Pixieset is one of the most widely used gallery delivery platforms among professional photographers. With its clean interface, built-in print store, mobile app, and client-friendly presentation, it handles the delivery side of a photography business with elegance.
Showit handles the other side: your marketing website, your brand story, your portfolio, and your client experience before the session. Connecting Pixieset with your Showit site creates a unified experience where clients move naturally from discovering your work to booking a session to receiving their gallery, all within a brand environment that feels intentional and cohesive.
This guide covers how to connect Pixieset to your Showit website, embed gallery content, and design a client experience that reflects the quality of your photography.
Why Pixieset and Showit Are a Natural Pairing
Photographers already using both platforms often describe the combination as covering every part of their client journey. Showit builds the public-facing brand, and Pixieset delivers a private, premium gallery experience after the session.
According to Pixieset’s platform documentation, the gallery platform supports client galleries, collections, print store integration, and a mobile app that clients can use to browse and share their photos. It also includes a Studio Manager feature for contracts, invoices, and questionnaires, making it a comprehensive back-end tool for photographers.
When you connect Pixieset to your Showit site, you bring those two worlds together. Portfolio galleries displayed on your Showit pages can pull from Pixieset, and clients you shoot with can access their private gallery through a link you place anywhere on your Showit site.
For photographers building out their website, the guide on must-have website pages for wedding photographers is a helpful reference for planning where gallery content fits within your site structure.
Step 1: Set Up Your Pixieset Account for Integration
Before connecting anything to Showit, make sure your Pixieset account has at least one gallery ready and that you have explored the sharing options.
Create or Open a Gallery
Log in to your Pixieset account and open an existing gallery or create a new one specifically for portfolio display. For portfolio use, you might create a curated collection of your best work across different session types rather than sharing an actual client gallery.
Configure Gallery Settings
Inside each gallery, review the privacy settings. For portfolio galleries you want to embed or link on your public Showit site, set the gallery to public or accessible without a password. For actual client galleries, keep them password-protected.
Check the gallery’s customization options. Pixieset lets you choose a layout, cover image, and color scheme for each gallery. Matching the gallery’s visual tone to your Showit site creates a smoother handoff between your website and the gallery experience.
Enable Download and Print Store Settings
If you plan to use Pixieset’s print store through your Showit site, confirm that the store is enabled within the gallery. Pixieset’s print store integration allows clients to order prints directly from their gallery, which generates additional revenue without any extra work on your part.
Step 2: Get Your Pixieset Gallery Link
The most straightforward way to connect Pixieset to Showit is through a direct link. Every Pixieset gallery has a unique URL that you can use as the destination for any button, link, or call-to-action on your Showit pages.
Find Your Gallery URL
Inside your Pixieset dashboard, open the gallery and locate the Share options. Pixieset provides the gallery URL, which you can copy and use in Showit.
For portfolio galleries, this URL is public and shareable. For client galleries, you can share the URL along with a password so clients can access their images.
Use a Custom Domain with Pixieset
Pixieset allows you to connect a custom domain to your gallery site. If you set this up, your gallery URLs can reflect your brand rather than a pixieset.com subdomain. This creates a more professional appearance when linking from your Showit site.
Step 3: Embed or Link Pixieset Galleries in Showit
There are several ways to surface Pixieset gallery content on your Showit website, ranging from simple links to more embedded experiences.
Method 1: Button or Text Link
The simplest approach is to add a Button element to your Showit canvas and set its URL to your Pixieset gallery link. Label the button clearly, for example “View Full Gallery” or “Browse Client Photos,” and style it to match your Showit design.
This works well on portfolio pages, session recap pages, and client portals where a single click delivers visitors to the full gallery experience.
Method 2: Image with Overlay Link
For a more visually compelling presentation, add a high-quality image from the gallery as a static image element in Showit, then overlay a semi-transparent button or text link that leads to the Pixieset gallery. This creates a visual teaser of the gallery without embedding the full player.
Showit’s layer controls and hover effects make this kind of design element easy to build without any code. The guide on hover effects in Showit shows how to create engaging interactive elements that point to external content.
Method 3: Embed a Gallery Preview
Pixieset provides embedding options for select gallery elements. If your Pixieset plan includes embed functionality, use an Embed element in Showit to paste the gallery iframe code. This displays a gallery preview directly on your page.
As with other embed types, test this on your live published site rather than just in the Showit editor, since embed previews sometimes behave differently before publishing.
Step 4: Build a Client Delivery System with Pixieset and Showit
One of the most powerful ways to use Pixieset with your Showit site is to build a client-facing delivery hub that keeps all post-session resources in one place.
Create a Client Galleries Page
Design a dedicated page in Showit called something like “Your Gallery” or “Client Access.” On this page, include clear instructions for accessing their Pixieset gallery, a button linking to the gallery login or specific gallery URL, and links to any related resources like a print ordering guide or download instructions.
