Wix has quickly become one of the most popular website builders available, allowing individuals and businesses to create stunning and functional websites without the need for coding knowledge. But having a beautiful website is just the first step; you also need the tools to manage and grow your business effectively. This is where Wix Ascend comes in.
Ascend was a powerful suite of integrated marketing and CRM tools specifically designed for Wix users. While Ascend is no longer available as a separate product, many of its features are now seamlessly integrated into Wix’s premium plans, providing you with an all-in-one solution to boost your online presence.
This blog post will take you through the essential features of Wix Ascend, break down the different Wix plans and their pricing, and help you choose the plan that best fits your business needs.
Table of Contents
- What is Wix Ascend?
- Key Features of Wix Ascend
- Communication Tools
- Marketing Tools
- Customer Management
- Automation
- Additional Features
- Wix Ascend Plans and Pricing
- How to Choose the Right Wix Ascend Plan
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Conclusion
What is Wix Ascend?
Wix Ascend was a comprehensive suite of integrated marketing and CRM tools designed to help Wix users grow their businesses. It offered an all-in-one solution for communication, marketing, customer management, and automation, all within the familiar Wix interface.
Although Wix Ascend is no longer offered as a standalone product, its features have been thoughtfully woven into Wix’s premium plans. This integration offers users a streamlined experience, combining the power of website creation with essential business growth tools.
Key Features of Wix Ascend
The features that were once part of Wix Ascend are now accessible through different Wix plans. Let’s explore these key features:
Communication Tools
- Wix Chat: Engage with your website visitors in real-time using Wix Chat. This live chat feature allows you to answer questions, provide support, and guide potential customers, ultimately leading to increased engagement and conversions. Free Wix plans include Wix Chat but display Wix branding. Premium plans offer the option to remove the branding and customize the chat window.
- Wix Forms: Capture valuable leads, gather feedback, and collect essential information effortlessly with Wix Forms. Build custom forms tailored to your needs, such as contact inquiries, newsletter sign-ups, event registrations, surveys, and more. Paid Wix plans offer enhanced flexibility with higher form limits and the ability to add sophisticated fields like file uploads and signature fields.
- Wix Inbox: Manage all your website communications seamlessly, including chat conversations, form submissions, and contact requests, from a single, centralized inbox. This unified platform streamlines communication management, ensuring that no customer inquiry slips through the cracks.
Marketing Tools
- Email Marketing: Create and send professional email campaigns to nurture your subscribers, promote your products or services, share valuable updates, and cultivate stronger relationships. Free Wix accounts include a basic email marketing plan. However, to unlock higher sending limits and advanced features like scheduling, custom domains, and the removal of Wix branding, upgrading to a premium plan is necessary. When comparing Wix Ascend pricing across different plans, you’ll discover variations in email marketing capabilities.
- Social Media Posting: Simplify your social media management with Wix’s social posting features. Schedule and publish engaging content directly from your Wix dashboard to various platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Wix provides a library of pre-designed templates to get you started or allows you to craft your own unique posts. Paid plans offer increased posting limits and enhanced scheduling flexibility.
- Video Maker: Create captivating promotional videos to showcase your brand, products, or services across your website and social media platforms. Wix Video Maker offers a user-friendly interface with a variety of templates and customization options, enabling even those without video editing experience to create professional-looking videos. Paid Wix plans unlock more videos per month, making it easier to maintain a consistent content strategy.
Customer Management
- Wix CRM (Contact List): Organize and manage all your customer information efficiently with Wix CRM. Track interactions, segment your audience based on specific criteria, and effectively manage your leads. This powerful tool provides valuable insights into your customer base, allowing you to tailor your marketing efforts for better results.
- Invoices & Price Quotes: Create and send professional invoices to your clients with ease. Wix allows you to set up recurring invoices for ongoing services, accept online payments, and streamline your billing process. Paid Wix plans remove Wix branding from invoices and price quotes, presenting a more polished and professional image to your clients.
