Which Platform is Best for Your Business?

One of the most common questions I get asked from clients is the difference between WordPress and Showit. WordPress is the most popular and commonly known website platform in the world. But is it right for your business? It can be confusing when deciding which one to use. This post is all about WordPress vs Showit, and going over the pros and cons of both!

Now I’m not here to tell you that WordPress sucks, as it is an amazing platform depending on your type of business and if you have a tech-savvy team to help you. Many past clients of mine are smaller business owners, who have come to me in frustration with their WordPress website. Some issues for them were security breaches/hacking, and not be able to make easy changes on their own without paying for help. That makes me upset, as no business owner should ever feel limited to what they can change on their website.

Why I Recommend Showit

Showit is truly the best of both worlds. You can get drag & drop builder paired with WordPress for your blog. It was originally created for photographers, which is why many people have never heard of it. But over the years, Showit has become increasingly popular for entrepreneurs of all kinds & many website designers have switched over to their platform once they’ve realized how much better it is! Showit requires no coding and has design flexibility like no other platform I’ve tried (I’ve used all of them).

As Showit says – they take the headache out of WordPress. You can still have the amazing SEO capabilities and blog features as they integrate together, but all of the designs can be created within Showit’s easy-to-use builder.

Pros of Using Showit

Easy to Use for Beginners

All of my clients & customers are so pleased with how easy it is to make updates on their own. It’s effortless for them to edit anything themselves, without having to contact a designer or developer for help. There is a learning curve, but so does any new platform that you’ve never used before 🙂 Its interface is very similar to Illustrator/Adobe Suite in my opinion. It gets easy to use once you get the hang of it!

No Coding Required

You’re able to customize any little detail you want, without a single line of code. In just a few clicks, you can change the fonts, colours, images or anything. The limit is ENDLESS on Showit. You can move stuff without worrying about crashing your website, by messing around with the backend.

Amazing SEO Capabilities

SEO can be intimidating if you’re a new business owner. Showit makes it easy for you! You can easily add meta description, alt text for images, share images, and meta keywords for each page. Since your blog is powered through WordPress, you also get to use the Yoast SEO plugin – it’s life-changing! Within months of switching to Showit, I’ve seen a huge spike in my organic searches and it keeps getting better.

Unique Mobile Design

As most of your website visitors will be viewing your website from their phone, this is an awesome feature. This website builder allows you to design both versions side-by-side. Want exclusive content only shown on mobile or vice versa? Want to hide some aspects for mobile, but keep it for desktops? No problem! Website platforms I have used do allow mobile-friendly versions, but nothing compares to the flexibility you get with Showit. They claim to be mobile responsive, but it just copies your desktop design and shrinks it, when Showit allows full customization to perfect your mobile design. Check it out below!

WordPress Blogging

Ever wanted a WordPress blog but didn’t want the headache of WordPress? Now you can! Your blog page designs will be created on Showit, but you still get the power of the WordPress Engine to publish blog posts and access to some plugins that can help grow your blog.

One-on-One Customer Support

The Showit team is the best customer service I’ve experienced. Having live chat 1:1 support is so important especially when there’s a website emergency! No one has time to be on hold with customer support while your website is down. Anytime I have a question, they’ve responded within an hour almost every time. They make you feel valued and unique, and always there to help. This beats any other platform for me.

Pricing (Includes Hosting)

Showit can be more affordable than other platforms. WordPress itself is free, but you’re having to pay for separate hosting, and a website developer to deal with maintenance/security. With Showit’s plan, they take care of everything for you – hosting, customer support, and any security issues/crashes. By eliminating the need for a developer, you are able to save money in the end. You can view Showit’s monthly and yearly plans right here!

Cons of Showit

No Built-In E-Commerce Tools

Showit does not currently offer e-commerce tools in order to sell physical products or have a cart system. However, it’s definitely possible to add a small shop using Shopify Lite Buttons ($9/month) or using a cart system like ThriveCart or Sam Cart. They also allow WooCommerce in their advanced plan, but it’s in beta testing and I’ve personally never used it! I wouldn’t recommend using Showit if you’re primarily an e-commerce business, Shopify is better suited. However, if you’re a service-based business selling a few digital downloads or courses, it’s perfect for you!

Browser Restriction

In order to use their editor, you must use Google Chrome on a desktop. You can’t edit on a tablet or mobile phone. I mean.. everyone uses Chrome nowadays, so it’s not usually an issue 😉

Can Be Time Consuming

As you have to design mobile & desktop and have the ability to edit every little detail, it can be a bit time-consuming if you’re a perfectionist like me!

No Hover Drop-Down Option

Currently, there’s no option to add a hover drop-down navigation. This is something that Showit designers are constantly requesting, we hope to see this soon!

What is WordPress?

WordPress is the most powerful & popular website builder out there. But if you’re someone who hates tech – it might not be the right fit for you. It has a big learning curve, especially for beginners & people who don’t have time to figure out the software. In order to create a unique design, you or a team member should have some knowledge in HTML, CSS, and sometimes Javascript. Most small business owners I know, don’t want to learn to code or want to deal with the headache that comes with a WordPress website.

But if you have the budget to hire a developer & designer or have a tech-savvy team, WordPress would be a great option for you!

Pros of Using WordPress

Endless Themes to Choose From

As WordPress is the most popular platform, there are a lot more themes available than any other platform. There are many WordPress designers selling themes, and using Divi/Elementor is what most people prefer!

WordPress Plugins

There are over 50,000 plugins to choose from on WordPress! The downside is they can slow down your website, and it’s important to get plugins from a reliable source. Some plugins have been linked to hacking/viruses and will shut down your website if you’re not careful about what you download.

Great SEO + Blog

There’s no doubt that bloggers prefer WordPress over any platform. WordPress is the SEO & blog master. Their capabilities are unlike any other platforms, which is why the bigger companies use them. However, with Showit + WordPress blog, you get the best of both worlds 😉

Cons of Using WordPress

Not as User Friendly

Even when using a theme, it can be hard to customize what you’re envisioning or create a unique design without knowledge in HTML, CSS or another coding language. Many business owners are not tech-savvy and have to pay designers/developers every time they want to make a simple change on their WordPress website. A past client of mine had mentioned she spent 10K+ on developers/designers just to maintain her website. That price makes me gasp every time I think about it!

Security Breaches

WordPress is an open-source platform, meaning you get no help from their team if something goes wrong. WordPress websites are more prone to hackers. It can be difficult to get in touch with someone for help, so you must have a reliable hosting provider you can count on.

No Customer Support

WordPress itself doesn’t really offer customer support. If you’re looking for a platform that will be there for help whenever you need it, Showit would a better fit.

Can Get Expensive

WordPress itself is free. However, there are a lot of fees that go into getting a beautiful WordPress website. Other than paying separately for your hosting and your domain, you will need a website designer & developer if you’re wanting a nice website. Designers will create the design, and developers bring it to life through coding. This can get expensive if you’re working with good reputable designers. I know WordPress designers who charge anywhere from 10K-50K for WordPress websites.

Bottom Line

I recommend Showit for small business owners & entrepreneurs who are looking for a website that can be easily managed by them, and not looking to dish out extra money for a designer/developer for every little change.

If you’re still confused about which platform to use, try out both! Showit offers a free trial if you wanted to try it out, but I suggest getting a little guidance to help along the way if you’ve never designed a website before. I’ve got options for any budget – from a Showit Course, Showit Website Templates and Custom Design Services to help you grow confidence in your online presence!