Launching your ShowIt website can feel like a big, intimidating project, but it doesn’t have to. Your website is often the first hello to your future clients, and with the right steps, you can create a space that feels beautiful, functional, and uniquely yours.
This guide is designed to support a realistic six-week launch timeline, giving you time to complete each step without overwhelm. Below, you’ll see which week each section is best suited for so you can pace yourself and enjoy the process. Grab a notebook to jot down your ideas as you go, and download our free Website Prep Checklist if you prefer something printable.
Why Showit Websites Are Made for Creatives
Showit is designed for creative business owners who want a beautiful website without learning to code. It’s flexible, mobile-friendly, and easy to customize with simple drag-and-drop tools.
Reflection Prompt: What’s been frustrating about your current website (or not having one)? Write it down so you can be sure your new site addresses those pain points.
Our boutique templates like Raleigh, New York, and Fontainebleau are built on Showit, giving you a head start with intentional layouts and strategy baked in.
Week 1–2: Get Clear. What Do You Want Your Website to Do?
Your new showit website has a job; knowing what that job is will guide every decision you make.
Mini-Exercise: Answer these in your notebook:
- Who do you want to visit your site?
- What do you want them to feel?
- What’s the main action you want them to take? (e.g., book a session, join your email list, purchase a product)
When you’re clear on these answers, your design, photos, and copy will all feel more intentional.
Week 2: Gather Your Brand & Content
You don’t need everything perfect to get started, but having these pieces ready will make customizing your site much easier.
- Your logo (or simply your name, styled beautifully)
- Brand colors and fonts (optional — our templates already have thoughtful starting points)
- 30-40 professional photos that reflect your brand (if you are a photographer, you will want as many galleries of images as you can to fill out your visual brand)
- Words for your pages (About, Services, Contact, etc.)
- Your domain name (the web address you want people to type)
Pro Tip: Download our Website Prep Checklist for a checklist-format printable version.
Week 3: Why a Template Works — and How to Choose the Right One
Templates for your Showit website will save you time, money, and stress, while still letting your website feel completely yours. Here’s a simple comparison:
| Approach | Pros | Cons |
| Template | Affordable, fast, polished | Less fully custom |
| Custom Design | Fully unique | Expensive, slower |
| DIY from Scratch | Budget-friendly, full control | Time-consuming, overwhelming |
Mini-Quiz: Do you prefer minimal or bold design? Do you need to sell products or just book services? Do you want something classic or more modern?
How do you know if you are ready to invest in a template solution? Read our post: Website Template: How to Know You Are Ready to Buy
If you’re looking for romantic and editorial, try Fontainebleau. Bold and modern? New York. Flexible and conversion-ready? Raleigh.
Shop our tempates in the Lily Shop.
Week 4: Install & Set Up Your Showit Website Template
After you purchase your template, you’ll receive a special code (called a Share Key). Log in to your Showit account, enter your email and password, and access your dashboard.
After logging in, you’ll land on your dashboard. On the left-side menu, click ‘Your Designs’ — this is your Site Library where all saved and new designs live. Next, click ‘Add Design to Library,’ paste your Share Key, and click ‘Add Now.’
Once added, you’ll see all the pages and layouts included — and you can rename your site here too. Don’t worry — nothing you do at this stage is permanent. You can change things anytime.
Week 4-5: Make It Yours
Now comes the fun part: swapping in your own photos, colors, and words.
- Start with your homepage. Focus on replacing the key images and headlines first.
- Save your progress often by clicking “Publish.” This saves your changes and also shows you a live preview. You can always go back and make edits.
- Preview your site to see how it looks on both your phone and your computer.
- Leave space — don’t crowd your design. Clean, open layouts feel more professional.
Pro Tip: You don’t need to customize every little detail before you launch. Focus on the essentials now; you can refine and add more later.
For more advice, read How to Customize a Showit Template Without Losing Your Brand Personality.
Week 5: Get It Ready to Launch Your Showit Website
Before you go live, take a few minutes to test everything:
- Click every link and button to make sure they lead to the right place.
- Fill out your contact form and make sure the test email arrives in your inbox.
- Proofread your text carefully — it helps to have a friend read through it too.
- Replace all placeholder images with your own or with properly licensed stock photos.
- Check your site on a phone, tablet, and computer to ensure it looks polished everywhere.
If you make a mistake, it’s okay, nothing is permanent. You can fix anything, even after publishing. If you need help at any stage, our FAQ and support resources are ready for you.
Week 6: Share Your Site With the World
When you’re ready to launch, here are a few thoughtful ways to let people know:
- Post on Instagram with the story of creating your site and a few favorite pages.
- Send an email to your list with a warm announcement and link.
- Tell trusted friends or colleagues and ask them to help share the news.
- Add your website link to your email signature, social media bios, and business cards.
Even if you only share with a few people at first, that’s perfectly okay. This is your milestone.
Beyond Launch: Keep Your Site Fresh
Your website isn’t a one-and-done project — it can grow with you. Keep it current by:
- Adding new photos or projects as you complete them.
- Posting blog updates occasionally to keep content fresh and improve SEO.
- Making sure your contact info stays up-to-date.
We’ll be here whenever you’re ready to make changes, add a new template, or ask questions.
Wrap-Up & Next Steps
Your website is ready to meet the world, and it can evolve right alongside your business. You don’t have to have everything perfect to launch. What matters is creating a space that reflects who you are and invites your dream clients in.
Ready to start? – Explore our templates
You’ve got this and we’re here to guide you every step of the way. Have questions, need support or want us to promote your new site? Reach out to us.
Beth (Lily) Sheridan
“I created Lily because I didn’t want to choose between a website I love and the life I love. At the end of the day, it’s the connections we nurture that truly define a life well lived, not how long we spent creating a website for our business.”
