WebPlus X2 Website Maker

I am working towards my certification as a web technician. My current course, Internet Publishing, uses WebPlus X2 Website Maker as the model for publishing software. It is very easy to use, especially after you read and follow the tutorials included. I feel like a real professional when I see the product of my efforts on the web!

After reviewing many products to produce a website for our very large photo club (over 500 members), my husband found the WebPlus X2 Website Maker. I have been using it now for over a year and am still raving about it. It is easy to set up initially. There are many templates from which to choose and then modify to suit individual needs. I'm not super techie so I appreciate how incredibly intuitive and user-friendly it is. I get many favorable comments on the site with many folks asking about it for use in their clubs. Should anyone wish to see the photo site, go to [...]. I can add photos, more pages, text, links, etc., very quickly. I can also track how many visits there are to the site and to which pages using the Smart tools. The reference book that is provided with the software is very useful and easy to follow. For all of these reasons and many more, I highly recommend this product.

I've read some negative reviews on this and it could be that I'm not savvy enough about website design yet to be aware of the flows referenced. One person wrote that their tech savvy friend told him that the site he created wouldn't be picked up by search engines because it contained scripts that the spiders would like. Well, I don't know anything about that. What I do know is that this software far exceeded my expectations both in the tools it provides and the ease with which it is to learn these tools. The book it comes with is straight forward and simple. Admittedly there was a few places where I made mistakes and had to carefully re-read the instructions to get it right but many of the features in this can be learned in just a couple of minutes. Well worth the money I spent.

This is my first Serif product. I am a teacher and have little experience with web design at all. I was using a trial version of dreamweaver and created a pretty basic site using the same colors I am using with X2. However, X2 was WAAAAAAY easier to use with about 4-5 hours total of messing around with it I was able to create a pretty good website. If you want to see it is not finished but it is "[...]" at least to see what the basic stuff can be done. I need to remind all of you that I am no expert here and am self taught since Tuesday!

What I like about WebPlus X2
1) It is a lot easier to use than Dreamweaver
2) the FTP upload makes getting the site on there really simple! I was using filezilla, but realized that X2 uploads everything the way it should be.
3) There is a lot of freedom to create your site without tables, which I liked
4) Cloning pages or creating new ones based on a previous format was nice! I didn't see that in Dreamweaver, but I didn't need to look for it in X2 either!
5) Premade buttons, forms, etc...
6) No HTML needed, but it there if you choose to add it

What I don't like
1) It can be a bit bland at times, and tedious
2) The linking process was easier in Dreamweaver in my opinion
3) There are A LOT more files that are needed to be uploaded relative to dreamweaver
4) I didn't like their templates (even though there are a ton)


I know it is like comparing apples to oranges between X2 and Dreamweaver, but it seems that Dreamweaver is just too complicated for a basic user. X2 does a great job developing the learning curve quickly to get at least a basic site online.

Great product; however like everything else, you have to get used to the layout of the software and spend some time reading the instruction manual. Otherwise, the application is great.

I purchased this for my personal website. After using Front Page for several years, this app is a breeze. It does have a couple of frustrating limitations:
Photo galleries are limited to 64 images
You can place captions on photos, but are limited to font size and caption placement
When creating a sub page, the navigation links on that sub page spread across the navigation area, making the font very large in some cases it just doesn't look right. For example:
Home page: index.htm
Pages: Pages 1-6
Page 2 has sub pages 2.1 and 2.2
When you click on page 2.1 sub page to view, the navigation links (options to select other pages) will show: Page 2.1, Page 2.2, and Page 2, and Home, spread across the entire navigation area (master page determines overall layout of your navigation area)
On the plus side: page hyperlinks are automatically created (or removed) as you build your site. Easy to edit the hierarchy of the pages by simply dragging to new location, master pages easy to edit and apply to all or select pages within website

Returning to second on accidentally ordered cost over half the cost of the product. Had I known the cost I would have shopped locally

This product is a pretty good resource for anyone relatively new to the process of developing a web site. The tutorials are helpful and the learning curve not too steep.

