If you are currently searching for the right person to build your Showit website, you are at the most important stage of the entire process. The questions to ask before hiring a Showit designer will determine whether you end up with a website that books clients or one that looks nice and does nothing. Most people focus on portfolios and prices. The ones who end up with a great result ask deeper questions. This guide gives you 12 specific questions, explains what a strong answer looks like, and tells you what weak or vague answers actually mean for your project.
Why the Questions You Ask Before Hiring a Showit Designer Matter
Hiring a Showit designer is not the same as hiring any web designer. Showit is a specific platform with its own logic, its own integration with WordPress for blogging, and its own SEO considerations. A designer who is skilled on Squarespace or Webflow may struggle on Showit. A designer who knows Showit’s drag-and-drop system well but knows nothing about SEO will hand you a beautiful website that Google never finds.
The questions you ask before hiring reveal things a portfolio cannot. They show how a designer thinks, what they prioritise, and whether they understand that a website’s job is to bring you clients, not just look polished. Use this list as your interview framework before signing any contract.
Question 1: Are You a Showit Design Partner?
Showit has an official program called Showit Design Partners. These are designers who have been vetted by the Showit team and meet specific standards for platform knowledge and client work. Being a design partner is not the only marker of quality, but it is a signal worth noting.
A strong answer includes details about their relationship with Showit, how long they have been building on the platform, and how many sites they have launched. A weak answer is “I work on several platforms including Showit.” That tells you Showit is not their primary focus, which matters when your project depends on platform-specific expertise.
Question 2: Can You Show Me Five Showit Websites You Have Built?
A showit portfolio review is one of the most important steps in vetting a designer. Ask to see five live sites, not mockups or screenshots. Click through them on your phone. Are they fast? Is the mobile layout intentional or just a scaled-down desktop version? Does each site feel like it belongs to a different business, or do they all look like the same template with swapped colours?
Strong designers have a showit portfolio that shows range. Each site reflects the client’s brand, not the designer’s personal aesthetic. If every site in their portfolio looks the same, your site will look the same too.
Question 3: Do You Include SEO Setup in Your Package?
This is one of the most important questions to ask before hiring a showit designer, and it is the one most people skip. A large number of Showit designers focus entirely on visual design and hand over a finished site with no SEO setup done. No focus keywords. No meta descriptions. No Google Search Console connection. No sitemap submission.
A strong answer: “Yes, every site I build includes Yoast SEO configuration, meta titles and descriptions for every page, Google Analytics setup, Google Search Console verification, and sitemap submission.” A weak answer: “I design the site and you can handle SEO separately.” That means you will need to pay someone else to set up what should have been included.
This is where working with a designer who also handles SEO makes a real difference. A custom showit website that is built with SEO in mind from the start performs better than one where SEO is bolted on later. If you want to understand what proper Showit SEO setup looks like, this post covers the most common reasons Showit websites fail to rank.
Question 4: How Do You Handle Mobile Design on Showit?
Showit is unique because desktop and mobile layouts are designed independently. This is a powerful feature, but it requires intentional effort. A designer who does not understand this will apply the desktop layout to mobile and call it done. The result is a mobile experience that looks like a compressed desktop site, with oversized text, broken spacing, and buttons that are impossible to tap.
Ask specifically: “Do you design the mobile layout separately, or does it follow the desktop?” A strong answer explains that they treat mobile as its own design project and test on multiple device sizes before handoff.
Question 5: What Does Your Design Process Look Like from Start to Finish?
This question separates organised professionals from designers who wing it. A solid Showit design process has clear phases: discovery and strategy, content gathering, design build, revision rounds, and launch. Each phase should have defined deliverables and a timeline.
A strong answer walks you through each phase and tells you what you are responsible for (providing brand assets, copy, images) and what the designer handles. A vague answer like “we work together and go from there” is a red flag showit designer warning sign. No defined process usually means missed deadlines, unclear revision limits, and scope creep.
If you want to know what a well-run Showit design process typically looks like from the client’s side, this post walks through every phase.
Question 6: How Long Will It Take to Build My Showit Website?
Timelines vary based on project scope, but a good designer gives you a specific range, not a vague “it depends.” For custom showit website projects, a realistic timeline is 6 to 10 weeks from kickoff to launch. Template customisation with a designer typically takes 2 to 4 weeks.
Ask what affects the timeline and what could slow it down. A strong answer mentions content delivery from your side as the biggest factor, and sets clear expectations about what happens if content is delayed. A weak answer gives you an optimistic number with no explanation of the process behind it.
Question 7: Who Writes the Copy for My Website?
Copy is one of the most overlooked parts of a Showit website project. The design can be flawless, but if the words on the page do not speak directly to your ideal client, the site will not convert. Ask whether the designer provides copywriting, whether they offer guidance on structure, or whether you are entirely on your own.
A strong answer either includes copywriting in the package or gives you a clear framework for writing your own. Some designers provide page-by-page copy briefs that tell you exactly what to write and how long each section should be. That is a valuable service even if they are not writing the copy for you.
Question 8: How Many Revision Rounds Are Included?
