Did you Know Responsive Website Design Can Impact Your Bottom Line?

How to Improve Your

BOTTOM LINEResponsive Web Designwith

What is Responsive Web Design? ....................................................................................... 3

Examples of Responsive (Mobile-Friendly) Websites ................................................. 4

Who Cares About Responsive Web Design? ................................................................... 8

Responsive Web Design & Lead Generation .................................................................. 9

5 Ways to Generate More Leads with Responsive Web Design ........................... 10

Lead Generation: Key Takeaway ....................................................................................... 16

Responsive Web Design & Cost Reduction ....................................................................17

How Responsive Web Design Can Reduce Long-Term Costs ................................. 18

Cost Reduction: Key Takeaway .......................................................................................... 19

Final Words ................................................................................................................................20

Table of Contents

How to Improve Your Bottom Line with Responsive Web Design©2014 Sikich LLP. All Rights Reserved.

What is Responsive Web Design?

68% of people regularly connect to the Internet via their smartphone.

?

How to Improve Your Bottom Line with Responsive Web Design 3©2014 Sikich LLP. All Rights Reserved.

Responsive web design simply offers viewers the best possible

website experience based on what device – laptops, desktops,

smartphones or tablets – they are using at any given time.

If you’re part of the 68% of people who regularly connect to the Internet via your smartphone, chances are you’ve visited a mobile website recently. What did it look like?

Were the images and writing near impossible to read because of their miniature size, or were there easy-to-read, simple-to-use buttons? If you found the latter, you may have been visiting a website that was developed using the responsive web design approach.

When marketers create websites using responsive web design, the look and functionality are both designed so that they may be adjusted dynamically for any device, regardless of screen size, shape or dimensions.

Examples of Responsive (Mobile-Friendly) Websites


Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF)As a provider of retirement, disability and death benefits to local governments and school districts in Illinois, IMRF needed to completely rethink its approach to online efforts to supply timely and accurate information to its members. Their website represents the single largest repository of IMRF information.

Through our in-depth user research and user-centered design methodology, we redefined the IMRF experience. We provided IMRF with a responsive design solution that will empower IMRF to easily provide customers with up-to-the-minute information with the best possible website experience based on what device – laptops, desktops, smartphones or tablets – they are using at any given time.



Vela InsuranceVela Insurance selected us to create a content-rich (content-heavy), responsive user-centered web experience for its website visitors. We leveraged our extensive experience in user experience design to align business requirements with member needs.

With one click, the important information Vela Insurance website visitors need can be accessed directly from the broker portal. Visitors can check loss runs, print a billing statement or find a contact, all in one convenient, easy-to-use place.



American Purchasing SocietySimply put, the American Purchasing Society needed to improve its online experience for its members.

Visually, the old site design was outdated and not mobile-friendly. As a result, the American Purchasing Society’s old website failed to engage customers and establish the Society as a credible organization.

The new responsive site greatly increased site traffic, membership, course enrollment and book purchases!



Tau CenterTau Center needed a new website to showcase its programs and facility, and provide the resources individuals are seeking on their spiritual journey. Working closely with the Tau Center marketing team, we created a responsive site that is representative of the in-person experience.

The new website provides visitors with an easy-to-use online experience for signing up for programs. Forms were specifically designed to make input of information quick and easy.

We also provided a solution for the Tau Center to easily track sales, as well as access and export detailed reports and charts with information about all of their program attendees and ticket sales.

By 2018, there will be an estimated 10 billion connected smart devices. That’s more than one smart device for every man, woman and child on planet Earth!

$^@*#$!!!“So, what?” you say?At a global level, creating a website with responsive design isn’t about chasing the newest design fad. It’s about preparing your organization for mobile devices. The world is shifting its use of the Internet and discovering relevant information. By 2018, there will be an estimated 10 billion connected smart devices. That’s more than one smart device for every man, woman and child on planet Earth.

At an organizational level, what happens when a potential customer has to pinch his or her way around your website and read tiny letters to find buttons to make a purchase? Frustration and, potentially, the loss of a sale.

Responsive web design is an effective way to prevent this. Since responsive websites eliminate the need to pinch and scroll, users will likely spend more time on your website and visit more pages.

Regardless of whether or not you have a website optimized for mobile, people are visiting your website from their mobile devices. So, you see, responsive web design is not only for the technologist, and it’s not only for the marketing team. Everyone should care about responsive web design, especially when its benefits can result in generating more leads and meeting—or exceeding—your organization’s bottom line.

Those frustrated customers will turn to an organization that makes it easy to complete their purchases via a mobile device. Gain the advantage by embracing responsive web design before your competitors do.


