UPDATE: The 2008 Web Globalization Report Card is now available.
I’m pleased to announce the publication of the 2007 Web Globalization Report Card.
This report — now in its fourth edition — rates how successfully companies develop Web sites for international markets. we look at things such as number of languages offered, depth of localization, global consistency, and global navigation.
Out of the 200 Web sites reviewed, here are the top 10 global Web sites this year:
1. Google
2. Wikipedia
3. Cisco Systems
4. Philips
5. HP
6. Caterpillar
7. Volvo Cars
8. Seagate
9. Microsoft
10. American Express
Google has become a regular in the number one spot. But it’s not just because of its 100+ language search interface. It is the rapid localization of the many Google software applications that has kept this company on top.
Wikipedia proves that you don’t have to be a large corporation to successfully communicate with the world — the Web site offers content in 250 languages. It does, however, help to have a network of dedicated volunteers around the globe creating all this content!
Cisco Systems moved up in the rankings this year thanks in part to a redesign.
And Philips, Microsoft, and Seagate broke into the top 10 this year.
Among the many trends we noticed: The average number of languages supported by the 200 sites has increased to 18, up from 15 last year. And the average number of languages supported by the top 20 Web sites was 45. It used to be you could support 10 languages and pretty much stand apart from the pack. Not any more.
Also worth noting is the popularity of splash global gateway. Nearly a third of the 200 sites now use some form of splash gateway page specifically to aid in global navigation. The splash gateway has gone mainstream. But it is not a standalone solution to global navigation; companies are also increasingly using geolocation and language negotiation, which I highlight in the report.
I’ll have more to say in the weeks ahead. For now, congrats to the top 10 sites.
PS: Here is the press release.
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10 responses so far ↓
1 Ultan O'Broin // Apr 25, 2007 at 8:56 am
Cool report. Very revealing that Google is number 1, and Wikipedia number 2. Could the dominance of social translation over the corporate localization industry be a trend that will continue?
http://www.multilingualblog.com/index.php/weblog/more_on_google_number_one_in_global_by_design_web_globalization_report_card/
2 GigaOM » Google, the best global site // Apr 28, 2007 at 8:27 pm
[...] Byte Level Research has put together a list of most global sites. Google tops the rankings, followed by Wikipedia and Cisco Systems. HP, Seagate, Microsoft, and American Express are also on the top ten list of global sites. Google has become a regular in the number one spot. But it’s not just because of its 100+ language search interface. It is the rapid localization of the many Google software applications that has kept this company on top. Share/E-mail | Sphere | Print | Topic: The Daily | Tags: Cisco Systems, google, microsoft, Seagate, wikipedia [...]
3 Utcursch Wikipedia among the top global websites « // Apr 29, 2007 at 7:29 am
[...] Wikipedia is No. 2 on the list of Top 10 global websites, next only to Google. Posted in Wikipedia. [...]
4 Best of Global Websites 2007 - Xeninet, Internet News and Media // Apr 29, 2007 at 9:38 am
[...] GlobalbyDesign lists the top 10 global web sites of this year: [...]
5 Las mejores webs globales de 2007 « TIDDER // Apr 29, 2007 at 10:20 am
[...] la consistencia y la navegación global. De 200 sitios web estudiados, los primeros diez sitios web globales de este año [...]
6 Mickey Hawk // May 2, 2007 at 3:51 pm
Is this publication available in print, electronic or both?
7 THINKHIVE » TI Best Global Website in SC Industry // May 9, 2007 at 2:50 pm
[...] by Design has announced it’s 2007 Web Globalization Report Card, the report — now in its fourth edition — rates how successful companies develop Web sites for [...]
8 16th letter » Blog Archive » Globalization, the Internet & Montreal // Sep 24, 2007 at 4:15 pm
[...] working on their international Internet strategies for years. The Global by Design blog has a great analysis of the top 10 global sites. This list is comprised of both Internet companies (Google and Wikipedia) [...]
9 Google - The top global site (Yawn!); Wikipedia ranked No. 2 (Wow!) : Alootechie // Dec 28, 2007 at 5:25 pm
[...] “Google has become a regular in the number one spot. But it’s not just because of its 100+ language search interface. It is the rapid localization of the many Google software applications that has kept this company on top,” according to John Yunker of Byte Level Research. [...]
10 Most Popular Posts of 2007 | Global by Design // Dec 31, 2007 at 4:03 pm
[...] So here are the top 10 posts of 2007 based on traffic: The Best Global Web Sites of 2007 [...]
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