WordPress and Showit are both Web Content Management Systems or “website builders” that assist designers and developers when creating websites. Websites can be built from scratch but this is considered a very large-scale and costly method for larger businesses or companies that often have their own team of web developers and a need for continuous custom changes. When it comes to small and medium sized businesses it is best to use a content management system so the site is easily editable in the future. This allows people other than the original designer or developer to go in and add blogs, change images, add store products and update many other forms of content. 

At STUDIO53 we are big fans of Showit but we recognize that there may sometimes be a need for more advanced plugin options or an e-commerce platform. Showit actually utilizes WordPress for hosting and blogging but if you are in need of selling a lot of products WordPress can become the better choice. 

While reading this article, keep in mind that a lot of WordPress features are available with Showit’s premium plans but it may take some extra backend work and upkeep to make these features work properly. To help our clients understand we have put together some important comparisons between Showit and WordPress. Read more below to understand what is better for your venue’s website needs!

Hosting

The first thing to know about Showit is that they will host your website for you, kind of… Showit’s hosting capabilities are actually powered by WPEngine, the most powerful WordPress host on earth. So, technically they aren’t hosting from their own servers but they will assist in everything from choosing a domain name to launching your website. If you have old blog posts or a previous domain they will even help with getting those configured with your new website. This also means that you don’t have to separately track payments for your website builder and your website host. These will be combined into your website fees that you pay to one place, Showit.

The downside to Showit’s hosting workaround is that they do not offer email hosting. This means that you will have to find and likely purchase email hosting elsewhere if you want a professional looking email address. Most people are fine with using something like G-Suite by Google but I still felt it was important to mention.

If you choose to build your website on WordPress you will have to find your own hosting through an outside company. Depending on your current situation and website knowledge this can be a lot of extra tech work or it can be seen as a benefit. Whether you’re editing a current WordPress website or you’re starting something new, you can choose whichever host you think does the best job. If you have more than one website you may prefer to host them all with one web hosting provider. There are also a lot of different email hosting options within WordPress that you can manage with installed plugins.

SEO

Showit allows you to add and edit important information that will help with website indexing in search engine result pages (SERPS). You can add and change things like page titles, meta descriptions and link images with ease. You can also create different headings and add important SEO information to images. If you want to integrate more advanced SEO you can do so with their premium plan that allows the use of WordPress plugins. One of the most popular plugins with more advanced SEO features is Yoast SEO.

If you decide to build with WordPress you will have to install a theme or plugin that optimizes your website for search engines. There are many options but Yoast SEO is still at the top of our list. It allows you to add meta information, descriptions and everything else that makes it easy for search engine bots to crawl your website.

Google and other search engines do not give a higher rating based on which platform is chosen to build your website so don’t let that sway your decision. Two things Google does take into account are site structure and user experience (UX). So, when you are choosing what to build your website on you should consider what and also who will create the best design.

Mobile

One of Showit’s greatest features is the seamless integration of a mobile web viewer that allows web designers to optimize your website for phone and tablet. When you switch the view from desktop to mobile all of the items stay the same but you are able to create a completely custom mobile experience for your website. Mobile optimization often calls for less content or at least some changes to photo orientation and user experience. Showit makes this extremely easy. 

If you want to optimize a WordPress site for mobile you have two options.

1. Hire a web developer that can write custom code that will resize and adjust all of your content.
2. Choose a theme to install on your WordPress site that has a mobile viewer or will automatically optimize your website for mobile.

Option 1 will cost you quite a bit of extra time and money. Option 2, however, is a great method and may be preferable if you plan on selling products through your website (more on this later). Even with a theme installed there is a lot of custom design work to be done. Here at Studio53 we have plenty of experience building WordPress websites using high quality and customizable themes from companies like Elegant and Elementor.

Blog

If you want to develop more organic traffic for your website there is one method that consistently proves to do so – a blog. Showit has done a great job with allowing designers to customize their blog pages but Showit’s blogging capabilities are entirely powered by WordPress. WordPress was initially created as a blogging platform and has proven itself to be one of the best. Showit gives you blogging capabilities with 2 of the 3 available plans.

