In the realm of user-friendly website platforms, Showit is a shining star. Its drag-and-drop interface and creative freedom have won the hearts of many entrepreneurs, small business owners, and creatives. But, of course, it’s essential to consider how it stacks up against its competitors.

Let’s put on our detective hats and delve into the showdown between Showit and other popular website platforms. We’ll explore the key aspects that could sway your decision:

The User Experience:

Showit’s user experience is unparalleled in the website-building space. With its intuitive drag-and-drop interface, even those with minimal technical expertise can effortlessly craft visually stunning websites. You can arrange elements exactly as you envision them without needing to write a single line of code. It’s like having a digital canvas where you can paint your online masterpiece.

Flexibility and Customization:

Unlike many platforms that confine you to rigid templates, Showit allows you to unleash your creativity and customize your website to match your brand identity. Whether you’re a budding photographer, an aspiring blogger, or a seasoned entrepreneur, Showit gives you the power to tailor your site to your unique style and business needs. You can play with fonts, colors, layouts, and more to create a truly one-of-a-kind online presence.

SEO Friendliness:

In the competitive online landscape, a well-optimized website can make all the difference. Showit comes equipped with robust SEO features that enable you to fine-tune your website’s elements for better visibility on search engines. From customizable meta tags to mobile responsiveness, Showit ensures that your website has a solid foundation for climbing up the search engine ranks.

Support and Community:

Building a website can sometimes come with unexpected challenges. Fortunately, Showit boasts a responsive customer support team and a vibrant community of users who are always willing to lend a helping hand. Whether you need assistance with technical issues or seek creative inspiration, you’ll find the support you need within the Showit community. It’s like having a dedicated team of experts and fellow creators by your side throughout your website-building journey.

Pricing and Value:

Showit’s pricing plans offer great value for the level of customization and creative freedom it provides. With different tiers to accommodate various business needs, Showit ensures that you can find a plan that aligns with your budget and goals. Whether you’re a solopreneur just starting out or a growing business in need of advanced features, Showit has a plan that’s tailored to your requirements. You can check out their pricing plans here.

In the vast landscape of website platforms, each option caters to different needs and preferences. Before making a decision, consider your design aspirations, technical proficiency, and long-term business goals. Whether you opt for the artistic freedom of Showit or the structured simplicity of another platform, remember that the perfect fit is out there waiting for you.

Happy website building!

The post Showit vs. Other Website Platforms: Which One Is Right for You? appeared first on The Autumn Rabbit.

Why Consider Rebranding?

Rebranding is more than just revamping your logo or updating your website. It’s about aligning your brand’s identity with your current business goals and market position. If you’re experiencing changes in customer demographics, market conditions, or your own business strategy, rebranding can help you communicate these shifts effectively to your audience.

Benefits of Rebranding in the Summer

1. Reduced Business Interruptions

Many industries find that summer brings a natural slowdown in operations. Whether it’s due to clients being on vacation or a seasonal dip, this slower pace can be advantageous. Use this time to focus on rebranding without the stress of juggling full-scale operations, ensuring a smoother transition and better attention to detail.

2. Ideal for Fall Launch

Launching a rebrand in the fall can leverage the upswing in business activity that often accompanies the end of summer. By rebranding during the summer, you prepare to unveil your fresh brand identity just as customers are regaining their business focus, giving you the perfect backdrop for a strong impact.

3. Leveraging Summer Events

With numerous trade shows, exhibitions, and networking events, summer offers numerous platforms to tease and introduce elements of your new brand. This visibility can be instrumental in generating buzz and excitement around your rebrand, setting the stage for a successful full launch.

4. Season of Growth and Renewal

Summer is often associated with growth and a fresh start. Aligning your rebranding efforts with this season can tap into these positive associations, making your new brand feel timely and invigorating.

