Full Wix Ascend Breakdown
Updated: Apr 8, 2021
Wix Ascend is a collection of apps built by Wix that allow small businesses to manage their contacts, invoices, quotes, emails, newsletters, website forms, social media content, workflows, tasks and reminders all in one package.
By including several applications on one platform, instead of integrating multiple applications from several platforms, entrepreneurs now have an opportunity to easily manage their online business.
Wix Ascend opens up a world of possibilities for the small-online business owner but still has limitations in functionality.
This post will cover the essentials of Wix Ascend like what's included, cost, how your business can benefit and what the future looks like for Wix and small business owners!
Table Of Contents
What Is Wix Ascend?
What's Included in Wix Ascend?
Wix Ascend Pricing
Do You Need Wix Ascend?
What This Means For Wix Users and Experts
Conclusion
What Is Wix Ascend?
As mentioned above, this bundled set of business tools will give you more of the all-in-one, easy to understand website approach that Wix has been building out the past several years.
But what exactly is Wix Ascend and what does it do for your business?
If you purchase a premium account from Wix, you will be able to have access to some of the free features that Ascend offers. This is because several apps that are under the Ascend umbrella have freemium (offers that require upgrades for full functionality) offers.
In order to take advantage of all your features you will need to upgrade your plan.
This is separate from upgrading your premium Wix account plan and also separate from upgrading any app you are using on your site from the app marketplace in your editor.
What Wix is doing is making it extremely easy for the entrepreneur or small business to have their online presence in one place.
This means that instead of needing to find a separate domain host, a separate website host, a separate place for email marketing, a separate place for a CRM, etc....you will have all of these in one place.
What's Included In Wix Ascend?
Wix has been developing most of these apps for quite some time but they have bundled everything together in their branded Wix Ascend package.
Below is a list of features that come with the Wix Ascend package and whether they have upgrade options. I'll go over these in detail below.
Wix Contacts List - None
Member Area - None
Wix Inbox - None
Wix Chat - Yes, Upgrade Benefits
Wix Forms - Yes, Upgrade Benefits
Wix Invoices and Quotes - Yes, Upgrade Benefits
Wix SEO Wiz - None
Email Marketing - Yes, Upgrade Benefits
Marketing Integrations - None
Wix Automations - Yes, Upgrade Benefits
Wix Tasks & Reminders - None
Wix Video Maker - None
Wix Social Post - Yes, Upgrade Benefits
Wix Coupons - None
Wix Contacts List
When someone submits a contact form, subscribes to a newsletter, buys something from the site's online store, etc, - they are automatically added to your contact list with all the details they provided. You can import old contacts or export all of your current contacts. You can also access this from anywhere on your dashboard and add labels to your different contacts to organize your list.
You can also automatically sync form submissions with your contacts to have all the information in one place.
You don't need to upgrade because it comes with your Wix premium account. Taking advantage and learning what's possible by investing time into organizing your list can save an enormous amount of time down the road.
You can build out an entire CRM using your Wix contacts list, Wix Automations and Wix Workflows!
Member Area
When you add a member area to your editor this option will appear on your site. When people sign up to become members on your site you are able to give them different roles and permissions, access to special pages, and a number of other options. There is a lot of potential in the member area to create subscription models for your site.
Wix Inbox
This is where every single interaction that is taken on your site will be displayed. Messages sent through your forms, live chat messages you receive, store purchases, invoice payments, and a number of other alerts will be stored for every contact in your dashboard.
This area is a powerful tool in your dashboard and is also available in your Wix app for easy access while you're on the go.
Learn more about how to use your inbox and exactly how it can interact with products to create automatic funnels for your business by reading my post on How To Use The Wix Inbox and Chat.
Wix Chat
A very popular marketing tool for businesses is the live chat function and Wix has made this available for your site. With this option, users are able to send messages to you and you can immediately respond as if you were texting between each other. You will also be able to use this straight from your mobile device, making your customer service available anywhere and anytime.
If you haven't noticed by now, what makes the Wix Ascend package so powerful is its ability to use multiple apps together and automatically. Giving you more time to focus on growing your business. Read more about the chat and its possibilities in the same article listed above, How To Use The Wix Inbox and Chat.
