According to the Internet Standards Assessment Report (ISAR) released by the Web Marketing Association, the magazine industry has not met the ISAR Index for Web development in six of the last nine years, although they have beaten the average during the last two years.

BOSTON, MA – May 1, 2006 – According to the Internet Standards Assessment Report (ISAR) released by the Web Marketing Association, the magazine industry has not met the ISAR Index for Web development in six of the last nine years, although they have beaten the average during the last two years. The ISAR study provides industry benchmarks for Web site development and is based on data collected from 9,748 Web site evaluations in more than 80 industries over the past decade. A copy of the full report can be downloaded at http://www.webaward.org/isar_report.asp.

“Magazine Web sites often try to do too much to quickly on their Web site resulting in a disconnect from the print brand,” said William Rice, president of the Web Marketing Association. “As you might expect, magazine’s top attributes are copywriting and content, just like their offline versions. However, they under perform the industry 3-year average for each criteria except copywriting.”

Since 1997, the Web Marketing Association has been conducting its annual WebAward Competition for Web site development. The Internet Standards Assessment Report is the results of nearly a decade of independent evaluations of Web site development based on seven categories: design, innovation, content, technology, interactivity, copywriting and ease of use.

Here are some of the past WebAwards Best Magazine Web site winners.

2005 Meredith Corporation
2004 Saudi Aramco World
2003 American Baby.com
2002 The Business Strategies and Solutions Web site
2001 usnews.com
2000 InformationWeek.com

A complete list of past winners can be found at http://magazine.webaward.org

Publishing companies wishing to have their magazine Web site evaluated against the ISAR Index and be considered for a WebAward, which can help boost a Web sites credibility and marketing efforts, can nominate their site at www.webawards2006.org.

“Of course, as in every industry, there are magazine Web sites that stand out and others that don’t make the grade,” concluded Rice. “Our goal has always been to be more than just a popularity or beauty contest that rewards brand names and good design. Instead, this ISAR study is designed to return some value to every entrant with input as to what Internet professionals should strive for in their Web site development efforts in an objective, empirical and constructive way.”

2006 WebAward Call for Entries

The Web Marketing Association is now accepting entries into its 10th annual international WebAward Competition. The WebAwards is the standards-defining competition that sets industry benchmarks that the Internet Standards Assessment report is based upon. The magazine industry represents an important category in the WebAward competition, and the Web Marketing Association will again be honoring the Best Magazine Web site of 2006. The deadline for entry is May 31, 2006 and the WebAward Web site is located at http://www.webawards2006.org.

About the WebAwards

The 10th annual international WebAwards competition sets the standard of excellence in 95 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.

Note to Editors: If you would like to receive a chart comparing two or more of the industries within the media and publishing-related categories within the 2006 ISAR Study, please contact William Rice.