2009 Web Strategy Report

About the Survey

More than 130 internet stakeholders were surveyed in December of 2008 on how they are approaching their web strategy in the upcoming year. Survey respondents represented internet professionals at corporations of all sizes, non-profit organizations and agencies.

The role of web strategy

This survey was created to examine the ways organizations think about web strategy, lessons learned and upcoming plans. In these challenging economic times, a strong strategic plan can capture new market share and gain an edge over less focused competitors.

While we took a cross section from companies large and small, the results are surprisingly telling about what’s on tap for 2009.

Companies lack strategic confidence

While the digital channel has evolved to become a clear strategic focus for most organizations, only 57% of respondents can say they are confident their existing strategy is effective. The rest felt that their current strategy was either ineffective (28%) or simply needed improving. Some respondents attributed this to setting too low a bar for success or that key tactics such as social media were missing.

How far in advance should you plan?

It’s difficult to chart a long term web strategy with the fast moving nature of the web and the constant pressure to deliver results. Just 7% of respondents develop a strategic plan more than a year in advance. Six months appeared to be the median planning length with half indicating less and half indicating more.

Most telling was that 61% of the respondents that planned 1-3 months in advance did not think their web strategy was effective. This was in stark contrast to individuals that planned more than 6 months ahead. More than 64% felt they had an effective web strategy.

While confidence in your web strategy doesn’t necessary equate to actual results, the confidence gap between the short and longer term planners is a positive indicator for organizations that have a more strategic focus.

What do effective strategies have in common

It was compelling to examine what respondents that indicated effective web strategies had in common. While no two organizations have the exact same needs, some key trends emerged:

• More than 60% had a web strategy that looked at least 6 months out
• An overwhelming bullish mood on hiring and increased budgets with 88% either keeping or expanding existing interactive budgets
• Only 10% indicated an anticipated reduction of full time interactive staff
• Measurement, rich media and community initiatives are the top three areas of increased priority
• Investment in content management was the top brand new priority

Which initiatives are getting traction?

It is revealing to see how priorities are shifting with every dollar scrutinized in a down economic climate. The survey not only explored what initiatives were in or out, but how the priority is changing. Key findings include:

• More than 62% of respondents are increasing the priority on web measurement with 9% indicating it was a new priority altogether
• Investment in rich media continues to increase with 54% of respondents
• Community and social media projects also rated high with 53% indicating an increased priority
• More than 54% were remaining consistent with their IT and Infrastructure
• Multivariate testing is not even a priority for 22% of respondents, yet 33% are increasing the focus on testing

How to measure success?

Respondents overwhelmingly supported using measurement with 80% using traditional site-side analytics tools to measure success. With so many different site types and business models, we were interested in the variety of ways organizations think about measuring success. Common groupings of key performance indicators rose to the top of the list:

• Task Conversion - 31%
• Leads - 30%
• Revenue - 29%

A closer look gave insight into some more specific ways organizations are defining success.

• Bounce rate on key pages
• Conversion rates
• Customer satisfaction
• Increased employee productivity
• Visitor feedback and user generated content
• Inbound links

How organizations defend the interactive budget

The survey had a wide variety of response types when asked how they were prepared to defend the interactive budget in the coming year. While 15% said there was no need to defend the budget, 4% had already lost significant budget. Overwhelmingly respondents demonstrated clear return on investment as the top tactic. Other means included showing improved efficiency, cutting back in other areas to invest in more interactive, benchmarking against the competition and realigning internal priorities.

How to take action

While interesting macro trends surfaced around the overall web strategy, there was also a treasure trove of actionable advice. In reviewing the results and consulting with our own strategists, we have the following words of wisdom to address top challenges.

Gaining executive buy-in for longer term planning

1. Do your homework to understand how the website aligns to the overall corporate objectives
2. Build visual dashboards that clearly communicate progress toward agreed upon goals
3. Compare your key performance indicators against your own benchmarks for continuous improvement opportunities
4. Routinely interview key stakeholders in all aspects of the business to understand their goals online and off
5. Develop an internal communication vehicle (blog, newsletter, etc) to keep people informed and share success stories

Maintaining or growing your interactive budget

1. Expand the definition of ROI beyond traffic and conversions to tie to higher level business goals
2. Solicit advice from the accounting team to help align your presentation to the executive team's financial perspective
3. Understand what your competitors are investing in and how you are differentiating
4. Broaden the definition of your website beyond a marketing tactic into a platform that drives efficiency, education, and overall business
5. Create a culture of continuous improvement that is taking action on data and always striving to improve

About ISITE Design

ISITE Design is a full service interactive agency with offices in Boston, Dallas and Portland, Oregon. For more than a decade, ISITE Design has been a trusted interactive advisor helping organizations create and defend their competitive advantage.

For more information on how ISITE Design can help you define and execute a successful web strategy e-mail results@isitedeisgn.com or call 888-269-9103.

The agency also publishes a Webby-award winning newsletter published every full moon. Sign up at www.isitedesign.com/insight