webwatch 2011
DESCRIPTION
WebWatch 2011, the annual Prayag study benchmarks websites of companies in the Indian IT and BPO sector against global best practices for website design, navigation and online marketing. Websites are highlighted for their innovative design, navigation and content strategies.TRANSCRIPT
WebWatch 2011
Prayag’s Annual Website Benchmark
Analysis Report
January 2012
• The annual Prayag Website study benchmarks
websites of companies operating in the Indian IT and
BPO sector against global best practices for website
design, navigation and online marketing
• The study showcases websites that stand out for their
innovative design, navigation and content strategies
• Best-in-class tactical ideas and practices are also
highlighted
Study Overview
2
Corporate websites searched
3
22
14
9
14
IT Services IT Products Niche BPO
Number of corporate websites analyzed The study this year examined the
corporate websites of 59
companies.
The companies studied were
organized into four categories
representing the typical mix of
technology companies.
The study tracks both Indian
companies as well as MNCs
operating in India
List of companies studied available
at the end of the report
IT Services: companies deriving revenues from diverse vertical and
horizontal services
IT Products: Companies deriving a major portion of their revenues
from software products
Niche: Companies targeting one specific vertical or horizontal
BPO: Companies deriving a major portion of their revenues from
BPO services
Content
– Wide angle view
– Content style
– Value proposition
Navigation
– Flexibility
– Sitemap and search
– Personalization
– Call to action
4
Design Aesthetics
– Hygiene Factors
– Packaging
– Hall of Fame
Web 2.0
– RSS
– Social Networking
– Blogs & Communities
Study Parameters
The simpler the navigation, the more
people will read and the deeper they
will delve into the site
– Karen Templar, Salon Magazine
Navigation ― Flexibility
― Sitemap and search
― Contextual Navigation
― Personalization
― Call to action
Standing out in the crowd
Interactive cues and appealing visuals will impress peers, customers and potential
customers. A user-friendly interface makes it appealing as well as simple for the user
to reach out to your company and helps your website stand out from the rest.
6 Navigation - Introduction I Content I Design Aesthetics I SEO I Web 2.0
In a Nutshell
Sufficient interactive elements
Clear and user-friendly
Consistent and concise information
Attractive visual effects
Flexibility
The site should let the user access the information
he wants with ease. Complex navigation is an
absolute no-no.
Many sites have breadcrumb trails and dynamic
menus for this very purpose.
Case In Point The Hexaware site has a dynamic menu for
categories and subcategories and a breadcrumb
trail for easy navigation. Sectional navigation on the
left and contextual navigation on the right makes
the site more organized.
Navigational
features
% using
this
feature
% not
using this
feature
Breadcrumb trail 69 31
Breadcrumb trail
with backward
navigation 64 36
Dynamic menus/
Tab Metaphor 79 21
Easy navigation and flexibility
7 Navigation - Flexibility I Content I Design Aesthetics I SEO I Web 2.0
72% of the service company sites have dynamic menus
or tab metaphors
A majority of the IT service sites have a sitemap
Search
Overall Percentages
With sitemap 76 Detailed Sitemap 39
Without sitemap 24 Basic Sitemap 61
Sitemap
Search option has become a common feature
The Treasure Hunt
8 Navigation – Sitemap & Search I Content I Design Aesthetics I SEO I Web 2.0
Overall Percentages
With Search 90 Advance Search 14
Without Search 10 Basic Search 86
Sitemap data (%)
Services Products Niche BPO
With
sitemap 86 71 56 79
Without
sitemap 14 29 44 21
However, only 39% have a detailed sitemap. The
remaining 61% give a bird‟s eye view of the site.
Sitemap data (%)
Services Products Niche BPO
With
search 95 100 89 71
Without
search 5 0 11 29
Though a staggering 90% of the sites have a
search engine option, only a meagre 14% have
an advanced search option.
% IT Services IT Products Niche BPO Overall
Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No
1-2 clicks 5 95 29 71 11 89 43 57 20 80
2-3 clicks 73 27 57 43 67 33 29 71 58 42
3-4 clicks 5 95 7 93 0 100 7 93 5 95
Inconsistent 17 83 7 93 22 78 21 79 17 83
Information at the Click of your fingers
• Fewer clicks = quick availability of information
• On most websites surveyed, the site visitor managed to get to the desired page in 2 to 3 clicks
• None of the websites required more than 3 clicks to get to the desired level in the site
How many clicks to your critical information?
9 Navigation - Flexibility I Content I Design Aesthetics I SEO I Web 2.0
Note: Critical information represents web pages that provide important information on the company and do not include any downloadable material
Contextual Navigation Contextual navigation bars are placed beside or
embedded in the body copy to entice the user to
go deeper into the site. They are situational and
insightful.
There was a marked increase in the number of
Niche company sites with contextual navigation
Case in Point The GlobalLogic website places contextual
navigation at the right hand side of the body
copy in the relevant industry pages. The related
links support the information available on the
page making it more interesting and well-
explained. The FAQs section also gives quicker
access to common questions.
Category Websites with
contextual
navigation(%)
Websites without
contextual
navigation(%)
IT Services 100 0
IT Products 86 14
Niche Services 89 11
BPO 64 36
Overall 86 14
The Related Zone
10 Navigation - Flexibility I Content I Design Aesthetics I SEO I Web 2.0
Category % of sites with
personalization
% of sites without
personalization
IT Services 73 27
IT Products 78 22
Niche Services 33 67
BPO 35 65
Overall 59 41
• Personalization through country and
language links seems to depend on
the respective company‟s
geographical reach and target
markets
Unity in Diversity
Around the World…or not
11 Navigation – Personalization I Content I Design Aesthetics I SEO I Web 2.0
Personalization
There has been an overall
increase in site personalization
from last year
Navigation – Call to action I Content I Design Aesthetics I SEO I Web 2.0
Call to action
Quinnox has interaction cues like
„Request for information‟ and
“Search Current Openings‟
Tally has Chat, Demo and
Webinar options for registered
users
12
Content ―Wide angle view
―Content style
―Value proposition
Technology creates the context for
persuasion, but content persuades
– Colleen Jones
Quick review
14 Navigation I Content – Wide angle view I Design Aesthetics I SEO I Web 2.0
IT Product Companies
Though the basic format of the site
is followed throughout, there is a
lack of consistency in style and
length across the different products
IT Services Companies
Consistency of information across
the site has been maintained, and
there has been an increase in the
usage of charts and diagrams
BPO Companies
The sites have clear, concise and
easy to understand content with
limited use of jargon
Niche Players
Though the site follows a basic
format throughout, there is a lack in
consistency in style and length
across the different offering pages
Content Style
15 Navigation I Content – Content style I Design Aesthetics I SEO I Web 2.0
Most sites contain case studies, whitepapers,
and other resources. Some sites have resources
created as a result of academic or other
collaborations.
71
88 86
29
12 14
Products Niche BPO
Diagrams, charts and animations are
increasingly being used for greater clarity of
content. Even IT services companies are
jumping on to the bandwagon.
All IT services companies sites provided
resources in some fashion.
28
43
78
65 72
57
22
35
IT Services IT Products Niche BPO
A majority of the niche companies rely on tables
and charts for more attractive content
Contextual
Resources
Diagram
Usage
Technical content is limited
23
36 44
14
77
64 56
86
IT Services IT Products Niche BPO
Technical
style of
content
86
48
27
14
52
73
ContextualResources
DiagramUsage
TechnicalContent
Over all
Cross
Segment
Analysis
% Yes
% No
• Company sites have begun using
an „Expert Speak‟ column for their
services.
• Some companies, such as Wipro,
have used academic collaborations
to develop content such as
research reports and case studies
Value Proposition Messaging
16 Navigation I Content – Value proposition I Design Aesthetics I SEO I Web 2.0
A good word from clients and employees
17 Navigation I Content – Value proposition I Design Aesthetics I SEO I Web 2.0
Mastek‟s career page
has employee and
alumni quotes and
videos
Companies are adding employee testimonials in the form of quotes and even videos to
showcase their work environment
Some companies have client testimonials in video or quote form for some or all of their
product offerings
Tech Mahindra has a
client speak section with
audio and video bites
What stood out and what did not
Hits
• All companies studied make good use of social media with a presence on
Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Delicious, RSS, etc. Quite a few of them have active
blogs.
• Companies have also provided the options of bookmarking, printing and e-
mailing web pages.
