KWD Web Management Report 2014 (open resource)

KW DIGITAL: WEB MANAGEMENT REPORT 2014
Focus and challenges for
CORPORATE
WEB MANAGERS
2014

ii 1KW DIGITAL WEB MANAGEMENT REPORT 2014 KW DIGITAL WEB MANAGEMENT REPORT 2014
Content
Content is King 2014...................................................................................2
Content is important.................................................................................. 4
Governance.............................................................................................. 8
Feedback and KPIs................................................................................. 11
Content Management Systems.................................................................. 13
Social Media............................................................................................ 16
Mobile and Tablets................................................................................... 24
Content marketing................................................................................. 29
About the report.................................................................................... 33
About KW Digital..................................................................................... 34
We asked web managers and others responsible for
corporate websites about the challenges they face in 2014
and what prioritises they will focus on. 116 professionals
from 96 companies in 18 countries participated in the
survey. 42% of the companies that took part in the survey
are in Financial Times’ Europe 500. These are our findings
from the survey.

2 3KW DIGITAL WEB MANAGEMENT REPORT 2014 KW DIGITAL WEB MANAGEMENT REPORT 2014
CONTENT
IS KING
2014 Even though 71% say that they are satisfied or
slightly satisfied with their content, it seems that
content improvements are one of the main
challenges in 2014. Maybe the urge for improving
content is an outcome of the 2013 Content
marketing boom.

Content is important in 2014
Fully
prioritised
PrioritisedTo some
extent
SlightlyNot at all
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
51%
34%
14%
1%0%
Most important content to improve
CSR/sustainability
Information about the company
Media
Career related
Investor relations
Complete content overhaul
Corporate governance
Contact information
Online Annual Report
Other
Risk information
Debt information
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
58%57%
50%
47%
44%
33%
30%
28%
22%
10%
8%
5%
Corporate Responsibility content
In the past three years we see four main areas for improving
content; Corporate Responsibility, Career, Media and Information
about the Company.
Corporate Responsibility – seen as the most important content
area to improve
What stands out in this survey is that Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability
top the list for the first time. With an increase from 47% to 58% last year it is now
seen as the most important content area to improve.
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
58%
2012 2013 2014
47%
49%
More focus on CSR related content
CONTENT IS IMPORTANT IN 2014

One-third plan for complete overhaul
Another quite interesting trend is the increase in respondents saying that no spe-
cific area will be prioritised this year but rather a complete overhaul of content.
This is an increase of almost 100% since last year, meaning a third of companies
which plan for a complete overhaul of content in 2014.
Search optimisation not as important as
content structure and responsive design
Content structure, responsive design, design and visuals are prioritised features
of a website in 2014. In comparison, search engine optimisation is not at all
as prioritised. This is interesting, giving the fact that high search ranking is
essential with search engines being the hub of all surfing. Of the 10 corporate
websites that we measured, more than 50% of all visitors come through search
engines. (80% of internet users are using search and 1.4 billion searches are
conducted every hour).
The SEO result can be interpreted in two ways. Either there are many companies
which do not realise the importance of working with search engine optimisation.
Or maybe, which we hope and believe, there are many companies realising that
creating relevant content with digital spread results in a better search ranking,
without them necessarily calling that SEO.
Content structure
Responsive design
Design
Visuals/interactive features
Social media integration
Functionality (e.g. charting tools, databases)
Internal search engine
Search engine optimisation
CMS
Online Reports (AR, interim/quarterly, CSR)
Functions to increase visitor interaction (e.g. forms, chat)
Apps
Mobile adaption, non-responsive
None
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
60%57%
54%
51%
50%
40%
37%
33%
31%
26%
15%
14%
7%
4%
Prioritised solutions in 2014
“Focus on CSR related content might indicate an
increased comprehension among companies that
proactive action and communication of CSR issues
is crucial when it comes to gaining trust from
stakeholders.”
– Karolina Dubowicz, CSR specialist
at Hallvarsson & Halvarsson
CONTENT IS IMPORTANT IN 2014CONTENT IS IMPORTANT IN 2014

