Are you ready to transform your Showit template into a website that feels completely you? Let's walk through the essential steps to customizing your Showit website.
If you haven't discovered a template you love, go ahead and find your perfect one in our shop.
1. Define Your Brand Identity
The first step to any successful website customization is getting crystal clear on your brand identity.
Who are you trying to reach? What problems do you solve for them? How do you want visitors to feel when they land on your site?
Understanding your brand identity enables you to make intentional design choices that resonate with your ideal audience.
If you're struggling to define your brand identity, try creating a mood board or writing out your brand values. These exercises can help clarify your vision before you start customizing.
2. Install Your Showit Template
The first step after purchasing your new Showit template is getting it installed in your account. You'll receive a Share Key after purchase – this is essentially your digital key to unlock the template design.
Once imported, you'll see your template exactly as it appeared in the demo – placeholders, sample text, and all! Before making any changes, take some time to click through all the pages and familiarize yourself with the template's structure.
Here is a great step-by-step article from Showit.
3. Update Your Website Colors
One of the quickest ways to personalize your Showit template is by updating the color palette.
Think of this step like painting the walls of a new home – it immediately transforms the space and makes it feel like yours.
If you haven't finalized your brand colors yet, consider what emotions you want to evoke. Warm tones like reds and oranges create energy and excitement, while cool blues and greens feel calming and trustworthy.
Updating colors in Showit is incredibly simple. Just open the Design App, locate the Design Settings, and input your brand hex codes in Site Style tab.
Note: We recommend limiting your palette to 3-5 colors for a cohesive look.
4. Select Your Typography
Next, it's time to update the fonts on your website template.
Your typography choices say so much about your brand before visitors even read a word. Serif fonts often convey tradition and reliability, while sans-serif fonts feel modern and approachable.
We recommend choosing:
- A primary headline font with personality
- A highly readable body text font
- An optional accent font for special elements
Showit makes it easy to update fonts across your entire site at once, saving you from having to change each text element individually. You can open the Design App again, locate the Design Settings, and input your fonts in Fonts tab.
5. Customize Your Headers
After setting your main fonts, take time to format your headers specifically in the same tab.
Headers guide visitors through your content and create visual hierarchy. Make sure they stand out from your body text while still feeling cohesive with your overall design.
Follow the same process you used for changing fonts, but focus specifically on your H1, H2, and H3 elements. This batch application approach will save you tons of time!
6. Select and Place Your Images
This is where your website really starts to come alive!
High-quality images are absolutely essential for a professional-looking website. We recommend gathering at least 20-30 images for a basic website – more if you're creating a portfolio or gallery.
Don't worry if you don't have professional photos of your own. There are many excellent stock photo sites where you can find images that align with your brand aesthetic.
When placing images in your template:
- Ensure they're high resolution but optimized for web
- Maintain consistent styling (lighting, color treatment, composition)
- Replace ALL placeholder images (yes, even the tiny ones!)
- Consider how images look on both desktop and mobile views
Pro tip: Save your originals and create web-optimized versions of each image to keep your site loading quickly.
7. Craft Your Website Copy
The words on your website are just as important as the visuals!
We find it's most helpful to write your copy in a separate document first, then transfer it to your Showit template. This prevents accidentally deleting design elements while you're finding the right words.
When writing your website copy:
- Address your ideal client directly
- Focus on benefits rather than features
- Include clear calls-to-action
- Keep it concise and scannable
- Let your personality shine through
Not sure what to write? Our Showit templates include placeholder copy that can guide your content creation.
8. Optimize for Mobile Viewing
This step is CRUCIAL and often overlooked!
More than half of website visits happen on mobile devices, so your site needs to look just as amazing on phones as it does on desktops.
The biggest mistake we see? Designers who leave mobile optimization until the end. Instead, get into the habit of switching to mobile view after completing each section on desktop.
In Showit, desktop and mobile views can be customized independently, giving you complete control over how your site appears on different devices.
9. Add Functional Elements
Now it's time to add the elements that make your website work for your business:
- Contact forms
- Email signup boxes
- Social media links
- Booking calendars
- Gallery features
Showit integrates seamlessly with many third-party tools, making it easy to add functionality without coding knowledge.
Don't forget to test each element thoroughly before launching!
10. Connect Your Domain
Almost there! Connecting your domain name to your Showit website is a straightforward process:
- In your Showit dashboard, go to Settings > Site Info
- Select "Custom Domain" and then "Add Domain"
- Enter your domain name and follow the prompts
- Update your DNS settings as instructed
If you get stuck, Showit's customer support team is incredibly helpful and can walk you through the process.
11. Launch Your Website
The moment you've been waiting for – time to hit that publish button!
Before you do, take one final pass through your site to check for:
- Spelling and grammar
- Working links
- Mobile responsiveness
- Form functionality
- Consistent branding
Once everything looks perfect, publish your site and celebrate! You've successfully transformed a template into a custom website that perfectly represents your brand.
Final Thoughts
Remember, your website is never truly "finished" – it will evolve as your business grows. The beauty of Showit is how easily you can update and refine your site over time.
The most important thing is to start with a template that resonates with your aesthetic and then make it uniquely yours through thoughtful customization.
Your business, beautifully presented in just 7 days!
Skip the DIY overwhelm and let us handle your template setup. Book our Template Customization service and secure your spot on our calendar.