Our
editors
sort through numerous criteria when judging which sites should
be included in any of our categories and how they should be
ranked. Basically they try to list the top 10 sites that
the majority of people would agree are the best sites. In addition to some minimum criteria, some
other factors consider are listed below.
Quality
Content - Up to date and in depth content that visitors
interested in the site's topic would find valuable. Content
that is not readily available elsewhere is preferred although
content from outside sources can also be valuable if presented
in a useful and organized way.
Fast Speed - Since the majority of Internet
users are still connecting to the Internet at relatively slow
speeds, sites should be designed to load fast. Overuse of
graphics, page length, plug ins, banners and incompatible
technologies should be avoided.
Consistent
Style - A site's overall look and feel should not
change much from page to page. In particular the overall style
created through the use of backgrounds, borders, fonts, navigation
bars, banner ads, formatting and logos should be consistent.
Ease
of Navigation - Getting around a site should be intuitive
and effortless. For example, one should always be able to
get back to the home page from any page in a site. Navigational
links should be in similar places on each page.
Artistic
Design - The web's interface offers tremendous opportunity
for graphic artists to offer appealing artistic imagery and sound.
Ideally these features are integrated into the site without
significantly slowing down or distracting the visitor.
E-commerce
- For those sites that sell products or services, a interface that allows users to easily and safely browse,
search and order online a wide variety of products or services.
The best stores integrate useful and relevant consumer advice
within their online storefronts.
Permanency - The length of time a site has been in existance is considered. We avoid sites that
we think will be gone within a few months or have not taken the time & effort to get
their own domain name.
Interaction
- The more interaction a site offers the more users
are encouraged to stay and explore a site. By adding
chat rooms, discussion groups, search engines, auctions, polls,
postcards, online games or contests, users often have a
more rewarding experience.
Traffic - While not an indication
of quality, sometimes we will take independent traffic figures into consideration. Usually
only in cases where we have to choose between two sites that
are equal in all other areas.
Revenue - In lists where revenue is reported
by most of the sites, we may take this into consideration.
Employees - In lists where total employees are reported
by most of the sites, we may take this into consideration.
Visitor Votes - In lists where the majority of sites have been voted on by unique users and a statistically relevant number of votes have been compiled, we take into consideration each site's average rating.
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