A Closer Look at Attracta

[Infopro]

With all the talk in another thread about the upcoming Attracta thing I decided I couldn't wait to see it myself so I manually installed it the other day for a closer peek. I'm nosy like that. I also decided that instead of just peeking after peeking that I should take some screenshots and share them with others as curious as me on all this but don't want to install it, or don't have a server available to test it out on. What I found was not as problematic to me personally as its been made out to be by some here in that other thread and on other forums I found when searching for more Info on it. I'm going to be using this software and will guide my customers to take advantage of these free services as well now that I've seen it. I'm also planning my email to them (Attracta offers you an email template you can use for your users!) explaining that if they upgrade those free services I get a small percentage of the fee charged for them. I can't speak for those users but I do think they'd like to know this so I plan on being upfront about it. I'm helping them out in the right direction by suggesting this, just like I help them with anything else.

Like suggesting they use vBulletin for example. I swear by that software if you want a professional forum.

I can only post so many images per post and I've taken a whole bunch of them from most every single page to try and be helpful. I think each set of images speaks for itself so not much description needs added, but I did try and keep them in some sort of order. You can see where I am in each shot by looking for the menu titles on top and left side of each image.

Some of these are big, so you'll need to open them fully instead of just mousing over, all should be easy to view properly I'm sure.

Why would I bother? The images on Attractas site are too small for my eyes. If this sounds like you too, you're welcome! :p

 

[Infopro]

Social Networking section next and then on to the SEO Tips section (you see the link for this SEO Tips section on topnav) Lots of good reading here if you like to read this sort of stuff. Most just want to click the buttons and make things happen.:

 

[Infopro]

More sections from the SEO Tips area and then onto the Turbo Traffic and Managed SEO:

 

[Infopro]

Last one from the Managed SEO section and then on to the My Account area.:

 

[Infopro]

Last one from My Account; the kill button! They don't call it that but I think the name fits. You'll also notice a new item not in earlier images on top navbar called AdDollars.:

 

[Infopro]

Next stop, the landing page in WHM > Plugins > Attracta SEO Tools, and then a couple screenshots of the first two emails I received from this system. A Welcome email and my first Stats Report email.

I have not upgraded my account as of yet, so there is no area here for Partners. I called the Attracta number on these pages and asked about a UI for keeping track of what this is doing money wise, I was told when I register my Hosting Provider account a new "Partner Tab" will appear next to the My Account link. So, no pictures for that, yet.

BTW, I checked my robots.txt fle after going thru some of these options to see what is added, here is what I found. One single line of code:

sitemap: /http://cdn.attracta.com/sitemap/xxxxxxxxxxx.xml.gz

To that line of code I say: BOO! :p

I have of course removed the actual numbers and replaced with x's and added a slash to kill the link here.

 

[Infopro]

I think I got these all, if you see one I missed (I ended up with a couple doubles and extras for some reason ) ask me and I'll make another image or two.

Having the time to think on it as I cropped this images etc, I can't find anything I dislike about the setup really. I can understand you guys that do this on your own for your end users and don't want it, but that doesn't mean other do or even could if they wanted to. I know I'm no expert on SEO things. I have also taken the advice of one of the comments in that other thread about googling for other similar scripts. I even tried a few of them. Why wouldn't I, you edit a few lines, upload the files and open one in your browser, done. Site map made, submit it to google yourself, its easy! That's not hard at all. If it was just me I could see that as a viable idea, maybe, that and the wordpress plugin. I did not try that one by the way.

But, I like bells and whistles. Features and multiple options for my users. Maybe not all cPanel Server Administrators feel the exact same way, but many do. (HostGator I'm looking at you!) And for us, cPanel has gone to what seems to me like great lengths to make this happen.

There is nothing I can think of or have seen here that's offensive to the point that I would be accusing cPanel of some nefarious action of any kind as some of the comments I've seen so far read like. Nor can I find any reason to dislike Attracta. I've seen some shady companies over the years and this one surely is not one of those. Do you think they could be doing what they do on such a large scale and its not on the up and up? I don't. I got in trouble myself by google once for posting a message above my googleads asking you to "click here to support my site" years ago. Les than 24 hours later the ads stopped, and the email arrived.

I see this, I think, a lot like they, cPanel, already have (those gents are very smart). This can help your users have better site traffic. It's a no brainer for me. I've been on these forums for a while now and I've seen new features come and people get mad about them. cPanel does not go back in and remove it because some users don't like or want it. cPanel has already thought this thru and believe it helps us, and them.