The WISIWYG view is easy to use (and fairly accurate), as is the ability to insert all sorts of commonly used objects, hyperlinks especially so. I found that inserting text was easy, although it sometimes didn't retain formatting & I had to go over it, but I haven't been able to insert existing documents successfully.

The underlying HTML is not readily accessible so more advanced users will probably not find this app adequate.

Wow! What a mess. Very, very, very difficult to understand. The templates are tacky - especially if you are a professional! Not many templates to choose from. Too difficult. I sold this piece of crap on Ebay.

I bought this software as a replacement for Microsoft FrontPage. I am experienced with html, Java and asp (I used to build web sites but have not stayed in touch with the latest technologies.) I needed something simple to manage my family website which has grown to be quite large. I saw bad reviews about this software so I downloaded the trial version from CNET.COM. After using the demo for 4 weeks, I have to say that it exceeded my expectations. It did not picked up where FrontPage left off, but that gave me opportunity to update the look and feel of my site ( it was needed) with very little effort. I have seen some reviews comparing this software to Dreamweaver - they are missing a point since the later costs $377 on Amazon at the time of this review. This is a great software for the money and if you have any doubts, try the fully functional demo and see if it will work for you.

Cons -
1-Importing large websites does not work very well. When I tried importing my site, the navigation structure did not import but layout was correct for most of the pages.
2-Rendering takes a bit too long for my taste but you one can setup unattended updates with ease.
3-Blogs, e-commerce and other "smart objects" are hosted from Sherif website and have bandwith limits. There is very little customization allowed by Serif to those objects.
4-Learning curve was not bad, but some of the options are in awkward places
5-Adding custom HTML / Java is not as straight forward as it could be. Some of my custom HTML did not show correctly in WebStudio but shown correctly in the browser.

Pros -
1-Rock solid performance no crashes or any problems whatsoever ( Vista 32bit with Quad Core Intel processor )
2-I was blown away with the level of control over everything on the page. Good old FrontPage does not come even close. I felt like working in power point.
3-Way better than any other inexpensive WYSIWYG editors you can get. After I created my site I got the same results in Explorer, Chrome and Firefox. No problems or issues with the layout or navigation others claimed to had.
4-Very easy to modify templates included with the software.
5-Built-in flesh picture presentations are sweet.

I've never before tried to design my own website, but I bought this program because it seemed to offer everything a beginner needed. However, this program is NOT for beginners. It's complicated and there are no explanations of many of the problems I encountered. Nevertheless I persevered and spent days, hours, weeks, months designing a gorgeous website. Along the way I was frustrated by the USELESS instruction manual and the extreme slowness of the program. My website is quite large, with many pictures, and every few minutes it would autosave, which took forever, and I had to wait until that finished in order to continue working. I finally finished my website and asked a tech-savvy friend to review it. Imagine my disappointment when I was told that it would fail to achieve a ranking or any acknowledgment from the search engines. I don't really understand this problem, it was something about there being too much excess stuff in the files that the spiders wouldn't like. Since I used a Webplus template, I'm very surprised and disappointed in this huge problem. I thought that using the template would take care of any possible problems, however, it seems to have created an insurmountable problem. What's the point of having a website if the search engines don't recongize it?! The USELESS instruction manual covers this topic in 6 pages and it's definitely beyond this beginner's comprehension! Sadly, it seems I'm going to have to start all over.

With just an hour's work, I had the beginnings of the web-site on-line. Within two days, I had a complete website set up and on-line complete with pictures and audio.

The documentation and the on-line help are wonderful. I have since purchased other Serif products to augment what I bought through Amazon.

For me, the textbook alone easily covered the cost. About the time this WebPlus X2 software arrived, I took a long,costly course with a prof who carefully covered all the basics of Adobe web & graphics software. He is fantastic! Amazingly, the textbook supplied with WebPlus X2 covers all the same informaton, plus more, just as well, in logical sequence. So it is a permanent reference. It even covers stuff it is nice to know, but you probably don't need - because it explains what tough stuff you don't really need to learn.

