Spanish websites are becoming more responsive, but still lack financial information

Main findings:

• Financial audiences do not find the information they seek
• Spain’s average score falls behind the European average
• In sustainability, Spain outperforms the European average
• Top performer Repsol has pulled vigorously ahead of rivals

SEE THE FULL SPANISH RESULTS HERE

The 21^st edition of Webranking by Comprend reviewed 805 corporate websites from 22 countries to find out, with the help of 50 objective criteria, how companies address the online information needs of corporate audiences.

The results show that Spanish companies have improved when it comes to popular features such as internal search and mobile responsiveness. 

Yet Spanish companies still fail to deliver the information financial audiences expect. Investor relations continues to be the Achilles heel of Spanish online communications, with a mere 21% response to stakeholder expectations.

Repsol continues to top the list and its score of 74.5 has widened the lead over rivals ArcelorMittal and Telefónica. Spain’s leading energy operator also had the best investor relations section (8.7 points out of 14), followed by BBVA (7 points). 

Although the Spanish average score increased by 1.7 points to 40.8 compared to last year, it still is significantly below the European average of 45.7.

What can European companies learn from Spanish companies?

Collectively:

In general terms, Spanish companies present a satisfactory share section. They also routinely show how their share capital has evolved over time. As an example, 57 % of Spanish companies report on responsible tax and anti-corruption policies. This is a development in line with the demands of stakeholders, who are showing an increased interest in transparency, according to Comprend’s survey. 

From selected companies:

Repsol’s dividend history is an example of best practice as it covers more than 20 years of data, per type of share, in a table and an interactive graph format. Telefónica offers a detailed description of how its CSR strategy relates to overall corporate strategy, clearly showing its commitment to a sustainable future. BBVA’s organisational structure archives full score and best-practise status thanks to its clarity and interactive features. It offers useful insights into inner workings. Amadeu’s offersadetailed presentation of media contact with each person’s title, phone number, language(s) spoken, location and Twitter account. Inditex offers an archive of corporate governance reports, which describes the format, language and size of the document that is readily available for download. 

What can Spanish companies learn from European? 

The average score for Spanish websites IR sections is among the lowest in Europe. 21% of investors’ expectations are met, compared to the European average of 31%. Although providing IR contacts are considered important by 95% of surveyed stakeholders, only 31% of Spanish companies provide this (Europe 500: 55%). Along the same lines, Spanish websites career sections also lack contact details. Only five of the ranked Spanish companies provides a general telephone number or email address to someone in the HR department. 

This year's result

Repsol tops the list, as it has consistently done since the inception of the Spanish ranking. This year they scored 74.5 points, putting them well ahead of rivals and its own score last year. ArcelorMittal and Telefónica kept their second and third places from last year. This year’s best climber was Repsol (+13.0 points), followed by BBVA (+6.1 points). The 26 Spanish companies surveyed averaged 40.8 points, a slight improvement from last year.

Commenting on this year’s overall Spanish results, Miguel Cruz de Oliveira, Director – France, Spain and Portugal at Comprend, said:

“Redesigning corporate websites for better visitor experience is a welcome development. Because people visit sites to find information, more must be done to post useful content and smooth the path to finding it.”

See the full Spanish results

For more information about the Webranking results for Spain, contact Viktoria Enmark, at +46 76 109 05 08 or viktoria.enmark@comprend.com.