36%13%
9%
4%
4-6
10 or
more
0 1
33%
2-3
5%
7-9
Number of more or less full time employees
working with the corporate website
Governance
GOVERNANCE
Fewer resources and growing digital communication ambitions are
the most common challenges specified by the respondents in 2014.
Higher ambitions but fewer dedicated full-time workers for the web site
The percentage of companies having 4 or more dedicated full-time workers for
their website has decreased from 35% to 26% since last year. Most of the
companies have 1-3 full-time workers managing their website. A third have only
one person dedicated to their site.
More companies realise importance of senior management
involvement. Too many are still without it.
The percentage of companies reporting that their senior management is highly
or fully involved in goals and visions for the web has increased from 38% to
46% the last year. Unfortunately, over 20% still have little or no involvement at
all from senior management. Even though more respondents says that senior
management is involved, it is not necessarily the same as having their full
attention or having a digital strategy which management has signed off. The
risk of not having a clear strategy is vast. It can result in a digital communi-
cations failing to support the business strategy. Despite this there are still, in
2014, too many indicating that they do not have a clear strategy supported by
the management.
Fully
involved
HighlyTo some
extent
SlightlyNot at all
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
33%
30%
21%
3%
13%
Senior management’s involvement in determining the goals
and visions for corporate digital communication

Bigger teams’ usually have higher senior management involvement
Interesting to see is that the bigger the digital communication teams are, the more
likely it is that their senior management is involved. Of those companies with one
person dedicated to the corporate website only one third have senior management’s
involvement.
Senior management’s involvement compared to team size
65%
35%Not at all
Slightly
To some extent
Highly
Fully
involved
0-1
53%
47%
Not at all
Slightly
To some extent
Highly
Fully
involved
4-10
38%
62%
Not at all
Slightly
To some
extent
Highly
Fully
involved
2-3
One of more full time editors
Content owners directly
Web agency (third party)
1 or more p/t web editors (assistants, secretaries)
Other
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
66%
20%
33%
5%
15%
Full time editors publish content on corporate websites
Feedback and KPIs
Over 90% assess data from web analytics. Only 1% don’t work with web
analytics and 8% don’t know if their company is working with it.
One-third ask for feedback from visitors and web analytics
is collected every month
Companies tend to assess web analytics every month. More than a third ask
for feedback from their visitors. Of those not asking for feedback from visitors
40% plan to in 2014. If they do, there will be over 60% collecting feedback
from visitors by the end of the year.
Yes
No
Not yet
but plan to
this year
24%
37%
39%
Use of feedback from visitors
GOVERNANCE

FEEDBACK AND KPIs
Majority use KPIs or plan to do so in 2014
Working with KPIs might be a growing trend as almost 34% of the companies
plan to introduce them in 2014. And since 30% are already using KPIs, we
might have about 60% working with them by the end of this year.
Working with KPI on corporate website
34%
30%
29%
7%
YesNo
Not yet
but plan to this year
Don’t
know
Assess of data from web analytics
Every day Don’t knowEvery weekEvery monthLess oftenNever
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
46%
19%
17%
9%
8%
1%
What are Key Performance
Indicators (KPIs)
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are mea-
surements which helps companies evaluate
their success. When employed on a website
KPIs measure the success of the site. In
order to do so, each page needs to have a
clear purpose and goal, such as filling in a
form or downloading a presentation. This
goal is then measured and the percentage
of visitors fulfilling the goal becomes the
page’s conversion rate.
Content Management
Systems
The most commonly used CMS tools are EPiServer and MS SharePoint,
with the most satisfied CMS users being those with EPiServer.
Unfortunately only one third of those using MS SharePoint are satisfied
with the tool.
EPiServer and SharePoint most commonly used, but vast differences
in satisfaction between them
It is interesting to see that the majority of the respondents answer that they are
using other CMSs. When specifying which, there are a vast amount of different
CMS tools mentioned. Drupal is one of them.
CMS used for corporate website
EPiServer
MS SharePoint
Custom, built by agency
Custom, built internally
Adobe CQ
Wordpress
Tridion SDL
Opentext (RedDot)
Umbraco
Sitecore
Adobe Experience Manager
Other
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%
24%
21%13%
10%
8%
5%
5%
4%
3%
2%
2%
2%

CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
As many as 20% of companies have custom made CMS tools, either built in-house
or by an agency. The majority of those using custom made CMS tools are
satisfied with their solution. Still, we do not recommend our clients go down this
route unless they have very tailored, specific requirements that can’t be meant
by off-the-shelf CMSs. Certain aspects of custom-made CMS tools needs to be
taken into consideration, including security issues and the challenges of keeping
the CMS up to date in a rapidly changing digital environment.
Satisfaction of CMS
Custom made
CMS (internal
and external)
MS SharePointEPiServer
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
67%65%
31%

