The Vanguard Best of the Web Awards competition shines a spotlight on Web sites that are beyond ordinary when it comes to pleasing designs, user-friendly navigation, useful and relevant product information, and surprises like podcasts and laugh-out-loud videos.

In the 2008 competition, our judges singled out 21 stand-out Web sites, including five they pronounced the best of the best. Their favorites are sites that pack information onto pages without cluttering the design; that use the simplest icons and wording to direct users to the areas most relevant to them; and that utilize cutting-edge communications technology to creatively deliver information.

Building Products asked manufacturers to submit Web sites of particular interest to building pros. Our judges clicked through each site looking for sections devoted to and designed for pros and evaluating the usefulness of the site's information, the appeal of the delivery, and the ease with which users can find what they need.

When they were finished, our judges--each with a different level of Internet experience and expertise--chose the few sites they deemed most relevant and useful to building pros as this year's Vanguard Best of the Web Award winners.

The Vanguard Best of the Web Award winners were selected from among the manufacturers that entered the competition, not from all manufacturer Web sites.

Best Overall

Our Vanguard judges singled out five manufacturers' Web sites that stand out among all of the Vanguard entrants and deserve special recognition for "best in class."

Fypon
Appealing to both homeowners and building professionals, Fypon's easy-to-navigate site aims to educate users about new products and about which products might be right for each job. One judge particularly liked the site's extensive listing of dealers.

GAF Materials Corp.
Easy to navigate with intuitive labels and logical choices on drop-down menus, GAF's Web site is packed with details and dressed up with helpful installation videos. The site contains "excellent, detailed information, readily available, with no hassles to hurdle over to apply it to your project," commented one judge.

Integrity Windows and Doors
Judges singled out Integrity Windows and Doors' site for a clean, simple design that's packed with information. One judge called it a "super-strong Web site that leaves nothing to the imagination."

Masco Builder Cabinet Group
"One can easily find out anything they need to know about kitchen and bath cabinets within minutes" on Masco Builder Cabinet Group's "problem-solving Web site," said one judge. An interactive feature allows users to create a dream kitchen by cutting and pasting colors and styles onto a template--a tool one judge suggested pros could use with their customers.

White River Hardwoods
One judge said White River Hardwoods' site is "all a professional needs to show, sell, and supply hardwood molding to a homeowner." The site features online catalogs, 2-D line drawings, and easy ordering information for marketing tools from brochures to display boards to design software.

Best Design

Web sites that are uncluttered yet packed with information were favorites among this year's judges, who appreciated simplicity, color, and large lettering. Manufacturers whose sites don't make it perfectly clear--starting on the home page--what products they sell didn't score with the judges.

Best in Class

Danze
A "crisp pictorial site design," noted one judge.

GAF Materials Corp.
An "attractive interface with good, intuitive drop-downs and labels" help users find appropriate information on this site, according to one judge.

Integrity Windows and Doors
"Clean, simple, and informative" one judge described.

Masonite
A scroll of photos on this site's home page especially impressed one of the judges.

White River Hardwoods
This site relies on lists of hyperlinked key words -- and minimal verbiage -- to keep its pages clutter-free, said one judge.

York Spiral Stair
One judge hailed this site's"excellent layout and visual pages that show off the product and provide easy links to more information."

Honorable Mention: American Clay Enterprises \\ Endura Products \\ Fypon \\ Masco Builder Cabinet Group \\ Uponor \\ Timberlake Cabinetry

Best Product Information for Professionals

Pros need more than pretty pictures to help them select products. Our judges appreciated sites that included downloadable and interactive catalogs, marketing information they could share with customers, and guidance on which products work best for specific jobs.

Fypon
Fypon's site categorizes products by style, material, and even labor savings

GAF Materials Corp.
This site gives pros ideas for using the manufacturer's product on their projects.

Integrity Windows and Doors
The Integrity Windows and Doors site describes each product in literature designed for use by professionals.

James Hardie
This site includes comparisons of its fiber-cement products to those made from alternative materials.

Masco Builder Cabinet Group
An interactive tool onthis site "shows" products in various colors and styles.

White River Hardwoods
Close-up photos and detailed line drawings of each product onWhite River Hardwoods' site leave little to the builder's imagination.

