Evaluating websites A systematic investigation of internet site quality from a single country domain name

Abstract

PurposeThe objective of this research paper is to evaluate websites freely available on the internet from one country – Iran and to provide information about the quality of their content.Design/methodology/approachGeneral quality criteria were used for the evaluation. These included ownership and authorship, type of websites, purpose and scope of the sites, language, links, domain types, currency/updating of information, accessibility, services and facilities. Thus, in May and June 2004, 328 websites were selected using Yahoo, Google, Lycos, Iran Digest, and A Guide to Iranian Websites, to conduct searches. A check list was drawn up to review the information from the tools.FindingsThe research revealed that among Iranian websites providing information on the internet, private sites were much more likely to be of poorer quality compared to sites of governmental organizations.Research limitations/implicationsBecause there are no authoritative search engines which are specifically Iranian, the data were collected by using a selection of five search tools over a limited period of time. Using only these search tools, 3735 websites were found. While this paper has surveyed the content of the websites, more research is needed to highlight the nature of the internet infrastructure and its use in this country.Originality/valueThe websites of each country are regarded as a prime national gateway of information. The paper uses other work on evaluating national web presence and gives clear insight into Iran's websites and gives a model for evaluating the national web presence in any one country. Based on the results, national digital strategies can be devised to help make progress towards an effective and high quality national portfolio of websites.