It’s fair to say that many business owners, including wedding professionals and photographers like yourself, are still reeling from a recent update from Flothemes that has led to immense stress, confusion, and uncertainty. After the photography-focused web-hosting platform announced that it would leave WordPress and clarified that it would stop selling all Flothemes products, including new themes and features from September 2024, many were left scrambling as they tried to finalize their next steps.
If this sounds all too familiar, take a deep breath. Remind yourself that you’re not alone — many entrepreneurs are in the same boat as you and are looking for effective solutions. Thankfully, you have several promising options to choose from, such as ShowIt, a gorgeous web design and hosting service with a drag-and-drop interface and versatile features.
The Lowdown on Pixieset
I know that Flothemes is advising its users to try Pixieset, the company that acquired Flothemes in 2021. There are a few perks, such as support from the company as you migrate your website as well as the fact that Pixieset will be a free service during your first year.
If you want my honest opinion, though, it’s a good idea to not be in a rush. I advise you to take some time to consider all your options instead of making a hasty decision.
Why? As a website designer and rebranding expert, I understand how important it is to choose the right platform to showcase your work. The last thing you want is to end up with a shoddy option that doesn’t let you present your work in the best way possible.
Confused? Here’s an example that helps illustrate the point better — Pixieset currently has no options that allow users to choose custom fonts for their website. Instead, they’ll have to settle for Google Fonts or other options that are only accessible in Pixieset’s font library. This can be a huge turn-off, especially if you have a distinctive font style that is already associated with your brand.
Saying yes to Pixieset also entails letting go of WordPress, something that isn’t ideal for many users. This is understandable. Maybe you’re comfortable with WordPress and want to continue using the popular service to optimize your blogs for SEO. I hear you. You don’t need to compromise and have other options to choose from. Psst…you can opt for a robust service like ShowIt instead and avoid feeling like you have to settle for anything less than the best!
If you’re in the market for a new platform, I strongly recommend that you give Showit a chance. This platform needs zero coding and offers a wide range of customizable options that allow you to build the website of your dreams. Sounds promising, right?
By the way, if you want to redesign your website and are hoping to connect with an experienced professional to guide you through this transformation, I can help! Don’t hesitate to reach out. Book a call with me — we’ll go through different options and decide on a package that works best for you and your business.
Why ShowIt Deserves a Chance
First things first — no website builder is perfect and you’re likely to find a list of pros and cons with every option. That said, ShowIt ranks high on my list for multiple reasons.
One of the things that I like the most about ShowIt is that it enables my clients to have a unique, engaging, and creative website that they can update on their own if needed. This is important because wedding professionals like yourself need to update their portfolios regularly, adding new work and highlighting big projects. ShowIt makes this process simple and fuss-free.
Additionally, Showit has a plethora of customization options, something that cannot be taken for granted. Customization means more control which, in turn, can allow you to work on a website that truly reflects you and does justice to your work. Plus, Showit has a solid customer support team in place which makes it super easy to get answers to all your questions. You won’t be left guessing or waiting for long periods to get clarity.
And of course, if you decide to opt for a ShowIt website, you’ll be able to effortlessly continue updating your blog from WordPress, a definite advantage that’s hard to overlook for many, considering the platform’s renowned SEO abilities. You can also use the Yoast plug-in to boost your site’s SEO rankings and focus on perfecting on-page SEO optimization for every page. To be honest, it’s hard to deny that WordPress and ShowIt are a winning combination for most creative entrepreneurs.
If you’re intrigued and want to give ShowIt a chance but aren’t sure where to start, keep reading for a helpful breakdown of the steps you need to take to make the switch.
Transitioning to ShowIt
The good news is that moving to ShowIt from Flothemes is not as complicated as it might seem. Thanks to how customizable things are on the platform, it’s possible for you to get a fully personalized website on ShowIt. In fact, if you want your new website to look like its predecessor on Flothemes, you can make that happen as long as your design is original and doesn’t incorporate a readymade theme from the platform.