Revision limits protect both you and the designer. Without them, a project can drag on for months. Ask how many rounds are included, what counts as a revision versus a new request, and what the cost is for additional rounds.
A strong answer is specific: “Two revision rounds are included after the initial design presentation. Each round covers feedback on the full site. Additional rounds are available at a flat rate per round.” A vague answer like “we revise until you are happy” sounds generous but usually means the designer has no process for managing scope, and projects often go over time and budget.
Question 9: Do You Set Up Google Analytics and Search Console?
This is a separate question from the SEO setup question because some designers configure Yoast but skip the analytics. Google Analytics tells you how many people visit your site and what they do there. Google Search Console tells you which keywords you are ranking for and whether Google has any issues crawling your site.
Both should be set up before your site goes live. A strong answer confirms that both are included in the launch process. A weak answer is anything other than a direct yes.
Question 10: Will I Be Able to Update My Site Myself After Launch?
Showit is designed to be updated by non-developers, but only if the site is built in a way that makes editing straightforward. Ask whether the designer builds with reusable canvas styles, clean layer organisation, and a logical structure that makes future edits easy.
A strong answer includes a training session or handoff video that walks you through making common updates yourself. A designer who wants you to come back to them for every small change is not setting you up for success. The best result of a Showit project is a site you can confidently manage on your own.
Question 11: What Post-Launch Support Do You Offer?
Even a well-built Showit site can have small issues after launch. A domain might not connect properly. A form might not deliver to the right email. A plugin might need updating. Ask what support is available after the site goes live and for how long.
A strong answer includes a defined post-launch support window, typically 2 to 4 weeks, covering bug fixes and technical issues that arise directly from the build. It does not cover new design requests, which fall outside the original scope. Knowing this upfront prevents frustration on both sides.
Question 12: What Exactly Is Included in Your Package?
Get this in writing before you sign anything. A detailed Showit design package should specify: the number of pages, whether the blog is connected, whether SEO is included, how many revision rounds are available, what the timeline is, and what deliverables you receive at handoff. If you want to understand what a thorough package typically covers, this post breaks down everything that should be in a Showit design package.
A vague scope of work is the most common source of conflict in any design project. If a designer cannot give you a clear written list of what is and is not included, that is a red flag showit designer signal worth taking seriously.
Design and SEO Together: Why It Changes Everything
Most of the questions above touch on SEO in some way because design and SEO on Showit are not separate disciplines. The page structure affects how Google crawls the site. The heading hierarchy affects how keywords are weighted. The mobile experience affects your Core Web Vitals score. The blog setup determines whether you can earn organic traffic over time.
Working with a designer who understands SEO from the start means your custom showit website is not just built to impress people who visit it. It is built to attract them in the first place. That combination of Showit design expertise and SEO knowledge is what separates a site that looks good from a site that grows your business.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if a Showit designer is legitimate?
Check their showit portfolio for live sites you can click through. Look for variety in their work. Ask whether they are a Showit design partner. Search their name online and look for client reviews or testimonials. A legitimate designer has a trail of real work and real clients.
Is it worth paying more for a Showit designer who does SEO?
Yes. A Showit website that is not set up for SEO is invisible on Google. You can have the most beautiful site in your industry and still get zero organic traffic if the technical SEO foundation is missing. Paying more upfront for a combined design and SEO package saves you the cost of fixing it later.
What are the biggest red flags when hiring a Showit designer?
The biggest red flags include: no defined process or timeline, a showit portfolio where every site looks identical, no mention of SEO in their services, vague pricing with no written scope, and an inability to show you live Showit sites they have built. Any of these should make you ask more questions before committing.
Should I hire a Showit design partner specifically?
Being a Showit design partner is a positive signal but not the only one to look for. What matters most is demonstrated experience on the platform, a strong showit portfolio, clear communication, and a process that includes SEO setup. Some excellent Showit designers are not officially listed as design partners.
How much should I expect to pay for a custom Showit website?
Template customisation with a designer typically runs between $500 and $2,500. A fully custom showit website starts around $2,500 and can go up to $8,000 or more depending on the number of pages, whether copywriting is included, and the level of SEO work involved. Always get a written breakdown of what is included at any price point.
How long does it take to build a Showit website with a designer?
Template customisation takes 2 to 4 weeks. A full custom showit website typically takes 6 to 10 weeks from the kickoff call to launch day. The biggest variable is how quickly you can deliver your content, brand assets, and feedback during the revision process.
Ready to Get a Showit Website That Actually Brings You Clients?
I’m Adil, a Showit designer and SEO expert. I don’t just make your site look good. I make sure Google finds it and visitors hire you. Let’s talk about your project.
Let’s Build Your Showit SiteFor a vetted shortlist, the Showit Design Partner directory lists designers reviewed by Showit’s team — useful to cross-reference against the questions in this post.
These questions to ask before hiring a Showit designer apply to any project, whether you are launching your first site or doing a full rebrand. Most designers are transparent when asked directly. If someone dodges the questions to ask before hiring a Showit designer listed here, that tells you something important before you sign anything. Ask every single one.
