How to Tell if a Showit Template Will Actually Help You Get Found (Before You Buy)

After 20 years in the wedding industry, I’ve seen how the right website can help grow a business—and how the wrong one quietly stalls it.

Quick Answer:
Most Showit templates are designed to look beautiful—but not necessarily to help you get found or book clients. Before you buy, look for signs that the template was built with clear structure, thoughtful content flow, and real strategy behind it. If those pieces are missing, it can be surprisingly hard to fix later.

The Pinkerton House Perspective

Here’s the part no one really says out loud:

A lot of Showit templates are… fine.

They’re often really pretty (because Showit is awesome and makes that simple). They’re easy to customize (again, awesome). They’ll absolutely give you a more polished online presence.

But getting found and booking clients?
That’s a completely different job.

And it doesn’t come from fonts, colors, stock photos, or layout alone.

It comes from:

• how your pages are organized
• how your message is communicated
• and whether your site quietly supports your visibility behind the scenes

After years in the wedding industry—and now building websites and templates myself—I can usually tell within a few minutes whether a template is going to help a business grow… or just sit there lookin’ pretty.

So if you’re trying to choose the right template (not just the prettiest one), these are the red flags worth paying attention to.

🚩 Red Flag #1: There’s No Clear “Main Message” on Each Page

You don’t need to know anything technical to spot this.

Just open the demo site and ask yourself:

→ Is it immediately clear what this page is about?
→ Is there one main headline that stands out above everything else?

Or…

→ Are there multiple large sections competing for attention?
→ Does everything feel equally important (and a little scattered)?

If it’s the second one, that’s a problem.

Why it matters:
Users form an opinion about a website in as little as 0.05 seconds—which means your main message (on your homepage, that’s who are you for and how can you help) needs to be instantly clear. Your website should guide both your visitors and search engines toward one clear idea per page. When everything competes, nothing sticks.

What to look for instead:
A layout where each page has one obvious focal point—something that quickly tells people (and Google) that they’re in the right place.

🚩 Red Flag #2: The Pages Exist… But They Don’t Have Clear Jobs

Most templates give you the right pages:

Home. About. Portfolio. Services. Contact.

At first glance, it feels like everything you need is there.

But when you look a little closer, something’s missing:
👉 not every page has a clear role in helping you get found or get booked

You might find yourself wondering:

• what keyword would this page target (ex: “Phoenix wedding photographer”)
• what is this page supposed to do (attract, qualify, guide to inquiry)
• how does it connect to the rest of the site to develop me as the obvious choice

Why this matters:
Every page on your website should have a specific job.

From an SEO perspective:
→ each page should target a clear topic or keyword that your dream client is searching

From a conversion perspective:
→ each page should move the right visitor one step closer to inquiring

When that’s missing, your site becomes:

• harder for Google to understand
• harder for your visitors to navigate
• and less likely to actually convert

What to look for instead:
A template where you can clearly see:

• what the homepage is responsible for (visibility + first impression)
• the clear role of the about page (connection + differentiation)
• what the services/details page is building (clarity + decision-making)

And most importantly:
👉 how those pages work together to guide someone from landing → to “this is the one“

🚩 Red Flag #3: It Looks Beautiful… But It’s Confusing

This one is more common than you’d think.

There’s a reason this matters more than you might think—studies show that 94% of first impressions are design-related, but it’s usability that determines whether someone actually stays.

In other words, a site (and your work!) can look gorgeous… but if it’s not easy to understand or use, people won’t stick around long enough to find that out.

Some templates look incredible at first glance—but the moment you try to imagine adding your own content, things get fuzzy.

You might catch yourself thinking:

• “Where would my main message go?”
• “How would I even use this section?”
• “Why does this feel harder than it should be?”

If you’re feeling that confusion while just looking at the demo, it’s a sign the structure isn’t as clear as it should be.

Why it matters:
If it’s hard for you to understand how to put the pieces/pages of your template to use, it’s going to be hard to create a site that feels clear and easy for your visitors to use or for search engines to rank.