Responsive Design and Lead Generation

Listen Up! 61% of mobile users are less likely to take action on a website that is not mobile-friendly—and they’re going to your competitors instead.

Look—we don’t want to judge any books by their covers, but we’re

all human. When you see a website that looks old and more

importantly, functions poorly, will you spend a great deal of time on

that website? Probably not.

This concept is no different for the way we view websites on mobile devices, tablets and so forth. If the look and/or functionality is not as optimized as possible, we are less likely to download a white paper, register for an event or start adding items to the shopping cart on that site. In fact, a Google study found that 61% of mobile users are less likely to take action on a website that is not mobile-friendly—and they’re going to your competitors instead. The same study found that 74% of people are more likely to return to the same mobile-friendly site in the future.

With 60% of B2B companies indicating that lead generation is a top business challenge, tapping into proven ways of obtaining these prospects is critical.

There are a variety of tactics an organization can take to generate leads through responsive web design; here are a few to start you out.


5 Ways to Generate More Leads with Responsive Web Design

WEBSITE COSTS

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Make it User-Friendly.

Make the Most of Your Mobile Homepage.

Eliminate Frustrating Forms.

Be Clickable.

Integrate with SEO Efforts.


From designing bigger buttons to using shorter forms, user-friendly,

responsively designed mobile sites have proven time and time again

that they convert more leads than a traditional website squeezed into

a small smartphone screen.

To improve a mobile website’s usability, an organization must always listen to what its users want, and functionality plays a key part. Google completed a survey of mobile users, and one point came through loud and clear:

Today’s mobile users demand mobile-friendly sites.

By not having a mobile-friendly website, it helps your competitors.

A great mobile site experience is becoming increasingly important, and users will keep looking for a mobile-friendly site until they find one that works for them. That means your competitors will benefit if your site falls down on the job (and vice versa).

of users said that if they didn’t find what they were looking for right away on a mobile site, they’d quickly move on to another site.

of people who don’t like what they find on one site will go back and search for another site.

of people said that even if they like a business, they will use them less often if the website isn’t mobile-friendly.

1Make it User-Friendly.


BUY NOW!

61% 79% 50%

Non-mobile-friendly sites can hurt a company’s reputation.

It turns out that you can lose more than the sale with a bad mobile experience. A site that’s not designed for mobile can leave users feeling downright frustrated, and these negative reactions translate directly to the brands themselves.

Having a great mobile site is no longer just about

making a few more sales. It’s become a critical

component of building strong brands, nurturing lasting customer relationships and making mobile work for you.

“ “of users said they feel frustrated and annoyed when they get to a site that’s not mobile-friendly.

said they felt like they’ve wasted their time by visiting those sites.

of users said that a bad mobile experience made them less likely to engage with a company.

said that if a site didn’t work well on their smartphones, it made them feel like the company didn’t care about their business.


48% 36% 52% 48%

Think about the last website you visited on a mobile

device. Were you able to find what you needed in

three clicks or fewer?

Experts say that mobile users should be able to do this easily, or organizations risk losing those prospective customers. And in reality, the majority of users (78% to be exact) want to find what they need in only one or two clicks.

This statistic makes it clear that mobile websites should not only be responsively designed, but should be responsively designed with the most sought-after content at top-of-mind. If you know that your free, one-hour consultation is one of the most-clicked offers, include a button that users can click on from the mobile homepage. If your organization tends to get many event registrants, place an events button on your mobile homepage that leads to a (mobile-friendly) listing of events where users can easily and quickly sign up on their mobile device. And that brings us to…

78% of mobile users want to find what they need in only 1 or 2 clicks.“

“2Make the Most of Your

Mobile Homepage.


+

If users want the ability to register for an event or sign up for

other offers on your mobile site, you need to provide a form that

encourages prospective customers to fill it out—not run from it.

Since forms are becoming notoriously long and complex, users are therefore becoming more hesitant about filling them out. In fact, one study has indicated that conversion rates significantly drop after using more than seven fields, with the optimal number of fields being one, three or seven.

When you engage with responsive web design, all parts of your mobile website—even forms—will adjust according to the device your audience is using.

Additionally, you may consider using progressive profiling technology for your forms, which allows you to gather information from leads on a gradual basis. So, if John Doe is already in your CRM system and you know that he is an HR Manager, it would be silly to ask him again for his job title. This time around, you would be able to dive deeper (say, asking the name of his organization) without requiring information you already have. This gives you the capability to gather information without compromising the conversion of this lead.

$^@*#$!!!