This page becomes a central resource you send to every client after a session, and it reinforces your brand at the moment clients are most excited about their photos.
Connect to a Password-Protected Client Portal
For a fully private experience, place the gallery access page behind a password in Showit. This way, only clients you have shared the password with can access their gallery links and related materials.
The guide on password protecting pages in Showit with WordPress walks through the steps for protecting individual pages from public access.
Add a Gallery Announcement Bar
Consider adding a notification bar to your Showit site during the period after a session when clients are expecting their gallery. The bar can say something like “Your gallery is ready! Check your email for your unique link.” This creates a sense of excitement and professionalism.
The guide on Showit notification bar setup explains how to add and customize this element.
Displaying Portfolio Galleries from Pixieset on Your Showit Site
Beyond client delivery, many photographers use Pixieset as a portfolio storage system and display curated galleries on their public Showit pages.
Design a Portfolio Grid in Showit
Build a portfolio overview page in Showit that uses static images as teasers for each gallery. Each image or gallery card links to the corresponding Pixieset portfolio gallery. Use descriptive titles and session categories so visitors can quickly find work that matches what they are looking for.
This approach keeps your Showit portfolio pages fast and fully designed while still connecting to the richer gallery experience in Pixieset.
Optimize Images for Web Before Uploading to Showit
When adding static preview images to your Showit portfolio grid, always optimize them for web first. Large, uncompressed images on a page that also links to a gallery create unnecessary load time.
The Showit image optimization guide covers file size targets and format recommendations for images displayed in Showit.
SEO Considerations for Gallery Pages in Showit
Gallery pages can be valuable for SEO if they are structured correctly in your Showit site.
Write Descriptive Page Titles and Meta Descriptions
For each portfolio gallery page on your Showit site, write a unique page title and meta description that includes relevant keywords. For example, a page showcasing a mountain elopement gallery might be optimized for “Colorado mountain elopement photographer” rather than just “Gallery.”
The guide on optimizing your Showit homepage for SEO provides foundational SEO principles that apply equally to gallery and portfolio pages.
Use Alt Text on All Preview Images
Every static image you add to Showit should have descriptive alt text that includes relevant keywords and an accurate description of the image content. This helps search engines understand the visual content of your pages.
Build Internal Links from Blog Posts to Gallery Pages
If you write blog posts about specific sessions or locations on your Showit blog, link from those posts to the corresponding portfolio gallery page. This internal linking helps search engines discover and index your gallery pages while also creating a natural browsing path for visitors.
Troubleshooting Pixieset and Showit Connection Issues
Gallery Link Is Not Working
Check that the Pixieset gallery URL is correct and that the gallery is set to an appropriate visibility level. A gallery set to private or draft will not load for visitors who click the link from your Showit site.
Embed Is Not Showing on Published Page
If the Pixieset embed shows as blank on your live Showit page, check the embed code for completeness and confirm the gallery’s privacy settings allow public display. Also test in a different browser to rule out browser-level content blocking.
Client Cannot Access Their Gallery
If a client reports trouble accessing their Pixieset gallery through your Showit page, confirm the gallery URL is correct and that you have shared the correct password with the client. Pixieset gallery access issues are almost always related to privacy settings or incorrect passwords.
Final Thoughts
Connecting Pixieset to your Showit website creates a more complete and professional experience for your clients and a more powerful marketing presence for your business. Showit captures the attention and converts visitors into clients, while Pixieset delivers a gallery experience that turns happy clients into enthusiastic referrers.
Invest time in designing your portfolio gallery pages and your client delivery pages in Showit. These touchpoints shape how clients perceive your brand and how likely they are to recommend you to others.
For expert Showit design help that includes gallery page strategy and layout, GetPerfectWebsite’s Showit website design service specializes in building photography websites that convert.
FAQ
Can I embed a Pixieset gallery directly into Showit?
Yes, depending on your Pixieset plan. Pixieset provides embed codes for gallery previews that you can paste into Showit’s embed element. Alternatively, you can use direct links and buttons for a simpler connection.
Can I use Pixieset and Showit on the same custom domain?
Technically, Showit hosts your main website on your custom domain, and Pixieset can be configured to use a subdomain such as galleries.yourdomain.com. This keeps your brand consistent across both platforms.
How do I share client galleries from my Showit site?
The simplest method is to create a client gallery page in Showit with a button linking to the Pixieset gallery URL. You can optionally password-protect this page in Showit for a private client experience.
Is Pixieset good for photographers using Showit for SEO?
The combination works well for SEO if you build properly structured gallery pages in Showit with unique titles, meta descriptions, and descriptive image alt text. Pixieset handles the gallery delivery while Showit handles the SEO-friendly pages.
Does Pixieset’s print store work when linked from Showit?
Yes. When visitors or clients click through to your Pixieset gallery from your Showit site, Pixieset’s built-in print store is fully functional. Clients can browse and order prints without any additional setup on your part.
