Picture this: you just finished researching a service or product you really need and found a website that offers it. You notice they have really great reviews, so in haste you eagerly click on their website, thinking you found the solution to your needs.

But that’s when the problem starts. You can’t easily find the page you need because the owner gave it a fancy title. 

In fact the navigation is more like a maze fit for a seasonal tourist attraction, not what you anticipated at first blush. 

The confusion is escalated when you try to reach out, and there are way too many call-to-actions, one for an e-book download, another for featured products which seem completely random and not personalized, and an obtrusive chat feature. A pop-up appears after 30 seconds and you had enough! 

In frustration you go back to the search engine, and find another website offering the same product or service to what you wanted. A with a better and delightful user experience to boot. 

Having to work too hard to gain access to a contact isn’t in your days plans, afterall. 

This is an all to common scenario, and unsurprisingly many people cite design challenges like layout and user experience as to the reason they don’t trust a company. This Inc.com article is a good case study that explores the topic more in-depth. 

What’s more is 90% of information is digested visually, so the visual elements on your website matter big time! 

If your small business website is not actively attracting, engaging and converting new clients for you, it is holding you back

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BEAUTIFUL, CUSTOMER-FOCUSED WEBSITES

Your website shouldn’t be left to chance. 

Your website needs to deliver information in a way your audience expects, and should be carried throughout the rest of your site in a logical progression. 

And the layout is what’s at stake here, not the font and colors

So when the focus is on the layout and hierarchy of content in creating that user experience, you’re essentially giving users what they came for. 

You solved their problem. And they may have more confidence therefore to reach out to you!

So, my friends, let’s uncover what else I have to offer you…

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Built for creatives and service-based businesses 

There are currently two categories of Showit templates available in my shop based on the main function of the site:

Professional industries 

There are options for Photographers, Videographers, Interior Designers, and more creative entrepreneurs that want to share their portfolios and body of work. 

Service-based businesses 

That want to showcase their offerings. Salons and spas, Health and Wellness, any many more ambitious entrepreneurs. 

When purchasing a website template choose a layout which will highlight parts of your story in an intentional way. You can always change the fonts and colors if you have those established already. I designed these templates with this conversion-first approach top of mind!

Please note, you must have a paid Showit plan & domain in order to publish the website. This is similar to any website software you’d use, you have to pay to have your website up & running on the web.

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Why Showit?

As mentioned in this post I exclusively use the website builder Showit, which comes complete with outstanding customer support! The beauty of Showit, as I’m sure many of you are aware, is its flexibility so you have the power and ability to create a website that meets your content needs as they may change or evolve (and business grows!).

You can go in and add paragraphs of text and images and have it all flow where a static template chunks everything together. You can add a section for new team members as business expands. You can add a section for press logos, a Flodesk opt-in form, a new dedicated gallery, etc. The canvas possibilities are appealing both from a business and design standpoint.

And did I mention you don’t need any coding knowledge at all?

Showit also makes it super easy to control and optimize the experience of your mobile site, as shown below! Let’s not send customer’s through a maze or have the experience obstructed simply because your mobile design isn’t up to snuff! That’s all addressed by me in the design phase!

DIY’ing your website with essential video training 

Again what I love about Showit for business owners is you truly have control of your site. You don’t have to worry about ringing up an agency every time you want to make a change (which I’m sure is costly for a growing business).

That’s why I wanted to make it easy for those new to Showit to understand how easy it is for them to get up and running from Installation to Launch in my 7 part Video-Series exclusively for customers.

Getting setup is overwhelming and I don’t want you to go to Youtube and piece-meal several videos to hack the editing of your website. You might find the videos don’t meet your needs at hand, too. 

So I streamlined the process and created on-brand and tailored Video Training that walks you through how to edit your website from Installation to Launch so you’re primed to launch!

What is included? 

• Intro/Sign Up login

• Interface Basics / Site Settings

• Design Settings + Fonts

• Media Library / Images / Galleries

• Text / Linking / Canvas Views

• Canvases / Site Canvases / Add Portfolio Pages

• Page + Image Seo / Instagram / Coming Soon

• Blog WordPress Backend

You’ll leave the training confident in managing your site going forward. I can’t wait to see what you come up with!

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Wrapping it up

Ultimately your Website should reflect how you want your dream clients to feel after using your service. Think intentionally about how you can achieve this through strategic website design. Good design is a compliment to the work you do, adds value to your brand, increases the prices you charge, all the while allowing you to grow your business with confidence. Let’s sit back and watch the inquiries roll in!

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At By Stephanie Design my mission is to help entrepreneurs make a stunning and enduring online impression. Through Showit lets propel your business forward and equip you with the tools necessary to make us better by design.