Let Us Do the Heavy Lifting

Imagine heading off for a relaxing vacation and returning to find that all the heavy lifting of rebranding has been handled expertly by your chosen team. Engaging in a summer rebrand allows you to enjoy your break fully, knowing that your business will be rejuvenated and ready to catch the eye of returning customers.

Ready to Rejuvenate Your Brand This Summer?

Don’t let another season pass without giving your business the fresh start it deserves. Begin with a free brand audit from our team. We’ll help you assess which elements of your branding should evolve and which should remain, ensuring everything aligns perfectly with your business vision. Use the slower summer months as a strategic advantage—let’s brainstorm creative, new approaches to revitalize your brand’s visual and strategic presentation.

Contact us today for your free consultation, and together, we’ll make this summer the turning point for your brand. Let’s craft a compelling and fresh identity that resonates with your audience and prepares you for a dynamic re-launch this fall.

The post Why Summer is the Ideal Season for Your Business Rebrand appeared first on The Autumn Rabbit.

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Custom Logo & Squarespace Website

Congratulations to Natasha Lamalle Photography on her brand new custom logo, branding and Squarespace website! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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This phenomenal Washington D.C. documentary photographer captures everything from elopements and weddings to newborns and beyond.

The post Natasha Lamalle Photography appeared first on The Autumn Rabbit.

Showit vs. Squarespace – You’ve heard they are both of these drag-and-drop website platforms are the best, and other photographers swear by them. But how do they know? Did every photographer, entrepreneur, and small business owner try them both and decide that theirs was the best? And, if not, how did they make the decision? As a custom logo, brand, and website designer, I help small business owners choose the platform that is best suited for their businesses. Let’s discuss the differences between Showit 5 and Squarespace website platforms for small businesses: 

Terminology Overview

If this is your first time creating your own website (or even your second or third), the technical jargon can be a bit overwhelming. This blog won’t mean anything to you if we don’t differentiate some of the more complicated terminologies. 

Domain Name: This is your actual website address, think www.yourbusinessname.com. It doesn’t matter where you purchase this. Once you buy it, it’s yours, but you’ll need to pay for it annually. A domain name is $10 to $20 per year, generally. In most cases, .com is better than .net or .org. Is your .com unavailable? Let’s discuss your options before you buy! 

Web Hosting:  Your website host is a third-party that securely stores everything needed to make up your website. Be sure to do your research before jumping into an agreement because you want the company to be reputable for your company’s safety and for your viewers and their experience. 

Website Platform: Once you have your domain name and your website host, you’ll need to choose a stage to build your production, i.e., a website platform. There are website platform options to choose from. Some even include hosting! I like ones with a Content Management System (CMS) because you don’t need to know about coding, making it easier for you to maintain in the long-run. Today we will compare Showit vs. Squarespace — two popular website platforms for photographers, event planners, florists, and other service-based businesses. 

The Website Platform Cost

Let’s face it, the cost is most certainly a factor when making decisions — especially when it is an ongoing agreement. A website platform is a cost you’ll have as long as you own your website. Although you can change your platform choice as needed, it isn’t something you’ll want to do frequently. Let’s see who wins in Showit vs. Squarespace:

Squarespace:  $12-$40 per month when billed annually, includes hosting and a domain (with restrictions).

Showit: $19-$34 per month when billed annually, includes hosting. 

Although both are similarly priced, each offers its own unique set of features that are worth looking into.

Website Platform Ease of Use

What good is a cost-friendly website if it’s impossible to update or use yourself? The good news is that you can’t really go “wrong” with the ease of using either of these drag-and-drop website platforms. Both are great alternatives to learning how to code your own website, offer drag-and-drop features, and are user-friendly. 

Showit vs. Squarespace on Creativity

This is where the two platforms really seem to differentiate themselves. Both Showit and Squarespace for photographers can work with templates, but that is just about where the similarities end. 

Although Squarespace does have a template library, this is a collection of their designs with limited creative capabilities. While you can use a template designed by a professional that you purchase from their site or a third-party seller, these templates’ set up is manual and still has customization limitations. All-in-all, it can be done; it just takes a few more steps. 

