WebSite X5 UPDATES
Discover all of the features and improvements introduced into new versions of the software.
Already a CUSTOMER?
If you have purchased a license during the last 12 months, you already have access to the updates, and you can find them here 
On the other hand, if you have an old WebSite X5 license, discover our special offer for you.
Remember: with the current version, you can import all the projects starting from version 11. Please find more information on "Project Conversion".
October 2024
WHAT'S NEW
Boost the style of your product cards only for Pro and Agency
Product cards highlight key information and are featured in many sections of an online shop. To streamline your workflow, the software automatically generates these cards. However, you have complete control over their graphic style and structure. We've introduced new layouts and additional customization options to enhance your product display. Now, you can:
- Set the cover image as the card background
- Arrange the cards in a grid with fixed or variable heights
- Organize the cards using a masonry layout
- Display the cards as a slideshow
These enhancements will make your online shop even more attractive and effective.
New Interaction features for product images only for Pro and Agency
When customers hover over a product image, two buttons now appear: one to view the full image gallery and the other to go directly to the product page. This improved link management allows you to create this interactive effect quickly and effortlessly.
More customization options for the Search Page only for Pro and Agency
The search page is a crucial part of any online shop: it offers customers the possibility of exploring the catalog and easily find what they're looking for. In addition to the possibility of setting categories and filters, you can now customize the search bar style to match the overall design of your website.
ALT Text for product SEO optimization only for Pro and Agency
ALT text is essential for optimizing your image SEO and improving the accessibility of your web pages. Now you can apply it to your product images, boosting your online shop's ranking on search engines.
Sorting of product sub-options only for Pro and Agency
When setting up your e-commerce products, (like t-shirts), you can define both options (e. g. the color) and sub-options (e. g. the size). With the possibility of arranging sub-options, too, you now have full control on your product management.
Display Previous Price During Discount Campaigns only for Pro and Agency
The European Omnibus Directive requires that the lowest price applied in the last 30 days must be clearly indicated for discounted products. With the newly introduced option, you can easily adjust your online store and ensure compliance, avoiding the risk of infringement.
Filters and arrangement option for the Product Catalog Object only for Pro and Agency
The Product Catalog Object is a very useful tool to showcase your products. Previously, you could only manually choose which products to include, but now you can speed up the process by using filters and categories. Additionally, you can set up random product display to keep your catalog dynamic and varied, ensuring a fresh presentation every time.
On the Blog home page, articles are displayed with cards that highlight essential details, such as title, cover image and link. Just as with products, these cards are automatically generated, but you have the flexibility to fully customize their design and structure. With the newly introduced layouts and additional options, your blog will be even more modern and engaging.
Customization of Blog side blocks
Blog pages can include a sidebar with useful tools such as Recent Articles, Archive by Month or Category, and Tag Clouds. Previously, each block’s design had to be customized separately, but now you can apply a unified style across all of them. With this new feature, along with the new options for title customization, adding separators and lists, your blog's layout will become cleaner and more consistent.
New Article List Object
Introducing a new addition to WebSite X5's preset Objects: the Article List Object. With this tool, you can create a gallery by selecting some of the posts already published in the blog. You can choose which posts to include and to customize the graphic style of each item. Use this new Object to showcase the latest blog articles directly on your home page - an effective solution for building a strong band image, as well as a SEO strategy to enhance your page ranking.
Reading Time for Blog Articles
Many readers appreciate knowing the estimated reading time for an article right beneath its title. This feature allows them to decide whether they have enough time to engage with the post or if they should return later. Now, the reading time for your blog articles is automatically calculated; all you need to do is decide whether to display it.
CSS Code customization for Objects only for Pro and Agency
WebSite X5 allows you to always work visually: you simply access the settings windows and use the available options to apply the wished customizations. However, if you have some programming experience and seek more specific results, you can use the available editor to add CSS code for all the Objects of your pages. The possibilities are limitless.
New logos and new boxes
It just feels like yesterday, but it's already been 5 years since we rebranded both Incomedia and all its products. We didn’t want to overhaul everything but simply refresh the colors, logos, and boxes of WebSite X5 to make them more dynamic and vibrant. And here’s the result!
New Edition: WebSite X5 Agency
The WebSite X5 family of solutions is expanding: in addition to Go, Evo, and Pro, the Agency edition is now available. Designed specifically for web agencies and freelancers, it offers a greater number of templates, web hosting, support for up to 5 simultaneous users, and most importantly, the ability to resell the websites created for your clients.
