The domain w3.org attracted at least 11 million visitors annually by 2008 according to a Compete.com study.^[8]

The Consortium is governed by its membership, which in August 2009 comprised 322 organizations. The list of members is available to the public.^[1] Members include businesses, nonprofit organizations, universities, governmental entities, and individuals.^[9]

Membership requirements are transparent except for one requirement. An application for membership must be reviewed and approved by W3C. Many guidelines and requirements are stated in detail, but there is no final guideline about the process or standards by which membership might be finally approved or denied.^[10]

The cost of membership is given on a sliding scale, depending on the character of the organization applying and the country in which it is located.^[11] Countries are categorized by the World Bank's most recent grouping by GNI ("Gross National Income") per capita.^[12]