Serif WebPlus X5 review

Personal websites are in decline. A decade ago, when free site hosting companies like GeoCities and Tripod were at the height of their popularity, the internet was awash with hideously formatted amateur websites broadcasting our hopes, fears, dreams and loves.

A multicoloured wave of HTML, badly compressed JPEGs and Java applets spewed forth, and these websites were our own personal space in the increasingly crowded internet – a chance to let others on the internet know all about us.

Things are different now, with social network sites making it incredibly easy for us to share personal information, and blogging sites where we can share our thoughts, photographs and more without needing to learn any code, or spend a single penny. It's into this environment that Serif WebPlus X5 enters.

The aim of this software is to make it as easy as possible for anyone to design and create a professional quality website, regardless of experience.

For example, to embed Google Maps into your site and pinpoint a location, just click the 'Insert Google Map' icon and a window appears, giving you full control over the way the map looks and behaves. You can then drag and drop the map onto your website.

The software also provides a number of templates that you can use to design your website rather than starting with a blank page. These are tasteful, and can be edited for an individual look.

Serif WebPlus X5 is a particularly good tool for beginners, especially if you have your own company and don't have the time to build a website from scratch. If you just want a platform to broadcast information about yourself though, you're better off sticking with Facebook or Wordpress.

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