Wix Forms
This option has both improved and also become more complicated as Wix continues to grow. Released as a free version, then a freemium, then bundled with the Wix Ascend package has left both users and experts feeling like this app should be more freely available.
The design and functionality of the forms are fantastic and using them has never been the issue. The non-upgraded version is wonderful for the small business only receiving a small amount of forms every month but the form app has so much more possibility!
Upgrading can let you add file uploads to your form, add payment options, use more custom forms, and allow more form submissions.
For an in-depth look at how upgrading your package can open a system of business tools using the Form app read here.
Wix Invoices & Quotes
I use these sections constantly and they were perfect for creating price quotes for your clients, setting deadlines, running financial reports, and importing or exporting your reports.
The only real benefit for upgrading for these products is removing the Ascend branding that is labeled on all quote and invoices sent to your clients.
You might not be thinking you need this for your business but read through my post on Why You Should Use Wix Invoices And Quotes to make your life easier.
Wix SEO Wiz
This will give you a solid foundation to start your SEO journey and includes important information like meta title and descriptions.
You can also index your site with Google so that you can immediately start trying to rank your site. There are no upgrades options for the Wiz and it comes with your Wix premium account, read my Wix SEO Review to learn more.
Email Marketing
Easy to use templates and full customized options for your email campaigns are what you can take advantage of by using this feature. You can also track your campaign statistics.
Email marketing is where most online businesses that are not e-commerce are making their money and it would be in your best interest to start with the 3 emails campaign you get a month with your Wix premium account to see if you could use the upgrade.
Marketing Integrations
Wix has partnered up with several different platforms making it easy for you to integrate these platforms with your site statistics.
Platforms include Google Analyitcs, Facebook Pixel, Google Tag Manager, Mailchimp, Google Ads, Facebook Catalogue, Yandex Metrica, Hot Jar, Privy, Hello Bar, Wisepops, Google Data Studio, VWO, Crazy Egg, Call Rail, and Vk Pixel. You can also connect Zapier in your Automations which we will cover below.
Wix is constantly upgrading this section and coming out with new integrations so check your dashboard to make sure you aren't missing anything.
Wix Automations
These are automatic functions you can set up on your site depending on what a visitor does. If your visitor signs up for your email subscription then you can set up an automation that will automatically email them a custom message made by you.
The advantage is that you set it up once and it works every time after that.
These are extremely powerful for your business and allow you to create funnels that could save you valuable time. You can now connect your automations to Zapier that will open up a world of possibilities for your Wix site.
If you aren't taking advantage of Automations and want to learn a little more then head over to my post, Get Your Wix Site Working For You Using Automations.
Wix Tasks & Reminders
If you follow or have heard of the Getting Things Done model then you will be familiar with tasks. You set up specific tasks that need to get done every day, every week, every year and set reminder deadlines for yourself.
Using this in combination with other apps can create efficient systems for your business. Automatically create tasks using the Automation app, get an automatic reminder to complete the task, and access your contact info easily to finish off your task.
To learn exactly how you can create a time management system read through my Tasks & Reminders post.
Wix Video Maker
Wix has added their Video Maker so that you can create small videos for your social media post, upload to your site or to store for other pieces of marketing you make.
You can connect with Facebook and Youtube and all videos are stored in your media manager. There is no added value by upgrading your Wix Ascend plan for the Video Maker. At this point, all features will come with your Wix premium account.
To learn how to create, edit, and share your videos you can read my how-to post on the Video Maker.
Wix Social Posts
Whether or not you saw the invasion of social media coming there is no denying the impact this has had on our businesses and our lives.
Recognizing this, Wix has created an easy to use solution in their Social Post Maker. Now you can create, edit, and share your post directly to Facebook, download from your computer, or get your post sent directly to your phone for easy posting to Instagram.
Read exactly how in my 5 Steps To Create, Edit, and Share Wix Social Posts.
Wix Coupons
For Wix store or Wix booking users, you can now create different coupons and send them to your audience. This is a must have for any business using these two apps from Wix. The potential for this to convert for your business is huge.
Wix has rebranded their business solutions into one package letting everyone know that they are leading the front for entrepreneurs and small businesses to get what they need in one place.
But do you even need to upgrade? What are the options and how much does it cost? What will happen with the Wix platform now that these changes are being made?
Wix Ascend Pricing
You have 3 different tiers of pricing plans to choose from. Basic, Professional, and Unlimited.
