‘Sri Lankan websites could compete easily with top global counterparts’

By Hiran H.Senewiratne

Sri Lankan websites maintain very high standards and could compete with top global websites, LK Domain Registry CEO/ Registrar Prof. Gihan Dias said.

‘BestWeb.LK is a unique annual competition conducted by the LK Domain Registry since 2009. The current competition is the thirteenth in the series of such events which recognize the high quality web presence of organizations in a diverse range of categories. Over 600 websites vie for awards that will bring them prestige and recognition, Dias said at the awards ceremony, which was held at Imperial Monarch Hotel, Thalawathugoda recently.

At the event, Commercial Bank of Ceylon won twin Golds as the Overall Winner and the Best Banking & Finance website in Sri Lanka for 2023.

The extensive criteria used to grade websites for the BestWeb.lk awards cover a wide array of technical aspects as well as quality aspects that encompass functionality, ease of use, conformance and compliance with industry standards and protocols, performance efficiency, security and privacy, design aesthetics, content quality and the quality of interaction with users.

Commenting on the Bank’s milestone achievement of being adjudged the best website in Sri Lanka across all categories, Commercial Bank’s Deputy General Manager – Retail Banking & Marketing, Hasrath Munasinghe said: “It is exhilarating to see the extremely valuable role our website now plays in promoting inclusivity in addition to convenience. There was a time when websites were used by an exclusive group of tech-savvy customers. Today, with trilingual access, enhanced user-friendliness and wide-spectrum functionality, our website has become an indispensable resource for millions of people. The endorsement of the LK Domain Registry with the overall Gold award is therefore particularly significant.”

“The Commercial Bank website annually averages 6.8 million visits, 2.6 million users, 11 million page views and organic search traffic of 4.8 million. It was re-launched in 2021 with features, such as, trilingual access to content, ultra-smooth interface with interactive multimedia material, enhanced navigation, experience-customization, smarter search options and tools, and resources that make a website extra user-friendly and informative, informed sources said.

“The LK Domain Registry is the national body that registers domain names ending in “.lk.” It is an independent non-profit organization that helps Sri Lankan organizations and individuals to create their unique identities on the web. Launched in 2009, BestWeb.lk is a web-based competition that provides an exclusive opportunity to promote and popularize web presences in Sri Lanka.

“Meanwhile, the interactivity of the websites was judged based on the quality of interaction they incite with users, and privacy and security features. Multilingual websites in Unicode standards qualified under the ‘Community Purpose’ criteria. Further, entries were awarded bonus points for features, such as, multilingual access, accessibility for disabled persons, use of latest technology and social media integration. All websites registered under the .lk domain were eligible to enter the competition.”