The Web Marketing Association will again be honoring the Best Financial Services Web site of 2006. The deadline to enter the 10th annual international WebAward Competition is May 31, 2006.
The Web Marketing Association announces the call for entries for its 10th annual international WebAward Competition at http://www.webawards2006.org. The WebAwards is the standards-defining competition that sets industry benchmarks based on the seven criteria of a successful Web site.
The financial services industry represents an important category in the WebAward competition, and the Web Marketing Association will again be honoring the Best Financial Services Web site of 2006. The deadline for entry is May 31, 2006.
“The financial services industry is very competitive when it comes to Web development and companies can benefit from the independent evaluation of their online efforts that the award judges provide,” said William Rice, President of the Web Marketing Association. “Financial services Web sites generally outperformed the ISAR Index prior to 2002, but have fallen below the average for the past three years. Because of this recent disappointing performance, they also lag the 3-year averages for each of the individual judging criteria. The financial services industry was early to recognize the potential of the Internet in terms of reducing the cost of customer service. Account access and financial planning calculators were ubiquitous by the end of the 1990s.”
Each year the Web Marketing Association names the Best Financial Services Website based on the scores submitted by the competition judges. Here are past Best of Industry WebAward winners in financial services-related categories.
Best Financial Services Website
2005 Merrill Lynch Gateway Website
2004 Trancentrix
2003 Deutsche Bank Global Cash Management
Best Investment Website
2005 BusinessWeek Online
2004 Allied Capital Corporation
2003 Summit Partners
Best Mutual Funds Website
2005 Cohen & Steers Website
2004 HighMark Funds Website
2003 Barclays Global Investors iShares.com
Best Banking Website
2005 Sainsburysbank.co.uk
2004 HSBC Card Services HK
2003 Deutsche Bank Global Cash Management
Best Brokerage Website
2005 A Defining Year: Charles Schwab
2004 Strong Financial
2003 Strong Financial Corporation
Best Credit Union Website
2005 America First Credit Union
2004 APCI Federal Credit Union
2003 U.S. Central Credit Union
Best Insurance Website
2005 Medical Mutual - Ohio's get Well Card
2004 Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey Website
2003 Empire BlueCross BlueShield Website
A complete list of past winners and the entry form for companies who wish to compete for 2006 honors can be found at http://www.webaward2006.org.
Web sites are judged on seven criteria including design, innovation, content, technology, interactivity, copy writing and ease of use and receive a numeric score. Each WebAward entry is judged against other entries in its industry category and then against an overall standard of excellence. Entrants also benefit from receiving valuable feedback from the WebAwards professional judging panel on their Web site development efforts.
Using the quantifiable data collected from 9,748 Web site evaluations over the past decade, the WebAwards has defined and recognized industry-specific benchmarks for successful Web sites in each of the seven judging criteria and released an Internet Standards Assessment Report to detail the findings of the study.
“Participants in the 2006 WebAwards financial services category will receive their scores in each of the seven criteria compared to the average of the entire industry. That type of feedback and benchmarking alone in worth the price of admission,” said Rice.
A copy of the Internet Standards Assessment Report, including details regarding the financial services industry through 2005, is available at www.webawards2006.org.
Judging for the 2006 WebAwards will take place in June through August, with winners announced in September. Judges will consist of a select group of Internet marketing professionals who have direct experience designing and managing Web sites with an in-depth understanding of the current state-of-the-art in Web site development and technology. Mark Kingdon, CEO of Organic, Inc. (www.organic.com) has been selected to lead the judging panel this year. Past judges have included top executives from leading organizations such as Ogilvy Interactive, Saatchi & Saatchi, Blattner Brunner, Comedy Central, Sun Microsystems, Refinery, Euro RSCG, EPB Interactive, New York Post Interactive, The Cincinnati Enquirer, J. Walter Thompson, Xerox, Art Institute of Pittsburgh, Modem Media, and Answerthink just to name a few.
About the WebAwards
The 10th annual international WebAwards competition sets the standard of excellence in 96 industry categories by evaluating Web sites and defining benchmarks based on the seven essential criteria of successful Web site development. The goal of the Web Marketing Association, sponsor of the WebAwards, is to provide a forum to recognize the people and organizations responsible for developing some of the most effective Web sites on the Internet today. Entrants benefit from a Web site assessment by a professional judging panel and the marketing opportunities presented to an award-winning Web site. For more information, visit www.webawards2006.org.