The picture below will show comparisons for the features of each plan and will also show you the cost.
I was sent a comparison chart when I talked with Wix about these features but when Kate Bradshaw from WebToday posted this specific picture in a Facebook group it was the first time I had seen all the extended comparisons.
Again, this is unrelated to your Wix premium account cost. They are two separate purchases that you are making on the Wix platform.
All three of the plans include the Wix SEO Wiz, Video Maker, price quotes, marketing integrations, contact manager, and tasks & reminders.
In order to purchase a plan there are different areas that will show you the option to upgrade but you might also be receiving promotional offers in your Email, Dashboard area, and My Sites section.
If you have live chat set up on your site you can upgrade from your Inbox Settings.
Click on "Settings" on the left-hand side menu
Scroll to the bottom of the left-hand side menu and click "Inbox Settings"
Click on the tab at the top of your settings page called "Chat Hours"
Click on the "Upgrade Now" button
In the Form submission area of your dashboard, you will also be able to see an option for upgrading.
Click on the "Customer Management" tab on the left-hand side menu
Click on the "Form Submissions" tab on the left-hand side menu
Click on the "Upgrade" button at the top right of the screen.
In your email marketing area of your dashboard, you will also be able to see an upgrade option.
Click on the "Marketing Tools" tab on the left-hand side menu
Click on the "Email Marketing" tab on the left-hand side menu
Click on the "Upgrade" button on the top right of the screen
If you do end up purchasing a Wix Ascend plan but then realize that your business does not need it you will have up to 14 days in order to get a full refund for your purchase. Just contact the support team to cancel your plan.
The 14 days trial period does not include renewals, so if your plan has just renewed and you cancel your plan within 14 days of your renewal, you will not be receiving a refund.
Also important to understand that if you cancel your plan within the 14 day trial period, your features will stop immediately and you will not receive any access.
So if you are going to cancel it might be best to set a reminder on your calendar on the 13 day so you can get the most out of your trial.
If you happen to cancel within 72 hours, Wix has said that they will probably need to cancel your order instead of offering a refund because the funds you paid will not have been settled by this time.
If you have purchased a plan and you are past your 14 day trial period but have still decided that this isn’t the right path for your business, you can cancel your plan at any time and still receive full benefits till the end of your subscription.
Follow the steps below to cancel your plan with Wix.
Go to Billing & Payments in your Wix account.
Click App Actions next to the plan you want to cancel.
Click Cancel App.
Select Cancel auto renew.
Enter the reason for cancelling your plan.
Click Submit.
Do I Need Wix Ascend?
So how do you tell if your business actually needs this package?
Well, if your business already has a premium account I would take inventory of what you are already using.
The bottom of this article has some great statistics released by Wix if you would like some more data on why it would make sense for you business.
I would ask myself the following questions if I was wondering whether or not to upgrade...
Do you send out free 3 email campaigns a month, how many emails does it get sent to?
Are you using your live chat on the site and how many people are interacting with it each week?
Are you creating lots of different forms on your site and how many people are actually submitting these forms?
How many social post do you make in a month?
And the most important questions of all, how easy is it for you to do all of these things outside of the Wix p?
As entrepreneurs we are used to needing to find creative solutions for our business and you have probably found free ways to do all of these things. And some of them are probably more flexible than the features that Wix has built.
But is it convenient? Do you spend hours a day managing several platforms and get confused on what work you completed for which day? Do these free platforms change often causing you to panic on finding a new one?
You know your business better than anyone else and if you are accomplishing what you need and things are working out then stick with what you have.
But if the price is within your budget but you are on the fence then JUST TRY IT! You have a full 14 days guarantee to get your money back. There is NO REASON why you wouldn’t want to take advantage of this offer if you are looking to purchase a Wix premium site.
My recommendation is to get a list of features that stick out to you from reading the above comparisons, list exactly what you want to know more about, and then sign up for a trial.
Use the next 14 days to get the most out of these features that you can and jot down what you are liking or not liking. Compare this to the tools that you already use and you will have a much better understanding if you need the plan or not.
It is important to also understand that Wix is innovating their platform more than any other web builder on the market. If they don't have what you need today, check them out in a couple months and see if what you were looking for is there.