Compatibility and Security
To ensure top performance, compatibility, and security, we have made significant updates, including an upgrade to the Chromium browser engine used for local previews.
Completion of the sitemap.xml
The sitemap.xml file is important for SEO as it helps search engines scan your website more efficiently. In WebSite X5, it is generated automatically and now also includes all the pages of your Blog posts and product sheets.
Customization of Internal Blog Pages
Previously, the article pages inherited the graphic settings of the Blog's Home Page. Now, however, they are fully customizable as their properties can be managed individually.
MORE NEWS
- Addition of Arabic and Romanian languages to the software interface
- Minor fixes
Payments with Stripe only Pro
Now you have one more option to accept and manage payments from your online shop: Stripe. Stripe is a payment platform that offers diverse customer interfaces to create customized payment experiences that can be implemented on any browser and device.
Automatic and transparent file management
We thought we'd make things easier for you by having WebSite X5 take over complete management of the files used in your projects. This brings about some significant updates:
- In all locations where you can import a file, you'll now find two commands: Local File, which allows you to access the Windows File Selection window and select a file available on your PC, and Online Library, to access the integrated online libraries of free and premium images.
- Since WebSite X5 now automatically manages the files connected to the project, there's no longer a need to display the project Library or the Project Optimization window.
- We merged the two sections originally dedicated to project and website optimization. Now, you will find everything you need in a single window: important information, resources connected to the project and the possible optimizations that you can still apply.
- When exporting the website, you can still optimize the project by removing resources that are no longer connected to it.
New library for the Publishing Engine
We've introduced a more modern library for the FTP engine enabling online export of the finished website. This update includes support for several new encryption algorithms, such as Transport Layer Security (TLS), making it compatible with more servers.
More spam protection with ReCAPTCHA 3
ReCAPTCHA is the free service powered by Google that helps protect websites against spam and abuse by distinguishing between human users and bots. In version 3, which has now been integrated, ReCAPTCHA assigns a score based on the user's previous actions and, if all goes well, allows the user to proceed without requiring the "I am not a robot" checkbox to be clicked.
Effective Video management
It's not always desirable for a video inserted on a web page to start automatically. Now, you can set up a cover image and have the video playback start when clicked or hovered over with the mouse.
Tooltip style
Tooltips are small notes that explain or offer insights about the link they are associated with. We have updated the available options to make them even more customizable.
Edition update
We’ve introduced some changes to the WebSite X5 edition plans, to make them even more distinctive. More specifically, we concentrated the online shop-related functions only in the Pro edition. Of course, all the projects created in the past will still be working.
Quicker and Lighter Images
We have replaced the image management graphic engine with a new, higher-performance one, previously used only for saving in jpg and webp formats.
The new engine offers a significant increase in performance: images are up to 45% faster loading, up to 50% faster saving, and up to 20% lighter.
Faster Website Upload
As soon as your website is ready, you will surely look forward to going live. We've improved the FTP engine so that your website export online is now faster, especially if the project includes many small files. But that's not all: even creating and removing directories is up to 70% faster, resulting in a further increase in overall performance.
Google Pay, Apple Pay and Vaulting
The PayPal Commerce Platform integration offers new interesting functions. In fact, now you can enable payments via Google Pay and Apple Pay. Moreover, your customers can decide to save the payment details so that they won't have to enter them again when they purchase on your store. This procedure is called vaulting and is beneficial not only for the customer but also for you as online shop administrator.
Credit Card Payments
The list of Countries where PayPal Commerce Platform makes direct Credit Card payments possible, is getting more and more complete: 24 new Countries in the EMEA zone joined in fact US, CA, AU, UK, FR, IT, ES and DE.
E-mail Layout
Users receive confirmation e-mails after registering or placing an order. These e-mails automatically have the Template style, but you can also customize them. You now have extra graphic possibilities, including providing a section with Social Buttons. E-mails sent from your website will be even more original and effective.
Replace the Home Page
The Home Page is the key of a website, so that it is set by default when you start a new project. But what if you decide that a different page has to be the Home Page? Now you just click: you can set the page you like as new Home Page and all links will be updated in one go.
