Post on 06-May-2015
description
Website Redesign ROI: 10 Ideas to Make the Most of Your Website
Investment
May 6, 2014
INTRODUCTION
• Skoda Minotti, CPA Firm Cleveland, Akron & Tampa
• Eight year BDO Alliance firm member• Built our own internal agency from scratch• Insights from the inside• Practice what we preach• Marketing partner with BDO Alliance firms
• Idea #1: Website Strategy• Idea #2: Web Design• Idea #3: Search Engine Optimization• Idea #4: Mobile vs. Responsive• Idea #5: Inbound Marketing• Idea #6: Content Management System• Idea #7: e-Newsletters• Idea #8: Analytics• Idea #9: Ongoing Maintenance• Idea #10: Your Design Team
AGENDA
Idea #1:
Website Redesign ROI:10 Ideas to Make the Most of Your Website Investment
Determine A Web Strategy
Begin With End in Mind• What are your website goals/objectives?
Drive traffic Reduce bounce rate Time on site Lead generation Revenue generation Current SEO rankings for important keywords
• Many of these goals are dependent on each other
WEBSITE STRATEGYIDEA #1:
Four Categories of Websites1. Establish a web presence/credibility2. Promote your brand3. Serve as a resource 4. Generate & track qualified leads
WEBSITE STRATEGYIDEA #1:
Category #1: Establish a Web Presence/Credibility• People are Googling your company• What do they find when they get to your website?
First impression Establishing a web presence allows you to control this message
• Smaller budgets that leverage existing templates• Typically not more than 25 pages• Functions as a “cyber-brochure”• Typically leveraged by firms who live off of referrals• Verifies you exist and hopes someone will give you a call
WEBSITE STRATEGYIDEA #1:
Category #1 Establish a Web Presence/Credibility• Basic overview • No calls to action• No interaction• No unique resource information• No lead generation or tracking• Missed opportunities
INDUSTRIES
WEBSITE STRATEGYIDEA #1:
Category #2: Promote Your Brand• First interaction with your brand
A branded website allows you to control the look and feel that your clients and prospects encounter
• Allows you to differentiate your website from your competitors’• Communicate core brand values visually• Coordinate consistent messaging with your other marketing materials• More flexible - allows for custom design/creativity• Shares your firm’s personality
WEBSITE STRATEGYIDEA #1:
Example: Promoting the BrandWEBSITE STRATEGY
IDEA #1:
Category #3: Serve as a Resource• Clients, business contacts and prospects are looking for answers to their
questions online Can you be the answer?
• Become visible in search engines for questions your customers are asking• Content helps drive people to the site • Have visitors return to your site over and over• Further brand awareness• Requires time/investment to create and maintain content
WEBSITE STRATEGYIDEA #1:
Category #3: Serve as a Resource• Blogs• E-Books• E-newsletters• Industry Surveys• Presentations• Special Offers• Videos• Webinars/Seminars
WEBSITE STRATEGYIDEA #1:
Category #4: Generate & Track Leads• Attracting hundreds or thousands of visitors is great, but…
Do you know who they are? What is important them? How they found you? When/how often they come back to your website? Are they qualified leads?
• Create relevant, valuable content in exchange for contact information Collect lead details by using offers (i.e., e-books, PPTs, videos, etc.)
• Invest your time pursuing qualified leads • Time must be invested to create content that your visitors will value highly• Leverage your team for content
WEBSITE STRATEGYIDEA #1:
Generate & Track Leads• Create free offers/e-books• Promote on website & e-newsletters• Build landing pages to capture lead• Ask qualifying questions
WEBSITE STRATEGYIDEA #1:
Idea #2:
Website Redesign ROI:10 Ideas to Make the Most of Your Website Investment
Web Design
Website Design Considerations• Benchmarking• Homepage• Subpages • Navigation• Reducing Site Load Times
WEB DESIGNIDEA #2:
Benchmark Current Metrics• Document your current performance metrics • Start by analyzing your existing site over its history
Number of visits/visitors/unique visitors Bounce rate Time on site Current SEO rankings for important keywords Domain authority Number of new leads/form submissions Total amount of sales generated
• Don’t have Stats? Add Google Analytics
WEBSITE DESIGNIDEA #2:
Avoid Pitfalls. Inventory Your Assets• Redesign typically good, but…• Don’t delete existing web assets
Most shared or viewed content Most trafficked pages Best performing keywords you rank for
& associated pages Number of inbound links to individual pages
ALERT!Removing page(s) that have a high number of inbound links, could result in a loss of SEO credit, which could decrease your search ranking!
