WordPress users are in luck when it comes to theme design, thanks to a new theme editor plugin, Website Weaver.
Websites and blogs are becoming more crucial every day for any business looking for marketing success, but hiring a website designer can be expensive and doesn’t necessarily guarantee getting exactly the look you are going for. With Website Weaver, designing WordPress themes becomes a quick and easy do-it-yourself project.
Created by Spiderweb Press, Website Weaver promises that you can create a unique look for your website without any experience. This plugin helps you do that by giving you a starter theme, which you can modify to your heart’s desire simply by clicking and dragging, all within your WordPress admin area.
WYSIWYG for WordPress!
People in the web design business call this a WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) editor. Every change you make, you can see instantly. It shows you exactly what your web pages will look like when they get published to the internet, making it not only perfect for a beginner, but a big time-saver for old hats as well.
For users worried about bulky space-intensive coding that goes hand-in-hand with most theme editors, Website Weaver solves that problem. Website Weaver prides itself on it’s lightweight, clean code, and that means a faster-loading site for you.
All your customizations and options are controlled through the plugin without a long list of coding attached to the theme itself. This also means that even once your site is published, it’s incredibly easy to open the plugin back up and make changes without sorting through code, unless you really want to.
Another great feature of this plugin is that once you’ve created your theme it will run on your site completely independent of the plugin, while still keeping minimal coding for a smooth performance. Also, once your theme is ready to go, you can do just about anything with it - like install it on multiple websites or give it to clients. There is a separate plugin edition for users who want to design stand-alone themes to sell.
Just because it’s easy to use and lightweight doesn’t mean Website Weaver isn’t a powerful plugin. It comes stacked with features that give you control over every detail of your design. This includes something the Website Weaver developers call the “block stacking” approach.
Each element of your design, i.e. header, footer, sidebars, etc., is in the form of blocks that you can drag and drop wherever you like to create any layout you may need. This approach also allows click-and-drag resizing of each block.
Other great features include:
- A color picker with a full spectrum to choose from.
- A simple interface for setting background color or image for both the full window and each individual element.
- Point-and-click uploading once your theme is ready to publish.
- Easy management of Logo, Favicon and RSS graphics with click-and-drag placement and auto-linking.
- Allows different layouts for different pages on a website.
Feedback
Because this is a fairly new plugin, there is not a lot of user feedback yet. But what reviews there are have been positive.
One user says, “My only complaint is that it’s way too easy to install and use.”
Another says, “You have an incredible system here, easy to install, easy to use. Has a short learning curve for basic theming, but its a powerful system packaged in a small package.”
Downside
While so far no one is complaining about this neat plugin, there are a few possible downsides to consider before purchasing.
First, this plugin is only compatible with themes it has created. It comes with it’s own “AAA Starter Theme”, which you can modify to your heart’s content, plus using it as a base for new themes you create.
But if you already have a theme you like, you will not be able to edit it using Website Weaver. This shouldn’t be too big of a hurdle as it takes almost no time to create any theme you can think of, including copying the design elements of the one you already have into a new Website Weaver-created theme.
Also, there is currently no demo version available, so if you want to try this plugin you must commit to the $65 price tag. This last downside doesn’t appear to be a very big one, as users say the level of customer support is amazing.
Here is a picture of the AAA Starter theme:
Support
One user says about one of the developers, Kezz Bracey, “She is one WordPress expert I go to every time I need some help, and she’s extremely helpful all along.” Additionally, there is no subscription period for support. Spiderweb Press says email them your questions anytime and they will provide personal one-on-one support.
When you purchase Website Weaver, you automatically become a “member”. Members get discounts on additional themes, and things like free plugins. As of this writing, there are a couple of other themes available, and you get The Easy OptInserter plugin (sells for $15) for free. This plugin makes it simple to add opt-in forms to your WordPress installation.
Requirements
First, the basics: if you use any publishing platform other than WordPress, then of course, this plugin is not for you. Also, this plugin requires updated versions of WordPress, 3.0 or higher, PHP, 5.2 or higher, and MySQL , 4.0 or higher.
- Firefox, Chrome or IE8+
- PHP 5.2 or higher
- WordPress 3.0 or higher, enabled for theme editing
- MySQL 4.0 or higher
With all this in mind, Website Weaver promises to be an excellent choice whether you are a beginner with no knowledge of code or an expert looking for an easier, faster way to create WordPress themes. Give it a shot and create the website that’s perfect for you.
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| License | Unlimited+ |
| Price | $65-$295 |
