ShowIt account & PASS

My wife and I are considering starting a photography business. I have been doing a lot of research and I was wondering if anyone knows if the ShowIt program is worth it. I have a fairly popular blog that gets a lot of views and I was wondering if I can keep the blog and have the showIt account. I want to use the PASS feature they will be coming out with soon. What do you all think?

What is the primary reason to get the ShowIt account and do you think I should get it?

****I am only a very happy customer and not affiliated with the Showit folks****

Welcome to the POTN......With that said I will answer your questions the best I can.

A little background. We started with Smugmug and have nothing bad to say about them. It just wasn't for us because we do not code and do not have the time to learn from other smugmug users in their forums. It was just too hard to make a great site.

Pro's for Showit:
1) After you join and the supportstuds (the support group name) gets you set up, within a day you will be familiar with the software and have a basic page built and published. It will look great and you have many many options. There just isn't much you can not do to your site.
2) +Sites are awesome. You can build as many sites as you want with a xxxxxxx.your domain.com address. So for each client or different genre of your work, you can build a separate site just like your home site. You can do it in no time..which is awesome. For example, if you are a wedding photographer and you also do boudoir you can build a separate site to host your boudoir business to keep it separate from your wedding business. This is priceless.
3) Showiteers Facebook Group. This is one of the best things about Showit. Only Showit Users are allowed and the business knowledge in the group is beyond words. If you have a question about anything, just ask and they are on it. But just reading the group messages will teach you all about the business. What works. What doesn't. Updates in the industry. Just a wealth of knowledge and information at you fingertips. Not only that, the owner David Jay and his staff are always posting and interacting with the subscribers. That's always great to see.
4) The new PASS. Man, we are just a few weeks from the release and it will be incredible. No more CD's. No Flash Drives. No Printing. Just upload the images into their PASS Gallery and the client takes over. They upload an app for smartphones, iPads, tablets, etc and they can view, download and print from their phones or tablets. App for computer where they have the same control. No worries about loss or scratched DVD's or other media storage. The images are in the cloud for ever to be downloaded when needed. If the client wants prints, WHCC receives their order and handles all of the printing and shipping while you kick back and take in money. The look is awesome and it is surely the wave of the future.
5) Your site is completely modern. You can use the style groups within the showit software or buy custom styles from 3rd parties for way less than having someone custom build your site. But the greatest thing to me is the ease of updating your site. Even I can do it, which is amazing. I actually love updating the site. Really enjoy the ease of use.
6) The SupportStuds. When you have a problem, or don't get the answer you wanted from the Facebook Showiteers group fast enough, you can live chat with the support group. They will always tell you how to fix it or will take control of your computer and fix it for you. PRICELESS.
As for your blog. it can integrate seamlessly into your site either with it's own page or as an overlay where your blog link is clicked and the blog will overlay over the top of your showit site without leaving the site itself.

Cons:
!) It is a flash site so when it is viewed by iPhones and iPads, the site still shows but in a HTML5 format. Not bad, but not as great as flash.
Now, others will tell you that flash sites do not SEO as easily. This may be true. But with a little work, you can get to the top page of Google. I did and I have no idea what I am doing. But just following Showits guidelines and using their SEO tools, within days I was where I wanted to be.
2) Reoccurring charge of $39 a month....after you have used all the tools above, this will be moved to the Pro's above. Small price to pay for an a great site, support group, vast knowledge in Showit users only group, and the many compliments you will have on your site.

Primary reason I got it was because it was suggested to me and it was the best thing we have done for our business.

Should you get it? Only if your serious about your website and ease of updates and looking professional along the way.

Hope this helps. It is obvious I am a supporter. In fact, we bought the lifetime PASSport where we spent a lot to never have to pay for PASS galleries. A large investment because we never plan on leaving Showit.

Incredible review, thanks so much! Will the Pass feature cost extra and not be included in the 39/ per month fee?

cbknight wrote in post #15534512
****I am only a very happy customer and not affiliated with the Showit folks****

Welcome to the POTN......With that said I will answer your questions the best I can.

A little background. We started with Smugmug and have nothing bad to say about them. It just wasn't for us because we do not code and do not have the time to learn from other smugmug users in their forums. It was just too hard to make a great site.

