The poor job SiteJet does import sites is actually one of the most frustrating things about SiteJet. Here’s how I think it should work:
First, the import should start with the client page, though any functionality that’s available through the client page should also be accessible through the page builder to those people working on the sites.
Clients should be able to enter their URL, the pages on the site should then be identified in a visual site map showing large thumbnails of the pages and links between the pages.
Pages should be selected for import using a checkbox on the thumbnail of the page. To skip or remove a page, uncheck a box.
SiteJet should then step through each page selected for import as follows:
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Graphical assets should be put into the Wishes (content/design) sidebar, not just into Media / Search / Sort folders / URL Import. Captions and Alt text tags should stay with the images.
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It should also be possible to assign a role to a graphic. Roles should be assigned automatically where possible. [I think this means primarily connecting graphics with the text it illustrates, or as an icon (for example social media or logo, as the page’s header image, or as a divider between identified elements or sections.]
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Text content should be kept in order and tagged by use from H1 to P and so on. (List of HTML5 Tags/Elements - Tutorial Republic)
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Links should be designated, the text and URL shown. If a page or a site is moving from one location to another it should be easy to update all the URLs at once, for example if a company is rebranding or a designer is using a page previously done for one client for a another client.
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Javascript, PHP, embedded SaaS, etc. also should be captured and put into code section.
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CSS should be captured and put into a CSS section (reference to external CSS file should be specially designated, page level CSS from the header should be handled at the much like metadata in a separate block, and in-line CSS should be kept with the text or object modified).
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Meta data and other information from the page should also be captured and assigned to roles as required.
Once imported, users ought to be able to edit text, add text, and/or remove text, maybe as easily as hitting an (x) icon to remove it.
The user should also be able to switch out images without losing the overall structure of the page. Ideally it would also be able to run license checks on each of the graphical assets to prevent any use of licenses in the download and duplication process, providing links to the images if re-licensing is necessary.
Once the images have been adjusted, SiteJet should ask the user if they want to maintain the same color scheme, or allow SiteJet to recommend a new one.
Once adjustments are complete, SiteJet ought to be able to rebuild a page/site within SiteJet, either as it was imported, or by auto-building the page using any of SiteJet’s templates.
It also ought to be possible to see the site in more than one template, to have options and to provide them to clients.
Doing it this way would also make the question about creating additional SiteJet-specific templates entirely irrelevant, since any page or site could instantly turn into a beautifully done template, whether for that company or another client or company after first switching out the content of the page.
Additional request: it would be great if AI content were also easy to upload.