I'm good with that. I'm good with this new Feature. It's like all the other new features we've seen come along. Not just in cPanel but in everything you and I do, online.

That's my 2 on all this. I hope this is helpful to you.

You know what I'm thinking? This image says it all for me.

​

 

[nibb]

re: A Closer Look at Attracta

Where is the French version, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Finish, Dutch, Portuguese, etc?

This cannot be become a default feature if there is only a English version available of this, unless you have no respect for cPanel international customers. If its only available in English if should be a choice, not a forced feature already enabled and installed as a cPanel bundled in feature.

There is nothing wrong with Attracta and even if its available only English. But you cannot force a default feature on customers not speaking English. Simple. Just like cPanel would not launch a default installed feature which is only available in Chinese.

Since the only choice is English, it cannot become a default feature because its useless for companies working in those languages and you are forcing them to have to disable it now in each new server and update. It has to be a personal choice.

Unless you expect customers which offer their services in other languages, and with agreements in other languages be forced to deliver a service only in English. Even the cancellation image is total non sense if you cannot read it or speak the language. And you expect this companies now to translated this or explain word per word to their own customers? Who is going to pay for this new support and billing burdens that will arise? cPanel or Attracta?

Who is going to pay this companies when their customers start to charge back their credit cards because Attracta keeps billing them after they cancelled the service because it only applies to free accounts and not paid ones? And who is going to recover us the lost clients lost because they had problems with the service, did not liked it or just had issues with the providers trying to help them this new SEO services?

How about Resellers? Will they also have a cut on it? Or will they provide has to pay this from their own pocket?

And why doesn´t cPanel start to answer some real and straight questions made in the other forum instead of pushing us this marketing?

I think this is completely biased. Nobody is tackling some concerns about this, security ones, support ones, billing, setup, etc. None of this are answered in other thread.

This is the first time im very disappointed with cPanel and their brand, they are absolutely excellent in everything else, from updates, to support, to features, quality, etc. This is the first time I feel its the start of end from another once excellent company which starts to fail in their decisions.

I don´t like what I see. So why is it forced. Why can´t we choose if we want it or not? Why can´t I decide not to have this Adware (or should I call it Spyware as it takes sensitive customer data out of the servers) installed on every new server?

 

[Infopro]

re: A Closer Look at Attracta

...... snipped.......

nibb, your questions and many more are being or have been answered in the proper thread for this. That's the place for Q&A, you can tell this by the thread title where it says Q&A: "Attracta to become new feature in cPanel & WHM (Q & A)"

Firing off another round of one your very long posts you wish to make might be helpful in your opinion, but are quite a bit of work to respond to. Not just for me here, but for anyone anywhere. Since that other thread contains most everything you ask about and screenshots are here in this thread to see every single page you might want to see, I see no need to try and respond to this new very long post other than to comment that its a very long post, and "Redirect" [:D] you if I can, to the proper thread that contains the Info you're looking for.


HTH!

 

[Kent Brockman]

re: A Closer Look at Attracta

Infopro: can you please post screenshots of what's added to the plugin section in WHM if any? Yeah, the partner part. What's shown to server owners?

 

[Infopro]

re: A Closer Look at Attracta

Infopro: can you please post screenshots of what's added to the plugin section in WHM if any? Yeah, the partner part. What's shown to server owners?

First picture in this post is all I have. I installed this on my demo server to demo it.

 

[Kent Brockman]

re: A Closer Look at Attracta

First picture in this post is all I have. I installed this on my demo server to demo it.

It's a pity since it's a new section in the WHM plugins it's supposed to be created.
Well, thanks anyway.

 

[Infopro]

re: A Closer Look at Attracta

That is the landing page in plugins section in WHM, in that image.

 

[Kent Brockman]

re: A Closer Look at Attracta

Well, no, the first images are all from cPanel end user screen. I don't see anyone from within WHM.

 

[Infopro]

re: A Closer Look at Attracta

First picture in this post is all I have. I installed this on my demo server to demo it.

Click that link, wait for it to load and go to the specific post. Hold mouse over first image to open. That is in WHM, look close.

 

[Kent Brockman]

re: A Closer Look at Attracta

Sorry! You said first image in that post, I've "readed" images in the first post. I see. Thank you!

 

[Infopro]

re: A Closer Look at Attracta

You're welcome!