Showit has a template library that consists of both free and paid templates from various design partners. You can also easily purchase a website template from a seller’s website or a third-party seller and upload it to Showit. Showit templates can be used as-is or can be completely customized to suit your needs. Fonts, colors, shapes, backgrounds, and more — it can all be customized. 

Alternatively, you can create your very own website using Showit’s “simple” template. From a designer’s perspective, Showit is preferred because the only design limit is the imagination. 

Showit, Squarespace and SEO

SEO – Search Engine Optimization – is an elusive concept for even the most knowledgeable business owners. Basically, SEO is your site’s ability to rank in a website search. According to SEO expert, Jes Finton of Jes Unscripted and The Avenlee Collective, thousands of factors influence your website’s ranking, including Google’s AI features. No two search results are 100% the same from one device to the next, even with the same user. Yet, there are certain moves you can make to help your chances of showing up at the top. 

“Search engines and Google, in particular, are primarily interested in ranking websites that deliver an exceptional user experience,” Jes explains. That means making sure that your website not only provides valuable and relevant information but also that it is user-friendly and delivers a one-of-a-kind experience. For that reason, Google shows a slight preference for WordPress and non-templated websites. Showit works with WordPress and allows for complete customization, even when starting with a Showit website template. I believe that Showit has found a way to enable users to maximize SEO while simultaneously making it easy for business owners to create their dream website.

“Between Showit and Squarespace, a website is likely to perform better on the Showit platform because of its focus on customization, it’s pairing with WordPress, and its mobile-friendly website integrations.” 

Squarespace automatically creates a mobile version of your website, which is extremely useful for those who don’t want to fiddle with a second version of the same site. Unfortunately, if an element doesn’t translate correctly, it can harm your client experience. You also can’t do much to fix it either, besides removing it from the site entirely. 

Therefore, Squarespace’s limitations can unintentionally negatively impact your SEO. Showit does not have these limitations, so if SEO is your concern, Showit may be better suited for your business. 

Overall Assessment of Showit vs. Squarespace

Between Showit and Squarespace website platforms, you can’t really go wrong with either option. Each one has a unique set of benefits for business owners and I work with both frequently. However, for service-based entrepreneurs, such as photographers, event planners, and florists, Showit, and Showit templates are well-suited and always my preference. As a Showit Design Partner, I design user-friendly, mobile responsive websites that showcase your talents in the best light. Be sure to scroll the Showit website template library for DIY website solutions or, if you’re needing customization, message me to schedule a consultation. I can’t wait to hear from you! 

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Starting a business is exciting and stressful, and the choices you make can either make or break you. Accordingly, your business logo is one of the most significant parts of building your brand. Not only is it a visual representation of your business, but it is also the face of your business. Your logo is your business identity! Every element you use to create it—words, colors, fonts, clipart—communicates your brand’s image. Many new companies opt to create a DIY logo. 

If you’re ready to build your logo or want to revamp your current one, creating your own without hiring a graphic designer is possible. Several user-friendly DIY logo websites are available to help you design a logo with ease. Even better, you can purchase premade watercolor or hand-sketched clipart or logos from us on Creative Market as a starting point for designing a DIY logo unique to your brand. 

Creating a DIY Logo with Canva

When you are ready to design your graphic using a photography logo maker, jump over to Canva—a helpful tool for non-designers. Here you can create custom logos fast and for free! Search keywords, choose from a wide-rage of icons and illustrations, and scroll through their fonts, colors, and background suggestions to see what that appeals to your business and style. 

If you purchase premade clipart from The Autumn Rabbit, upload your designer digital images through Canva, and layer them to continue building logo designs until you reach your desired result. Canva even provides color options based on the pictures you upload, so there’s no need to search for matching color combinations. Drag and drop your uploads or selections into your design and download your finished personal logo design when ready.

Finding DIY Logo Inspiration

At the Autumn Rabbit, I create watercolor and hand-sketched clip art and premade logos for creative clients. Each element is created by hand, then digitized for your use, not just for logos, but for any design you can imagine! We’ve recently found one in custom fabric for baby blankets. 

Contact A Custom Logo and Brand Designer 

The Autumn Rabbit offers several logo options for your photography, floral, or wedding/event planning business. Let’s chat for your free logo design consultation or questions you have regarding personalization and licensing agreements. I can’t wait to brainstorm with you about your DIY logo!

The post DIY Logo Using Clipart appeared first on The Autumn Rabbit.

If you’re creating your own website, you’ve likely realized that it isn’t something that “just happens.” From SEO and website copy to the website design itself, there are many elements involved in the website design process. If you’re using a Showit template, you’ve found one of the easiest and most effective ways to DIY. Although it is a “drag and drop” format, it is vital to know the best image size for websites before you “drop” the wrong size. This website photo guide will walk you through the process: 

Why Image Size for Websites is Important

Getting what we want quickly and simply has become second nature to many of us. Improvements in technology through smartphones and other devices provide us with access to the Internet, nearly 24/7. With the touch of a button, we can order what we want when we want it. 

But when our Internet access slows down or we visit a website that takes several minutes to load, how do we react? While some of us may have more patience than others, many of us will get frustrated or even angry. We might stop trying altogether. Remember, if you exit a website because it’s running slowly, others are likely to do the same. As a new entrepreneur, you want your visitors to stick around!

As you build your Showit website and get ready to fill it with beautiful photographs, ensure your files are appropriately sized. If a photo or video file is too large, your web page will run slowly, and your visitors might leave before they get started. Prevent this issue by following a few website image size guidelines and video options suggested below:

Showit Website for Professionals

Whether you’re a florist, wedding or event planner, or professional photographer, showcasing your talent is necessary to attract new clients to your business. Before adding images to your website, first, make sure you size your photos correctly. 

Showit automatically optimizes your images used on pages within Showit, as opposed to Squarespace for photographers, which creates up to seven versions of your image, each with a different width.1 

When you upload a photo to a premade Showit website template on your blog, you have to resize it for optimization. Showit supports JPG, PNG, and GIF formats and suggests, “resizing your original-sized images to 3500px on the long edge to make the uploading process faster.” 2

The Showit team also suggests simplifying the process by using BlogStomp—a software that eases your website image prep. The software lets you drag and drop a full-resolution image, pair it, customize it, re-order it, resize it, and save it for your blog or Facebook page.3 Which option should you choose? The choice is yours!

The Best Photo Size for Websites

Is there a best image size for websites? Yes! As a general rule of thumb, always keep your uploaded images files at or under 300kb as Showit recommends this image size for websites and blogs. The best way to achieve this is to make sure your image is no longer than 3000 px on the longest side (if you’re wanting to upload a full screen image) and then I like to run my images through www.tinypng.com to compress, resize and optimise

When you’re ready to replace a default image with a personal photo, like your headshot, the first step is adding the picture to your media library. Choose your new image and then add it to the page. If you want to make adjustments, you can use the image border scaling options or drag-and-drop the image’s placement.

If you prefer manually setting an image’s size or location, you can do so under the “Size & Position” tab. You will find this tab in the right of your toolbar when selecting your image. You can also manually set your Showit photo size and location under the “Size & Position” tab in the right toolbar when selecting the image.

Placing Images within an Image Field

Showit gives users three options for how an image will react inside the image field or the area where you are inserting your image. This area also has an associated height and width. These options are:

1. Fill – A setting that forces your image to fill the image field in both height and width. You can crop your image if it is not the same size as the image field.
2. Contain – A setting that keeps an original image’s dimensions within the image field but lets you adjust the height and width of the image area without changing your original image’s dimensions. 
3. Scale – A setting that lets you adjust your image’s focal point inside the image element container. 