Social media
Almost 80% now use social media in corporate communications,
a high percentage that has increased year-on-year.
Social media – is well used, but we need sharper strategies
Despite this, only 26% say that they are completely satisfied with their social
media engagement. And when specifying the greatest challenge for 2014,
“social media” is often one of the areas mentioned.
14%
78%
8%
Yes
No
Not yet
but plan in 2014
Companies using social media for corporate communications
Need for more frequent updates and sharper strategies
There is low satisfaction with social media engagement and respondents saying
social media is the greatest challenge, indicates there is more to do. The majority
have taken the step into engaging through social media. Now, the most common
challenges are to shape a social media strategy and/or policy or improving an
existing one and to reach a higher frequency in social media content production.
Social media is managed in-house
Companies mostly work on their social media related activities in-house.
Such activities include the social media strategy, updating content as well as
monitoring and responding to comments. None of the companies use an agency
alone when working on their social media strategy even though some work
together with an agency.
32%
68%
Agency
In-house
Companies that use an agency to some extent when managing
strategy, content, monitoring or responding to comments
SOCIAL MEDIA
Continued investment in social media
Social media is still on the rise and companies continue investing in social media
related work. And even though there are not as many as last year planning for
an increase in budget, about 18% of the respondents are still planning to do so.

SOCIAL MEDIASOCIAL MEDIA
Change in social media budget
Less About the
same
More Don’t know
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
50%
18%
27%
5%
More companies prepare to use social media during crises
Last year, we found out that almost 28% of the companies have directives
on how to use social media during crisis. This year companies seem to have
acknowledged the benefits in using social media in crisis communications, both
in limiting the risk of getting into a crisis as well as handling the crisis when it
breaks out. We see slight increase to 33% in companies now including a crisis
plan in their social media policy from last year.
What the social policies include
Guidelines for all employees’ conduct
related to the corporate social media channels
Guidelines on how employees are allowed to use
personal social media channels at work
Instructions for the social media team on how to respond
to questions in the corporate social media channels
Instructions for the social media team on what content to
publish in the corporate social media channels
Crisis plan - instructions for what to do
in the state of a social media crisis.
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
80%
78%
61%
53%
48%
Companies with a social media policy that include a crisis plan
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
33%
2013 2014
28%
Last year as much as 28% increased their budget for social media work. Only
5% intend to decrease the budget which is similar to last year’s intention among
the companies.

Companies priorities press, career and CR related information
in social media
The areas of most importance for social media, are the same areas noted for the
overall digital communication. That is, Career, Corporate Responsibility and Press.
58% will prioritise career related information in social media, 55% will prioritise
CR information and 52% prioritise Press related information.
Surprisingly, 76% of companies are dissatisfied, slightly dissatisfied or neither
about their Investor Relations communication in social media. Despite this, there
are not many companies planning to prioritise this during 2014. Similar trends
can be seen on corporate governance information.
Social media monitoring
There is a constant flow of information and opinions in social media. A social media
monitoring system to keep track of the conversation is becoming more and more
important for brands. Without it, it will be difficult to measure the success of a
company’s engagement in social media.
Our respondents use several different social media monitoring systems. Many
answered that they use others besides those specified by us, for example, Alto
Analytics and Komfo. About 40% say that they are slightly or completely satisfied
with their system, not that many.
The fact that a large number of respondents are not satisfied or only slightly satisfied
indicates that more education and connection to the business is needed for the
respondents to get more out of their work with social media monitoring systems.
Today there are a large number of different systems, all with their own strengths
and weaknesses. To find one that fits your company, aimed at your prioritised
markets is not an easy task and requires both research and testing.
Fully
prioritised
PrioritisedTo some
extent
SlightlyNot at all
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
CR/Sustainability
Career
Investor Relations
13%
23%
25% 25% 25%
2%
7%
16%
19%
15%
11%
21%
19%
36%
44%
Prioritisation of CR, career and press related information in social media
Companies using social media monitoring systems (SMMT)
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
23%
2011 2012 2013 2014
13%
9%
3%

