JARVIS PLC 
By 10 Oct 2012
The results of the Investis IQ Ranking of corporate websites for Q3 2012 show the largest overall rise in the rankings for companies since we started releasing our IQ research 4 years ago, with companies scored this quarter rising by an average of 4%. The DAX30 is the leading index once more, overtaking the OMXH25, the leader during Q2. Many of the top companies remain the same and Bayer, Deutsche Post and Aviva lead the overall rankings.
At the beginning of the year we expanded our criteria to take into account the growing importance of social media; in Q3, this has again proved a highly important driver for change, accounting for over half of the overall rise.
Corporate use of Twitter was one of the main drivers in the social media category, and the proportion of FTSE100 companies placing a Twitter feed within their corporate website also increased significantly from 6% to 28%. Twitter's growth was accompanied by a strong increase in use of the social networks LinkedIn and YouTube. Interestingly, Facebook use in the corporate sphere grew much more slowly in comparison. Rather than leaving their social media to stand alone, companies are also joining them up with their sites in the form of follow and share buttons; together, these fulfilled criteria paint an encouraging picture of companies integrating their digital communications effectively. However, this is only a start and there remains room for substantial improvement in the field of social media.
Looking more closely at individual indices:
- FTSE100 scores rose well, growing by 5%. It is also notable that 21 members of the FTSE100 are now using an app in their corporate communications. Notable risers included Royal Dutch Shell, which jumped ten places to 3rd, and British Land, which soared twenty two places to 12th.
- The FTSEMIB also witnessed positive growth of 5%, with social media improving by 40%, albeit from a low starting point. Despite some movement, the top ten was comprised of the same companies as before, and ENI, Telecom Italia and Unicredit retained the top three places. Generali rose by four spots to take 4th.
- The DAX30 regained the overall top spot, growing 4% from what was already a strong base. There was surprisingly little movement in the company rankings, though Deutsche Börse rose by an impressive eleven points and RWE leapt ten places.
- In Finland, the OMXH25's sluggish growth (2.2%) meant that it lost out on the top spot, with social media the only criteria to rise by more than a fraction. Winners this quarter included Fortum Oyj, which gained seven points and rose by nine places to second in the ranking.
- The IBEX35 was the lowest placed index but saw the most growth, with a 9% jump - Iberdrola and Ferrovial were particular improvers. Repsol's and Iberdrola's stand out as world class sites.
- The USA's S&P100 improved by 3% but still performs surprisingly weakly. The index continues to lead the rankings for social media usage, but it saw much slower growth in these criteria than the others. Dell and 3M grew strongly, leaping 13 and 27 places respectively, and Kraft Foods also showed a good rise.
Commenting on the results, Al Loehnis, Investis' Business Development Director, said
"These encouraging results show a concerted effort on the part of communications teams from all the ranked indices to streamline and join up their digital message. By taking notice of and acting upon the growing importance of social media, as well as other digital elements, companies are benefiting from the potential of an array of communications tools that is now wider than ever. We hope that in six months' time our Rankings will show further improvement."
END
Investis is Europe's leading specialist in digital corporate communications for public companies. Our services include corporate websites, social media solutions, apps and mobile sites, video and webcasting, website tools and integrated online reporting.
Investis works with over 1,000 companies in 30 countries, from the smallest companies to the largest, including more than 50% of the FTSE100. The company has offices in the UK, Germany, Italy, Finland and India.
The IQ survey was conducted in the third quarter of 2012 based on index constituents at the beginning of July. The IQ Ranking is the most comprehensive and authoritative of its kind, assessing nearly 200 criteria in measuring website quality and performance. Investis now scores more than 700 companies every six months, offering a unique view on the evolution of corporate websites for its clients and partners.
For more information on the IQ benchmarking service, please contact Al Loehnis on al.loehnis@investis.com, +44(0)207 038 9005 or visit: http://www1.investis.com/our-news-and-views/iq-benchmarking.aspx
Key Index data:
| Average score | % change on Q1 2012 | |
| FTSE 100 | 54.46 | +4.9% |
| DAX 30 | 58.50 | +3.5% |
| OMXH25 | 58.24 | +2.2% |
| FTSEMIB | 46.70 | +6.1% |
| S&P 100 | 50.93 | +3.2% |
| IBEX35 | 44.15 | +8.5% |
| Overall | 52.2 | +4.8% |
Top 20 companies:
| Companies | Index | Overall Score | Index Rank | Overall Rank |
| Bayer | DAX30 | 78 | 1 | 1 |
| Deutsche Post | DAX30 | 77 | 2 | 2 |
| Aviva | FTSE100 | 76 | 1 | 3 |
| Centrica | FTSE100 | 75 | 2 | 4 |
| Royal Dutch Shell | FTSE100 | 74 | 3 | 5 |
| ENI | FTSEMIB | 74 | 1 | 6 |
| Anglo American | FTSE100 | 73 | 4 | 7 |
| Telecom Italia | FTSEMIB | 72 | 2 | 8 |
| Land Securities Group | FTSE100 | 71 | 5 | 9 |
| Royal Bank Of Scotland Group | FTSE100 | 71 | 6 | 10 |
| BP | FTSE100 | 71 | 7 | 11 |
| Repsol | IBEX35 | 71 | 1 | 12 |
| BASF | DAX30 | 70 | 3 | 13 |
| Unilever | FTSE100 | 70 | 8 | 14 |
| Henkel | DAX30 | 69 | 4 | 15 |
| Rautaruukki Oyj | OMXH25 | 69 | 1 | 16 |
| SAP | DAX30 | 67 | 5 | 17 |
| BAE Systems | FTSE100 | 67 | 9 | 18 |
| SABMiller | FTSE100 | 67 | 10 | 19 |
| Unicredit | FTSEMIB | 67 | 3 | 20 |
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