The 5 Most Innovative Web Companies

These Web companies will not come through to the listings if it were not for their innovative business ideas:

01  Twitter

For a company to expand in a global phenomenon, one should ultimately have a business model. In 2009, Twitter had approximately 20 million users. Now, more than 200 million, Twitter brought out a sleek redesigned interface, acted an integral role in recent revolutions in the Middle East, and brought in Promoted Tweets and Trends which is a stream of tweet-size ads that reportedly cost major companies at least $100,000.

02  Google

Founded the most revolutionary upgrade to search in years with Google Instant--and still boasting a 98% adoption rate. With 2 million searches per second and 3 billion per day, Google can't alter a pixel in its logo without the world knowing. However, that didn't stop the Internet giant from bringing out Google Instant, a results-as-you-type search engine that has assisted users save an average of 4 to 5 seconds on each inquiry.

03  Zynga

Became what most social media companies can't: a ($400 million) profit is what defines Zynga. In January, social gaming company Zynga presented CityVille, the follow-up to their smash hit FarmVille game. A bit over a month afterwards, CityVille already had more than 100 million users, making it the most popular application on Facebook. No wonder Zynga, which was recently valued at $7 billion to $9 billion, is worth more than Electronic Arts.

04 Netflix

For a company who boldly cannibalize its own DVD-by-mail business, Netflix established streaming-only services in the U.S. and Canada--both of which became instant hits. So in recent earnings reports, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings hasn't highlighted the company's monstrous $2.2 billion 2010 grosses, or the immense uptick in members to some 20 million subscribers. Instead, he brought out the most astonishing figure of all: almost 70% of subscribers now stream content online, up from 41% last year.

05  Foursquare

For debarring copycats, goosing growth, and making check-ins, Foursquare is a must-use marketing tool for major brands. Astronaut Douglas Wheelock gained the NASA Explorer Badge when he signed in while orbiting the Earth--a story that reflects Foursquare's meteoric rise. The company now boasts 7.5 million users, well more than double its total in September 2010. Just as importantly, the company has steamed ahead in the face of growing competition--from Gowalla, Google Latitude, Loopt, and particularly Facebook Places. It has established a brand new version of the service in March, brought out an innovative merchant platform that has brands reeling, and boasted some half-billion check-ins in the last year alone.