Companies satisfied with their SMMT
SatisfiedSlightly
satisfied
Neither norSlightly
dissatisfied
Dissatisfied
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
16%
35% 35%
8%
6%
Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter are most popular
Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter are the most popular social media channels
according to the web managers. Companies using LinkedIn has increased
59% to 67% since last year. The majority still don’t use Google+, Pinterest
and Slideshare.
Increase in use of social media channels
64%
58%
30%
28%
19%
67%
-3
(67%)
+1
(57%)
+3
(27%)
+3
(25%)
+8
(11%)
+8
(59%)
2013 numbers in brackets”I would recommend that you test several
different systems before choosing one. Make sure
that you set up targets and know what sort of data
that is relevant for your business.”
– Sanna Stefansson, Social media specialist at KW Digital

Mobile and tablets
The time when we only used computers to access the internet has past.
Now we are browsing the web via multiple devices whether we are on our way
to work, at work, or at home relaxing on the couch. This is true not only for
B2C websites, but also for corporate websites according to the web statistics
on 15 European corporate websites.
Urge to prepare for visitors from mobile devices
The adoption of smartphones and tablets is still on the rise and usage is pointing
upwards. When looking at how many mobile visitors corporate website have had
in the last four years it’s just increasing. From being only a few in 2011, it now
makes up over 25% of visitors. We have seen a rapid change this last year as
the number of visitors to corporate websites has doubled.
Number of visitors from mobile devises to 15 corporate websites
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
25%
2011 2012 2013 2014
9%
13%
3%
75% already have or plan to get a responsive website in 2014
The number of companies offering their visitors a responsive website has
increased from last year to 14%. One fourth of the 37% who has a responsive
design today, plan to improve it during this year.
38% of companies plan to develop a responsively designed website this year.
If all companies that are planning to build a responsive website this year are
finished by the end of the year, 75% of all companies’ websites will be respon-
sive. To put this into perspective and grasp the magnitude of the trend, only
1 of the 100 largest companies in Europe had a responsive website in 2012.
That was just 2 years ago.
Companies that have a responsive website
25%
9%
38%
28%
YesNo
No
but plan to
develop this
year
Yes Plan
to improve
MOBILE AND TABLETS

What is Responsive Design?
Responsive design represents
a fundamental shift in building
websites. A shift required as we
have moved from using one to
multiple screen devices.
A responsive website adapts the
original website to fit the size of
the screen, whether it’s the screen
of a smartphone, tablet, laptop or
desktop computer. Responsive
design has multiple fluid grid
layouts, meaning it flexibly adjusts
the content to fit the size of a
screen. In other words, it is not the
same as a having a website with a
design adapted to fixed widths for
mobiles or tablets.
MOBILE AND TABLETSMOBILE AND TABLETS
Apps get low priority in 2014
The number of companies that have an app has been on the rise in recent years, but
appears to have now plateaued. This year it is more or less the same percentage of
companies having apps as last year. Fewer companies are also planning to prioritise
working with apps this year compared to last year. According to our survey it seems
difficult to create apps that fulfil the company’s expectations. Only one third of
respondents say that they are satisfied with their apps.
So why the slowdown in the uptake of apps? The reasons might include:
Unclear benefits: The benefits of having a corporate app are still unclear – there
are very few examples of apps that offer something that other channels, such as the
corporate site, cannot.
Low use and download: Downloads, but more importantly ongoing use of them,
is reportedly low – return on investment is therefore questionable.
Responsive websites: Responsive web design has seen the usability of corporate
websites on tablets and smartphones improve.
Budget prioritisation: Apps may be perceived as ‘nice to have’, not essential.
Companies that have corporate apps
36%58%
3%
3%
YesNo
No
but plan to develop
this year
Yes
Plan to improve
Companies that have a corporate app
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
39%
2012 2013 2014
38%
29%
Prioritisation of corporate apps
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
14%
2012 2013 2014
18%
45%

