Software Review: XSitePro™
Website Design Software
Simply the best thing since
sliced bread ...
by Robin Henry
It's not very often I get excited about a software program, but
today I'm so excited I just had to tell you about XSitePro, the
top website design tool for Internet marketers. In particular, those
who have been using HTML applications programs like Dreamweaver and Frontpage to
design their websites will find this program revolutionary in that it can at least halve
your time for site development.
In 1996 while studying a Master's degree in multimedia and online
learning I learnt about HTML which seemed like a backward step after using and teaching word
processing and programming in Pascal and DBIII+ (do you remember
these?). I remembered wondering why on earth anyone
would design a programming language so simple and so time consuming to format.
Shortly after, I found why HTML was simple
and stumbled across Dreamweaver. For years
I used it to produce my HTML email templates
and website pages. I thought Dreamweaver was wonderful,
until a colleague brought my attention to
the most innovative, useful, purpose-built website
design software for Internet marketers I have ever seen - XSitePro.
Partial Screen Capture - Your Project Flows
Intuitively from Tab to Tab
After reading every word of the sales blurb and watching the
on-site XSitePro video, I decided I had to get a copy. As I
usually do, I give software a good test run before the
trial period or guarantee runs out and if it's not suitable I uninstall it and request a
refund.
No refund here. XSitePro was easy
to download and installed without a hitch. It comes with excellent tutorial
videos and extensive user manuals in Adobe PDF format, all of which are accessible
from the Help menu. After working through the short tutorial, which steps you through building a
site for an optometrist's store, it was very simple to get the program up and running. The user
interface consists of tabs in a logical arrangement from left to right; start a project, enter the
website description and keywords, project name, copyright information and any notes and click the
next tab headed 'Page Layout'. Here, as the name suggests, you set up your standard page layout
dimensions, graphics, menu and other features. It's a cinch.
In the next tab, 'Web Pages' you enter your content in much the
same way as you use a word processor - it's all what-you-see-is-what-you-get (wysiwyg) and very
easy ... point and click for font sizes, to embolden, underline, insert graphics, and so
on.
Now, I have to tell you, I
was blown away by the sheer common sense concept behind this program (Why didn't I think of
it?). It does almost everything an Internet
marketer (or any site builder) could want quickly, efficiently and professionally. If, like me,
you create websites selling different products or services and you intend to regularly
create new websites, this is a product that will save you so much time you'll wonder what to
do with yourself.
Some of the excellent time-saving features included in XSitePro are:
- An affiliate link facility so that when you want to
place an affiliate link you just right click and select and bingo, the link is in
place
- Point and click to install Google Adsense advertisement
codes
- Automatically break a long page into multiple pages and place
navigation
- Install a breadcrumb menu (obviously named after the Hansel
and Gretel fable) that shows users where they are eg, Home -> Services -> Tooth Pulling
and allows them to click on links to return to previous pages
- Automatically create site maps in alphabetical or
hierarchical view or links pages
- Search engine optimization analyses
- Templates for articles, sales and product
pages
... and much, much more. Far too much to describe here.
(Watch the video here.)
This program has you creating multiple websites within hours and
publishing them using the FTP interface included. All of the graphics and associated files are
placed in a folder so you don't have to hunt for them later.
On the downside, if there is one, it takes a while to adapt to the
way of working in XSitePro. For example, working in tables in
XSitePro is quite different from working in tables with
Dreamweaver. But, when you work out the differences you can move along quickly building, resizing,
placing borders, coloring and inserting or deleting tables. The program has excellent flexibility and nothing has been missed. Once
you use XSitePro, you'll never turn back.
The price for XSitePro surprised
me by being much lower than I thought could reasonably be charged for such a top application.
And with the price come numbers of free upgrades and a
truck load of add-ons.
If you are doing what many Internet marketers are - including me -
and building multiple streams of income using stand-alone themed sites, XSitePro will be the best investment you could make to build and grow your
business.
This is a
once-in-a-million software program that is changing the face of website development and
management and is suitable for anyone. The concept is both brilliant and remarkably
simple.
... read more about XSitePro website design software or buy a copy now, you won't regret
it.
PS: I upgraded to Version 2 and I
still haven't used some of the extra widgets and features included. This software just keeps on
getting better and better!
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