If I just wanted to set-up a stand-alone web site, WebPlus X2 is simple and thorough. However, with written authorization, I want to adopt MI dog rescue training material written using Adobe for use in FL. So it will be easier to use Adobe, even though it is far more complex.

I recommend this software if you want to fairly easily set-up an expandable stand-alone web site with lots of links, options, etc. and easy revisions. I also recommend paying the modest cost just to get the textbook to study, so you can learn what's ahead and decide whether or not to hire a reasonably priced free-lance pro to get your site up and running.

I'm using a pro who is expert at Adobe, because material I need to adapt is written in Adobe Dreamweaver. However, without the textbook, and installed software to play with, I'd be way over my head and my volunteer project would be abandoned.

This product is wonderful. Some knowledge of how websites works helps. The manual is not overly detailed, so some things you kind of have to play around with or go to the product's actual website for help. Overall, it has all the features I had been looking for and it is very easy to use. I am very satisfied and you CANNOT beat the quality for the price.

WebPlus X2 is an amazingly powerful, if eccentric, site-building program, and an incredible bargain at Amazon's current price.

I've been using it for a few weeks now, and I'm constantly being pleasantly surprised by the ease of use and the depth of the options. The individual features are way too elaborate to address here; one can download a full manual from Serif's site to get a sense of the full scope of the program.

If you're a raw beginner, prepare to put in a lot of work before you can take full advantage of the software. But if you give it time, you'll be rewarded. The combination of the enclosed printed manual and the help files are very well-produced, and don't make any unwarranted assumptions about the skill levels of the user.

About that eccentricity: An important thing to understand about WebPlus is that in many respects it's more like a desktop publishing program than a traditional WYSIWYG web page creation program. You specify a page width and depth, and build within that canvas. It relies on a lot of absolute positioning of graphic elements, which means you need to make a good assumption about the screen resolution and and browser window size your viewers will be using. And there are a lot of type effects inherited from the program's cousin, PagePlus, which result in creation of graphics files that are placed within the page. Attractive, but at the price of compatibility with web standards. (I've been using different incarnations of PagePlus for years, so I started out being familiar with Serif's tools and tactics.)

The skilled web programmers who offered rotten reviews, comparing with the likes of Dreamweaver, are missing the point. Dreamweaver (which I've used) is a muscle program that costs about 10 times what you'd pay for WebPlus. Different products, different markets.

I was surprised and delighted when I opened the package from Amazon and found not just a program CD and a jam-packed resource CD, but also a printed manual and two template packages, one with sample business sites and the other for home and hobby use. Those last three items are a la carte products elsewhere. Also, there's a thriving user forum that offers great tips and quick advice.

This latest incarnation of WebPlus was marketed strongly on the abundance of Smart Objects, which rely on a Serif host server to make response forms, forums, blogs, analytics tools, etc., a drag and drop process, rather than items that require scripting on a full hosting service. Giving credit, these are free with the software, with only modest limits on total data volume (you can buy extra). But in the past few weeks that server has been plagued with large chunks of downtime, which can cause a whole site to hang. The user community has been up in arms, and Serif recently responded that the problems came in their expansion to a bank of multiple servers, and said they believe the worst is over. The service has been stable for several days, but I'd say the jury is still out on whether these tools are reliable in a commercial setting.

Bottom line: If you're starting out with a modest understanding of computers and the web, you should be able to use WebPlus X2 and its templates to produce professional-looking sites rapidly, at invitingly low cost.

Easy to import pictures or tables. Great for beginners and advanced users. Making actual HTML code changes are a little more difficult that I wished, but that's minor. Have an uploaded website running in a day!

You no longer need to spend hundreds to create a good looking site with the modern features.

I purchased this software about a year ago after using Namo WebEditor for years. In general I like the software. You can create web pages fairly easily, but, just like all software, there is a learning curve.

If you have used other web editing programs, you can't easily jump in and start working. For me, it was unlearning some things, because WP X2 works differently than Web Editor. In Web Editor, you create and save pages in html format. In WebPlus, you create pages (and the site) in their format and it only converts when you publish the site.

Other things work a bit differently, as well. Tables, for example, manipulate a bit differently than in most programs. To create a new page in WE you can't just open a new blank page and start working. In WP X2 you have to create a "master page" first, even if it is a blank master.

