What follows is a list of eight most popular domestic websites using analytics services Alexa and SimilarWeb score for August.
#1 Aparat
Aparat, an online sharing website known too some as YouTube’s Iranian counterpart, tops the list. It has climbed one step higher from last year’s second position and is the second most-referred-to online portal by Iranian users.
Given the fact that YouTube is blocked in Iran, Aparat set out to fill the void and created a platform where users could upload and stream videos.
Launched in 2011, it has come a long way and seen a huge jump in global ranking moving from 543rd to 170th of all websites.
#2 DigiKala
The second rank belongs to DigiKala, a mature market leader in e-commerce and the second most visited online store in the Middle East after Souq.com in the United Arab Emirates.
It is known for its unique business model and customer-centric approach. Established in 2007 as an online retail website, Digikala has risen to prominence in less than a decade.
A portmanteau of digital and kala (meaning “goods” in Persian), Digikala, has expanded the categories of goods available for e-purchase and now includes sports and leisure, healthcare and beauty, home appliances and artistic products.
As of August, DigiKala’s global ranking was 333 based on data published by Alexa.com. Last year it came in at 494.
#3 Varzesh3
The website Varzesh3 (“sport” in Persian), the oldest and most popular sports news site and the third popular local website in Iran.
It was not among the top ten sites last year but now has become the fourth most-referred-to online destination.
On the global ranking list it stands at 330, which signifies the importance of Persian football leagues with fans.
#4 Shaparak
The fourth place belongs to Shaparak, a payment network through which most online and cyber-based transactions are conducted.
Electronic card payment network system (Shaparak) is a platform bringing together payment service providers (PSP) and their digital-POS terminals in a highly integrated system.
Just like Varzesh3, Shaparak was not among the top websites last year. Its graduation is yet another indication of Iran’s shift to digital shopping.
As the seventh-most popular website, it has reached 540th position in global ranking – up 45 places in three months.
#5 Divar
Divar is now the fifth-most visited website. It is a classifieds internet site, which also has a mobile app where people sell, buy or swap cars, furniture, household appliances and musical instruments.
The listings website has dropped one step compared to last year, which could be due to the birth of other similar platforms like Sheypoor.
Globally, Divar is in 744th place and in Iran tenth overall.
#6 Blogfa
At the eleventh place, Blogfa has gained the sixth position among the successful domestic platforms. The Persian “weblog hosting” site has pushed Mihanblog, Blogfa’s main competitor to the wayside.
Blogfa currently is 748th on the world scale with an eye-catching rise of 102 places from May.
#7 Telewebion
Telewebion is a Persian-language free video streaming service that provides state television Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) programs archive online.
Visitors also can watch the programs live in Telewebion hosted on local servers.
The improvement of high-speed Internet in the past couple of years has helped video hosting sites move up the ranking.
The site is the 768th most-visited platform globally with a 21-grade improvement over three months.
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