So, are TONIC Website Templates Worth It?
Spoiler Alert, They Are …
But let’s get into why TONIC websites are worth it. I’m going to give you my super honest feedback, don’t worry.
First, you need to know that I have been using WordPress for YEARS – like ever since I started my photography business back in 2006 or so. I love the fact that Showit sites use WordPress blogs, so I didn’t have to completely redo all of that, as I had been blogging this whole time. While I had used various themes over the years for my site, I never truly LOVED any of them, and last year, I decided it was time to change that.
The Paradigm Shift in Online Engagement
Let’s get real for a sec. The digital landscape is changing faster than fashion trends. Remember, 94% of people who land on your website aren’t ready to hit that “Buy Now” button. They’re like window shoppers, peering through the glass but not yet walking in. TONIC templates are the inviting storefront that not only catches the eye but also lures them inside. (Then you need to make sure your copy is keeping them there)
Now, more than ever, your website needs to LOOK GOOD – no matter what business you’re in, but if you are a photographer like myself and your website looks dated or bleh, your clients will literally move on within seconds. Your work deserves a beautiful backdrop!
The Importance of First Impressions
You’ve got 0.05 seconds. Yep, you read that right. In less time than it takes to sip your morning latte, visitors have already judged your brand based on your website. TONIC is like the little black dress of web design—timeless, elegant, and always making a killer first impression.
I searched for months before I truly settled on a template I loved and trust me, I was NOT looking forward to building an entirely new website on my own! In all honesty, it took me three months before I even ATTEMPTED to start building it. I purchased the Lillet Blanc template in November during their sale and did nothing with it until March. By April, I had launched it and no, I did not work on it 24/7.
There was a little learning curve in the beginning, but Showit has an incredible team of support people and their knowledgebase had everything I needed so I never had to wait to speak to anyone. TONIC also has a multitude of support videos for their customers, which were literally invaluable.
Customization and Ease of Use
What I loved most about building my site was how easy it was to customize things. It’s like Canva but better – truly. I love my Homepage especially and all I needed to do was swap out the images and video (another reason I love my site is because the video looks gorgeous).
Best of all, you can see both your desktop and mobile view from inside of Showit or toggle one off while working on the other. We absolutely NEED to have beautiful mobile friendly websites and TONIC + Showit really delivers on this.
Imagine being a painter with an endless palette of colors, no rules, and—get this—no need for cleanup. TONIC templates are your digital canvas, and you’re the Picasso in sweatpants. Drag, drop, and dazzle; it’s that simple.
The Power of Strategic Design
TONIC isn’t just a pretty face; it’s the brains of the operation too. These templates are like the chess grandmasters of web design—always thinking three moves ahead. They’re strategically designed to connect with your dream clients and convert them faster than you can say “Checkmate.”
I was drawn to Lillet Blanc immediately – it was like they jumped into my brain and created the website of my dreams FOR me. Once I found it and purchased it, I also hired a super talented designer to help me with my rebrand. I had been using the same logo and colors for years and while there were parts of my logo I loved, I knew that it was time to give it a refresh.
I hired Lauren of Rosemont Lane and she reworked my logo beautifully; she and I met for an intensive and within that timeframe, she had created my new logo and batched a whole slew of ideas for colors, textures, etc. based on the font and vibe in my TONIC template. A few days later, she sent me all the files and I was SET.
Blogging and Email Marketing
If you’ve ever tangled with WordPress, you know it can be a beast. But with TONIC, it’s like having a tamed dragon in your back pocket. Blogging becomes a breeze, and those opt-in forms? They’re your golden tickets to an ever-growing email list.
Even though the backend of my WordPress blog is the same for all intents and purposes, it just feels so much cleaner and I’m blogging more than I ever did. I also use Flodesk for my email system and it integrates well with Showit, as does my Tave contact form. (My CRM)
Everything I used before I am still able to use – and some are even better/prettier – another reason TONIC websites are worth it.
Cost-Effectiveness
Let’s talk numbers. For 1/8th the price of a custom site, you can have your dream website up and running faster than you can mix a margarita. And because I adore you, use my special discount code for that cherry on top of your savings sundae.
TONIC’S Fall Sale is going on NOW (September 12 – 19, 2023) and when you use MY LINK + RENEE15 as your offer code at checkout, you will get 20% off their SALE!
One of my 1:1 coaching students last year paid someone over $10k for her custom website before she started coaching with me and I legit cannot believe people are still paying this when we have templates as beautiful as TONIC has! Her site is pretty but y’all …. mine is way better, just sayin.
I’m sorry to web designers … truly.
FAQs
- Which Showit subscription option do I need?
Go for the middle tier at $29 per month if you’re planning to blog in my opinion. - How do I make use of the opt-in forms?
Connect them to an email marketing platform like Flodesk, and watch your list grow like a beanstalk. - How hard was it to switch your domain over to Showit?
Showit doesn’t HOST your domain, so you just need to go into your dashboard and point your DNS; there are different instructions for people who use the blog option and for those who don’t; their help desk has ALL the answers to this, including specific instructions for most hosting companies. The entire process for me was fairly easy. - It is easy to update a TONIC template often with new photos?
I find it super easy to update my website; Showit is incredibly easy to learn and TONIC’S templates are pretty much already DONE for you when you purchase them, which is ultimately why I decided to purchase one. I didn’t want to have to start from scratch. - Who are TONIC templates for?
Anyone who cares about their online presence! Literally – real estate agents, photographers, creative business owners, copywriters, bloggers, digital course creators, investors. If you want to stand out in your market, you need a site that is going to wow your clients the second they hit your website. TONIC can do that for you. - What about SEO and TONIC templates? How does that work and will it kill my SEO if I switch?
TONIC claims to have customers ranking #1 for incredibly competitive keywords because of Showit’s built-in SEO tools and WordPress integration – they apparently make it easy for you to be found. Showit provides the necessary SEO tools, directly in the dashboard to keyword your pages, set the text tags of each line of copy on your site, and even name your images so the Google bots can read your site. This saved me SO MUCH TIME and my ranking went UP. According to Tonic’s website: “Your TONIC designs come fully loaded with nitty-gritty details like your Text Tags already set, for example. Where Showit optimizes the platform for SEO, we do our best to ensure that our designs capitalize on these benefits so you can ultimately… save time, launch your site quickly, AND rank.”
Conclusion
So, are TONIC websites worth it? That’s like asking if a beach vacation is better with a piña colada in hand—absolutely, yes! If you’re ready to elevate your online presence and captivate your dream clients, then it’s time to toast to TONIC.
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