A study has indicated that conversion rates significantly drop after using more than 7 fields, with the optimal number of fields being 1, 3or 7.“ “

Name

Title

Company

Phone

Date of Birth

Social Security Number

Religious Preference

Favorite Color

Name of First Born

Email

Address

Color of Your Shirt

3Eliminate Frustrating Forms.


Your prospective customers have easily and quickly navigated your

mobile website’s homepage and forms, and now they want to call

you to discuss a product or service.

Since you’ve responsively designed your website, finding your phone number was simple—but can they click on it with one tap and connect with you? Or do they have to go back and forth between your website and their phone keypad to punch the number in correctly? If the latter resonates with you, it’s time to make a change. When prospective customers are at the point in the buying cycle when they want to speak to you, they want to speak to you now.

CONTACT US

555-5555

4Be Clickable.

There is a rumor floating around that responsive websites will

automatically rank higher in search engines than traditionally built

websites. This is a myth.

That said, search engines do like responsive websites; they are easier to crawl and index since they are all under one domain. However, marketing teams and SEO specialists still need to work hard at improving search rankings. Only combined with factors such as page titles, keywords, meta descriptions and so forth will responsive web design work in your ranking favor.

5Integrate with SEO Efforts.


SEO

Lead Generation: Key Takeaway

Neglecting to update an old website design

is a surefire way to lose visitors and miss

opportunities to earn prospective customers.

Employing technology that improves the

visitor experience will enhance your relevance,

engage visitors and encourage prospective

customers to take action.


Responsive Web Design & Cost ReductionCandidly speaking, redesigning your website is not an easy or inexpensive project. Many organizations elect to hire an agency for projects like this, simply because they are often the experts. If you are lucky enough to have an in-house team that can take it on, there is no question that you will lose their valuable time almost entirely.

But the long-term payback will be worth it.

WEBSITE COSTS


How Responsive Web Design Can Reduce Long-Term Costs


Bundle Up

These days, many organizations want it all—an updated website, a version for smartphones and a version for tablets.

In the future, people across the world may be able to view websites on wearable technology, kitchen appliances and so forth. With all of these variables, it doesn’t really make sense to create a different website for each platform. Not only would it consume an incredibly large amount of time, it would be extremely pricey to have templates for each and every device designed.

Responsive web design eliminates this concern. Though designing a responsive website is more costly than designing a traditional website, duplicating content is unnecessary, thus eliminating that expense.

Simplify Maintenance

One of the strongest benefits of responsive web design is its ability to simplify website maintenance.

Since a responsive website is just one site (as opposed to having a traditional website plus a mobile website plus anything else), marketers are able to maintain all types of content much more simply. Having a responsive website means that your marketing team (or whichever team is responsible for the website) only has to make updates to one site—and if your website has a lot of content, this benefit is a gem in and of itself!

Cut Down on Online Advertising

Earlier, we talked a bit about how search engines prefer responsive websites. If your organization excels at search engine optimization, plus you have a responsive website, you may begin seeing an improvement in your ranking.

At the end of the day, ranking higher in search engines allows organizations to cut down on online advertising costs, like pay-per-click campaigns.

$$

$click

click

click

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While designing a responsive website can be costly

for many organizations, it is essential to also

consider long-term financial benefits. Technology is

constantly changing, and websites will eventually be

available on countless devices. By implementing a

responsive website, organizations can realize long-term

cost reductions because duplicating content will be

unnecessary, maintenance will be easier and search

rankings may replace online advertising.

Cost Reduction: Key Takeaway

WEBSITE COSTS


Final WordsResponsive web design can be a highly effective tactic for generating and converting leads, as well as realizing long-term financial savings related to your organization’s digital marketing efforts. However, it is not a decision to be made lightly. There are a number of factors to consider, including your digital and online marketing goals, your audience’s online behaviors and of course, your budget.

We know the information in here—as well as around the Internet—about responsive web design is a lot to digest. Our web design and development team is here to answer any questions you may have about how it could work for your organization.


Bill FergusonDirector of Web Development Marketing & Public RelationsSikich LLPP: [email protected]

Connect with us on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/company/sikich.Follow us on Twitter @sikichllp.Visit our blog at sikich.com/blog.

Sikich LLP, a leading professional services firm, has more than 600 employees throughout the country. Founded in 1982, Sikich now ranks as one of the country’s Top 35 Certified Public Accounting firms and is among the top 1% of all enterprise resource planning solution partners in the world. From corporations and non-profits to state and local governments, Sikich clients can use a broad spectrum of services and products that help them reach long-term, strategic goals. Visit www.sikich.com to discover how you can elevate performance in your organization.

How to Improve Your Bottom Line with Responsive Web Design©2014 Sikich LLP. All Rights Reserved.