Examples of good practice in Web site development

Benchmark Web sites

At the commencement of the IPA Performance Review 2006, MIGA selected 11 developed-economy investment promotion agencies acknowledged to be among the world’s best performers to establish an aspirational benchmark against which to compare the 114 developing- and transitional-economy IPAs. These agencies were selected at both national and sub-national level and are specified below:

National IPAs
Czech Invest
EDB Singapore
Invest in Denmark
Invest in Sweden
Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency
Scottish Development International
UK Trade and Industry

Subnational IPAs
Invest Hong Kong
Invest Victoria
The Mersey Partnership
Yorkshire Forward

Developing and Transition Economy IPA Web sites

Amongst the 114 developing- and transitional-economy IPAs, there are a number who deserve special mention with respect to their performance in the Web site assessments. Each of the Web sites in this category achieved a score of 70% or higher in the Web assessment. The top five performing (developed-country) IPAs achieved an average of 91.6% for their Web site assessments and the average for developing countries at 51%. So, an overall Web score of 70% or higher is a commendable performance.

MIGA thanks these agencies for agreeing to release their names and Web site addresses.

Each Web site brings together a very credible package in combining web architecture, design, content and promotional effectiveness to present an effective Web site from the point of view of the investor. However, a few words of caution are necessary.

First, although these Web sites are effective overall, they do not necessarily perform strongly in each individual assessment component. In fact, we have found that a pattern of relative strength in architecture and design; and relative weakness in content and promotional effectiveness across the whole survey. This trend is reflected in these good practice Web sites, albeit at an overall higher level of performance, nevertheless, the 'package' offered by these Web sites is successful.

Second, it is important to stress that a significant amount of Web site planning is required to get an IPA to this level of performance. Much of the upfront investment is on locating or generating investor-relevant content to populate the Web site. It is particularly important also that the Web site is maintained and updated regularly. In other words, good Web sites don't just happen – they require planning and effort.