Form View: Diagnostic Website Evaluation

Company/Organization: Quintana Investigations
Website Address: http://www.quintanainvestigations.com

Evaluation Prepared By: Matt Stanley, Founder & President of Oasis Interactive

Metric 1 of 3: Usability

  1. Is the overall visual experience soothing and comfortable instead of overwhelming due to excessive content and/or features? No

    The dual-navigation design is a bit confusing and could result in visitors not seeing lots of your content... The navigation items at the top of the screen are clear, but the links in the left hand vertical column are not as obvious. People visiting the site could easily assume they're just a list of services instead of clickable links and never visit those pages.


  2. Does the website balance text and images effectively by using both to break up the content and make it easy to read and comprehend?

  3. Is the text easy to read (scan through easily and understand quickly)? Yes
  4. Is the navigation functional, logical (intuitive) and consistent from one page of the site to the next? No

    See previous comments.


  5. Can you get to any page on the site in three clicks or less? Yes

  6. Can you find the content you’re looking for easily without having to explore the entire website? Yes

  7. Is all of the important content visible “above the fold?” No

    Several pages on your website have lots of scrolling. The nature of your business sometimes requires lots of explanation and detail when describing your services, however, so that's OK.


  8. Is contact information, such as a phone number, mailing address, and “send us e-mail” form prominently displayed or easy to find? Yes

  9. Can you use the website without having to install any plugins or ActiveX controls? Yes

  10. Are all of the site’s hyperlinks clear and obvious? No

    See previous comments about vertical navigation items.


  11. Is the website devoid of an initial Flash or splash page? Yes

  12. Are multimedia elements (such as music, animation and/or video, if any) implemented in an unobtrusive manner that allows visitors control over how/if they are displayed? Not Applicable

  13. Do all external website links and/or PDF documents (if any) open in a new window instead of the active one? Not Applicable

  14. Does the site work properly and look good in Google Chrome? Yes

  15. Does the site work properly and look good in Mozilla Firefox? Yes

  16. Does the site work properly and look good in Internet Explorer/Edge? Yes

  17. Does the site render properly on mobile devices such as laptops, smartphones and tablets? Yes

  18. Does the website load quickly? Yes

Usability Summary

Total Points: | Points Earned: | Equivalent Score: | Usability Grade:

Summary Comments:

Supporting Documentation:


Metric 2 of 3: Professionalism

  1. Is the website modern instead of looking outdated? No

    The website design could use a modern touch.


  2. Does the combination of colors in use on the site look attractive? No

    The colors themselves work nicely together but the graphics are overly busy. The gradient background color behind the text itself, combined with the dark gray background to the sides of the content vertical image and shading on the header distract from the content. The result is that the eye tends to move around all over the page instead of settling on and digesting your content.


  3. Does the website prominently display a professionally designed company logo and is it linked to the website home page? Yes

  4. Do the colors in use on the site complement the logo and reinforce the corporate brand (if it contains one)? Not Applicable

  5. Does the site contain only professional-looking pictures and graphics instead of clipart or amateur animation (if it's not a text-only site)? Not Applicable

  6. Is the photography and artwork on the website crisp and clean instead of blurry or pixelated (if it's not a text-only site)? Yes

  7. Do all of the website pages contain polished, finished content instead of blank pages or those that are “under construction?” Yes

  8. Does the website contain professional, well-written text that is free of typos and grammatical errors?

  9. Does the site contain only working links and/or functionality? Yes

  10. Do all site features seem to serve a business purpose? Yes

  11. Is the website devoid of antiquated and problematic technology such as frames? Yes

Professionalism Summary

Total Points: | Points Earned: | Equivalent Score: | Professionalism Grade:

Summary Comments:

Supporting Documentation:


Metric 3 of 3: Marketing Effectiveness & Integration

  1. Does the website content (text, photos, artwork, and multimedia elements) engage you on a personal level and create a sense of warmth, safety and comfort? Does it sell using emotion (personal benefits) instead of just facts (features)? No

    The website contains great content about the services you provide but it doesn't appeal to the emotions of the visitor as much as it could.


