just click on the square icon, assign it a color, resize it, and easily drag it behind your image. On Squarespace, you would have to create this look in Canva first, and then export both the image and colored rectangle as one graphic. That can sometimes make revisions a pain in the a$$.
Here’s an example of my client’s website, where we added multiple rectangles (most of which were formatted into lines), podcast icons, an image, and text individually inside the backend of Showit.
Resize images on your screen
By simply clicking and dragging, you can easily change your image from a square to a rectangle right inside the design area.
This feature makes it very easy to try out a few different image formats in a matter of seconds!
Create different “views,” which allow for fun scrolling sections
This is by far the most exciting aspect of Showit! You can create amazing scrolling sections with various elements and the best part is that (as mentioned above) you have full control over the placement of different elements.
Want a testimonial section that showcases a headshot with a circle border and a highlight behind the name of the person? And want to top it off with the testimonial and image appearing behind a colored background with white spacing around the border of the screen?
It’s all very possible inside of Showit.
Here’s another example from my client. We used the scrolling view feature to showcase various blog posts and podcast episodes. By clicking “next topic,” a user sees additional posts under a different “topic highlight.”
Add color overlays on top of images
Want to add white or black transparency on top of your images in Squarespace? You’ll need to do that in Canva and then upload the image to your website.
In Showit, you can add your original image and easily change the overlay color and it’s transparency using Showit’s built-in feature.
It is SO convenient to be able to do this directly inside the website builder.
Easily change the color of any element
Although you can pre-set the colors of your main heading, subheadings, and paragraph text before you start designing, you can also change the color as you’re designing.
No code necessary! Although I love Squarespace, this simple change would require code.
You can achieve the same result with any icons or shapes you want to change the color of, like a rectangle behind an image.
Show or hide sections and elements with a click of a button
Only want a certain section on desktop, but not mobile? No problem. Just click a button and it’s solved.
You can choose to show or hide any elements on desktop or mobile. This is a very convenient aspect, especially since this would require code in Squarespace.
Custom mobile view
This is another huge bonus of Showit! In addition to custom designing the desktop version of your website, you have complete control over the mobile view as well.
All features on the desktop work on the mobile version.
This is extremely helpful for readjusting banner images at the top of a page to make sure both the image and text are easily readable. This is the biggest pain point inside Squarespace, where you have to choose a certain vertical section of the banner image that mobile will showcase.
Or you can choose to duplicate the section and create a completely different layout for mobile. You keep the desktop version the same, and disable that view on mobile. It’s so easy!
Harness the “power of Wordpress” for your blog
Some clients are serious about the Yoast SEO plugin, which Squarespace doesn't have. Since I don’t offer Wordpress website design, this is a workaround for clients who really want to use the plugin.
Note: you don’t need Wordpress to rank in Google. Online business owners can still rank high in Google with a Squarespace or Showit website.
Downsides of Showit vs Squarespace
So although you might be thinking “OMG, this is amazing! I need to switch to Showit ASAP!” I’d say to slow your roll.
Here are a few things to consider and be aware of...
Domain purchased separately
You can directly purchase a domain and manage it inside Squarespace, but you can’t do that with Showit. You’ll have to purchase your domain from GoDaddy, Google Domains, Name Cheap, or one of the many other options available.
Can’t sell courses or other digital products
Squarespace is a great option for business owners who want to sell digital products like masterclasses, courses, and templates directly through one platform. Personally, I wanted a program with advanced capabilities so I started with Clcikfunnels and transitioned to Kartra at the beginning of 2021.
So if you’d rather use Showit, it’s not a make or break situation. Just note that there are no ecommerce capabilities on the platform. You’ll always need a third party tool to make sales.
No built in scheduling, specifically Acuity
Acuity, which is a calendar scheduling tool used mostly for booking calls, is another great feature of Squarespace. With Showit, you’d have to purchase a plan separately and embed or link out to the third party page.
It’s very easy to mess up your website
Because Showit is SO customizable and you have incredible freedom at the tips of your fingertips, you need to be careful. It’s very easy to create a bad website due to the lack of a grid system like Squarespace that’s helpful for DIYers.
Especially with the different scrolling views, if you change one tiny element on one view (like moving text to the right) but not the other views, it will automatically throw off the entire section.
It takes much longer since Squarespace’s mobile version is already created
Although Squarespace is more limited with its customization, the mobile version of your website is automatically created. So often times, I will create the desktop version first and then the last step is making small coding tweaks on mobile.
With Showit, you have to build your desktop and mobile look together or else it will take foreverrrrr to get it finished. It’s the tradeoff of being able to fully customize your website
So there’s my overview! I absolutely love what Showit (affiliate link) has to offer, but it has its pros and cons just like any website platform.
To see more of what’s possible on Showit, click here to read more about my project with Blaire.
Not sure if Squarespace or Showit is right for you? No worries! I always advise my clients on which platform is best for them. Want to learn more about how I support high level coaches and creatives with upleveling their online presence? Click below to learn more about my packages!