Company websites in 2026: the year in review
We read 4,064 companies in mid-2026 and again in the autumn. 80% of their websites carried the same technical debt at the end as at the start, within the noise of the measurement. 13% got measurably better, and 6.9% got measurably worse.
What stands out
- For every company whose website got worse, nearly two got better (514 against 281). The year moved in the right direction, slowly.
- The typical company did not move at all: the median change was 0 points on a 100-point index, with a median score of 28 at the start and 26 at the end.
- US companies improved more often than Indian ones: 14% against 10%, with almost the same share getting worse (6.7% and 7.3%).
By market
| Market | Improved | Worsened | No change beyond noise | Companies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 14% | 6.7% | 79% | 2,502 |
| India | 10% | 7.3% | 82% | 1,489 |
| Other markets | 15% | 6.8% | 78% | 73 |
How it was measured
The technical-debt index is a 0 to 100 score (higher means more debt) built from a Google Lighthouse test of the home page: performance carries 45% of the weight, search readiness 25%, best practices such as HTTPS and up-to-date code 20%, and accessibility 10%. Each company was read at least once between 24 June 2026 and 29 July 2026, and again between 1 October 2026 and 9 November 2026; its first reading is compared with its latest. A move counts only when it is larger than 8 points, the change three in four re-reads of an unchanged site stay within.
What this does not show
- Only the technical-debt index. Two other measures we publish were recalculated during the year, so a change in them could be ours rather than the company’s; they are left out.
- Four to five months, not a calendar year: our readings start in June 2026.
- Listed companies with a known website; each counts once.
Related: why technical debt is revenue friction and mobile performance scores.
Questions people ask
Did company websites get better in 2026?
Slightly. Of 4,064 companies read in mid-2026 and again in the autumn, 13% reduced their technical debt beyond the noise of the measurement, 6.9% increased it, and 80% did not change.
How often do companies fix website technical debt?
Rarely: 80% of companies showed no measurable change over four to five months.
What is a technical-debt index?
A 0 to 100 score of a website’s accumulated debt from a Google Lighthouse test: performance (45% of the weight), search readiness (25%), best practices such as HTTPS and up-to-date code (20%) and accessibility (10%). Higher means more debt.
Cite this
Qravitas (2026). Company websites in 2026: the year in review Qravitas Data, updated 9 November 2026. https://qravitas.com/insights/company-websites-2026-year-in-review.html
Free to quote and reuse with attribution and a link (CC BY 4.0). No company is named on this page. The company-level readings are free as open evidence; how every number is grounded is on Methodology.
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