does your website stack up? cpa website findings revealed
TRANSCRIPT
#AAMKT 1
Walt Disney World
Swan and Dolphin Resort
Orlando, FL
#AAMKT
AAM Summit
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE
Session M25.
Does Your Website Stack Up? CPA Website Findings Revealed
Tuesday, June 9, 2015
2:55pm – 4:10pm
Jonathan Ebenstein & Bob Goricki
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The Past, Present and Future of the
CPA Website
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Top Technology - 1995
Top Cell Phone
Motorola Flare L Top Computer
Power Macintosh 6200
Top Music Device
Sony Discman D Series
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Top CPA Website - 1995
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Top Technology - 2050
Hoover boards! Flying Cars! Smart Phones!
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Websites In The Future www.skodaminotti.com
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Websites In The Future
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2015
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Survey Objectives
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Objectives:
• Provide a benchmark for the use of various design and development
elements of the top CPA firm websites
• Understand and demonstrate the key metrics that relate to website
traffic, website engagement and social media for CPA firms
The results can be used to:
• Measure a CPA firm’s existing site
• Determine which upgrades need to be made in order to meet or
exceed current industry standards
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• Surveyed websites from Accounting Today’s Top 100 firms
• Included 35 additional “Firms to Watch”
• Gathered data January – March of 2015
• Conducted audit via –
HubSpot’s Marketing Grader
Screaming Frog
Manual Site Review
SemRush
Survey Methodology
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• Traffic Rank
• Indexed Pages
• Linking Domains
• MozRank
• Social Media
Facebook Fans
Twitter Followers
LinkedIn Followers
Metrics Terminology
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Traffic Rank - Alexa.com
• Traffic estimates are based on data from a
global traffic panel of millions of Internet users
• The rank is calculated using a proprietary
methodology
Combines a site's number of unique visitors with
the number of page views over the past 3
months
Metric Definitions
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Metric Definitions
Indexed Pages – Google.com
• Number of pages in Google’s index
• To determine the number of pages in
Google’s index for a given site, use the
expression “site:[YOURSITE].com” in
the Google search box
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Metric Definitions
Linking Domains – MOZ.com
• A measure of the number of
outside domains linking to a
particular site
• Use the Moz Open Site Explorer at
https://moz.com/researchtools/ose
to determine the number of linking
domain to your site
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Metric Definitions
MozRank – MOZ.com
• MozRank represents a link popularity score
• Reflects the importance of any given web page on
the Internet. Pages earn MozRank by the number
and quality of other pages that link to them
• The higher the quality of the incoming links, the
higher the MozRank
• MozRank is an algorithmic scale, similar to the
Richter scale, between 0 and 10. Thus, it's much
easier to improve from a MozRank of 3 to 4 than it
is to improve from 8 to 9
• Learn more at https://moz.com/learn/seo/mozrank
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Survey:
Benchmarks
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Survey Results: Median Metrics
Firm Revenue Traffic
Rank
Indexed
Pages
Linking
Domains
MOZ
Rank
Over $500 million (10 firms)
140,000 121,800 2,235 6.3
$100 - $500 (21 firms)
892,685 3,970 395 5.9
$50 - $99 (35 firms)
1,776,000 880 150 5.3
Under $50 (66 firms)
3,592,000 790 85 5.2
* Revenue shown in millions
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Survey:
Site Traffic Influencers
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Impact of Indexed Pages
Avera
ge T
raff
ic R
an
k (
in m
illio
ns)
Number of Indexed Pages
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Under 500 501-999 1,000-5,000 Over 5,000
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Impact of Linking Domains
Avera
ge T
raff
ic R
an
k (
in m
illio
ns)
Number of Inbound Links
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Under 50 51-100 101-500 Over 501
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Impact of MOZ Rank (Link Quality)
Avera
ge T
raff
ic R
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k (
in m
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ns)
MOZRank (Link Quality)
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Under 5 5-5.4 5.5-5.9 Over 6
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Site Traffic Indicators - Comparison
Avera
ge T
raff
ic R
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k (
in m
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ns)
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Bottom Ranked Firm
Top Ranked Firm