What This Means For Wix Users and Experts
As we say in Texas, Wix is changing y’all…
Wix started contacting web development and design agencies looking to partner up. The way they did this is by offering the agencies a bundle of Wix premium accounts they could buy in bulk and had different tiers like “freelancer” , “pro” , and “VIP”.
The VIP package actually included Wix Ascend with the premium account and all tiers have a dedicated Wix account manager and priority tech support.
These bundles started at 10 premium accounts and included discounts for buying them in bulk.
So if an agency went with the partnership, they would purchase 10 premium Wix accounts and then be able to offer these to clients when they started building their websites.
So instead of going to Wix and buying your premium account you would just pay the agency directly and they would connect everything for you.
What makes this extremely interesting is that the agencies have to hold on to ownership of the premium account in order to continue to receive the discounted yearly rate.
With this move, Wix is testing the idea that their platform is no longer the DIY builder that everyone perceives it as.
Sure, you can still log on and create a site easily, manage things yourself, and ultimately do it all on your own, but Wix is understanding that their platform is growing.
And as it grows it will continue to become more and more complicated.
This will open the doors for agencies to be able to provide extremely low website build and maintenance cost compared to other website builders they are using like wordpress.
Now they will be able to set everything up for you on the Wix platform and you will still be able to access your site and make changes.
Since agencies now have to hold on to ownership of the site to be able to get their discount this means a few things….
Because they will be paying for the domain and hosting fees you will need to pay the agencies yearly for this amount instead of paying Wix directly. And because the agencies get a little discount for buying in bulk they are making money off of this.
This is their incentive to keep ownership of your site and allow you access instead of transferring the site to you which was how it was traditionally done.
This could lead to different pricing between agencies since they are essentially setting their own prices for premium accounts and hosting fees.
Your agency will need to give you the password to your account in order for you to have access to some of your Wix features. I imagine agencies will have to provide this info but I would be interested to see if they want full control over certain parts of your dashboard, like the domain, which only owners can access.
At this time, only owners have the opportunity to access payment areas, duplicate the site, delete sites, and handle mailboxes.
Because Wix is very easy to use there will always be a large community of DIY entrepreneurs looking to learn more but Wix is acknowledging a shift in their platform.
The more complicated Wix gets, the more entrepreneurs will need help and the more time it will take to figure it out on your own. Wix partnering with agencies will give entrepreneurs a chance to get very low website cost and have everything set up for them while still being able to make changes to their sites themselves.
I see this as another answer to the growing criticism of Wix support. The platform hasn’t focused very strongly on their support for users because the platform has grown incredibly large and there are a number of ways a Wix site could use support.
Traditionally Wix has used the community for its support and you can read more about that on my Wix support post. Now they will be using their partnerships with agencies as a buffer for their own support.
What I mean is that if you are paying an agency to build your site and paying them for hosting fees then there is a good chance you might be paying for site maintenance as well.
So if you have a problem with your site or need something changed, you contact your agency and let them know your issue.
The agency will contact their priority tech support they receive because of their partnership with Wix and deal with your issue.
This funnels the support needed from the huge amount of Wix entrepreneurs and keeps it manageable by having one agency reaching out for all the entrepreneurs they work with.
Conclusion
Wix Ascend is an all-in-one business service that has taken some of the features that were already available on Wix, added new features, and packaged them all up for you and rebranded them as Wix Ascend.
I recommend 2 things if you are thinking about purchasing a Wix Ascend package. You need to contact wix and have a talk with them about everything they feature. They will be more than willing to chat with you about this. You also need to take advantage of their 14 day trial period where they guarantee a full refund if you cancel within this time period.
As the Wix platform grows the more it will change. Wix is offering big discounts to agencies that can afford to purchase bundles of Wix premium accounts. Now agencies can set up your entire site for you at a low price and you will still be able to make changes to your site after it is done. This reflects the change in Wix from being the DIY builder it once was to a more sophisticated website builder.
The Wix Ascend package is large and can be overwhelming! Go through the links for each feature to learn more about what you can use the package for and if you have any questions leave them in the comments and I'll get back to you with an answer.
If this post helped you at all then please like and share so that I can continue to know which content you all love the most!
If you need one-on-one help learning more about Ascend then sign up for my free, 10-minute Wix support session where we can understand your needs and direct you to the right solution. I know your business is awesome! Let me prove it!