  2. Does the website content make a compelling case for doing business with them by explaining what sets them apart from their competitors? Is the unique selling position (USP) clear and compelling? No

    The USP isn't as clearly defined as it could be.


  3. Does the site contain fresh content (material that has been added in the last 12 months or less)? Not Applicable

  4. Does the text motivate you to buy through a clear and persuasive call-to-action (CTA)? No

    The phone number is very prominent on every page of the site but there's no clear CTA that tells visitors what to do to engage in the sales process.


  5. Does the website have unique and search engine-friendly URLs? Yes

  6. Does the website have a sitemap? No

    A sitemap is an important feature that helps search engines crawl your website effectively. Yours would benefit from having one added.


  7. Does the website have keyword-rich title tags? Yes

  8. Does the website have valuable, keyword-optimized content? No

    The website would benefit from some retooling work to make it more effectively keyword-optimized.


  9. Can the website be found in search engines by using their business name? Yes

  10. Does the site use an e-newsletter or alternate opt-in tool (i.e. e-book, white paper, research report, etc.) to engage each visitor as a prospective client? No

    E-newsletters are a very effective means of marketing your business. Your site would benefit from the addition of an e-newsletter in order to capture more clients and help retain those you already have.


  11. Does the website contain a form to request a quote or ask for more information? Yes

  12. Does the site contain video content to capture visitor attention and interest? No

    Video has become an increasingly important medium on modern websites, and implementing it has been proven to accomplish the following: Increase visitor retention; shorten the sales cycle and increase conversion rates; boost the visibility and effectiveness of your social media presence and increase the frequency with which visitors share your content with others on their social networks. Adding interesting and educational videos to your site that add value to your website visitors would help you improve its effectiveness and increase traffic.


  13. Does the site capitalize on social media to promote the business and its brand? No

    I don't know if using social media to help promote your business would be appropriate or not given the sensitive and private nature of your work. If not then there's no need to consider making any changes in this area. If social media marketing does make sense for you, however, some simple adjustments would help you improve your visibility online through that medium.


  14. Are there links to their social media pages and a "like/share this content" feature?

  15. Does their website have "Review Us" links to social media networks like Google+, Yelp, and Facebook?

  16. Does the website make use of analytics? No

    Web analytics tools provide very valuable information that helps companies measure and improve the overall effectiveness of their online marketing efforts. Specific data they provide include the following: Traffic volume via reports that can be customized in very granular fashion (i.e. daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, etc.); specific visitor behavior and trends (i.e. most visited pages, least visited pages, path taken through site, average amount of time spent on site, etc.); keyword phrases used to find the site on the major search engines; conversion rates (i.e. how many people that visited the site requested more information through your online form or opted into your e-newlsetter). Incorporating web analytics technology into your website would provide actionable intelligence to help you get a better ROI and continually improve marketing effectiveness.


  17. Was the website built using a Content Management System (CMS)? No

    A CMS is the primary tool used by today’s web professionals to build modern websites. A CMS is a web-based software program that allows authorized users to collaborate and add, edit and delete content in a database-powered website. The CMS system comes with an intuitive interface which requires little or no technical knowledge (such as HTML markup, programming, etc.) and that looks and works much like a word processing program. Because your current site is not built using a CMS you are not realizing any of the following benefits that such a website would provide: State-of-the-art technology that is being perpetually enhanced; a scalable system that can be upgraded easily using plugins; fast, easy content changes you can do yourself without having to know code; and better website performance and significantly enhanced security.

Marketing Effectiveness & Integration Summary

Total Points: | Points Earned: | Equivalent Score: | Marketing Grade:

Summary Comments:
Supporting Documentation:


OVERALL Website Summary

Usability Grade: | Professionalism Grade: | Marketing Grade:

Total Points: | Points Earned: | Equivalent Score: | Overall Website Grade:

Summary Comments:
Supporting Documentation: