Google, Facebook, and YouTube Top the List of the World's Best Global Websites in 2011

BOSTON, April 5, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- How many languages does it take to stay competitive online? A minimum of 16, if you want to be among the best -- and that number keeps growing each year, according to independent research firm Common Sense Advisory. Its latest report, titled "The Top-Scoring Global Websites," includes a ranking of the world's 100 best websites for global and multilingual visitors.

But language isn't the only thing that determines Web globalization success. The firm's Global Web Score evaluates sites using 20 scoring areas, including the total addressable audience the site can reach and the spending power of the linguistic communities it supports.

Out of a maximum Global Web Score of 10, Google led the list of top-ranked sites with 9.56, followed closely by Facebook (9.53), and YouTube (9.51). "There's no doubt about it -- Web globalization is now a mainstream business activity," explains Ben Sargent, the lead author of the report. "Monolingual websites fail to reach even 25% of the world's Internet users. It takes 11 languages to pass the 80% mark."

Web globalization makes online experiences available to visitors arriving from other countries or speaking other languages. To develop the ranking of top sites, Common Sense Advisory computed Global Web Scores for 1,000 of the world's best brands, biggest companies, and most popular websites. Web giants were not the only ones to make the list. Other companies that top this year's leader board include Wikipedia (9.43), Samsung (9.11), Blackberry (9.10), and HP (8.97).

"Companies are learning that if they want to achieve higher levels of international revenue, their Web presence must be global," Sargent observes. "But more languages do not necessarily result a better score -- it takes a combination of quantity and quality to create a compelling Web experience for users that may come from anywhere in the world."

The report includes:

• The eleven languages it takes to address 80% of total online population
• When to use and when to avoid navigational tactics such as flags and language displays
• The metanavigation schemes of each of the top-ranking sites
• The best ways to organize sites to alleviate visitor confusion
• Review of zero-click strategies such as geolocation
• Social media and multimedia engagement strategies for global and multilingual visitors
• Examples of websites that demonstrate good and bad Web globalization practices

Separately, the ranked list of top 100 global websites, which indicates each company's Global Web Score, is available as a free download with registration on Common Sense Advisory's website.

About Common Sense Advisory

Common Sense Advisory (http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com), an independent research firm, specializes in the on- and offline operations driving business globalization, internationalization, localization, translation, and interpretation. Its research, consulting, and training help organizations improve the quality of their global business operations.

Contact: Melissa Gillespie, 760-522-4362, [email protected]

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SOURCE Common Sense Advisory