Showit + Basic Blog offers:

• Up to 10K blog visits per month
• Daily blog backups, stored for 30 days
• Simple Blog Migration* (4-day turnaround, includes 50 posts, images, and comments from select platforms)

Showit + Advanced Blog offers:

• Up to 25K blog visits per month
• Daily blog backups, stored for 30 days
• Free advanced blog migration* (4-day turnaround, includes posts, images, comments, and WordPress plugins)
• Ideal for frequent blogging and/or you have more than 50 posts to migrate

If you want to make a WordPress blog attractive without Showit you pretty much have the same two options I listed above for making a WordPress site mobile friendly. You can hire a developer to write custom code or install an advanced customizable theme (preferably with the help of an experienced designer). 

The 1 Design App That Will Revolutionize Your WordPress Blog

Customer Support

Both Showit and WordPress have tremendous online support if you or your designer run into any unexpected issues while creating your website. This can become extremely important if you have a website launch date set and you want to keep your project on schedule. Showit has a team of dedicated developers and designers to offer immediate support which is hard to beat. They also have a Help Center with tutorials, videos guides and live chat support. 

WordPress does not have an official support team but there is a massive amount of helpful information that can be found online. Due to its popularity you can find video and text guides, forums, tutorials and even live chat support if you choose a theme created by a well known WordPress theme builder.

E-Commerce

Showit did not have a way to integrate a store into your website which, to some, seemed like a pretty big oversight. But I think they made a conscious decision to focus on providing beautiful design aesthetics and blog assistance first. I see this as a benefit for most wedding venues as a lot of venue websites are portfolio-style and information based. 

As of a few months ago, it is completely possible to add a store to your Showit website! However, it still may not be the best choice if you have a lot of products to update or consistent sales and marketing promotions to turn on and off. If you have a small selection of products (under 25) there are several options to set up a small ecommerce store. WooCommerce and Shopify are two options that can be installed on your Showit website. Showit requires you to have their top tier subscription and there will still be a lot of setting changes and workarounds required. For this reason we suggest getting some assistance from Showit’s support team or an experienced designer or developer.

WordPress is a great platform for web stores of all sizes. Ecommerce is introduced through plugin integration and this means you have plenty of choices depending on your preference. WooCommerce is still one of the most popular choices when it comes to ecommerce plugins. It allows you to set up specific store parameters, simple solutions for product management and plenty of customization. Again, when it comes to WordPress it’s best to find a good designer or developer with plenty of experience!

Pricing

Showit offers three different packages at different price levels. 

1. Showit: $19 monthly
2. Showit + Basic Blog: $24 monthly
3. Showit + Advanced Blog: $34 monthly

Your decision will likely be based on a few questions:

1. Do you want a blog?
2. Do you want to migrate old posts from a previous site?
3. Do you want to incorporate WordPress plugins (like ecommerce)

You can learn more about Showit pricing and package levels on their website.

WordPress is free and that’s one of the most attractive features. You can do a lot with the basic tools that they provide. However, if you want to create a website with beautiful and rich design that rivals a Showit website you will need to invest in high quality themes and plugins. 

Remember what was mentioned about hosting as well. You will still need to find a quality hosting provider and pay for your domain. WordPress offers suggestions but the choice is still left up to you. One of the most popular hosting providers for WordPress sites is Bluehost. Bluehost provides high end functionality for an affordable price. The least expensive Bluehost subscription starts at $2.95 a month.

Conclusion

When it comes to making a final decision I hope this information provides some helpful insights for you. In the end, it really depends on who is going to be building your website and what methods they can best utilize to create a beautiful website that provides a pleasant experience for your clients. Keep in mind what features you want and how much tech knowledge one needs to have to incorporate these features into a website in a functional way. 

We have spent years building websites on all sorts of platforms and our first choice is Showit. When it comes to beautiful aesthetics and a high quality user experience we feel Showit is second to none.

Please reach out to us with any questions regarding website building and design no matter where you are in the process! We are here for more than helping you decide what type of website builder suits your needs best. We can discuss your goals, update an existing site or create a beautiful website that will help you attract and book your ideal clients.