MOBILE AND TABLETS
Investor Relations apps are most common
Even though benefits of having an app are still unclear and many do not know
what to use apps for, there are still those who already have one. Of those
respondents answering what purpose they had when building their app, we
get the following answers:
Type of apps
35%
24%
18%
12%
6%
6%
IR audience
Give online
access
Company
Info
Annual Report
CSR
Career
SatisfiedSlightly
satisfied
Neither norSlightly
dissatisfied
Dissatisfied
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
32%
16% 16% 16%
20%
Companies satisfaction over their apps
Content marketing
Content marketing is still new and has not been implemented
thoroughly by companies yet. That said, almost 40% uses content
marketing in their corporate communications today.
Majority use Content marketing, or plan to do so in 2014
And if the 23% of the companies planning to begin in 2014 actually do that, we
will have over 60% working with Content marketing as a part of their corporate
communications by the end of the year.
Companies working with content marketing
37%39%
25%
YesNo
Not yet
but plan in 2014
What is Content marketing?
Content marketing is marketing through editorial
content which the target group find educative,
helpful and/or entertaining. It’s not directly
focused on selling but builds up a relationship with
customers and potential customers that eventually
lead to sales.
The focus on Content marketing has been big this
last year. But even though the term itself is new,
the concept isn’t really.

CONTENT MARKETINGCONTENT MARKETING
Most companies lacks a Content marketing strategy
Of those working with Content marketing majority has not yet established
a strategy for their work. A third has a Content marketing strategy. The low
percentage of companies with a strategy might indicate that companies are
in a phase where they still discover and learn more about how to use
Content marketing.
Companies with a content marketing strategy
29%
59%
12% Yes
No
Don’t
know
“As Content marketing is on the rise, I would like to
emphasize the importance of a strategy that gives
companies both directions and guidance when it comes
to planning, creating, publishing and managing content
that is both relevant and of value to your target groups.”
– Katrin Kolare, Content marketing specialist at KW
Most common to manage Content marketing in-house
It seems as most of the Content marketing is managed in-house. Usually about
one-third of the companies use an agency, either entirely or for some parts.
Most common is consulting an agency for designing the content. About 50%
uses agencies for design.
Activities conducted in-house
35%
65%
Agency
31%
Agency
29%
Agency
In-house
Writing Editing
Content Distribution Planning / Strategy
Design Analysis
69%
In-house
48%
Agency
52%
In-house
33%
Agency
67%
In-house
25%
Agency
75%
In-house
71%
In-house

CONTENT MARKETING
Only a few have a Director of Content or planning to get one
Those who try to predict the evolution of Content marketing in 2014 says that we
will see an increased number of management positions within the field. In this
research however only one-fifth of the respondents have a Director of Content
today. And among those who do not have one, only 2% plan to recruit one
during 2014.
Companies having a Director of content
2%18%
80%
Yes
No
Not yet
but plan in 2014
About the report
The Web Management Report is a yearly report produced by KW Digital. It is based
on the KW Digital Web management survey which is carried out to understand
what web managers and others responsible for corporate websites see as their
challenges this year. The purpose is to let them share knowledge with each other
and help them build their cases internally by referring to how others are doing.
The report summarises the responses of
the survey which was sent out in Febru-
ary 2014. We asked 39 questions rang-
ing from the size of the corporate web-
site budget to the importance of social
media and content marketing in corpo-
rate communications. Our research gives
a good insight into what companies will
focus on over the next 12 months and
what issues are important to them.
The KW Digital Web Management Re-
port 2014 is published as open research
under a Creative common license. The
web managers that have responded to
the survey get access to the full version
of the report.
For more information about the report
please contact:
Linda Hultberg
KWD Webranking Project Manager
+46 (0)8 407 20 38
linda.hultberg@kw-digital.com
Main content areas for improvement
in digital channels 2014
%
KW Digital Web Management Report 2014 · Open research
Corporate website
budget compared
to last year
$€ 39%
About the same
25%
More
15%
Less
CSR/sustainability
Information about the company
Media
Career related
Investor relations
Complete content overhaul
58%57%
50%
47%
44%
33%
Mobile and responsive
25%
20%
25%
ABOUT THE REPORT

About KW Digital
KW Digital is a digital corporate communications agency that helps companies make
better use of digital channels in their corporate communications. We provide stra-
tegic advice and execution based on our research and experience. KW Digital has
more than 50 employees at offices in Stockholm and London, and also partners in
Milan and Lisbon.
For more information about KW Digital please visit http://kw-digital.com.
Contacts for more information
Staffan Lindgren
Managing Director
+46 8 407 22 12
staffan.lindgren@kw-digital.com
Phil Marchant
Managing Director UK
+44 (0)203 700 5554
phil.marchant@kw-digital.com
ABOUT KW DIGITAL

KWD Web Management Report 2014 (open resource)

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