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Here you’ll find all things relating to branding, business and marketing. Get in touch if there’s a topic you’d like me to discuss.

Why You Should Consider Moving Your Site from Showit to WordPress

Last year I made the switch from a Showit hosted website to a Siteground wordpress hosting and thought I would share a few reasons why you might want to as well. I know a lot of my wedding industry friends use Showit, so I wanted to try it out for myself. Unfortunately, for the backend customization I wanted on my WordPress site, the price for Showit just wasn’t worth it for me.

Here’s my review on Showit compared to WordPress:

Pros to Showit

drag and drop
ease of use
community driven
(biased) I love that they’re from Arizona!
Gorgeous themes ready to use

Cons to Showit

You have to pay more to have good plugins
Still limited in what plugins can be used
A lot of the themes need tweaks made to work
Some UX issues that can lead to confusion

To reference on the price comparison for WordPress and Showit:

Having a wordpress site hosted through Siteground will run you $71.40 your first year then $239.40 without discounts the following years. And that includes unlimited websites!

Having a Showit site with a WordPress blog will run you at a minimum $288 for one website. (charts are as of April 2020) Siteground is actually offering 3 months for .99 due to COVID19 so be sure to check out that deal while it lasts!

While I loved the ease of use, I know a number of WordPress plugins that are just as easy to use. Personally, I use Elementor for all of my clients! I love that it’s easy for my clients to go in and edit without needing to know any sort of code, and it allows for it’s own block drag and drop. I’ll dive more into why I love Elementor in another blog post because it’ll be a long one! haha But one quick perk to Elementor is that it’s FREE!! I personally have their expert package for client work and template designs but you can create a beautiful website without needing their paid subscription. But if you choose one of their paid options… here’s a list of their current pricing!

I'm Melissa anne!

Welcome to the blog! Go refill your coffee (or heat it back up) and let’s get to learning about all things branding and marketing for your small business. Whether you’re just starting out or a seasoned-preneur, I’m here to help! Interested in learning more about who I am?

My autopilot must haves for creating systems:

"whether you think you can or can't, you're right."

– Henry Ford

I'm a huge advocate for pursuing your dreams no matter what

Because the nine to five isn't security

I spent a number of years in the start of my business with self-doubt. I had let all of the limiting beliefs others had for my life take control over me. I started to believe that the only way I could make money was if I spent a lot of time and money in school. Businesses worked for other people, but not me. It took me being on the verge of homelessness to finally wake up and realize my worth. So if this is you, I’m here to help push you towards your dream career too!

What does The Branded Academy have to offer your business?

01.

CUSTOM BRANDING
We’ll create the visual aspect of your business by means of typography, color schemes, logo design, and website creation. Helping you stand out and start attracting more of your ideals!

02.

PHOTO + VIDEO BRANDING SESSION
This is for you if you’re looking to update headshots, gain behind the scenes photos, get video content, and simply show off your business, products, or services.

03.

MARKETING
Whether it’s getting your website setup for the best search engine optimization, outsourcing your social media, or getting blog posts prepped, this one is for you.

04.

WORKFLOW
You need to get your time back. We’ll dive into automating your business in a way that makes sense for what you offer, because there’s no reason to be doing it all by hand.