When people compare two platforms, it’s often billed like a boxing match, when it’s really more like standing in front of a toolbox and deciding between a flathead screwdriver and a Phillips head screwdriver. The right tool depends on the job! Both Searchie and Podia are quality platforms that help entrepreneurs create websites and sell courses, memberships, digital products, webinars, or bundles of these. Both platforms allow you to drip content over time. They both offer lots of integrations with video platforms. So how can an entrepreneur know which tool is right for them? Here are three differences that may help you decide:

Customization

Podia offers minimal customization. There are very few templates to choose from, and your customization choices essentially consist of colors and fonts. And for some people, fewer choices keeps them from feeling lost in a design abyss! Podia also does not allow any HTML/CSS custom code (Searchie allows it on the Business Plan).

Searchie is all about customization. There are a great variety of templates as well as third-party templates (I offer guided templates that make building a great-looking Searchie Hub super easy - all while you learn how to use the platform). This way, you can have an online presence that looks professional—as if you hired a graphic designer—and feel proud that you did it yourself.

Searchie’s integration with Canva makes it easy to create a branded experience, from your brand logo, photos, and custom thumbnails.

2. What are You Managing: Learning or Content?

Podia is an LMS, a Learning Management System. That means the goal is to provide instructional content. Searchie is a CMS, or a Content Management System. You may be saying, “That’s essentially the same thing!” but I assure you, it isn’t. Podia, like other LMS platforms like Thinkific and Teachable, present the content one way: in modules and chapters and lessons. A learner can follow the natural progression or go back to a lesson they need to watch again or download the notes. And that totally works for many online courses! My friend learned to knit that way during the pandemic.

With Searchie, all of the content is searchable. This allows the learner/user to not only follow the progression described above but also to search and sort the content to find specific content of interest. If the client recalls something mentioned in a lesson (an explanation of the term “mountweazel”) but has no idea what module or lesson it was in, all they have to do is type that term into the Searchie search bar and they will be taken right to it.

Searchie also allows you to create a unique user experience with the use of audience tagging. For example, you can ask your client questions during their Searchie onboarding to learn more about what they already know, what they want to learn, and what their goals are. Their responses can automatically add tags to their account that direct specific content to be shown to them—the content that is handpicked for their needs and wants. Likewise, a Searchie coaching Hub would look like the client’s personal coaching portal, with replays of their one-on-one coaching calls and videos of content that’s specifically of interest to them. This is just another way that Searchie helps you deliver content to your clients without overwhelming them.

3. Level of Detail with Analytics

Some people (including me) are analytics GEEKS. What about you? Podia gives you analytics, but the level of detail is not super fine. For example, you may get a report showing how many students completed a course. And that’s helpful—and maybe that’s all you care about. But some people feel that there’s a lot more to learn about their client’s journey.

Searchie gives you a lot of analytics. You can see the terms that your clients have searched for. That’s interesting, especially if you don’t have content covering those terms! Time to fill in that gap. You can also see data about video watching: which videos are being watched like crazy and which are not of interest? While this data may be surprising and even disappointing, it’s valuable. We sometimes think we know what our audience wants, but sometimes we need to make small pivots. Searchie analytics gives you a window into your audience’s behavior.

Searchie and Podia are Right for Different Groups

While I’ve been team Searchie for years now, I have no beef against Podia. I believe that we all need to pick what’s best for our businesses! It depends on your goals: Are you handing lots of video content? Will you be creating more and more content over time? Do you want to make managing it easier for yourself and your clients? Then Searchie is the tool for you. If you’re looking for more of a set it and forget it old-school online course, Podia might be the perfect fit. I hope you find the right tool for you, and I hope that if you go with Searchie, you’ll see how I can help.

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