XSitePro: Can I Convert My Website in Under 30 Days?
by Roger DeReu
No time to spare. My current, expensive, webhosting contract was due to expire and now I was in a bind. XSitePro was my only hope in getting out of that bind. I had heard XSitePro was good - which is why I bought it; that with it I could create a professional looking website quickly and easily. How would it deliver on that promise?
My Free Computer Consultant website (http://www.FreeComputerConsultant.com) was being hosted by a company that used propietary database technology to actually build my website with data that I entered into a block-builder style tool, so I couldn't just FTP to the site, download, then re-upload to my new host.
The web hosting renewal was only a month away and June is one of my busiest times of the year. I had to convert my website to standard html code, over 150 pages, in about 4 weeks. XSitePro was simple to install, and I watched a couple of short video tutorials provided on their website.
I didn't have time to learn something new. The quick tutorials were all I needed.
Time to get started.
Building my new site with XSitePro turned out to be a snap. I copy and pasted text, quickly formatted it with XSitePro's easy to use interface, and only touched raw HTML code when I wanted something special.
It turns out that XSitePro has much of the power of DreamWeaver, only it costs just a fraction of what DreamWeaver costs, and unlike DreamWeaver is very easy to use.
The Basics.
With XSitePro, you can quickly and easily create the look and feel of your website and experiment with different color schemes.
Adding pages is a breeze; use html if you want, but I use the designer mode which allows me to just type and format using toolbars similar to Word or any other word processor. Several boilerplate pages allow you to add pages like privacy statement, contact page, and a links page.
The menu options are 100% customizable and easy to use. I just checked a box and now I have a breadcrumb trail as well. You choose where your menus show up and how they look. This so easy! DreamWeaver is a nightmare to create menus that work; the other webhost I was using was totally inflexible.
Want to add adsense to your site? XSitePro has wizards for doing that; it's no big deal. Want to put ads in a column down the side, no problem doing that either. Now you can make money with your website traffic.
How about a Google sitemap for your website? XSitePro does it for you, and leads you through the process of submitting to Google for quick indexing of your website.
If you get into a jam, XSitePro offers both technical support and a user forum to get help and get your questions answered. Chances are, though, you won't need it.
Get it online, quick.
Ever had trouble with an ftp program to actually publish you website? You won't have that trouble with XSitePro. There is a place to enter the details needed, then select publish. It really is that easy.
XSitePro gives you full control over all aspects of the website. Header, footer, left & right panel, page footer. If you make a change to any of these items, it is automatically changed throughout your entire site. If you need a page to be different, you check a box and tell it to ignore page formatting.
Scripts are a cinch, too. Have site statistics or google code that you want on every page? My previous web host required me to put that code in EACH PAGE! XSitePro has a special place for scripts like that, or put it in the header or footer - YOUR choice.
I would tell you that I love XSitePro and highly recommend it. But my guess is that you have already figured that out.
And the website? Done in 3 weeks; time to spare!
I am fully convinced that there is no other web development tool out there, at any price, that would have done what XSitePro did; and it is one of the least expensive of the tools available.
Check out my full XSitePro Review on my new website at http://www.FreeComputerConsultant.com/xsitepro-review.html
About the Author
Roger DeReu has been working with PC's, as a programmer, IT specialist and independent consultant, since 1984. He currently consults primarily with small and medium sized businesses in the Midwest. He is a Microsoft Certified Professional and Small Business Specialist.
Sign up for his free weekly e-zine, Tip-Of-The-Week, at http://www.freecomputerconsultant.com/e-zine.html
Check out his blog at http://blog.FreeComputerConsultant.com