It comes with quite a few templates, but I can't comment on them because I prefer to start with a "blank slate" when I do a site.

Overall it does a lot and is fairly easy to use once you learn the conventions. It is a great deal for the price.

I bought this one for price and something that was WYSIWYG. Some friends and I developed the website, [...]
easily and quickly. We are still learning the ins and outs of the program. Yes there is a learning curve but isn't that the way with most new software products anyway. Very powerful program for the money. I know some coding but not a lot. I couldn't just sit there and program, I think it would be time consuming and aggravating. This is a good product with templates and other built in items a person may need for their business.

I haven't completed using it however; so far it has been easy to use. I am replacing Front Page and was hesitant to learn a new program but my host server no longer is compatible with Front Page. I had no choice but to change and I am glad I picked this software, it even copied my existing web-site to a folder in the program; so I can make my changes without building a whole new site. I am going to use it to build a new site and see which web-site design I like better. For now, I am using it for changes to my already existing web-site.

WebPlus X2 made creating a website much easier. I was trying to use the site builder tools that was available on the hosting site, but kept running into problems that those programs wouldn't help me work out. Webplus has been an enormous help. Look at my progress at [...].

By the way, the forums on Serif's website have been very informative as well. If you aren't sure how to do something, odds are, someone else has already asked about it.

I'm an experienced php/mysql programmer and I have most of the simple to elaborate site designer programs, and this one is the worst. The only thing this is useful for is the templates, and that's if you export them then make any changes manually. Otherwise, trying to edit pages in this software will drive you insane!

Avoid this, and don't believe the fake 4 star reviews.

I found this software extremely difficult to use. The manual is close to being useless. I'm a database programmer as well as being versed with desktop publishing but after a couple of days of trying to use this software I finally gave up and switched to Intuit Website Builder. With Intuit I had my website up and running in just a few hours.

I really wanted to like this product, as in the past I've used PagePlus (long ago, when Serif was in Nashua, NH) and thought it was great value for the money.

Unfortunately, WebPlus X2 was a disappointment. I design professionally, and planned to use WPX2's touted eCommerce features with my existing sites. In HTML editors like Dreamweaver, one can open HTML pages in the program and see a reasonable WYSIWYG graphic representation of what the page will look like. With WPX2, you must import the page, and if you have used external CSS, you will NOT see what you designed.

Here's the problem: WPX2 does not recognize external style sheets--a major drawback for any serious designer, because external CSS is widely regarded as best practice. When you import that HTML page, all you see is a stack of disordered content. What this means is that you must design your site in WPX2, or restrict yourself to using table code and/or internal CSS if you want to see your design displayed properly in the editor.

It's all the more absurd, because Serif's own website is using external style sheets.

I contacted Serif tech support, trying to find out whether maybe I'd missed something. So far, no response.

The sad thing is that the program otherwise has a lot of nice features, and perhaps if I were a novice, it would be fine for my needs. The tools seem easy to read, and there are palettes galore. I'll hopefully be able to generate code for eCommerce and password sign-in features, and add it to my existing sites manually. But it would be much easier to open/import pages in WPX2 and work directly on them there.

Message to Serif: SUPPORT EXTERNAL STYLE SHEETS!

I purchased this software because of the good reviews by other customers. I had anticipated that it would be easier than it was, but that was really an error on my part. I had no idea what is involved in building a website. Mercifully, it came with a real paper manual for which I was grateful.
While I was not up and running in an hour, I had a neat website up within the span of 2 weeks, and most of that time was spent on the content of the site rather than the technology.
I feel I made a good purchase and will continue to learn about the software as I am improving my website. It has a lot of options.

This program is not easy to use for a novice like me.
The manual is horrible.
I don't believe reviews around here anymore.
Anyway I'm returning this product back to Amazon.

PS: I strongly agree with the review by Mr.M. Najafpir "mnajafi" below.
I am thinking to try Webeditor by Namo and I am also thinking to use "corecommerce.com" to make my own e-commerce website.

