Today we have Veronica visiting us from Wedding Planner Education. She’s discussing the different types of website platforms and what you should consider when using them.
As wedding planners, we have a unique position in the wedding industry marketplace because we aren’t selling a physical product and we aren’t photographers; so it can be challenging to put our best foot forward when it comes to a website.
Wedding Planner Website Platform
So how do we portray our value? Just as we covered in the 5 Day Visibility Challenge, we want to make sure that your website is giving you the opportunity to clearly define who you are and what it is that you offer. This starts with a website that is easy to navigate on any device and includes clear call to actions.
Current Design Skills
If you are still working on finding a website design that will help you reach your ideal client, it is important to look at the different website hosting platforms and determine the features that you will need. Will a template work for your business, or have you reached a place where a custom-branded website is appropriate? If you aren’t hiring a designer we tend to lean towards choosing a platform that doesn’t require coding knowledge and it easily updated on the go.
Wix
Wix is a DIY website-building platform. It has tons of different templates to use and a drag-and-drop application. It is easy to design your own website using this platform.
Pro Tip: It can be tempting to choose a free website service or subdomain option like Wix but you will need to upgrade in order to have your custom URL.
Squarespace
While you can get into the custom coding of Squarespace, the vast majority of users will be well served by the many templates that are included with the service. Most known for the clean design and easy to navigate features, we affectionately say that if you can write an email; you can maintain your own Squarespace site. Even with a basic template you have powerful tools such as creating your own blog feed, integrating your contact form and social media buttons, managing your SEO, create promotional pop-up & announcment bars, promote & share ad campaigns, utilize Pinterest share-it buttons, & much more.
WordPress
Armed with plug-ins and add-on features you can arm yourself with the top gadgets when you are using WordPress from scheduling apps, SEO packs, stunning gallery designs, blogging templates and a whole bunch more coming out all of the time.
Show-it
We know that most wedding & design clients are highly visual, so creating strong imagery that represents your work is so important. Show-it is arguably the top contender when it comes to really being able to customize your overall aesthetic of your site. There are free starter templates that you can use but be prepared to design both mobile site and a desktop site so it is important to understand where the majority of your users are viewing your site, and build accordingly. Show-it does not seem to be as SEO and blog friendly as WordPress and Squarespace so be sure to include this in your comparison.
Wedding Planner Website Platform Further Resources
For thorough reviews on each of the platforms:
Website platform comparison – Ember & Co. ** see chart in article for visual comparison
https://emberand.co/website-platform-comparison/ to Showit – Megan Martin
https://meganmartin.net/showit-5/
Squarespace vs WordPress
https://www.stylefactoryproductions.com/blog/squarespace-vs-wordpress
Wix Review
https://www.shivarweb.com/4794/wix-review/
Conclusion
I think the most important step to take before signing up with a web host is to identify the features that you need, and what your intention is for the site. Do you want the website to be set-up to integrate with several other campaigns, marketing funnels and apps or will your website primarily be used to showcase your work and utilize a blog to boost your SEO and reach clients? These are the things to consider when choosing a website platform.
Veronica Enns is a mother, wife, wedding planner, and serial entrepreneur. Veronica is focused on building a community that supports wedding planners who share one common goal—creating a sustainable and scalable business that allows them to experience financial freedom as a result of their hard work!
