The document provides an overview of Prayag's 2011 annual study that benchmarks the websites of 59 Indian IT and BPO companies. The study examines websites based on parameters like navigation, content, design aesthetics, SEO, and use of Web 2.0 features. Key findings include that most sites had effective navigation elements like breadcrumbs and search but room for improvement in advanced search. In content, the use of diagrams and multimedia increased but some sites had technical writing. In design, most sites had clean layouts but a few prioritized visual appeal. The report also highlights some exemplary company websites.

1. WebWatch 2011
Prayag’s Annual Website Benchmark
Analysis Report
January 2012

2. Study Overview
• 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
2

3. Corporate websites searched
Number of corporate websites analyzed The study this year examined the
corporate websites of 59
companies.
22 The companies studied were
organized into four categories
representing the typical mix of
14 14 technology companies.
9 The study tracks both Indian
companies as well as MNCs
operating in India
List of companies studied available
IT Services IT Products Niche BPO 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
3

4. Study Parameters
Navigation
– Flexibility
– Sitemap and search
– Personalization
– Call to action
Content
– Wide angle view
– Content style
– Value proposition
Design Aesthetics
– Hygiene Factors
– Packaging
– Hall of Fame
Web 2.0
– RSS
– Social Networking
– Blogs & Communities
4

5. ― Flexibility
― Sitemap and search
Navigation ―
―
Contextual Navigation
Personalization
― Call to action
The simpler the navigation, the more
people will read and the deeper they
will delve into the site
– Karen Templar, Salon Magazine

6. 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.
Sufficient interactive elements Consistent and concise information
In a Nutshell
Attractive visual effects Clear and user-friendly
Navigation - Introduction I Content I Design Aesthetics I SEO I Web 2.0 6

7. Easy navigation and flexibility
Flexibility Case In Point
The site should let the user access the information The Hexaware site has a dynamic menu for
he wants with ease. Complex navigation is an categories and subcategories and a breadcrumb
absolute no-no. trail for easy navigation. Sectional navigation on the
left and contextual navigation on the right makes
Many sites have breadcrumb trails and dynamic
the site more organized.
menus for this very purpose.
% using % not
Navigational
this using this
features
feature feature
Breadcrumb trail 69 31
Breadcrumb trail
with backward 64 36
navigation
Dynamic menus/
79 21
Tab Metaphor
72% of the service company sites have dynamic menus
or tab metaphors
Navigation - Flexibility I Content I Design Aesthetics I SEO I Web 2.0 7

8. The Treasure Hunt
Sitemap Search
A majority of the IT service sites have a sitemap Search option has become a common feature
Sitemap data (%) Sitemap data (%)
Services Products Niche BPO Services Products Niche BPO
With With
86 71 56 79 95 100 89 71
sitemap search
Without Without
14 29 44 21 5 0 11 29
sitemap search
However, only 39% have a detailed sitemap. The Though a staggering 90% of the sites have a
remaining 61% give a bird‟s eye view of the site. search engine option, only a meagre 14% have
an advanced search option.
Overall Percentages Overall Percentages
With sitemap 76 Detailed Sitemap 39 With Search 90 Advance Search 14
Without sitemap 24 Basic Sitemap 61 Without Search 10 Basic Search 86
Navigation – Sitemap & Search I Content I Design Aesthetics I SEO I Web 2.0 8

9. 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?
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
Note: Critical information represents web pages that provide important information on the company and do not include any downloadable material
Navigation - Flexibility I Content I Design Aesthetics I SEO I Web 2.0 9

10. The Related Zone
Contextual Navigation Case in Point
Contextual navigation bars are placed beside or The GlobalLogic website places contextual
embedded in the body copy to entice the user to navigation at the right hand side of the body
go deeper into the site. They are situational and copy in the relevant industry pages. The related
insightful. links support the information available on the
There was a marked increase in the number of page making it more interesting and well-
Niche company sites with contextual navigation explained. The FAQs section also gives quicker
access to common questions.
Websites with Websites without
Category contextual contextual
navigation(%) navigation(%)
IT Services
100 0
IT Products
86 14
Niche Services
89 11
BPO
64 36
Overall
86 14
Navigation - Flexibility I Content I Design Aesthetics I SEO I Web 2.0 10

11. Around the World…or not
Personalization Category % of sites with % of sites without
personalization personalization
• Personalization through country and
language links seems to depend on IT Services 73 27
the respective company‟s
IT Products 78 22
geographical reach and target
markets Niche Services 33 67
There has been an overall BPO 35 65
increase in site personalization
from last year Overall 59 41
Unity in Diversity
Navigation – Personalization I Content I Design Aesthetics I SEO I Web 2.0 11

