Websites storm up ranks as Google takes top brand

INTERNET firm Google has again pipped Apple to the top spot in a global brand ranking which sees YouTube and Wikipedia enter the top five for the first time.

The annual survey by online branding magazine brandchannel.com often throws up controversial results, such as in 2004 when Arabic TV station Al Jazeera was named the world’s fifth most influential brand.

This year the 3,625 people who voted have again surprised, awarding upstart firms star status when asked: “Which brand had the most impact on our lives in 2006?”