Simply, DON'T BUY THIS UNLESS YOU WANT TO WASTE YOUR TIME.

- very limited templates that don't display the selection;
- hard to follow manual;
- not intuitive at all;
- many features but for an expert;
- no customer support, a worthless email reply comes several days later asking irrelevant question;
- prompts to save the work but can't display it later, saved file thumbnail shows correct file but when opened some of the work are gone;
- very poor on the background and wallpaper work, not listed on the manuals index;

I've also tried their Drawplus X3 which is also a junk. What I could easily accomplish using windows paint, could not do it with this software after several hours of researching their own manuals and help stuff.

This software is easy to use, powerful and intuitive. I know practically nothing about making a web page, and I am almost done with mine, thanks to Webplus x2!

This program is exactly what I was looking for. I am an advanced user and have worked with much more costly programs in the past. I am completely taken as to how well WebPlus X2 is thought out. There is almost no learning curve and it took me a 5th of the time to develop a professionally looking, fully functional website. The flawless integration of forms with the Serif's server is very impressive. There is no coding required which I know from experience can be very time consuming. WebPlus x2 has a host of clip art, buttons, web elements, e-commerce options, and special effects to choose from. Flash element integration is very easy and a very powerful tool. One suggestion I have is to improve table transparency between WebPlus x2 and Office 2007. This program should be considered by everybody (beginners and advanced users) that is serious in developing a very clean and professionally looking website.

I have never written a review before, but I was so impressed with this software that I felt I needed to write. In a few short days, with very little web design background I was able to design and post a website for my business. While my needs were not huge - no need for ecommerce or highly technical html, I am sure that I could not have done half as well without this product. The cost of the software was immediately offset by the coupon for one year of free web hosting... which works very well. If you have a personal site, or a small business, this may just meet your needs without the hassel of finding someone to create and keep a site up-to-date. Very pleased.

Ok, i've read the review about fake reviews, but i am not convinced all the positive reviews are fake. i've used the app for a couple weeks now and find myself pretty impressed with all parts of the program. for the price, i am impressed. about 6 months ago i tried expresson web and gave up on learning it. with this, i didn't seem to get frustrated with its learning curve. i intend to continue to use it. i use drawplus to create some or most of my custom windows and drawings. hope this helps.

I'm thrilled with this program, but it's not for everyone. Maybe this review can help you decide.

First off, I had absolutely no experience with website design, graphics, or desktop publishing. Zero. But I wanted the power to create my own business website without being limited to a template and be able to update it anytime I want. And I was willing to learn.

WebPlusX2 gives me all the power I want, limited only by my own artistic vision. But it's been a heck of a learning curve for me. I've spent many, many hours working on my site. And I'm ecstatic with the results. It looks completely professional and it is EXACTLY what I wanted.

Now that I know how to use this software, I can create more sites in FAR less time. So, if you have experience with this type of thing, you'll make fast progress. But if the whole graphics/web design field is new to you, expect to make a large investment of time. (Though I'm sure it's less time than other software with the same level of power.)

The manual is excellent, as are the tutorials.

There is an excellent user forum on Serif's website. There were a few times that I got stuck, and I got instant response on the forum.

I ended up buying several Serif softwares (PagePlusX3, DrawPlusX2 and PhotoPluxX2). The reason is that I wanted to draw my own logos and DrawPlus has more power for creating graphics. And - this is important - I learned that when you create a logo in DrawPlus, it looks a LOT better if you use PhotoPlus to resize it and convert it using PhotoPlus' better algorithm. If you do that, the logos and photos look absolutely stunning on the Web.

By the way, Serif offers you fantastic deals on the other software when you call them to register WebPlus. All of my software together as a package was at a remarkably low price. I now have powerful Web, Photo, Desktop and Graphics software for only a couple hundred bucks total! Amazing.

In summary, this is not a "create a website tonight" type of package. It's meant to be much much much more. And it is. If you are willing to invest the time, you will be very happy. I'm extremely proud of what I've accomplished. And as far as my website(s) going forward, I'm the master of my own destiny, which is what I wanted.