NOTE:Many web designers don’t consider this because they are not marketers.
WEB DESIGNIDEA #2:
Most Trafficked Pages
Best Performing
Keywords
Most Shared Content
Number of Inbound
links
Analyze the Competition• Don’t obsess, but it helps to know how you compare• Run your website through Marketing Grader
– Run competitors too • Review competitor sites, note what you like/don’t like• Don’t copy them. Improve on what they have!
SPECIAL NOTE:Marketing Grader: Go to http://marketing.grader.com to get a report card of how your website and marketing is performing today. It’s free!
WEB DESIGNIDEA #2:
Homepage• A homepage is a “portal” into the
rest of your website• How can you quickly get visitors
where they want to go?• Features to consider:
– Messaging to address client hot buttons
– Timely information: News/blog feed– Site search– Lead generation/calls-to-action– Easy to find contact information
WEB DESIGNIDEA #2:
SubpagesWEB DESIGN
IDEA #2:
• Specific service/industry subpages can improve SEO & overall site navigation
• Keep the reader in mind when writing copy. Less is more.
• Always include a means to request more information
• Leverage sidebars to include related content that may interest the visitor
Best Practice Tip:Add Calls-to-Action buttons to generate
qualified leads
WEB DESIGNIDEA #2:
Website Navigation
• “Non-traditional” navigation may cause poor user experience.
• Keep menu titles and options simple and easy to understand
• Consider “mega-menus” as an improvement on standard drop down menus
• Analytics programs can give you clues about which pages need more navigation prominence during redesign
Reducing Website Load Times• Faster loading pages are more user-friendly
AND more Google-friendly. • Best practices:
Minimize image file sizes where possible Prioritize “above-the-fold” content from a load
time perspective Reduce the number of website plugins Ensure optimized website code
WEB DESIGNIDEA #2:
Idea #3:
Website Redesign ROI:10 Ideas to Make the Most of Your Website Investment
Search Engine Optimization
SEO Plays a Key Role in Customer Acquisition
Survey N = 3,339 Source: HubSpot
SEO
Soca
il Media
Trade Sh
owsPPC
Telemarketing
Direct
Blogging
0%
2%
4%
6%
8%
10%
12%
14%
16% Avg. Percentage of Leads that Convert to Sales15%
13%12%
11%
9%8%
7% 7%
SEOIDEA #3:
Source: Forrester Research
95% of marketers say that
SEO is an important
source of web leads
SEOIDEA #3:
Source: Search Engine Watch
53% of organic search
clicks go to the #1
(top-ranked) search result.
SEOIDEA #3:
SEO – PAID VS. ORGANICIDEA #3:
SEO – KEYWORD RESEARCHIDEA #3:
https://adwords.google.com/KeywordPlanner
SEO – PAGE TITLESIDEA #3:
SEO – PAGE TITLESIDEA #3:
SEO - HEADLINESIDEA #3:
SEO - HEADLINESIDEA #3:
SEO - DESCRIPTIONSIDEA #3:
Meta Description Tags
SEO - DESCRIPTIONSIDEA #3:
Meta Description Tags
SEO - LINKSIDEA #3:
Create Individual Sub-Service Pages• More indexed pages result
in better SEO rankings
• Rather than just list sub-service offerings, create individual pages for each sub-service offering.
• More pages equals more service specific keywords which enhances SEO
SEO - LINKSIDEA #3:
Create Individual Sub-Service Pages
• List services but link them to their own page.
Best Practices Tip: Leverage free offers
SEO - LINKSIDEA #3:
Value of Links• Link quality matters. Less about quantity• Consider landing page for links
Link to specific service or industry pages vs. home page Better user experience More link juice to the page
• Don’t “keyword-stuff” anchor text• Google frowns on “link-schemes”
Creating links intended to manipulate PageRank Leveraging links that weren’t editorially placed or vouched for
by the site’s owner on a page.
Find New Link Partners• Partners/vendors• Trade associations• Community organizations• Local Chambers of Commerce• Better Business Bureau• Colleges/Universities (recruiting)
SEO – LINK BUILDINGIDEA #3:
Idea #4:
Website Redesign ROI:10 Ideas to Make the Most of Your Website Investment
Mobile vs. Responsive Design
Why Do You Need a Mobile Friendly Website?