Automation
- Wix Automations: Streamline your workflow and save valuable time by automating repetitive tasks with Wix Automations. This feature lets you define triggers and corresponding actions, allowing your website to respond automatically to specific events. For example, you can set up an automation to send a welcome email to new subscribers, a follow-up message after a purchase, or a reminder for an upcoming appointment. The number of active automations you can utilize depends on your chosen Wix plan.
Additional Features
- Tasks & Reminders: Effectively manage your to-do list, stay organized, and keep track of important deadlines with Tasks & Reminders. Assign tasks to team members, set due dates, and receive helpful notifications to ensure that nothing falls through the cracks.
- Member Area: Create an exclusive members-only section on your website to provide premium content, foster a sense of community among your most loyal customers, and offer special perks to enhance engagement.
Wix Ascend Plans and Pricing
With Ascend’s features now incorporated into Wix’s premium plans, understanding the distinctions between these plans is crucial for selecting the best option for your business. Here’s a breakdown of the current Wix plans and their included Ascend-like features:
| Plan | Starting Price | Ascend Features Included | Form Limits | Email Marketing Limits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Limited | FREE | Limited access to basic features | 5 | 3 campaigns/5,000 emails |
| Basic | $10/month | More forms, additional automations, increased email limits | 10 | 5 campaigns/9,500 emails |
| Professional | $24/month | Priority customer support, more storage and bandwidth | 20 | 20 campaigns/50,000 emails |
| Unlimited | $49/month | Premium business features, priority customer support, advanced e-commerce tools | Unlimited | Unlimited campaigns/1,000,000 emails |
As you evaluate Wix Ascend plan options, remember to consider these plan details to make an informed choice.
How to Choose the Right Wix Ascend Plan
Choosing the most suitable Wix plan hinges on various factors specific to your business:
- Business Size and Needs: For smaller businesses with basic marketing needs, the Combo or Unlimited plan may provide sufficient tools. Larger businesses with more complex requirements and higher marketing volume might find the Business plans more suitable.
- Email Marketing Usage: Carefully assess your current and anticipated email marketing volume. If you have a large subscriber base and frequently send email campaigns, prioritize a plan with generous email limits.
- Form Requirements: Consider the number and types of forms your website requires. If you need numerous forms with advanced fields, a plan with higher form limits is essential for optimal performance.
- Budget: Find the perfect balance between the features you need and your budget. Wix offers a range of plans to accommodate various needs and budgets. You can always begin with a lower-tier plan and upgrade as your business expands.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What happened to existing Ascend plans? Existing Ascend users were grandfathered into their current plans when Ascend was discontinued as a separate product. You can continue using your grandfathered plan or choose to switch to a new Wix plan that best fits your needs.
- Why are email marketing plans separate now? Wix strategically transitioned to offering email marketing as a separate service with dedicated pricing tiers. This change offers greater flexibility, allowing users to tailor their email marketing plans to their specific requirements and budgets.
- Is a Wix premium plan with Ascend-like features worth the cost? The value of a Wix premium plan with these features is contingent on your unique business needs and how you intend to leverage the tools provided. If you heavily rely on email marketing, need multiple forms, desire advanced automation capabilities, or seek a robust CRM system, a paid Wix plan is likely a worthwhile investment for your business growth.
- Can I use Ascend features with a free Wix website? Yes, some basic Ascend-like features are accessible with a free Wix website. These include Wix Chat (with Wix branding), a limited number of forms, and basic automations. However, to unlock the full potential of these features, you’ll need to upgrade to a premium Wix plan.
- How do Wix Automations work? Wix Automations streamline your workflow by automatically triggering actions based on predefined events. For example, when a customer abandons their shopping cart, you can configure an automation to send an email reminding them of their chosen items, potentially offering a discount to incentivize them to complete the purchase.
Conclusion
The features originally bundled in Wix Ascend are now integrated into Wix’s premium plans, offering a powerful combination of website building and business management tools. Carefully consider your business needs, compare the features and pricing of the different Wix plans, and choose the plan that best aligns with your goals. Wix empowers you to create a professional online presence, streamline your operations, and effectively grow your business.