Pro's for Showit:
1) After you join and the supportstuds (the support group name) gets you set up, within a day you will be familiar with the software and have a basic page built and published. It will look great and you have many many options. There just isn't much you can not do to your site.
2) +Sites are awesome. You can build as many sites as you want with a xxxxxxx.your domain.com address. So for each client or different genre of your work, you can build a separate site just like your home site. You can do it in no time..which is awesome. For example, if you are a wedding photographer and you also do boudoir you can build a separate site to host your boudoir business to keep it separate from your wedding business. This is priceless.
3) Showiteers Facebook Group. This is one of the best things about Showit. Only Showit Users are allowed and the business knowledge in the group is beyond words. If you have a question about anything, just ask and they are on it. But just reading the group messages will teach you all about the business. What works. What doesn't. Updates in the industry. Just a wealth of knowledge and information at you fingertips. Not only that, the owner David Jay and his staff are always posting and interacting with the subscribers. That's always great to see.
4) The new PASS. Man, we are just a few weeks from the release and it will be incredible. No more CD's. No Flash Drives. No Printing. Just upload the images into their PASS Gallery and the client takes over. They upload an app for smartphones, iPads, tablets, etc and they can view, download and print from their phones or tablets. App for computer where they have the same control. No worries about loss or scratched DVD's or other media storage. The images are in the cloud for ever to be downloaded when needed. If the client wants prints, WHCC receives their order and handles all of the printing and shipping while you kick back and take in money. The look is awesome and it is surely the wave of the future.
5) Your site is completely modern. You can use the style groups within the showit software or buy custom styles from 3rd parties for way less than having someone custom build your site. But the greatest thing to me is the ease of updating your site. Even I can do it, which is amazing. I actually love updating the site. Really enjoy the ease of use.
6) The SupportStuds. When you have a problem, or don't get the answer you wanted from the Facebook Showiteers group fast enough, you can live chat with the support group. They will always tell you how to fix it or will take control of your computer and fix it for you. PRICELESS.
As for your blog. it can integrate seamlessly into your site either with it's own page or as an overlay where your blog link is clicked and the blog will overlay over the top of your showit site without leaving the site itself.

Cons:
!) It is a flash site so when it is viewed by iPhones and iPads, the site still shows but in a HTML5 format. Not bad, but not as great as flash.
Now, others will tell you that flash sites do not SEO as easily. This may be true. But with a little work, you can get to the top page of Google. I did and I have no idea what I am doing. But just following Showits guidelines and using their SEO tools, within days I was where I wanted to be.
2) Reoccurring charge of $39 a month....after you have used all the tools above, this will be moved to the Pro's above. Small price to pay for an a great site, support group, vast knowledge in Showit users only group, and the many compliments you will have on your site.

Primary reason I got it was because it was suggested to me and it was the best thing we have done for our business.

Should you get it? Only if your serious about your website and ease of updates and looking professional along the way.

Hope this helps. It is obvious I am a supporter. In fact, we bought the lifetime PASSport where we spent a lot to never have to pay for PASS galleries. A large investment because we never plan on leaving Showit.

I'm curious. What keywords/phrases are you using to be on the first page and what is your website?

Drrobinson wrote in post #15534585
Incredible review, thanks so much! Will the Pass feature cost extra and not be included in the 39/ per month fee?

No....a PASS gallery costs $29 extra per gallery you set up for each client...about the same as custom CD/Flash Drive packaging and the time to burn and label or have professionally done.

We just show the charge as handling and no one ever complains. They love the old PASS so they will freak over the new PASS. Remember though, the new PASS will be app based and be available to anyone. So that shouldn't be the main reason for going to Showit......but it does work seamlessly with the +Sites.

Hikin Mike wrote in post #15534709
I'm curious. What keywords/phrases are you using to be on the first page and what is your website?

You have to remember the market area you are in. I have a lot less competition than most resulting a lot less potential clients as well. But keywording on all page titles and the keyword page within Showit software did the trick. Keywords all related to what we do and the areas we serve. Everytime you refresh/publish your page in Showit, you have the option of letting the main search engines know of your changes (limited to once per hour). I see results to SEO keywording in a couple days.

So I guess I don't get to see your site. That's fine.

WAYYYY Too expensive for what it is. No thanks.

Very overpriced at about $480 or so a year. I actually can't believe anyone still uses it.
When your website costs ~500/year you better earn at least 50K NET/year

dmitrim wrote in post #15536641
Very overpriced at about $480 or so a year. I actually can't believe anyone still uses it.
When your website costs ~500/year you better earn at least 50K NET/year

We do. But I must say, If you "better earn at least $50K" to afford $500 in website, you have greater things to worry about.

I use it as well. Its pricey, but probably cheaper than having a designer do it for you.. I was on page one of Google, but screwed something up in the domain DNS accidentally when I was changing another site and accidentally changed the Showit one, so its not on google anymore.. But thats my fault and trying to get it remedied..

But the support is awesome, and the design tools are awesome and easy to use. Again, a bit pricey, but I think its worth it.

It is a bit expensive. I'm glad I've acquired a few skills to create my own website, although it can be time consuming. If I were to create an online business, it would be some type of subscription based service.

From the Showit SEO Manual

http://wiki.showitfast​.com/SEO

Pretty much the standard SEO stuff.

No mention of a support staff that will get your site on Google in a couple of days.

Yaryman wrote in post #15540996
From the Showit SEO Manual

http://wiki.showitfast​.com/SEO

Pretty much the standard SEO stuff.

No mention of a support staff that will get your site on Google in a couple of days.

Okay. Don't use them. That just means less competition. I didn't even use that. Just followed instructions when prompted. All built into the software. Then I asked/live chat for help. They helped. Probably just a fluke. Should have stayed with free I guess. Waste of money.

Thanks for clarifying that.

Easy to use, outrageously overpriced.