Global IR Website Survey
IR Web Report has been ranking global online investor relations practices longer than any other company on the Web.

	In-depth surveys focused on IR

We use our rankings survey to conduct in-depth research of global online investor relations communication practices. The survey is used to inform our clients how their investor relations websites measure up to companies in their sector, country, and around the world on a wide variety of strategic and tactical metrics.

We also use the survey as a source for the examples we use to illustrate our guidelines and for Online IR Trends, our journal for IR website managers.

What does the survey look at?
A lot. No, seriously the survey is focused on identifying the best managed IR websites in the world. That means we have to look not only at what information and services a company provides, but also at how effectively the company is presenting its information and meeting the needs of investors. Companies that achieve a high score in our reviews can be certain that their investor relations websites are being well managed, meet the needs of investors, and present the company to a global investor audience in a credible manner.

A secondary objective of the survey is to monitor the use of new technologies and practices on IR websites. But even here, our focus is on how well companies are implementing these new technologies rather than simply if they are using them. This is important because adopting new technologies without a full understanding of best practices can undermine a site's effectiveness rather than help it.

We base our evaluations on how a site meets the needs of investors under four clearly defined scenarios as well as four broad credibility dimensions.

The criteria we use to evaluate a site's performance in these scenarios and credibility dimensions are grouped into 30 categories, each comprised of several individual attributes. To give you an idea of the categories we look at, here is a partial list:

• IR homepage design
• Annual financial reporting
• Annual governance reporting
• Sustainability reporting
• Quarterly/Interim reporting
• News
• Events
• Corporate governance
• Stock information
• Bond information (if relevant)
• Contacts
• Shareholder services
• Investor tools
• Site utilities
• Push technologies
• Internationalization
• Navigation
• Web standards
• Accessibility
• Social media

Within each category, we look for various criteria. We have selected attributes that provide a fair measure of a good site and then exemplars of exceptional practice to set apart the very best companies.

Global perspective
Benchmarking your IR website only to companies in your industry in your own country is inadequate to give you a true sense of how competitive your site is. Investors today literally have a world of companies to choose from. And to research these companies, they rely heavily on web resources, including companies' websites. Companies with excellent websites designed around the needs of investors make a positive impression. They give investors confidence that the company is will have reliable access to ongoing information even though they are on the other side of the globe.

The rankings are not made public to protect the confidentiality of our clients and to ensure the unbiased nature of the evaluations. The integrity of our research is further reinforced by the fact that we do not participate in the site building process. This means we never evaluate websites in which we have a vested interest. This gives our clients greater confidence in their results and in the recommendations we provide.

Expert, research-based approach
Since each evaluation requires a high level of expertise and experience in both financial disclosure practices and website technology, we do not outsource our research or use temporary staff. Each of our evaluators has a minimum of 10 years' experience in investor relations and online investor communications.

We are 100% independent and derive our revenues exclusively from our knowledge and expertise. That means IR Web Report does not design, build or host investor relations websites. This ensures that we are impartial when we evaluate your website or any other company's. It also means we have nothing to sell you but great advice and insights, and our recommendations are always focused on your best interests not because we stand to gain from them.

If you would like more information about our survey, please contact us