MOBILE VS. RESPONSIVEIDEA #4:
Source: Smart Insights - http://bit.ly/1cjAdpn
Website Visits by Device Q4 2012 Q1 2013 Q2 2013 Q3 2013 Q4 2013
Ove
rall
Tabl
etSm
artp
hone
Responsive Design vs. Mobile Website• Responsive Design
Automatically adjusts to optimize display size
Must be built “from the ground up” • Mobile Website
Custom-designed for a smartphone experience
Can be “added on” to an existing website Does not require a complete rebuild
IDEA #4:MOBILE VS. RESPONSIVE
Responsive Design vs. Mobile Website
IDEA #4:
Element Responsive Design Mobile Website
Design Flexibility Design adapts to any monitor/device Design built specifically for mobile
User ExperienceMay cause longer load times for mobile visitors as all website content loads onto each page
Can be customized for the mobile user experience(show as much or as little content as is needed).
SEO Google announced it prefers responsive design for SEO purposes
Google supports mobile sites but it is not its recommended approach
Content Updates Content only needs to be updated in one central location
Content changes will require two separate updates. (i.e., Main & Mobile)
CostTypically a more expensive solution as the entire site needs to be coded in a responsive format.
Typically less expensive as a mobile site can be custom-designed and usually will require much less content than a full site.
MOBILE VS. RESPONSIVE
Mobile/Responsive Best Practices• Keep in mind that you are designing for touch • Design to allow space for a finger (28x28 pixels)
around your links• Redesign your drop-down menus • Think through how lead conversions will work • Implement features like “click-to-call” and
“click-to-map”
IDEA #4:MOBILE VS. RESPONSIVE
Idea #5: Inbound Marketing
Website Redesign ROI:10 Ideas to Make the Most of Your Website Investment
What is Inbound Marketing?• Creating highly value content that your
clients/prospects will seek out and find you• Marketing practice that makes your firm and
your content easy to find• Drives prospects to your website• Leverages your website to generate and track
qualified leads
INBOUND MARKETINGIDEA #5:
Inbound Marketing Components• Blogs• Calls-to-Action• Contact Forms• E-book/Offers • Landing Pages
INBOUND MARKETINGIDEA #5:
INBOUND MARKETINGIDEA #5:
Quick Poll• How many firm’s here have a blog?• How many times a month does your firm
post a blog?• How many authors do you have?• How many people here contribute to it as an
author?
INBOUND MARKETINGIDEA #5:
Source: HubSpot
The average company
that blogs generates 55% more website visitors
INBOUND MARKETINGIDEA #5:
Source: HubSpot
B2B companies that
blog get 67% more
leads/month than those
who don’t.
INBOUND MARKETINGIDEA #5:
Source: HubSpot
The average company
that blogs generates
97% more inbound links
INBOUND MARKETINGIDEA #5:
Source: HubSpot
The average company
that blogs generates 434% more indexed pages
INBOUND MARKETINGIDEA #5:
Source: HubSpot
43% of Companies Generate Customers From Their Blog
57% of Companies Who Blog Monthly Acquire Customers From Their Blog
82% of Companies Who Blog Daily Acquire Customers From Their Blog
70% of Decision Makers Prefer Getting to Know a Company via Articles (Not Ads)
81% of Decision Makers Trust Information and Advice From Blogs
INBOUND MARKETINGIDEA #5:
Source: HubSpot
Blogging = Business.
61% of U.S. consumers have
been influenced to make a
purchase based on a blog post.
INBOUND MARKETINGIDEA #5:
Source: HubSpot
Companies That Blog Generate 126%
More Leads Than Those That Don’t
INBOUND MARKETINGIDEA #5:
59% of CPA Firms Don’t Have a Blog
Source: Vitberg 2013 – 2014 CPA Firm Best Lead Generation Practices Survey
INBOUND MARKETINGIDEA #5:
Blogs - Content Generation• Industry News/Opinion/BDO
Content Curation Sites (i.e., Scoopit.Com)• FAQs From Clients• Firm News• Guest Blogs• Repurposed Content From Other Platforms
Speaking engagements, white papers, videos, etc.• Leverage Keywords (i.e., headline & body copy)• Build a Team of Bloggers and Go!
