Review of XSitePro and the Latest Release

Building websites is important to any online entrepreneur or business owner. I understood this years ago, when I got started, and decided to load up a copy of Dreamweaver on my PC. Powerful software, but a major learning curve which delayed my progress considerably. Free solutions like WordPress have emerged in recent years, and as wonderful and flexible as they are, they still involve a learning curve, and hurdles when it comes to design, integrating social media, video, and opt-in forms. I recently attended a webinar for the update of XSitePro 2.5, which continues to satisfy the needs of those who aren’t familiar with HTML but need to get professional looking websites up and running quickly. However, there is a shortcoming that I mention in this review that could be a dealbreaker for some.

Review of XSitePro and the Latest Release

Who XSitePro is For

Back in 2004-2005 as more and more people were coming online, there were confronted with the technical barrier of creating and publishing webpages. The popular commercial options at the time were difficult for many to use, and had quite a learning curve (FrontPage and Dreamweaver).

XSitePro provided a breath of fresh of air for many aspiring online entrepreneurs. It made it simple to create and publish webpages that looked professional, and made it easy to drop a webform code on a page. The same is true today as they continue to build out more features. Learn more about XSitePro here.

Who XSitePro is Not For

While it could be used for blogging, it is not designed for that. If you are someone who intends to “Blog”, XSitePro might not be the best solution. I’d recommend hosting your own site for blogging using WordPress, and invest in a professional looking WordPress theme instead.

Some of the Stand Out Features in XSitePro

There is a lot of functionality to this software, yet it is laid out in a very simple interface design. To give you an idea, here is a shot of the top portion of the interface.

I can’t go through the entire feature set here, but I’ll share with you some things that jumped out at me.

200 Professionally Designed Templates

When you create a new website you are prompted to choose a template. The variety of templates is nice if you want your site to be unique and stand out. Learn more about XSitePro templates here.

See the 100 XSitePro features list here.

Add Audio/Video Wizard

This takes your PCs video or audio file, converts it to a web optimized format if needed, gives you options to autoplay upon page load or not, and then embeds it in the page.

Insert Advertising

XSitePro supports inserting AdSense, Clickbank, Amazon, and others into webpages. On a webpage you are editing, right click choose the “Insert Advertising” flyout menu, and see your options. Here’s another screenshot.

Insert Social Buttons

Easy to add simple social sharing buttons for Twitter and Facebook, allowing visitors to your website to easily share your content.

More Info from XSitePro’s Promo Video on YouTube: (Video player EVP)

Interesting feature. You can build your site in XSitePro, then purchase your domain and hosting within the program if you like. This may not be for everyone, but is a time saver for those who’ve never bought a domain before, setup a hosting account, or are uncomfortable with the idea of doing so. Learn more of XSitePro here.

Heads Up Mac Users

As with any software, XSitePro has shortcomings. The major one I see is the fact that it is PC only. XSitePro recommends Parallels, or VMware Fusion for Mac users, and their website states, “We have tested both of these applications in our office and can confirm that XSitePro runs perfectly.

See the 100 XSitePro features list here.

Customer Testimonial

Sidenote: This testimonial was shared on the webinar and thought it was a great example. Not just in selling their product, but as a point of identification, “if she can do it, I can do it!” response. What do you think? (comments below are welcome)

Bottom-line on XSitePro

In my opinion XSitePro is the best option for those who just want to get professional sites up quickly. It is flexible, intuitive, and feature rich. It is also significantly less expensive than comparable PC software (under $200). They have a reputation of great support, include training resources for every customer, and have a 30 day refund policy. Mac users need to run it with Parallels or VMware, with over 200 professionally designed templates it may be the very thing you need to put your ideas in action. Learn more here.
Photo credit: Noah Sussman