12. Call to action
Quinnox has interaction cues like Tally has Chat, Demo and
„Request for information‟ and Webinar options for registered
“Search Current Openings‟ users
Navigation – Call to action I Content I Design Aesthetics I SEO I Web 2.0 12

13. ― Wide angle view
Content ― Content style
― Value proposition
Technology creates the context for
persuasion, but content persuades
– Colleen Jones

14. Quick review
IT Services Companies IT Product Companies
Consistency of information across Though the basic format of the site
the site has been maintained, and is followed throughout, there is a
there has been an increase in the lack of consistency in style and
usage of charts and diagrams length across the different products
Niche Players BPO Companies
Though the site follows a basic The sites have clear, concise and
format throughout, there is a lack in easy to understand content with
consistency in style and length limited use of jargon
across the different offering pages
Navigation I Content – Wide angle view I Design Aesthetics I SEO I Web 2.0 14

15. Content Style
Most sites contain case studies, whitepapers, Diagrams, charts and animations are
and other resources. Some sites have resources increasingly being used for greater clarity of
created as a result of academic or other content. Even IT services companies are
collaborations. jumping on to the bandwagon.
88 86 78
72
71 65
57
43
Contextual Diagram 35
29 Usage 28
Resources 14
22
12
Products Niche BPO IT Services IT Products Niche BPO
All IT services companies sites provided
resources in some fashion. A majority of the niche companies rely on tables
% Yes
and charts for more attractive content
% No
Technical content is limited
86
86 73
77
Over all
64
56 48 52
Technical Cross
44
style of 36 Segment 27
content 23 Analysis 14
14
Contextual Diagram Technical
IT Services IT Products Niche BPO
Resources Usage Content
Navigation I Content – Content style I Design Aesthetics I SEO I Web 2.0 15

16. Value Proposition Messaging
• 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
Navigation I Content – Value proposition I Design Aesthetics I SEO I Web 2.0 16

17. A good word from clients and employees
Companies are adding employee testimonials in the form of quotes and even videos to
showcase their work environment
Mastek‟s career page
has employee and
alumni quotes and
videos
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
Navigation I Content – Value proposition I Design Aesthetics I SEO I Web 2.0 17

18. 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.
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.
Navigation I Content – Value proposition I Design Aesthetics I SEO I Web 2.0 18

19. ― Hygiene Factors
Design Aesthetics ― Packaging
― Hall of Fame

20. Design Decisions
• 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.
Navigation I Content I Design Aesthetics – Introduction I SEO I Web 2.0 20

21. Hygiene Habits
• The winner yet again 53% of the surveyed sites had a
– Nearly 97% of the websites white-grey combination
combine a white backdrop with
either white or grey font
43% of the surveyed sites had a
white-black combination
 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
Navigation I Content I Design Aesthetics – Hygiene Factors I SEO I Web 2.0 21

22. Packaging
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
Navigation I Content I Design Aesthetics – Packaging I SEO I Web 2.0 22

23. Packaging: think outside the box, to make the box...
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.
Navigation I Content I Design Aesthetics – Packaging I SEO I Web 2.0 23

24. Home, sweet home: Pages you don‟t want to
leave…
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.
Navigation I Content I Design Aesthetics – Packaging I SEO I Web 2.0 24

25. The Hall of Fame
Navigation I Content I Design Aesthetics – The ones we loved I SEO I Web 2.0 25

26. ARIBA
How to make a non-flash home page interesting
Navigation I Content I Design Aesthetics – The ones we loved I SEO I Web 2.0 26

27. Capgemini
Covers all aspects of the website without cluttering the home page
Navigation I Content I Design Aesthetics – The ones we loved I SEO I Web 2.0 27

28. BearingPoint
Stands out from the crowd with a revolving resource showcase
and a simple, yet prominent call-to-action
Navigation I Content I Design Aesthetics – The ones we loved I SEO I Web 2.0 28

29. Cognizant
Simple visual, yet loaded with information
1
More
4
2 3 5
Navigation I Content I Design Aesthetics – The ones we loved I SEO I Web 2.0 29

30. IBM
Smart thinking – Embedding the core message in the website through
vibrant colours and eye-catching logos
Connecting Smarter
Planet to IT
solutions
Marketing messaging extends to web design at a granular lever
Navigation I Content I Design Aesthetics – The ones we loved I SEO I Web 2.0 30