Attracting Traffic to Blog• Search Engine Optimization• Website• E-blast/E-newsletters/E-mail signatures• Social Media
INBOUND MARKETINGIDEA #5:
MeasurementINBOUND MARKETING
IDEA #5:
• Generate significant, targeted organic search traffic on an ongoing basis• Content “lives forever” online • Continue to attract search traffic long after it has been posted
Search Growth-Blog
2009 Visits: 6,902
Page views: 7,235Search Hits: 1,115Blogs Posted: 131
2010 Visits: 14,761
Page views: 16,050Search Hits: 5,866Blogs Posted:174
2011 Visits: 21,712
Page views: 24,731Search Hits: 12,712Blogs Posted: 200
2012Visits: 28,308
Page views: 41,945Search Hits: 20,416Blogs Posted: 274
2013Visits: 36,259
Page views: 54,599Search Hits: 21,094Blogs Posted: 246
INBOUND MARKETINGIDEA #5:
BLOGS
Best Practices Tip: Leverage free offers
Best Practices Tip: Allow people to
subscribe
Best Practices Tip: Sort by service or
industry
INBOUND MARKETINGIDEA #5:
Sign Up
Order Now
Download
Get Started
Read Now
Free Trial
CALLS-TO-ACTION
INBOUND MARKETINGIDEA #5:
Calls-To-Action• Important element for driving qualified leads• Capitalize on traffic to your website• Drive prospects deeper into the sales funnel• CTAs drive traffic to landing pages• Landing pages convert traffic into leads
Call To Action
Best Practice Tip: Ask Qualifying Questions
INBOUND MARKETINGIDEA #5:
Call-To-Action ButtonsINBOUND MARKETING
IDEA #5:
Contact Form• Base model• Only on one page• Requires almost no effort from
site owner• Low lead generation
Practice Areas
Accounting & Auditing
Business Consulting
Employee Benefit Plan Audits
Estate Planning
Litigation Advisory
State & Local Tax
Tax Planning
RANALLO & AVENI LLC
RANALLO & AVENI LLC
INBOUND MARKETINGIDEA #5:
Contact Form• Have on every page• You never know at what point
someone will decide to contact you
Touch base Ask questions Request quote Request information
INBOUND MARKETINGIDEA #5:
Ask an Expert• Answer direct questions from clients
& prospective clients• Requires technical expertise &
monitoring• Timely response• Dedicated• Provides direct interaction • Positions you as an industry
expert/leader/authority
INBOUND MARKETINGIDEA #5:
Jonathan
Mailing List• Sign up for information• Typically an e-newsletter• Need to create & provide
information• Dedication (i.e., quarterly, monthly
weekly, etc.)
INBOUND MARKETINGIDEA #5:
Jonathan
Jonathan
jebenstein@skodaminotti.com
Ebenstein
Skoda Minotti
Mailing List• Sign up for information• Typically an e-newsletter• Need to create & provide information• Dedication (i.e., quarterly, monthly
weekly, etc.)
INBOUND MARKETINGIDEA #5:
Events• Webinars• Seminars• Open House• Lunch & Learns
INBOUND MARKETINGIDEA #5:
Best Practice Tip: PULL LIVE FEEDS
E-BooksINBOUND MARKETING
IDEA #5:
Lead Follow-Up• Someone MUST own this• Create process and follow it• Personal contact• Add leads to marketing communications
(i.e., e-newsletter, e-blasts, etc.)• Keep-in-touch program
INBOUND MARKETINGIDEA #5:
Idea #6:
Website Redesign ROI:10 Ideas to Make the Most of Your Website Investment
Content Management System
What is a Content Management System (CMS)?• Make updates to website content without a
required knowledge of code• Functionality can typically be customized to
meet specific website update needs• Many CMS can be upgraded over time to
account for new functionality requirements• There are a wide variety of both free and paid
CMS solutions from which to choose
CMSIDEA #6:
Choosing the Right CMS for You• Benefits of choosing a free CMS solution
(i.e. WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, etc.) No start-up cost Large developer community to rely on for
support/plugins/themes/etc. Familiar interface for managing content
• Benefits of choosing a paid CMS solution(i.e. Expression Engine, HubSpot)
Commercial support available for quick resolution to issues
Less vulnerable to security breaches than free CMS “Official” (trusted) plugins/modules available to
enhance site functionality
CMSIDEA #6:
CMS Functionality to Consider• Add/remove pages/blog posts• Edit text/photos/videos on pages/blog posts• Edit site navigation• Add/remove digital assets (i.e., pdfs, audio,
video, zip files)• Edit webpage metadata (for SEO)• User login/member management• E-commerce
CMSIDEA #6:
CMS Best Practices• Train multiple users on the system to prevent
delays on updates• Be aware when pasting content directly from
Word – use Notepad instead• Create website style guide to ensure all
updates are consistent• Have a team in place to spot check updates on
a regular basis and scan for errors (i.e., broken links, formatting issues, SEO data, etc.)