Link Style Customization
It's useful to create your style: you define it once and apply it to all the project, so you save time and achieve a consistent result. Sometimes, however, exceptions are necessary. For example, the link style may be a perfect match for page contents on a light background, but not for the footer with a dark background. We have now added the possibility to set a custom style for each link.
Date Style and Format
Styles can be used to define the format and layout of many text elements: not only regular text, but also titles, navigation paths and links. Now you can also define the format and layout for dates - another element that will help you improve communication coherence of your web pages.
Managing Optional Objects
Optional Objects enrich WebSite X5's range of features and help bring your website to the next level. We have simplified their management: now, upon opening a project, you will be asked to install and/or update all the Optional Objects you have already used. In this way, everything will be ready for you to proceed with the development of your pages.
UI Update
The UI is crucial to work well and get the most out of any tool. That's why we constantly improve WebSite X5's interface. This time, we have updated some of the most popular options, such as the Color selection window (to which we have also added Opacity and Color Code) and Text Alignment, Element Placement and Shadow management settings.
MORE NEWS
- Integrated Sycapay, payment system popular in African markets.
- Extended support for the WEBP, HEIC and SVG formats.
- Support for the web font WOFF2 format.
- Improved responsive display for breakpoints lower than desktop.
Product Wishlist only for Pro
The e-commerce improves even more by allowing your customers to add the products they are interested in, inside a wishlist. It will then be easier for them to find the products later on, compare them with others and once they're ready, complete their purchase.
Customization of Product Pages only for Pro
Our Product Pages are currently designed automatically by the software: you save time and it is guaranteed that all vital information about your product is organized and well displayed in the most optimized way possible. Now you can customize these pages and decide if and how certain features are displayed.
The "Buy now" button can be hidden only for Pro
In some cases, the best way to build an e-commerce is to remove the buttons added to purchase the product. Now you can do it by choosing whether to hide this button for your products or not.
Discounts based on the total order amount only for Pro
To boost sales on your e-commerce store, discounts as well as campaigns are fundamental. Now they are no longer limited to enabling discounts for single products or generating coupons with fixed discounts, you can also enable various discounts according to the total order amount.
Nation-based shipment and payment selection only for Pro
In an international e-commerce, not all shipment or payment methods are always available for every country. Now you can specify, for each payment or shipping method that you have on your store, which countries you can follow.
Payment reminders only for Pro
As you know you can manage your orders via the online Control Panel. We've now added a new button to it which allows you to manually resend the order confirmation email along with the payment instructions. You can keep track of how many reminders you sent so you can decide whether to insist on sending more or simply mark the order as cancelled.
Push Notifications via Control Panel only for Pro
We added the possibility of setting up Push Notifications directly from the online Control Panel. Install the dashboard as an app on your smartphone and stay updated in real time about your website's activities: orders from your e-commerce, Blog comments, new user registrations, etc... You choose which notifications to receive.
MagicText only for ProWe added a new way to write contents: MagicText, the Artificial Intelligence-based text generation assistant. With MagicText you can write any kind of text you want to use on your website: titles, SEO titles, paragraphs, ideas and tags. All you have to do is ask: a text will be generated before your eyes. Literally!
Never run out of ideas again
Are you looking for inspiration? Do you need an efficient product sheet or a new blog post? Use MagicText and find new ideas. Choose the topic and start brainstorming.
No more writer's block
Often all you need is a good beginning. MagicText only needs few hints to create quality text. It's going to be a good starting point to quickly achieve the final draft.
Only quality texts
Improve your requests, change tone and language: MagicText will generate different texts, you will be free to use them as they are or to edit them. Enjoy the company of a helpful assistant to gain a specific text in seconds.
UI Design
It's not just an aesthetic whim: updating the software design can actually improve user experience. WebSite X5 now has a new interface in line with the logic behind Windows 11, so now you can enjoy a more comfortable and neater environment that can help you improve your productivity by focusing on what you need.
Image list Preview
Think about Galleries: you need to import all the image files to set them up. We have now introduced a new option that allows you to work visually: working with thumbnails will be much easier and fun.
New Templates
Speaking of graphic design: we took the opportunity to substitute some of the Templates in the preset Template Gallery: 10 in the Pro and 5 in the Evo. Get inspired for your next projects.
SEO properties for the Galleries
Images too, play an important role for improving Web page SEO: now you can add Description, Title and Alt Text also to the images in your Galleries.
