Best of the Web Contest

Have you seen the Best of the Web article in USGlass Magazine? You can catch it in digital form at www.usglass-digital.com/usglass/200807/?u1=texterity. I had the honor to join several others in judging a sizable list of websites in two categories; supplier sites and retail sites.

There were about 30 websites submitted for review. Of these, we scored them on numerous criteria. On the retail side, the sites that won (in order of rank) were:

1) www.hellenbrandglass.com
2) www.zieglerglass.com
3) www.ventanaman.com

On the supplier side, the sites that won (in order of rank) were:
1) www.vistamatic.com
2) www.safti.com
3) www.archdecoglass.com

These were all wonderful sites for many reasons. It would be difficult to say any site is ‘perfect’, because there are so many different topics to look at. For instance, some of the winning sites were excellent in their use of visuals and interactivity, but they may have had poor optimization for search engines. Some had a great design and layout, but didn’t have a clear call-to-action (to drive sales).

So take a look at these sites, and know that these are some of the best around – but there isn’t one look or feel that’s better than another. It’s all about what fits your business model, what speaks to your customers, and what achieves your online goals.

I would like to mention a couple of sites that did not make the top 3 list in either category.

www.fireglass.com and www.tgpamerica.com popped out to me as very vibrant sites. They have great images and wonderful use of Flash. These sites aren’t for everyone, but I really like color so they resonated well with me. Functionality is very modern, content and navigation is clean and easy to follow on a site with so much to say.

www.sandgloglass.com is an excellent example of how many of you can have a professional looking site that does a great job building your brand, but doesn’t take a mountain of effort to build. Nice minimal use of Flash, clean navigation, simple and clean layout. Good job with this one Sandglo!

If you have a site you’d like me to look at, feel free to send it my way at scotto@gtsservices.com. And if you’re really brave, let me know if you’d be up for a Hot Seat at NACE or IGA this fall. A Hot Seat is when I analyze your site in front of a live audience. It’s a great learning time for everyone watching – and delivers actionable information to you on the spot.