Getting started on web performance management

One thing is for sure: corporate websites cost money. But what do they yield? More job seekers? Lower costs? A higher profile? A reduction in the number of route descriptions and annual reports sent out? And how do you measure the extent to which the objectives are met? What kind of organization does that take? Read in the first of a series on web performance management how to monitor your corporate website continuously. Get a grip on its effectiveness.

One thing is for sure: corporate websites cost money. But what do they yield? More job seekers? Lower costs? A higher profile? A reduction in the number of route descriptions and annual reports sent out? And how do you measure the extent to which the objectives are met? What kind of organisation does that take? Read in the first of a series on web performance management how to monitor your corporate website continuously. Get a grip on its effectiveness.

In this series on web performance management:

1. Getting started – an effective strategy and four inter related perspectives
2. Putting your strategy into practice – Formulating KPI’s  

Based upon: 'De Internet Scorecard' - Jungle Rating

Internet Scorecard

Jungle Rating developed the Internet Scorecard, an approach based on the Balanced Scorecard. This web performance management methodology enables you to demonstrably increase the returns on your online investments. It centres on the internet or intranet strategy.

Strategy as a basis for effectiveness

An internet strategy with your goals and ambitions forms a starting point for the entire internet presence and effectiveness. You need to have exactly defined goals and ambitions. Only then you will be capable to define key performance indicators and determine measurable targets.

Tips for an effective internet strategy:

• Take your company strategy and the needs of your stakeholders into account. Look what competitors are doing online as well. You might discover new trends that are useful for your company too. Do you want to strengthen your corporate profile? Ahold, Philips or Siemens might inspire you. Do your own benchmark (you can use the sitefinder at CorporateWebsite.com).
• Deliver per stakeholder group specific goals and ambitions: do you want to attract highly educated 35-ers for senior management positions or only trainees? Think of what you have to offer for these specific groups. A trainee is not very likely to be interested in your flexible options for maternity leave, but the opportunities of your MD programme might trigger him to apply. 
• Formulate the appropriate actions to achieve your goals. This helps to define KPIs and targets in a later stage.
• Set your ambitions high, but realistic. Two things are killing for a strategy: if you set your goals too low, you will never outperform others nor stimulate your employees to go the extra mile. If you are not realistic on the other hand, the only thing you get is disappointment from your employees and stakeholders. Make sure your organisation has the means to achieve your goals: the budget and the capacities for example.

Key to success: four related perspectives

The degree of website effectiveness and the appropriateness of your web strategy depends on the relation between four perspectives. They need to be taken into account at once as the internet is no longer a channel in and of itself. If you have the strategy to engage your stakeholders in an online sustainability debate, but you don’t have staff to monitor a useful discussion, you might reconsider your options. If you have a great blogging or chat functionality with ten experts eager to respond, but no stakeholder posts a comment, you have an effectiveness problem from other point of view.

The four perspectives in a web performance cycle according to ‘De Internet Scorecard’ are:

Based upon: 'De Internet Scorecard' - Jungle Rating

1. Financial perspective: To what extent does the corporate website contribute to the financial results of my company? Think of costs and returns (or cost savings)
2. Visitor perspective: Who exactly are my stakeholders and how satisfied are they? Think of reach, visits, conversion, retention and satisfaction
3. Website perspective: What do we have to accomplish to have a successful website? Think of content, usability, design and technical performance
4. Organisation perspective: How to organise the  online activities to enable an effective website? Think of structure (meetings and responsibilities), knowledge, systems and tools

Formulating KPIs for all perspectives

For each of these perspectives you can formulate specific KPIs. In Jungle Ratings next newsletter you can see how you draw up measurable KPIs with specific targets for each of the four perspectives.

Resources:

Geert Jan Smits & Joost Steins Bisschop: De Internet Scorecard. Verbeter uw online resultaten (in Dutch - to be published in English in 2008). www.internetscorecard.nl.

There are no comments yet on this article

Post a comment

Your comment*

Name*


E-mail* (this will not be published)


Website


Anti-spam* (copy the characters)

Please fill in the required* information.