Adding Videos

Your website represents you and your business. Including a video is a great way to personalize your content and connect with your visitors on another level. Showit gives you two options for adding videos through an external source like Youtube or Vimeo or by uploading content hosted in your media.

To add a video as a canvas background in your Showit site (desktop only), Showit recommends you:

1. Make sure your video is compatible with your media server. Your video must be a .mp4 format. The maximum file size is 8mb. If your file is not compatible, then you have to convert the video;
2. Open your media library and click the “Upload File” button;
3. Select your video file on your computer and upload it to your media library;
4. Pick the canvas you want to edit;
5. Click the “Canvas Background” option on the right-hand properties panel; 
6. Select “Video” from the “Type” drop-down;
7. Click the object icon that pops up and select your video from the media library.

To add content through Youtube, Showit advises the following:

1. Add a Video Widget element to your selected canvas;
2. Copy the Youtube video ID from the last part of your video’s URL;
3. Set the type to “YouTube.” This is found in the right toolbar under the video tab. Paste the end of the URL in the YouTube ID box. 

Additional settings, like AutoPlay, are available once you add your video. Select the ones you want and you’re ready to go!

Take Your Business to the Next Level with Custom Web Design

Adding content to your website can get tricky, especially if you’re unfamiliar with image layouts and resizing. If you get stuck or need help adding your beautiful photographs to your website, a Showit design partner can help. We can work together to create a custom website design that is uniquely yours. Contact us today to schedule your free consultation. 

Resources:

1. Downs, Kylen. “Optimizing Your Images to Improve Blog Load Speed.” Showit. Accessed 07/02/2020. https://learn.showit.co/en/articles/1982410-optimizing-your-images-to-improve-blog-load-speed
2. Pals, JT. “Preparing Your Images for Showit.” Accessed 07/02/2020. https://learn.showit.co/en/articles/1991409-preparing-your-images-for-showit
3. “How to Size Images for the Web. Showit. Accessed 07/02/2020. https://showit.co/business/education/how-to-size-images-for-the-web/
4. Willems, Jeff. “Add a Photo.” Showit. Accessed 07/02/2020. https://learn.showit.co/en/articles/762364-add-a-photo
5. Downs, Kylen. “Image Size and Placement Settings.” Accessed 07/02/2020. https://learn.showit.co/en/articles/1094388-image-size-and-placement-settings
6. Downs, Kylen. “Video.” Showit. Accessed 07/02/2020. https://learn.showit.co/en/articles/357765-video
7. Downs, Kylen. “Add a YouTube Video.” Accessed 07/02/2020. https://learn.showit.co/en/articles/895112-add-a-youtube-video

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Custom Showit Website

It’s time! I’m finally ready to let you in on a fabulous project I’ve been working on! It’s LAUNCH DAY for this lovely lady! Named as the UK’s leading wedding photographer by big names such as Tatler Magazine and Harrods, wedding and event photographer, Lara Arnott Photography, needed to refresh her website to represent the quality of her latest work genuinely, while also being user-friendly.

After all, if your portfolio includes people like Sir Elton John and HRH the Queen of England, your photos need to shine!

Curious? Have a look at her brand new custom Showit website to see why everyone is raving about her talents here: https://laraarnott.com/

Thank you, Lara, for trusting me with your new website. It truly is a pleasure working with you. I cannot wait to see what’s next for you!

If you’re looking for a brand new custom showit website for your business then please get in touch and we can discuss how to take you to the next level!

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1. Select an Effective Custom Website Platform 

The appearance of your website is one of the most critical elements to building client trust. Visitors form a first impression as soon as they land on your website. Therefore, creating a custom web design that is visually appealing and is unique to you and your brand is critical to your business success. 

If you lack experience in custom website design and are unsure where to start, there are several steps you can take to ensure your site communicates your brand’s identity while also displaying manageable content for positive customer experiences. To start, connect with an artist who is well-versed in graphic and web design. 

