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

How to Improve Your
BOTTOM LINE
with Responsive Web Design

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

What is Responsive Web Design?
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.
68% of people regularly connect
to the Internet via their smartphone.
?
©2014 Sikich LLP. All Rights Reserved. How to Improve Your Bottom Line with Responsive Web Design 3

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 Insurance
Vela 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
Society
Simply 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 Center
Tau 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.

$^@*#$!!!
“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.
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!

Responsive Design and
Lead Generation
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.
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.

5 Ways to Generate More Leads
with Responsive Web Design
1
2345
Make it User-Friendly.
Make the Most of Your Mobile Homepage.
Eliminate Frustrating Forms.
Be Clickable.
Integrate with SEO Efforts.

1Make it User-Friendly.
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).
61% 79% 50%
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.
BUY NOW!

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.
48% 36% 52% 48%
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.

2Make the Most of Your
Mobile Homepage.
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. “ “
+

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
Email
Address
Date of Birth
Social Security Number
Religious Preference
Favorite Color
Name of First Born
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.
5Integrate with SEO Efforts.
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.
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 Reduction
Candidly 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
$click
$
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
$
click

Cost Reduction:
Key Takeaway
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.

Final Words
Responsive 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 Ferguson
Director of Web Development
Marketing & Public Relations
Sikich LLP
P: 630.566.8465
bferguson@sikich.com
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.
©2014 Sikich LLP. All Rights Reserved. How to Improve Your Bottom Line with Responsive Web Design

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

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