You chose Showit because it gives you complete creative freedom. The downside? That flexibility can sometimes come at the cost of website speed.
A slow website doesn’t just frustrate visitors; it also harms the user experience. It can impact SEO, increase bounce rates, reduce conversions, and create a poor user experience. If your pages take too long to load, potential clients may leave before they ever see your beautiful design.
The good news is that most Showit speed issues are fixable.
Why Website Speed Matters for SEO and Conversions
Why does website speed even matter?
I’m sure you’ve landed on a webpage before that takes forever to load. It’s annoying because you expect websites to load quickly so you can get the information you need and move on with your day.
You’ll probably decide it’s taking too long to load, so you’ll go back to Google and find a different website that will provide a better experience.
Your potential clients are doing the exact same thing.
They might even have multiple tabs open to your competitors for comparison. And if your website is the only one that takes a long time to load, you’re getting ex’ed out faster than you can say “No wait, I want to work with you!”
A faster website can help:
- Improve user experience
- Reduce bounce rates (how quickly people go back to Google)
- Increase the time spent exploring your website
- Improve conversion rates
- Support better search engine visibility
- Create a more professional first impression
Even a few extra seconds of loading time can lead visitors to ditch your site and choose a competitor instead.
People expect websites to load within 2 seconds. And while that seems super fast, even a 5-second delay can cause people to bounce.
6 Reasons Showit Websites Become Slow + Fixes
Showit websites have many elements and components that can affect speed. The more plug-ins, images, videos, design features, and scripts you have on your site, the slower it will be.
While that means you have a super pretty website, it also means you might accidentally be making it too slow and turning away potential clients.
Here are the most common reasons a website is slow.
1. Large, Unoptimized Images
The number one culprit behind slow Showit websites is oversized images. Downloading a stock image from Canva, Pexels, or Dupe Photos usually means you’re uploading a file of 3-5 MB per photo.
Brand images are usually even larger (sometimes up to 30 MB!) because they’re higher-quality.
Now, think of all the images on your website. It’s probably a lot! And each of those is taking up space on your website.
When every page contains multiple large image files, browsers have to download far more data than necessary.
The Fix:
Compress images before uploading them to your website. Free tools like those below can reduce file size without compromising image quality.
The file type you choose also affects how quickly the image loads on your website. JPG and WEBP files are smaller than PNG, so choose one of those as much as possible!
2. Too Many Fonts
Custom fonts can elevate your branding, but every font family, weight, and style adds to the number of requests and loading time.
The Fix:
Limit your website to:
- 1–3 font families
- Essential font weights only
- Consistent typography across pages
This creates a cleaner design while reducing page load demands.
3. Excessive Animations and Effects
Showit’s design capabilities make it tempting to add fun animations, but too many can overwhelm users and cause a slow website.
The Fix:
Limit your use of:
- Fade-ins
- Slide animations
- Hover effects
- Video backgrounds
- Parallax scrolling
Use animation strategically to improve the user experience, not everywhere just to add decoration.
4. Too Many Canvases on a Single Page
One unique factor affecting Showit’s performance is the use of canvases. Long pages with excessive canvases require browsers to render more elements and content, slowing page load times.
The Fix:
If possible, combine sections into a single canvas rather than multiple ones. Simplify the layout and remove unnecessary design elements. And if the page is getting too long, separate the content into multiple pages.
I often notice this with home and service pages.
Home pages are meant to show a little bit of everything you offer, but getting into too much detail instead of linking to the individual pages can make the home page super long and overwhelming.
The same thing happens on service pages, especially if you offer multiple services. You’re trying to relate to your audience while explaining what you do, who it’s for, and the action you want them to take.
I usually recommend separating different services onto their own pages for a few reasons:
- So the page doesn’t get too long and impacts page speed.
- You can speak more directly to the specific audience you want to work with for that offer.
- You can target more specific keywords on separate service pages.
Be mindful of how long your pages get and how many canvases you’re using!
5. Third-Party Scripts and Embeds
Every external tool added to your site can affect your site’s speed.
That means:
- Scheduling widgets
- Chatbots
- Social media feeds
- Tracking scripts
- Pop-up software
- Review widgets
- Embedded forms
Each tool adds additional code that has to load when someone visits your website.
The Fix:
Uninstall tools that aren’t supporting your business or the user experience.
When auditing your tools, ask yourself:
- Is this tool generating leads?
- Does it provide meaningful value to my audience?
- Could the same goal be achieved more simply or in a different way?
6. Embedded Videos
Videos can dramatically slow page performance when embedded improperly. If you thought images were large, then videos are huge! The average video size is 100-200 MB for a 1-minute clip.
The Fix:
Instead of loading videos immediately:
- Use video thumbnails with click-to-play functionality
- Link to external video platforms
- Limit the number of embedded videos per page
Again, think about whether you really need this video and how to reduce its size, or if you could save space by removing it.
How to Test Your Showit Website Speed
Google PageSpeed Insights is the best free tool to see if you have a slow website.
It evaluates:
- Mobile performance
- Desktop performance
- Core Web Vitals
It makes specific speed recommendations for your website. And while some of it may be jargon to you, there are definitely updates you can make without a developer.
It provides a great starting point for identifying bottlenecks.
Don’t Forget About Mobile!
Mobile is probably the most forgotten but most important piece of the slow website puzzle. Most people use mobile devices when searching on Google. This isn’t new, but it’s shocking that so many businesses still don’t have optimized mobile browsing on their website.
An advantage of Showit is its support for separate desktop and mobile designs. The mobile version of your website can look totally different if you want it to, giving you a lot of freedom to make it faster.
The downside is that mobile layouts can sometimes include extra elements or hidden content that can impact performance.
Review your mobile design and remove:
- Unnecessary images
- Duplicate design elements
- Hidden sections that are no longer needed
Often, simpler designs perform better and convert better.
When Website Speed Problems Go Beyond Showit
I’ve talked a lot about how design can cause a slow website, but sometimes the issue isn’t the Showit design itself.
Other contributing factors may include:
- Poor SEO architecture
- Tons of WordPress plugins
- Large blog images
- Excessive tracking scripts (like Google Tag Manager or Meta Pixel)
- Technical SEO issues
- Poorly configured integrations
In these situations, a comprehensive SEO and website audit and update can uncover and fix issues. The goal is to create a website that loads quickly, ranks well, and converts visitors into customers.
A Faster Showit Website Creates a Better User Experience
If your Showit website feels slow, don’t assume you need a complete redesign. In many cases, a handful of strategic improvements can significantly increase speed and performance.
A beautiful website should also be a fast website. When design, SEO, and performance work together, your Showit site becomes a stronger tool for attracting traffic and generating leads.
SEO Sprint is how I help business owners speed up their website and improve their SEO so they show up in more (and more relevant) search results. In just one week, your website will be fully optimized so your audience can find you. Let’s chat about your project!
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