Indexed Pages Linked Domains MozRank All Indicators
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Survey:
Social Media
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Survey Results: Social Media Median Metrics
Firm Revenue Facebook Twitter LinkedIn
Over $500 million (10 firms)
854 986 8,444
$100 - $500 (21 firms)
636 709 4,915
$50 - $99 (35 firms)
374 480 1,925
Under $50 (66 firms)
181 211 959
* Revenue shown in millions
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Impact of Facebook Fans on Traffic Rank
Avera
ge T
raff
ic R
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k (
in m
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ns)
Number of Facebook Fans (Excluding Big 4)
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Under 100 101-500 501-1,000 Over 1,000
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Impact of Twitter Followers on Traffic Rank
Avera
ge T
raff
ic R
an
k (
in m
illio
ns)
Number of Twitter Followers (Excluding Big 4)
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Under 100 101-500 501-1,000 Over 1,000
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Impact of LinkedIn Followers on Traffic Rank
Avera
ge T
raff
ic R
an
k (
in m
illio
ns)
Number of LinkedIn Followers (Excluding Big 4)
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Under 1,000 1,000 - 5000 5,001 - 10,000 Over 10,000
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Impact of Social Media Comparison
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0
1
2
3
4
5
6
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Under 100
Under 1,000
101 – 500
1,001 - 5,000
501 – 1,000
5001 - 10,000
Over 1,000
Over 10,000
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Survey:
Website Components
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Yes - 45.5%
No - 54.5%
Is the Website Mobile Friendly?
(Mobile Version or Responsive Design)
Does the Website Implement
Responsive Design?
Yes - 33.6%
No - 66.4%
Survey Results: Mobile Friendliness
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“Mobilegeddon”
• Google algorithm update
• Changes implemented on April 21, 2015
• Individual pages, not entire websites
• Affects only search rankings on mobile devices
• Once site is made mobile friendly,
it can be re-indexed to remove penalty
• Mobile friendly formats:
Mobile design
Responsive design
Mobile Friendliness
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Mobile Traffic Trends
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
1600
1800
2000
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Desktop
Mobile
Number of Global Users (Millions)
Smart Insights - Statistics on mobile usage and adoption to inform your mobile marketing strategy
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What to do if you’re not mobile friendly: • Quick Fix: Mobile Design
Pros: − Specific mobile friendly user experience
− Easier to “add-on” to an existing website
− Generally less costly
Cons: − Does not cover every page on your website
− Need to make separate updates to mobile/non-mobile site
Mobile Version Design
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What to do if you’re not mobile friendly: • Long-Term Solution: Responsive Design
Pros: − Google preferred method
− Only one version of the website to update
− User can view all site content in a mobile-friendly format
Cons − Requires changes in code to the entire site
− Often more complicated/costly
Responsive Design
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Is your website mobile friendly?
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Is your website responsive design?
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Blogging
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Yes - 65.2%
No - 34.8%
Does the website have a blog?
Survey Results: Blogging
Is the blog active?
Active - 42%
Not Active - 58%
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Does your website have a blog?
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Is it active?
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Effectiveness of Blogging
Ind
exed
Tra
ffic
/Vis
ito
rs
Monthly Blog Posts
Impact of Monthly Blog Posts on Inbound Traffic for B2B Companies
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
0 to 1 2 to 3 4 to 5 6 to 10 11+
(Source: HubSpot)
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Effectiveness of Blogging
Monthly Blog Posts
Impact of Monthly Blog Posts on B2B Inbound Leads
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
0 to 1 2 to 3 4 to 5 6 to 10 11+
(Source: HubSpot)
Ind
exed
Lead
s
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Effectiveness of Blogging
Blog Status
Impact of Blogging on CPA Websites
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
No Blog Inactive Blog Active Blog
Avera
ge T
raff
ic R
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k (
in m
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ns)
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Effectiveness of Blogging
(Source: InsideView)
(Source: Skoda Minotti Research)
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• Brainstorming Session
Include your content creators
Think like your clients
What questions are your clients asking?