18 Navigation I Content – Value proposition I Design Aesthetics I SEO I Web 2.0
Misses
• The websites of L&T Infotech, Tech Mahindra and Hexaware have content that
gets a little technical when they talk about their products or services, and some
visitors to the sites may find this difficult to understand.
• The websites of some companies like IBM and Mastek have a text-heavy style
without diagrams or tables, making the content a difficult read.
Design Aesthetics ― Hygiene Factors
― Packaging
― Hall of Fame
• Judging website designs can be extremely tricky, because one person‟s purple is another‟s pink. We have structured our review in two parts. In the first part, we grade the reviewed websites according to different hygiene parameters
– Colour Impact
– Legibility
– Readability
– Consistency
• In the next part we look at a few sites, which had that “certain something”, that made us take a second look.
Design Decisions
20 Navigation I Content I Design Aesthetics – Introduction I SEO I Web 2.0
• The winner yet again – Nearly 97% of the websites
combine a white backdrop with either white or grey font
Hygiene Habits
21 Navigation I Content I Design Aesthetics – Hygiene Factors I SEO I Web 2.0
65% of the surveyed sites maintained design consistency
60% of the sites maintained page length consistency
63% of the surveyed sites maintained a clutter-free homepage
53% of the surveyed sites had a
white-grey combination
43% of the surveyed sites had a
white-black combination
Packaging
22 Navigation I Content I Design Aesthetics – Packaging I SEO I Web 2.0
Great Stuff
Most sites used plenty of visuals and colours to keep readers engaged. Long texts and
explanations were broken with tables and images to prevent monotony.
The iGATE– Patni site keeps readers
engaged by breaking down explanations
into tables
The Accenture site has images on almost
all pages
Packaging: think outside the box, to make the box...
23 Navigation I Content I Design Aesthetics – Packaging I SEO I Web 2.0
Cognizant paints a pretty picture with its
innovative images on mobility
The TCS industry overview page with
sectional navigation on the left shows good
usage of an image.
Home, sweet home: Pages you don‟t want to
leave…
24 Navigation I Content I Design Aesthetics – Packaging I SEO I Web 2.0
Wipro Technologies welcomes you with a clean
and neat page that sparks interest through videos
and animation
Accenture is another winner with its bright colours
and image roll.
The Hall of Fame
25 Navigation I Content I Design Aesthetics – The ones we loved I SEO I Web 2.0
How to make a non-flash home page interesting
26 Navigation I Content I Design Aesthetics – The ones we loved I SEO I Web 2.0
ARIBA
Covers all aspects of the website without cluttering the home page
27 Navigation I Content I Design Aesthetics – The ones we loved I SEO I Web 2.0
Capgemini
Stands out from the crowd with a revolving resource showcase
and a simple, yet prominent call-to-action
28 Navigation I Content I Design Aesthetics – The ones we loved I SEO I Web 2.0
BearingPoint
Simple visual, yet loaded with information
29 Navigation I Content I Design Aesthetics – The ones we loved I SEO I Web 2.0
1
2 3
4
5
More
Cognizant
Smart thinking – Embedding the core message in the website through
vibrant colours and eye-catching logos
30 Navigation I Content I Design Aesthetics – The ones we loved I SEO I Web 2.0
Connecting Smarter
Planet to IT
solutions
Marketing messaging extends to web design at a granular lever
IBM
A catchy line can grab attention only when combined with the right colours,
visuals and placement – Novell hits the bull‟s eye!
31 Navigation I Content I Design Aesthetics – The ones we loved I SEO I Web 2.0
Half the job done!
Novell
Business meets art at NetApp to create a visually appealing and
information-friendly website
32 Navigation I Content I Design Aesthetics – The ones we loved I SEO I Web 2.0
NetApp
The right mix of corporate colours produces a crisp home page
33 Navigation I Content I Design Aesthetics – The ones we loved I SEO I Web 2.0
Ciber
Almost every website has a flash these days. It‟s what you do with it that
matters. An interesting and informative use of flash by Persistent
34 Navigation I Content I Design Aesthetics – The ones we loved I SEO I Web 2.0
Persistent Systems
Web 2.0 ― RSS
― Facebook, Twitter
― Blogs
― Document Sharing
― Communities
RSS feeds
36 Navigation I Content I Design Aesthetics I SEO I Web 2.0 – RSS
RSS feeds
91% 86%
56%
36%
71%
ITServices
ITProducts
Niche BPO Overall
RSS or Really Simple Syndication has become the norm in most sites
surveyed
71% of the total sites surveyed had an RSS feature. This is a huge increase from the
previous WebWatch report where only 41% of the total sites surveyed had the RSS
feature.
