Website Application Services Trends, Detailed in Web Marketing Report

West Simsbury, Connecticut - (Website Hosting Directory) - April 11, 2007 - Best application services website trends, are detailed in a new report from the Web Marketing Association, including historical data from a decade of web hosting Internet award competition and WebAwards, and provides best practices for intranet web design.

William Rice, President of the Web Marketing Association, Inc. remarked, "As the standard of excellence for websites continues to increase, consumers (and WebAward judges) are increasingly picky about what they consider to be an effective website," said William Rice, president of the Web Marketing Association, Inc. "ASP Websites are the main sales tool in attracting and servicing customers, so it's important that the website be a focus for the company."

The WebAwards competition judges intranet websites on seven criteria that combined create award-winning websites:

•    Design
•    Innovation
•    Content
•    Technology
•    Interactivity
•    Copywriting
•    Ease of use

According to the ISAR Study, ASP websites core strongest in content, copywriting and interactivity, but score lowest in innovation. In 2006, ASPs outperformed the 3-year ISAR criteria benchmarks in design, interactivity, copywriting and ease of use.

The 2006 WebAward for best Application Service Provider Website went to Offermatica.

Other past winners include:
--2005 The Rocket Science Group for MailChimp
--2004 Leopard
--2003 Exciting New Technologies
--2002 i2 Technologies, frog design
--2001 Rocket Network
--2000 Meridian Project Systems for ProjectTalk.com Website

Companies and organizations wishing to have their small business web site evaluated against the ISAR Index and be considered for a WebAward, which can help boost a website's credibility and marketing efforts.

The Web Marketing Association will soon be accepting entries into its 11th 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 small business industry represents an important category in the WebAward competition, and the Web Marketing Association will again be honoring the Best Small Business Web site of 2007. The deadline for entry is May 31, 2007.

The Internet Standards Assessment report and the 2007 WebAwards are sponsored by the following leading organiztions: Burst Media, PRWeb, Misukanis and Odden, Small Army, SimpleFeed, ExactTarget, ad:tech conferences, NewsUSA, eComXpo, MediaPost's OMMA conference, TopRank Online Marketing, Creative Chocolate Printing Company, OTOlabs, Internet World UK, Search Engine Strategies, Webmaster Radio, Rovion's InPerson and eMarketer.

Now in its 11th year, the annual international WebAwards competition sets the standard of excellence in 96 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.

To learn more about the 2007 WebAward ISAR report, please visit: www.webaward.org/isar_report.asp

For more information about the WebAward evaluation system, please visit: www.07webaward.org.

To learn more about the WebAwards, please visit: www.webaward.org.