If they are asking you, others are likely
searching Google for the same answers
• Plan out content in advance
• Target keywords/topics
Best Practices – Content Calendar
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Google Keyword Planner - https://adwords.google.com/KeywordPlanner
Best Practices – Keyword Research
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Keyword Tool - http://keywordtool.io/
Find Google’s search suggestions for your keywords
Best Practices – Keyword Research
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Best Practices – Optimized Posts
• Page Title
• Headline
• Links
• Alt Text
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Best Practices – Social Sharing
• Start with your employees
Make it easy – send email with text
they can copy and paste
Encourage sharing on LinkedIn
• Make it easy for visitors
Sharing widgets on blog
Blog signup option (RSS)
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E-Newsletter
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Yes - 72.7%
No - 27.3%
Does the website promote an e-newsletter?
Survey Results: E-Newsletter
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• Mobile friendly
According to 2014 Q4 report by
MovableInk:
− 66% of all email in the US is now
opened/read on smartphones or tablets
− Only 34% is viewed on a desktop
Mobile friendly e-mail layout is a must
E-newsletter Best Practices – Layout
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Not Mobile Friendly Mobile Friendly
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E-newsletter Best Practices – Layout
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Images vs Text
• Can users understand your message/
call-to-action without images?
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• Gmail now automatically downloads
images in email but many email
clients (i.e., Outlook) do not
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Does your website promote
your e-newsletter?
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Premium Content
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Premium Content Introduction
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• Content available in exchange for visitor contact information
E-books
Whitepapers
Surveys
Checklists
Webinars
Etc.
• Allows trackable ROI on online
marketing efforts
• Leads must be followed up on to be effective
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Yes - 15.2%
No - 84.8%
Does the site promote premium content?
Survey Results: Premium Content
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Premium Content - Download Today!
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Premium Content Best Practices - Topics
• Niche services
• Industry expertise
• Frequently asked questions from clients
• Trending topics
• Skoda Minotti Examples:
“Thought Leadership on Key Issues in Business”
“What to Expect From Your First Employee
Benefit Plan Audit”
“What to Consider When Designing an Executive
Compensation Program”
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Premium Content Best Practices – Promotion
• Website
Utilize call to action buttons
On homepage
In related content
Find leads already in your database
Identify cross-sell opportunities
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Premium Content Best Practices – Promotion
• Social Media
Promote through employee social media
Promote through your firm’s channels
Promote through advertising
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Premium Content Best Practices – Promotion
• Paid Search
Targeted ads, keywords and
landing pages
Text or Display
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Premium Content Best Practices – Follow Up
• Automated Lead Nurturing
Email immediately after download
Add to future communications
Timed follow ups
• Manual
Have a system
Assign a point person
Accountability/tracking
60
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Does your site promote
premium content?
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Additional Survey
Results
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Yes - 68.2%
No - 31.8%
Does the site promote live/online events?
Survey Results: Events
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Does the site incorporate audio/video?
Survey Results: Audio/Video
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Yes - 56.1%
No - 43.9%
For example: Podcasts
Video Testimonials
Videos
Video case studies
Presentations
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Survey Results: Analytics
Yes - 97% No - 3%
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Does the site utilize analytics tracking?
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Survey Results: Marketing Automation
Yes - 46.2%
No - 53.8%
Does the site utilize marketing
automation software?
Leading
Automation Software:
66
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Survey Results: Forms
Yes - 85.6%
No - 14.4%
Does the site utilize contact forms?
67
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Summing It Up
• Social Media
68
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Summing It Up
• Social Media
• Responsive Design
69
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Summing It Up
• Social Media
• Responsive Design
• Blogging
70
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Summing It Up
• Social Media
• Responsive Design
• Blogging
• E-Newsletter
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Summing It Up
• Social Media
• Responsive Design
• Blogging
• E-Newsletter
• Premium Content
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Thank You
Jonathan Ebenstein
Managing Director/Partner
Phone - (440) 449-6800 x7231
Email - [email protected]
Bob Goricki
Senior Online Marketing Manager
Phone - (440) 449-6800 x7234
Email - [email protected]
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Request a free copy
of the survey:
http://marketing.skodaminotti.com/survey
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Questions?
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© 2015 American Institute of CPAs. All rights reserved.
Thank You