Edit on Preview mode
You are looking at the preview of the web page you are working on and realize you aren't happy with a text you've added. Now you can simply click on the page content you want to edit to open the corresponding Object in working mode. That's very convenient, isn't it?
Minimum Order only for Pro
Sometimes selling one single product unit isn't very convenient. Define a minimum order quantity for each product of your store: in this way, the checkout process will be even easier and effective.
Compatibility and Security
In order to guarantee the greatest possible level of performance, compatibility and security, we have added compatibility with servers using PHP v8.2.
SVG support
Not just bitmap images: we introduced the SVG support too, so you can now enrich your pages with illustrations as well as vector graphics.
Saving as WebP only for Pro
In order for you to better compress the images of your website and therefore improve your page loading performance, we have introduced the WebP conversion, which is a Google conversion format specifically conceived for the Web.
Images Lazy Loading
We have enhanced the Images Lazy Loading so to take advantage of the native support offered by the most modern browsers. With this function, you can delay the images loading so to improve the page performances and save bandwidth.
Optimization for a better CLS
The CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift) is one of the Core Web Vitals Google introduced as a ranking factor. We have optimized the page code so to guarantee better performances.
Page Grid with Preview
The Layout Table has been enriched with previews displayed directly within the cells. Now, only for the Objects you can use to add at least one image, a small preview is placed next to the icon in the cell: this will really help you find the Object you are looking for, especially on more complex pages with lots of contents.
File Selection Window
We added the necessary commands to update the content of the selected folder, to open the File Explorer window and access the file properties. The file name and size are now shown within tip that is displayed on mouseover.
Hidden Product only for Pro
Sometimes, a product of your catalog may not be available for a certain period of time. Don't remove it: simply hide it. In this way, it won't be visible on the store and you will be able to reactivate it with a simple click as soon as it is available again.
WebAnimator 4 integration
Did you create a wonderful HTML5 animation with WebAnimator 4? Now you can export it in a compressed proprietary format which you can easily import in WebSite X5. All the resources will be loaded at once: adding animations to your website has never been so fast and easy.
Compatibility and security
In order to guarantee the greatest possible level of performance, compatibility and security, we have:
updated the Chromium browser engine employed for the local preview to the latest version;
updated the graphic libraries for the image generation and the file compression;
updated the internal engine to ensure better compatibility, speed and security;
added compatibility with servers using PHP v8.1
MORE FEATURES
We have redesigned the toolbar you can use to search among the Optional Objects and open the Management window.
Improved some context menus by adding more often used commands.
Added emojis support on texts that are managed via database, for instance comments, orders and product descriptions.
New file management system
We developed a new system to manage all the files used inside a project. These files are all automatically saved into the Project Library and become easy to find. In a couple of clicks you will find the file you are looking for in the Library and you can use it in several pages.
Project Optimization
Now that you can manage files linked to the project, you can also optimize project size. In Step 5, we've added a new window you can use to analyze your project, create a backup copy of used resources - particularly handy if you need to move the project on a new computer - as well as delete files that are no longer connected to the website. This cleanup process, will reduce and optimize your project files.
File Selection window
A centralized file management system means a single system to select and import resources. You will then use the same File Selection window - completely redesigned from scratch - for any file you need to add on your pages.
- More specifically, you can use the File Selection window to:Import a local file from your PCchoose a Premium Imageselect an item from the Library of free imageschoose among over 28,000 free videos available in the new gallerypaste the URL of a YouTube/Vimeo videoadd your online file by reporting the URLimport a file you have already used in your project directly from the resource Library
MORE FEATURES
- Added new Hamburger Menu option: now you can decide whether to display the level menu entries on click or on mouseover.
New Portfolio Object
A new preinstalled Object is now available in the library. Use the Portfolio Object to create a list of elements which can be displayed in dedicated customizable cards, and give your visitors the possibility of using filters and categories to search or organize the entries. In short, it's perfect for presenting a portfolio of your best work and projects on your website.
Instalment payment via PayPal
Give your online shop customers the possibility of paying by installments without interest or additional costs. We've integrated the PayPal "Buy Now Pay Later" service and a single click will be enough for you to activate it on your store. PayPal will take charge of the installment credit, while you will receive the whole amount right away.
The Buy Now Pay Later service is currently active for the following countries: UK, France, Germany, US, Australia. It will soon be available in Italy, Spain and Canada too. To check countries and dates of actual availability, rates, terms and conditions consult the PayPal website (paypal.com)
Object Search
The Object library becomes more and more rich in tools for completing your pages. A useful search filed is now available for you to immediately find the Object you are looking for: just type in the name and you're ready to use it.
