Full Review by phio_chan
Before we dive straight on to the review, there is one thing I want to clarify at the beginning. Given from my current signature, perhaps known to certain people, both Jimmy and I are currently working at Orbact. I assure you that I am doing my very best to stay objective, regardless of any connection I have to the website. One last note is that the 'Statistics & Activity' section is taken out because I am reviewing a website this time. Scoring will be adjusted appropriately.
Here it goes!
Scoring:
First Impressions & Appearance – (13 out of 20)
Orbact has an interesting, modern design. The color combinations are good; not dull but also not too bright. There are various images to complement the appearance. Placement of the information boxes makes the text easy to read. The elements of the design are working together to create a good first impression for visitors.
For the theme itself, I think there are several aspects which can be pondered on further for improvement. Let's go from the top. I don't find any real problem with the navigation bar. It is simple and straight to the point. I do feel the text size can be larger to make reading even easier, but it is not a very important point. First highlight is the banner/header. I feel that the current image is yet to compliment the modern design. There is much space at the header for the banner yet only a small round image is used for the space. Due to the size too the text 'Orbact' becomes too small to be read properly. For example, you can replace it with a large text of 'Orbact' in matching color, adding the logo/icon of the website, and leaving the right end of the space to contact icon. Moving on to the featured content of the index page, which is the hosting box. My concern is how I'm always looking at the same image of 3 metal items stacked together when I'm browsing other pages too, except 'Affiliates' one. If different image can be given for 'Affiliates', why not do the same for other pages? It would make things more lively, I believe. No problem from the footer, nice work!
The website has an overall smooth and tidy design. With few more tweaks it could be a better place to please the eyes!
Site Layout – (17 out of 20)
There is not much I can say about the layout, really! I feel that the elements have been placed accordingly. Not too crowded, but not too empty either. Few things I can point out are probably the placement of columns/text boxes in some pages and footer menu organization. First, about the placement of columns/text boxes, I write this part based on what I see at 'Hosting Addons' page. The only column there is placed to the left, most probably because there is no other column. I think it can be placed at the center to make it looks tidy, or add two columns still with image/text 'Coming soon!' or something similar. For footer, since there is some space left below 'Service' menu, one other menu can take that place, for example 'Affiliates'. By moving one menu down to that empty space, we can reduce the length of the page and the scrolls necessary to reach the bottom of the page. The footer actually looks like a repetition of the second navigation menu/bar, so I feel it can be rearranged to only show important details to avoid being repetitive. For example, the category 'Services' may not be so necessary because those should've been displayed above as the main content of the website.
Content – (13 out of 20)
Content. This becomes a tough section to write about for hosting websites such as Orbact. Let's see what I can do to help... I think the basic content has been prepared pretty good. Basic content, as in details about what kind of hosting plans is provided and the benefit of each. However, these are only visible when someone clicks on the 'Web Hosting' menu and read further. The index page does not show any details about the plan. I imagine it would be more beneficial for visitors to be able to see the offers straight away upon first visit and first glance. If it is not possible to include all plans, you can pick one of the most popular or target plan which is the most reachable and beneficial plan for new users.
One other thing quite interesting to consider is from one description line in index page.
We're always looking to improve every aspect of our business. From more features all the way to more frequent tutorials.
I will not touch the 'frequent' word. It would be interesting if visitors can see what kind of features are offered for them (I assume this is related to hosting addons too) in index page, or at least a more visible link than in footer. Tutorial is also an interesting point which can be explored. I am not too familiar with what kind of tutorial is needed for webhosting and webmasters, but at least articles on how to access items or easily install plugins or how to modify things using cPanel for example can be a great resource. The knowledge base is also still empty at the moment. These seems to be area which can be expanded more slowly but surely.
Spelling/Grammar & Professionalism – (16 out of 20)
The overall professionalism of the website deserves thumbs up. The mistakes I found are somehow minor, but should still be corrected if possible. These are mainly found in the second navigation bar, as the descriptions for the navigation menu. The inconsistency includes mistakes in using capital letters and apostrophes, like in 'Company', 'Affiliates', and 'Support' menu. One funny fact is that under 'Testimonials' it is written as 'Lots of feedback from our customer's' while the page is actually empty. Not that it is very important, but can be reworded to 'Proof of the excellency of our services!' to spice things up a bit. Also under 'Downloads', written as 'We've compiled a selection of downloads'. The description can be made clearer as to what kind of downloadable items will be available later as it is currently empty. And so on. Nothing major, but still adds up to a better touch if improved!
Total Score - (59 out of 80) (73,75%)
Final Remarks:
Orbact has been around for two months. That is quite a long time, but there is still a long way ahead to go. It already has good basic things ready to start, so it seems like the current matter is to go on and improve along the way to meet the needs of the customers. Keep up the good work and hopefully one day it will all pay back. Good luck!
Strengths:
- - Modern design and layout
- Informative content
Weaknesses:
- - Small banner and repetitive image
- Special features are not visible
After reading your review, please click here to rate your review.