As a Showit design partner, I design client websites for creative businesses. Photographers, florists, and wedding/event planners generally use a Showit web design as a portfolio site to showcase their work in unique ways. These designs provide clean, organized, and consistent looks—components that are vital to developing business credibility!

2. Build Trustworthiness Through Visual Appeal

The aesthetic design choices you make are pivotal when creating your website. Remember, your custom web design is also what distinguishes you from your competitors! So when you speak with your web designer, communicate your vision and long term goals as best as you can. 

Your designer can then optimize different elements like custom fonts and images, color, graphics, page layout, and ease of navigation, while also incorporating your vision, to create the ideal user experience. Consistency on every page is key to building your brand and making sure your users feel comfortable browsing your website, and it can help them make informed choices when deciding their next steps. 

3. Optimize Search Engines, Calls-to-Action, and Copy

Did you know more than 50 percent of website traffic comes through a search engine such as Google or DuckDuckGo?² Businesses rely heavily on SEO—search engine optimization. Therefore, utilizing certain web design elements, keywords, and phrases is essential for reaching potential customers and increasing traffic to your website. 

The goal of SEO is to ensure your page pops up when a person searches a keyword or phrase. When done well, you can continuously draw new customers to your website and effectively market your business to sustain growth. Then when you incorporate strong copy and distinct calls-to-action, you might see an increase in sales as well! 

4. Get Started on Your Custom Web Design

Make your dreams a reality by taking your business to the next level. A website designer can help! Contact The Autumn Rabbit today to schedule your free consultation and receive a custom design quote. Together, we will develop a style that is uniquely yours and tailor it to your needs and your business goals.

Resources:

1. Neufeld, Derrick and Roghanizad, Mahdi. “Research: How Customers Decide Whether to Buy from Your Website.” Harvard Business Review. Published January 23, 2018. Accessed June 19, 2020. https://hbr.org/2018/01/research-how-customers-decide-whether-to-buy-from-your-website
2. Merkovich, Aleks. “Business Website Statistics to Help You Optimize Your Site.” Fits Small Business. Published March 25, 2019. Accessed June 19, 2020. https://fitsmallbusiness.com/website-statistics/

The post Custom Website Design appeared first on The Autumn Rabbit.

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Custom Logo
Custom Branding
Custom Showit Website

Check out @wallflower__designs looking fresh! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Trends, styles, and even human psychology ebb and flow, making change, growth, and improvement not only possible but also essential! Wallflower Designs is a full-service wedding florist in Chicago that’s been around since 2002. If you’ve been to Chicago recently, you know that Chicago is pretty cutting edge when it comes to what’s the “latest and greatest.” It was time for a refresh!

I’ve had the pleasure of working with Wallflower Designs before, and I am so thankful to have been able to create a new, custom logo for them as well as refresh their site – this time moved to none other than Showit! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Be sure to stop by and visit them today to congratulate them on their newest website! Or, visit the new site at https://wallflower-designs.com/

The post Wallflower Designs appeared first on The Autumn Rabbit.

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Custom Logo

Have you noticed that @NikkiCavinessPhotography has a brand new custom logo? This newborn, maternity, and family photographer in Fort Worth, TX specializes in documentary, lifestyle photography that captures families being families. No poses, no forced smiles, just fun, love, and laughter. 

As a photographer, it can sometimes be challenging to make your mark, especially in a saturated market. Are you struggling with that, too? Don’t worry, even the best photographers do, especially in the beginning.

One great way to have your business stand out in a crowd is through a custom logo. A logo sets the “real businesses” apart from the “hobbyists” in your potential client’s eyes – even if they never say so. Start charging what you’re worth! 

Of course, you can always make one yourself using hand-sketched clipart or use a premade logo – there are many options on my website. Or, if you’d like to have a custom logo, message me today so we can discuss your ideas. 

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