This is the first review I've written and I felt compelled to write it so other can stay away from this program.
I've wasted probably about 25 hours learning this program and designing a website for my wedding photography business. The problem I'm having is about halfway into the site design, pictures are no longer appearing on the site. I'm just getting a white space with re-sizing handles, no image. I've tried everything...moving the saved file to different hard drives, importing different images from different folders, re-sizing images in photoshop and then importing, uninstalling and re-installing the program, using different computers, starting over from scratch on a completely different computer...nothing works. This is on top of random crashes. One crash occured when I was importing a folder of images into a flash slideshow (which the program is supposed to support). The program closed and I got the dreaded "This program has encountered an unexpected error" message. Calls to Tech support were non productive. At least you'll get a live person but their solutions were not helpful. I'm very disappointed in this program since it appeared to do everything I needed it to do and it was not too hard to learn. Look for another web design software program...unfortunately, I am.

I keep trying to tell myself that this program is not as good as it is, but it ALWAYS surprises me with the power and flexibility. It just doesn't quite make sense that I can make the websites that I make with a program so easy to use. I keep expecting to run into a wall, but I never do.
This is an absolutely stunning value.
Sure its not quite as powerful as Dreamweaver, but I think for most sites, it could really replace the Adobe offering.

WebPlus X2 is by far a high end website maker. I have been using Microsoft FrontPage for years and will never use it again. The tutorials in WebPlus makes learning this product a breeze. It does everything that I can imagine for a website. I highly recomend it.

I used to use Dreamweaver. I found this program a lot simpler to use. And the outcome was still very professional looking. No issues loading it onto Vista. You may want to use another tool for photo albums however, this one isn't so great.

this product is great! I needed to make a website for my business and after trying Drupal for 1 month and getting no where I ponied up. This is the most reasonably priced software for the most professional results. It is super easy and uploading your site is super easy too!

The website templet selection is limited. I ended up using an online hosting website templet that was a fraction of the price of this software and more user friendly.

Web X2 is a little counter intuitive at first. Then again, isn't any bit of new software? Once you figure it out, it is a breeze to use. People keep telling me how professional my site looks. I have even started to build sites for other businesses. People are asking me to do web development more than my real business! I never expected that. If you want to see my site, go to lucidaudioprod.com. This site uses most of the basic tools in Web X2. My next big adventure will be using the Flash tools. Web X2 builds a great site for a fraction of the cost of other design tools. I am very happy.

Reads like it is finally the product to make it easy and fun to create web sites. Anything but. It is the only software in about 5 years that I wish I hadn't wasted my time and money buying.

This is by far some of the best web design software I have ever used. It is self explanitory, easy to use, and has great design options. I have only been playing around with the software for an hour and I have already developed a basic webpage for my business. You can design you're own from scratch or use one of their design templates, which you can completely edit and customize. I have been playing with their templates and they are really cool. If you want to develop an awesome website with the latest and neatest design features, I highly recommend this software. It isn't often you actually get what you pay for, in this instance you get about 10 times more with this software!

Having used many creative software titles over the past few years, it's rare that I find a program that surprises me the way that WebPlus X2 did. Although I've been a keen digital photographer for a while, I'd always considered web design as something that took too long to do well. I don't have the time to 'hand code' sites in HTML, and other 'easy' products I'd tried always seemed to produce poorly designed and slow to load sites. After trying Serif's PhotoPlus I decided to give their web design product a shot - and boy am I glad I did.

WebPlus seems to have just about anything any web designer could want - a load of good-looking templates, Flash animations, forums, blogs and polls built-in and even Search Engine Optimization and analytics. Best of all though, it genuinely does let anyone create a decent, professional-standard site very quickly. My first site (for our local little league team) took a couple of hours to design and get online, and since then I've been swamped with requests from friends and family to design sites for them...

WebPlus isn't perfect (if you do want to edit code, you can - but it's not that easy), but it's pretty close and I'd recommend it 100% to anyone looking for the best way to create a good-looking website fast.

Here are my scores:

Features: 9/10
Speed: 9/10
Ease of use: 10/10
Value for money: 10/10
Overall: 10/10