When you make the switch to ShowIt, you’ll realize that you can pick from countless options while finalizing a template for your website. You can customize the design and layout as much as you like. As a website designer, I’m a fan — ShowIt makes it possible for me to ensure that my client’s site truly reflects what they’ve built and helps them stand out from the crowd.
Additionally, ShowIt allows you to customize your website’s mobile view and optimize it for clients who are accessing your website through their mobile devices. This matters because many potential clients are likely to search for your services while casually browsing on their cell phones as they plan their weddings. They’ll appreciate exploring a website that’s easy to navigate and visually appealing.
There’s one caveat associated with ShowIt, though. If you’re not familiar with web design, you may find yourself struggling as you try to understand where to begin. This is especially true when you’re optimizing your ShowIt website for e-commerce. The platform needs you to work a little harder because it doesn’t rely on a built-in e-commerce option. But trust me, this isn’t a bad thing because you can seamlessly integrate these options on your site to get the results you want. It’s worth the effort.
Also, here’s an important note that’s worth remembering: You’ll probably have to pick the platform’s Advanced Blog subscription if you choose ShowIt because it allows you to move your old blog posts to the new website.
Feeling confused? Remember that you don’t have to do this alone — an experienced web designer (like me!) can show you the ropes and ensure that the updated website stays true to your vision.
You have plenty of opportunities to customize your site to ensure that it matches your preferences. You can even start from scratch and build a custom website if needed.
By the way, if you have questions or concerns about setting up your new website, feel free to reach out to me using my contact form. I’ll be happy to be your guide on this exciting journey as you find ways to revamp your website and elevate your brand identity.
I offer my clients two options while working on their website — they can either choose to opt for template customization that involves working with a Tonic Site Shop template and transforming it to fit their needs or build a fully custom site from scratch. Both are solid options and the decision ultimately comes down to what you’re looking for.
That said, making the big move from Flothemes to a different web platform can feel like a massive change. Keeping track of your to-do list and handling things one step at a time can help make things easier. Here are a few tips that are worth keeping in mind during the transition:
Always back up your data
This may seem like an obvious step but it’s important to get this right — as you work on getting yourself a brand new ShowIt website, you must remember to back up all the data on your Flothemes website while working on revamping your web presence.
While migrating to ShowIt should be a smooth process without any major hiccups, it’s important to have a backup of everything, just in case. The last thing you want is to end up worrying about missing or deleted files.
Seek help if needed
While it can be a lot of fun to work on your new website’s layout, structure, and design, you may feel overwhelmed if you’re not used to designing a site. ShowIt does require you to familiarize yourself with the web design process and may end up being time-consuming for entrepreneurs.
Designers who are familiar with ShowIt and Flothemes can make the migration process much easier. Don’t hesitate to ask for help if needed as you work on your website’s new layout.
Don’t take the technical aspects for granted
The technical pieces of this puzzle need to be solved for your site to work perfectly. If your site’s URLs are going to look different, you’ll have to set up redirects to the new links to ensure that your clients and visitors can easily access your information.
You’ll also need to take a look at your domain settings and tweak them to point to ShowIt’s servers to ensure that everything is working perfectly. The ShowIt support team can guide you through this process.
Test everything before going live
Last but not least, you must test your new ShowIt website as much as needed to make sure that things are working as expected. Double-check for design errors, broken links, and more. Take as much time as you need to perfect everything before your site goes live.
You’ll probably have to keep making small changes down the road as you review your website’s performance. Rest assured, things will work out perfectly!
Interested in trying ShowIt for your new website? Here’s a gift for you — use my affiliate link to get your first month free!
If you’re feeling overwhelmed or uncertain about the entire process, I can assist you. Making the switch from Flothemes to ShowIt can seem daunting at first, but it can work wonders for your brand identity in the long run. Can’t wait to get started? Book a call with me and we’ll come up with a foolproof plan that works for you and your business.