Facebook usage
77% 79% 78%
29%
66%
ITServices
ITProducts
Niche BPO Overall
• Facebook is an increasingly
popular mode to connect with
customers
• 66% of the surveyed
companies have Facebook
pages
• BPO companies are still
exploring the Facebook
trend. Only 29% of the
surveyed sites have
Facebook pages.
37
Document sharing
SlideShare/Scribd/Other usage
32%
21%
0% 0%
17%
ITServices
ITProducts
Niche BPO Overall
• Sharing content over
Slideshare, Scribd and other
platforms is a new and
emerging trend
• The trend is still in the
exploratory stages and
only 17% of the surveyed
companies have this
feature.
• Niche and BPO companies
are yet to experiment with
this trend.
38
Twitter usage
86% 86% 78%
50%
76%
ITServices
ITProducts
Niche BPO Overall
• Twitter is a mass
communication channel – used
for news dissemination, content
promotion, event coverage and
careers
• About 42% of the
companies have dedicated
Twitter pages with well-
defined purposes
• All niche companies and
nearly all BPO companies
have a single Twitter
handle
Twitter is the top social media channel for
all companies
39
Blogs
Sites with Blogs
40 Navigation I Content I Design Aesthetics I SEO I Web 2.0 – Blogs
59%
79%
56%
14%
53%
ITServices
ITProducts
Niche BPO Overall
• Blogs are slowly becoming popular on company websites
– There has been a steep increase in the number of IT product companies with employee blogs
– Niche companies have caught on to the trend while BPOs still lag behind.
• Companies like Infosys & Wipro have blog channels, sharing employees‟ and management‟s views on whitepapers, other content and current industry trends.
• Communities are still a novelty
– Product companies are early adopters
– The discussions are democratic, lively, and often helpful
Microsoft forums enable users to
get tech guidance from experts
..Also, questions and issues raised in the
forum helps developers create new tools and
processes
The members of the community can upload
articles, reviews, and industry stories in the
wiki section.
In the forum, members can get
quick fix solutions to their
problems, or can simply crib
about them!
Communities
41 Navigation I Content I Design Aesthetics I SEO I Web 2.0 – Communities
Communities
18%
71%
24%
ITServices
ITProducts
Niche BPO Overall
Intuit has a range of community resources. A library of articles, a
forum, a wiki section to name a few.
Summing up
42 Navigation I Content I Design Aesthetics I SEO I Web 2.0
• Increased focus on simplicity
• Targeting better engagement with visitors by increasing
interactivity of the site through contextual links, videos and
images
• More efforts to convey message to the audience more
clearly
• Social media tools well integrated to the website
Thank You !
Team Prayag
Have a question? Suggestions? Feedback?
We would like to hear from you
Aditi Technologies
Applabs
Ciber
GlobalLogic
IDS- Now Software AG
Microland
Persistent Systems
Sasken Communication
Technologies
Yash Technologies
24/7 Customer
Aegis
EXL Services
First Source
Genpact
IBM Daksh
Indecomm Global
Services
Sitel
Sutherland Global
Services
Sykes Enterprises
TracMail
vCustomer
WNS Global Services
Zenta
Companies covered in this study
IT Services (22) IT Products (14) Niche (9) BPO (14)
Accenture
ACS
Bearing Point
Capgemini
Cognizant Technologies
HCL Technologies
Hexaware Technologies
HP
IBM
Infosys Technologies
Keane
L & T Infotech
Logica CMG
Mastek
MindTree
Patni Computer Systems
Polaris Software Lab
Quinnox
TCS
Tech Mahindra
Wipro Technologies
Zensar
Ariba
Cisco Systems
Citrix Systems
Cranes Software
Honeywell
Intuit
McAfee
Microsoft Corporation
NetApp
Novell
Oracle
Ramco Systems
SAP AG
Tally Solutions
44