Honorable Mention: Bison Deck Supports \\ Velux America \\ York Spiral Stair

Best Navigation

Judges clicked through each applicant's Web site to learn whether users would have any trouble finding what they were searching for. They favored sites that use single keywords and simple language to direct pros to relevant parts of the site. Those that required multiple clicks or cumbersome sign-in procedures to get to the desired information didn't make this year's list of winners.

Best In Class

Fypon
At-a-glance choices made it easier for one judge to get the information he wanted with one click -- in about one second.

GAF Materials Corp.
Links on this site lead to "what you need so there's good, intuitive feedback, and it's easy to get from one piece of info to another," one judge noted.

Integrity Windows and Doors
The company dedicates an entire page to brochures so judges didn't have to fish around to find the ones they wanted.

York Spiral Stair
"Very specific, intuitive steps to products and selection" make this site user-friendly, said one judge.

Honorable Mention: American Clay Enterprises \\ Danze \\ Masco Builder Cabinet Group \\ Snoblox \\ Stonco \\ Timberlake Cabinetry \\ Typar \\ Uponor \\ White River Hardwoods

Best Section for Professionals

Our judges favored sites that feature a "professionals-only" section--and they liked sites with separate sections for home builders, design professionals, and installers even better. They also were partial to sites that incorporated some interactivity for and among building professionals and easy-to-use keyword searches for technical information.

Best in Class

GAF Materials Corp.
For one judge, GAF's professional section was "the best I visited."

Integrity Windows and Doors
This site has a professional section that covers all of the bases, said one judge, by offering everything from free, downloadable design software to a calendar of upcoming trade shows.

James Hardie
Separate professional sections for home builders and architects focus the most relevant information on James Hardie's Web site to each group, said one judge.

Masco Builder Cabinet Group
Thissite impressed one judge with its wealth of trade-specific information, from design ideas to CAD catalogs to marketing tools.

White River Hardwoods
Tools, ideas, videos, catalogs, and even news are the highlights that one judge found useful in the "trade" section of this site.

Honorable Mention: Bison Deck Supports \\ Delta Faucet \\ Velux America

Best Installation Support

Judges appreciated finding quick answers to frequently asked questions, but they also wanted to know--at a glance--where to call with a question not covered on the site. Inclusion of step-by-step installation videos was especially appreciated.

Best in Class

Fypon
The manufacturer offers printable guides for installation of all of its products.

GAF Materials Corp.
One judge complimented the "solid presentation" of GAF's easy-to-follow installation videos.

Integrity Windows and Doors
Detailed, illustrated installation instructions are at the ready -- in PDF form -- on this site.

James Hardie
A combination of videos and written installation instructions proved to be the best of both worlds for one judge.

Honorable Mention: Bison Deck Supports \\ Eldorado Stone \\ Endura Products \\ Snoblox

Best Interactivity

Among the most notable improvements to manufacturer Web sites since last year's Vanguard Awards is the addition of interactive features that allow users to receive relevant, customized information. The judges were impressed by the number of ZIP-code-searchable dealer databases and interactive design features. Still missing: blogs, message boards, forums, and live chats.

Best in Class

Masco Builder Cabinet Group
The 3-D "Idea Folio" on Masco Builder Cabinet Group's site made it the judges' favorite for Best Interactivity and impressed them with its selection of pre-configured templates and a more advanced tool for those with custom designs in mind.

Honorable Mention: Endura Products \\ Snoblox \\ Southern Pine Council \\ Stonco \\ White River Hardwoods

Best Use of Multimedia

A few Vanguard entrants are venturing into podcasts, but most who use multimedia on their Web sites are sticking with video. Our judges found some of that video quite entertaining, and noted that although many of the shows target consumers rather than pros, a few sites are using video to help deliver technical information to builders and installers.

Best in Class

Integrity Windows and Doors
A highlight of Integrity's Web site is its "Carl & Stu" videos on product features like fade resistance and durability. One judge called the spots "hilarious."

Masco Builder Cabinet Group
Masco'sclever videos tell cute stories about supposed homeowners while showing off their well-appointed kitchens, providing a "seamless stream of helpful information and ideas" that pros can share with customers, notes one judge.

Honorable Mention: Bison Deck Supports \\ Southern Pine Council \\ Velux America