porting Web Designer Pro to Wordpress & other pages

[wordmuse]

I'm currently evaluating Web Designer Premium. One of the things I would want to be able to do is quickly prototype something in WDP and then port the functionality over to a Wordpress blog. I also create sales pages and want to port graphics that I've rotated or menus, and so forth, to these pages.

These (especially the sales pages) need to be SEO friendly. Looking under the hood at the code behind a WDP web page, it looks very busy from this standpoint. Additionally, I see no way to add H1, H2 and other similar SEO required components from with WDP, so porting the functionality over to these pages that I develop via HTML is important.

Does anyone know whether I can do what I've indicated here? Can I snip out things created in WDP and paste them into my blog or stand-alone pages and have the functionality work? Even if somewhat complicated, is there a way to do what I'm after?

Thank you for your time.
- Bal

[pauland]

The HTML produced by Xara isn't intended for use with CMS type systems, particularly for production of CMS templates. The HTML produced by Xara makes a WYSIWYG translation of the design content to HTML - it's not intended to act as a general container for content. There are ways to modify the content to introduce Hx tags, but it's a kludge.

XWD is great for prototyping. If you are competent with HTML you can then use the design elements and hand-code your Wordpress, but you will never be happy with Xara as a HTML generator for Wordpress.

The design product may be more suitable for such a workflow, but the web generation is the same as for XWD.

[zaphodeist]

All that Paul says is true of course, but for general SEO information you might also like to look at this provided by Google. Xara code does validate and the lack of H1 etc is not relevant any more as has been discussed on TG.

[wordmuse]

Thanks - so let me make sure I understand. I should be able to create my design in WDP, locate the beginning and end of the design inside the source code, copy and paste it into the HTML view of a Wordpress blog, upload the graphics and synch them with the code, and the design should appear in my blog?

[covoxer]

Thanks - so let me make sure I understand. I should be able to create my design in WDP, locate the beginning and end of the design inside the source code, copy and paste it into the HTML view of a Wordpress blog, upload the graphics and synch them with the code, and the design should appear in my blog?

No.

[pauland]

I think you must have missed "you will never be happy with Xara as a HTML generator for Wordpress." somewhere.

Xara is not suitable for generating HTML for use in Wordpress templates.

[wordmuse]

I guess I misinterpreted the words "HTML generator for Wordpress." There are products that specifically are Wordpress generators. I would not be looking to WDP to create a Wordpress site. Rather, as I said, I'd want to be able to take elements I created in WDP and use them within a Wordpress context.

So from what you are telling me, this is really a prototyping software and you'd need to know how to independently code whatever it is you prototype in WDP if you want something similar to appear in Wordpress?

[pauland]

this is really a prototyping software

No, not at all. Plenty of people use it to build websites for clients. The HTML generator is perfectly good for static websites, but not for use as a CMS template generator or for including in a template.

you'd need to know how to independently code whatever it is you prototype in WDP if you want something similar to appear in Wordpress?

Yes.

[wordmuse]

Got it - thanks a lot.

[jellywobbles]

[OT and spam removed]