Videos for your Entry Page
The Entry Page is a sort of cover giving the visitors the possibility to access its home page after a set amount of time or by clicking on a link: for example, you can use it to ask them to choose the language they want to visit your website in. You can now set it up using a video you have on your computer, as well as a video available on a specific URL or even on YouTube and Vimeo.
Google Analytics 4
Google Analytics 4 is a new measurement and tracking platform launched by Big G. Its interface is completely different from the previous Universal Analytics, and it uses a monitoring system based on the users' behaviour more than on their profile. Do you want to use it? Thanks to the new integration, you can add the necessary tracking code in one single step.
SKU Code
We've introduced a new field: the SKU code can be used as a search key, both while working in WebSite X5 and in the online store. In addition, it will be included as structured data for page optimization.
Animated backgrounds for line styles
By adding effects to your line styles, you can create high-impact bands that are perfect for highlighting your most important content. Now you can take advantage of one more option and choose an eye-catching animated background for the line.
New Predefined Templates only for Pro
Templates are like chocolates: you just can't get enough. We've added 9 more to Pro's gallery of predefined templates, which now totals 150: which one will you use in your next project?
MORE FEATURES
- Added the ability to set the blur effect on the content background when opening the ShowBox window.
Social Commerce only for Pro
Social networks are no longer just for fun: they are becoming real storefronts through which to shop. That's why we've added the option of integrating WebSite X5's e-commerce with Facebook and Instagram. In just a few steps, your products will be for sale on Facebook Shops and through shoppable Instagram posts.
VAT management only for Pro
New European VAT rules for cross-border sales have recently come into force. In order to allow you to adapt your online shop, we have revised how VAT is managed by introducing different tax settings, which can be customized for different countries.
Shipment Tracking only for Pro
Customers love to be able to track the shipping status of products they have purchased online. Now you can offer the same service and make sure that your store's customers are notified when you send them a tracking link.
WebSite X5 Hosting
While you walk through your website creation, we want to hold your hand from the beginning till the end. This is why we've created WebSite X5 Hosting, the tailor-made hosting service for WebSite X5.
The service has been included into the software license, so you will get the associated hosting plan for 12 months:
Hosting Evo: 100 GB webspace, 1 mailbox and an automatic domain.
Hosting Pro: 500 GB webspace, 5 mailboxes, database plus an automatic domain.
Perfectly compatible, already integrated and without additional costs: in short, hosting has never been so simple!
Export online
We have of course updated the export window of the site online. If you choose to take advantage of the included WebSite X5 Hosting you don't have to do anything at all, not even worry about entering the connection parameters to the server and the database: we’ve already thought about it. Now you can be sure that you have no compatibility issues. Alternatively, you can always pick and use another Provider.
Control panel
To help you manage the Hosting included with your WebSite X5 license, we’ve developed an intuitive control panel: you will find it in your profile. Everything will always be at your fingertips.
Contact form
We’ve gathered several requests on the Contact Form Object and they have been fulfilled. Small but significant tricks that will improve your forms even more:
the possibility of providing a confirmation message, as well as a confirmation page, after sending the data;
a text editor to add Acceptance Conditions;
the calendar icon has a new place and a new style;
Text Field filters have been improved;
the text style of fields and labels can be customized;
the WebSite X5 captcha design has been reviewed.
User Interface - Site settings
There’s always something that can be improved. We have removed the division between general and advanced settings in Step 1. Thus, once you have defined your project's basic information for the first time, you will not have to go back to this window and, in addition, you can always see and find all the features you need to complete your work: e-commerce, blog, password protected areas, etc.
User Interface - Data management
With WebSite X5 Hosting, database management is easier, therefore the database management section in step 1 has been removed. You will have to add server and database activation parameters during the export phase, only if you choose to use another Provider.
New Database settings for Pro only
No matter how small a website is, it will almost always rely on a database in order to function properly. We have then simplified the way the database function is managed: it is now possible to connect a single database to the project and, moreover, it is WebSite X5 itself which now automatically creates and renames all the necessary tables for a correct and efficient data management. This makes everything easier.
Blog
The Blog settings window now completely focuses on the Post list display and management. Consequently, the Blog Title and Description can be set using the specific SEO section.