And when a site feels confusing—even subtly—people are much less likely to stick around or reach out. And Google is much less likely to lead people to it.

What to look for instead:
A template that feels intuitive right away—where you can easily picture your content fitting in, and each section has an obvious purpose.

The best templates don’t just look good—they make the entire process (both for you and your site visitors) feel simple and straightforward.

🚩 Red Flag #4: Nothing on the Site Really Connects Together

Take a look at how the pages interact.

Ask:

• Does the homepage naturally lead you to the next step?
• Are there clear paths to explore more (portfolio, services, contact)?
• Do blog posts lead anywhere… or just end?

Why it matters:
A strong website keeps people moving and draws them in. It helps them go from “just looking” → to “this feels right” → to “I’m ready to reach out!”

It also helps Google understand what you’re about so it can refer you to the right people.

Without intentional connection points throughout your site, people tend to drop off—and your search engine visibility quietly suffers too.

What to look for instead:
A design that naturally guides visitors from one page to the next—without you having to force it.

Over the years I’ve learned to think of it this way: the goal when designing your website should be to draw the visitor down the rabbit hole in the best way.

Let each new invitation you offer them meet them right where they’re at and draw them deeper in- answer the question before they ask it – provide the social proof they need to hear – reinforce that you are indeed the expert – tell a story (with photos, words, or both!) that they can see themselves in.

This is exactly what my Cloe Showit template is designed to do.

When done well, your website structure and flow can help make you the obvious choice for the right clients.

🚩 Red Flag #5: The Blog Is There… But It’s Not All That Useful

A lot of Showit templates include a blog because they’re supposed to.

But that doesn’t mean it’s set up in a way that actually helps you grow.

You might notice:

• posts feel hard to read or a little overwhelming
• there’s no clear structure for your eyes to follow and help you skim
• nothing connects back to your services or offers
• there’s no cause to keep reading or go deeper

Why it matters:
For 2 decades my own wedding photography blog has been a source of inquiries and bookings. Dream clients regularly finding me from content published once, years ago. And I’m not the only one – countless others in my industry have seen similar results in their own photography and wedding businesses.

That’s the value of an intentional blog in growing and sustaining your business.

Your blog is one of the best ways to get found on Google—but only if it’s set up in a way that supports that.

What to look for instead:
A blog layout that feels clean, easy to read, and naturally draws readers deeper in and leads people back to the rest of your site.

Remember that idea of drawing visitors down the rabbit hole.

A great blog design can be one of the easiest ways to achieve this and an invaluable tool for getting found by the right people.

What This Actually Means for You

You don’t need to become an SEO or conversion strategy expert before buying a template.

But you do want to choose one that:

• feels clear and easy to use
• gives you direction (not just design)
• and supports your growth from the start

Because the truth is:

A well-designed template should make showing up online feel simple, strategic, and effective—not like you’re constantly trying to figure it out as you go.

FAQs

Are Showit templates good for SEO?

They can be—but only if they’re built with thoughtful structure, clear messaging, and a strategy behind how each page works and connects to the rest.

Can I fix these issues after I buy a template?

You can change and revise a Showit template to your heart’s content, but if it doesn’t have an intentional strategic foundation and thoughtful structure as it’s base (and your goal is SEO and bookings) the time and frustration to correct it will likely be more than you bargained for.

Do I need to understand SEO before choosing a template?

No—but choosing a template that already supports visibility makes everything easier and your site far more effective at achieving your goals. When in doubt, ask the designer what pieces they have put in place to ensure their templates perform well in search!

What matters most when choosing a Showit template?

We photographers and creatives will always value beauty in a website, but be sure to look beyond design when choosing a template. Pay attention to how the site is organized, how easy it feels to use, and whether it helps guide both you and your visitors.

Looking for a Template That Already Does This for You?

If you’d rather skip the guesswork, explore Showit website templates designed to help you get found, guide your visitors, and actually convert—without needing to build everything from scratch.