Serif WebPlus X6

Serif WebPlus is a package that allows you create and publish your own website without having to get bogged down in the coding process. Instead, this software makes website construction and maintenance a cinch.

Most businesses are already aware of the importance of online representation. For small upstart companies or lone entrepreneurs, using WebPlus could cut costs, help expand their IT skills and lead to an excellent end product – i.e., a presentable and functioning website.

What we like best

This package can be purchased as an add-on for people who already own X5, but it also works as a standalone software.

WebPlus X6 is an effective piece of equipment which lets you build a website from scratch. Alternatively, users can get a head start through a professionally designed template, and then alter that to their personal taste. Serif WebPlus X6 uses a simple drag and drop interface, so adding images and text is very easy, and smart guides help to centre text boxes and line up graphics and buttons.

You can normally spot a website built with a template straight away, but using WebPlus the entire thing can be personalised. It even has button editors so you can change colour and hue to make to distinguish your website from all the rest.

Serif are industry veterans and know that construction of a website is but the first step in making it successful. Any new website has to be discoverable and accessible on more than one device. Most companies are trying to integrate with social media, and with the prevalence of smartphones you’ll also want to make sure that your website can be viewed on a mobile platform. To cater for this, sites built with WebPlus can be viewed on all types of tablets and smartphones. You can integrate Twitter feeds and Facebook buttons, as well as YouTube videos and Flickr galleries – the most important bases are covered.

Serif have also included search engine optimisation tools to ensure that people can find your website using Google, Yahoo!, etc. An analytics feature to monitor the site’s progress with things like traffic volume and domain authority rounds off a very helpful starter pack.

What we like least

It seems absurd to complain about an overabundance of tools but if you lack the patience for tutorial videos and wizards you will find yourself a little lost.

The interface isn’t exactly intuitive, so unless you’ve spent some time getting to grips with the layout you’ll find yourself baffled with all the tabs and swatches. Once you’ve had a bit of a play around this software is (dare we say it?) fun to use.