The results of the eleventh edition of KWD Webranking, the most acclaimed annual inquiry on the quality of Italian and of the largest European corporations by market capitalization corporate online communication, was published on December the third on CorrierEconomia.
Fourth year in a row, Hera stood on the podium of the Italian ranking and was awarded second prize scoring 85,5 out of 100, only 1,7 points less than Telecom Italia, which was at the top of the ranking. The bronze went to Eni, third place obtaining 83,5 points.
Telecom Italia and Eni finished first and second in the KWD Webranking Europe 500, which analyzes the top major companies at a European level. The ranking uses the same criteria and score system as Webranking Italy, however it analyzes companies with a higher market capitalization in comparison with ''tiny'' Hera, which competes on equal terms in the quality of web communication but does not reach the necessary threshold for research.
These excellent results of the three Italian corporations the podium however seem to be an exception on a national level. The average score of the 100 Italian companies that have been analyzed tallies up to 32.5 points, 7 points below the European average.
Hera has been participating in the Webranking Awards since 2004, the year in which it was ranked 54th. The following year it was acknowledged ''best improver'' for having reached 21st place, climbing up 33 positions in one go. Since then Hera's position has been moving forward, and since the year 2009 it has always been present on the podium.
KWD Webranking research, carried out by KW Digital (the digital division of Hallvarsson&Halvarsson) in collaboration with Lundquist, has been the most recognized study of corporate web assessment in Europe for 16 years. The object of analysis is the information as well as the financial and institutional functions published in English on websites.
The study originates from an annual preliminary survey addressed to the financial market, which this year has attracted the attention of 311 worldwide professionals, in particular buy and sell-side analysts as well as economic journalists. The results of the inquiry have then led to a compilation of 100 criteria organized in 10 sections with a final score of 100 points.
The most significant change in this year's protocol is the great importance dedicated to the social media and the positioning in web search engines, which in comparison o the past edition rose by 5 %.
The Hera Group achieved excellent results in the section dedicated to financial information, social responsibility as well as the Careers sector.