31. Novell
A catchy line can grab attention only when combined with the right colours,
visuals and placement – Novell hits the bull‟s eye!
Half the job done!
Navigation I Content I Design Aesthetics – The ones we loved I SEO I Web 2.0 31

32. NetApp
Business meets art at NetApp to create a visually appealing and
information-friendly website
Navigation I Content I Design Aesthetics – The ones we loved I SEO I Web 2.0 32

33. Ciber
The right mix of corporate colours produces a crisp home page
Navigation I Content I Design Aesthetics – The ones we loved I SEO I Web 2.0 33

34. Persistent Systems
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
Navigation I Content I Design Aesthetics – The ones we loved I SEO I Web 2.0 34

35. ― RSS
― Facebook, Twitter
Web 2.0 ―
―
Blogs
Document Sharing
― Communities

36. RSS feeds
RSS or Really Simple Syndication has become the norm in most sites
surveyed
RSS feeds
91% 86%
71%
56%
36%
IT IT Niche BPO Overall
Services Products
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.
Navigation I Content I Design Aesthetics I SEO I Web 2.0 – RSS 36

37. Facebook
• Facebook is an increasingly
popular mode to connect with
customers
• 66% of the surveyed
companies have Facebook
pages
Facebook usage • BPO companies are still
exploring the Facebook
77% 79% 78% trend. Only 29% of the
66% surveyed sites have
Facebook pages.
29%
IT IT Niche BPO Overall
Services Products
37

38. Document sharing
SlideShare/Scribd/Other usage • Sharing content over
Slideshare, Scribd and other
32% platforms is a new and
emerging trend
21%
17% • The trend is still in the
exploratory stages and
only 17% of the surveyed
0% 0% companies have this
IT IT Niche BPO Overall feature.
Services Products • Niche and BPO companies
are yet to experiment with
this trend.
38

39. Twitter
Twitter is the top social media channel for
all companies
• Twitter is a mass
Twitter usage communication channel – used
for news dissemination, content
86% 86% promotion, event coverage and
78% 76%
careers
50% • About 42% of the
companies have dedicated
Twitter pages with well-
defined purposes
IT IT Niche BPO Overall • All niche companies and
Services Products nearly all BPO companies
have a single Twitter
handle
39

40. Blogs
• Companies like Infosys & Wipro have blog
channels, sharing employees‟ and
Sites with Blogs management‟s views on whitepapers, other
content and current industry trends.
79%
59% 56% 53%
14%
IT IT Niche BPO Overall
Services Products
• 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.
Navigation I Content I Design Aesthetics I SEO I Web 2.0 – Blogs 40

41. Communities
Communities
• Communities are still a novelty 71%
– Product companies are early adopters
– The discussions are democratic, lively,
and often helpful 18% 24%
IT IT Niche BPO Overall
Services Products
Microsoft forums enable users to Intuit has a range of community resources. A library of articles, a
get tech guidance from experts forum, a wiki section to name a few.
..Also, questions and issues raised in the The members of the community can upload In the forum, members can get
forum helps developers create new tools and articles, reviews, and industry stories in the quick fix solutions to their
processes wiki section. problems, or can simply crib
about them!
Navigation I Content I Design Aesthetics I SEO I Web 2.0 – Communities 41

42. Summing up
• 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
Navigation I Content I Design Aesthetics I SEO I Web 2.0 42

43. Thank You !
Have a question? Suggestions? Feedback?
We would like to hear from you
Team Prayag

44. Companies covered in this study
IT Services (22) IT Products (14) Niche (9) BPO (14)
Accenture Ariba Aditi Technologies 24/7 Customer
ACS Cisco Systems Applabs Aegis
Citrix Systems Ciber EXL Services
Bearing Point
Cranes Software GlobalLogic First Source
Capgemini Honeywell IDS- Now Software AG Genpact
Cognizant Technologies Intuit Microland IBM Daksh
HCL Technologies McAfee Persistent Systems Indecomm Global
Hexaware Technologies Microsoft Corporation Sasken Communication Services
NetApp Technologies Sitel
HP
Novell Yash Technologies Sutherland Global
IBM Services
Oracle
Infosys Technologies Ramco Systems Sykes Enterprises
Keane SAP AG TracMail
L & T Infotech Tally Solutions vCustomer
WNS Global Services
Logica CMG
Zenta
Mastek
MindTree
Patni Computer Systems
Polaris Software Lab
Quinnox
TCS
Tech Mahindra
Wipro Technologies
Zensar
44