"As the standard of excellence for websites continues to increase, web visitors are increasingly picky about what they consider to be effective insurance websites," said William Rice, president of the Web Marketing Association. "Insurance websites going forward will need to find a balance between usability and providing accurate information. By utilizing technology through illustrations and animations, the same message can be disseminated more efficiently."

The WebAwards competition evaluates insurance websites on seven criteria that combined create effective websites:

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

According to the ISAR Study, insurance web sites typically lag in innovation and use of technology, due in part to the conservative nature of the industry and heavy regulation.

The 2006 WebAward for Best Insurance Website went to Blue Shield of California.

Other past WebAwards Insurance Web site winners include:

• 2005 Internet Communications for Medical Mutual - Ohio's Get-Well CardTM
• 2004 Graficalnter.active for Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey
• 2003 Empire BlueCross BlueShield
• 2002 Progressive Insurance
• 2001 Modem Media for John Hancock eVariable Life
• 2000 BBDS Interactive for Country Companies
• 1999 AGENCY.COM for AceLimited
• 1998 Arkwright Mutual Insurance Co. for SmartSite for Managing Risk
• 1997 Modem Media for jhancock.com/portraitplanning

To request your copy of the 2007 WebAward ISAR report, please visit: http://www.webaward.org/isar_report.asp

2007 WebAward Call for Entries
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 insurance industry represents an important category in the WebAward competition, and the Web Marketing Association will again be honoring the Best Insurance Web site of 2007. Participants will receive valuable feedback and the opportunity to earn peer recognition. The deadline for entry is May 31, 2007 and the WebAward Web site is located at www.07webaward.org.

About the WebAwards
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. For more information, visit www.07webaward.org.