CMSIDEA #6:
Idea #7:
Website Redesign ROI:10 Ideas to Make the Most of Your Website Investment
E-newsletter
E-newsletter Considerations on Your Website• Easy to signup on your site• Host an archive of old issues/articles• Link e-newsletter sends to your website/blog• Increase search rankings
E-NEWSLETTERIDEA #7:
E-NEWSLETTERIDEA #7:
Best Practice Tip: CROSS PROMOTE
E-NewsletterE-NEWSLETTER
IDEA #7:
E-NEWSLETTERIDEA #7:
Idea #8:
Website Redesign ROI:10 Ideas to Make the Most of Your Website Investment
Analytics
How Are You Measuring the Success of Your Website?• Number of visitors?• Search visibility?• Quality of visitors?• Number of leads?• Number of sales?
ANALYTICSIDEA #8:
Google Analytics• In order to start tracking, you need an
analytics program• Google Analytics is free and easy to use• http://www.google.com/analytics/ • Install tracking code and you can be up and
running in minutes
ANALYTICSIDEA #8:
Google Analytics OverviewANALYTICS
IDEA #8:
Channels
ANALYTICSIDEA #8:
Referring Sites
ANALYTICSIDEA #9:
Top Content
ANALYTICSIDEA #9:
LocationANALYTICS
IDEA #9:
DevicesANALYTICS
IDEA #9:
In-Page AnalyticsANALYTICS
IDEA #9:
Social Media SourcesSocial Media Sources
ANALYTICSIDEA #9:
Idea #9:
Website Redesign ROI:10 Ideas to Make the Most of Your Website Investment
Ongoing Maintenance
Maintaining Your Website • Install Google Analytics – Watch regularly for
increases/decreases in traffic/quality of visit stats and determine cause
• Install Google Webmaster Tools – Use this tool to identify Google crawl errors, security risks and more.
• Ensure Your CMS Software is Up-to-Date – Out of date software can increase your website’s susceptibility viruses and security risks.
• Check Website Regularly – Make it a regular habit to give your website the “eye-test” and look for user experience issues, general formatting and old/outdated links that require updates.
ONGOING MAINTENANCEIDEA #9:
Idea #10:
Website Redesign ROI:10 Ideas to Make the Most of Your Website Investment
Your Design Team
Who Do You Want Building Your House?
Jack-of-All-TradeGuy
General Contractor, Electrician, Plumber, Dry Waller, Painter, Excavator, Roofer,
Concrete Contractor, etc.
YOUR DESIGN TEAMIDEA #10:
YOUR DESIGN TEAMIDEA #10:
Who Do You Want Designing Your Website?
Project Supervisor, Project Manager, Art Director, Graphic/Interactive Designer,
Programmer, Copywriter, SEO Manager, etc.
Jack-of-All-TradeWeb Guy
YOUR DESIGN TEAMEssential Skill Sets• Strategy and planning• Project management• Information architecture and user interface
design• Graphic design for the web• Web copywriting• Web technology• Site production• Search Engine Optimization• Lead generation & tracking
IDEA #10:
YOUR DESIGN TEAM• Should have industry experience. Will save you
time and resources• Team members are experienced in what they do• Hire a team w/multi-skills sets
Designer, programmer, SEO manager, copy writer, etc.
• Review web site portfolio• Be sure they do the type of features or tasks
needed to develop your website• Check references• Results over costs• It’s about ROI not initial investment
Evaluation Checklist
IDEA #10:
YOUR DESIGN TEAMWeb Site Development Process
IDEA #10:
• Strategy session Requirements gathering Wire Frame/site map Solution design & approval
• Production schedule with delivery dates & deadlines
• Design & copy development • Site construction (coding)• Beta testing & approval• CMS training• Go Live, follow-up & support
YOUR DESIGN TEAM
• One time design cost vs. ongoing monthly fee • Multi-year contracts. What does it cover?• Ownership of all YOUR site files (i.e., copy,
images, layout, URL, etc.) • Can you move the site?• Be aware of duplicative content
Check The Contract
IDEA #10:
QUESTIONS?Jonathan EbensteinPartner, Strategic Marketing Services
Phone - (440) 449-6800 x7231Email - jebenstein@skodaminotti.com Website: www.skodaminottimarketing.com
Cleveland | Akron | Tampa
FREE STUFF!! GO TO: www.skodaminottimarketing.comComplete Library of Marketing E-books, SEO Analysis & Other Free Offers