Developing control tools for managing website content

The Internet is a powerful communications network. To capitalize on its power, companies are using their website as a strategic tool to present information, maintain contact with shareholders, investors, promote their products and services, and encourage electronic transactions. Control tools need to be developed to manage website content effectively.

By Jean-François Henri, CMA, and Sylvie Héroux, CA 

Market globalization, non-stop technological development and ever-increasing social pressure for companies to be environmentally responsible characterize today’s business context. Companies can meet these challenges and garner economic benefits by adopting a communications strategy that promotes positive relationships with stakeholders and eases their access to information. With its capacity to quickly connect with a broad pool of stakeholders, the Internet helps sustain a dialogue with them. Although websites can be a strategic communications tool, website content management is posing ongoing issues for companies.

Continuous improvement in managing website content requires the development and application of control tools. The expertise of management accountants in this area can be vital to the effective and efficient control of website content. This article will look at content management practices, specifically the control tools available and the extent to which they are used; the impacts they have on the quantity of information provided on websites; and the extent to which they have an effect on the perceived quality of website content. This article will also examine the effectiveness of control tools in the website content management process based on the survey results of those in charge of websites at 180 Canadian companies.

Use of website content control tools

Planning and monitoring are generally considered feedback systems whereas decentralizing and standardizing are mechanisms associated with internal structures. These four control tools are presented in the context of the study as a means for improving the management of websites and potentially improving both the quality and quantity of website content. In other words, they can contribute to the overall performance of websites.

• Planning involves the decisions and actions needed to ensure website objectives are consistent with the company’s overall communications strategy, the identification of Web communications related risks and efforts to manage such risks, as well as the long-term projection of stakeholder communication needs and the resources required to maintain and improve the site.
• Monitoring includes regular assessments of website content, specifically trend analyses regarding website content and information needs. The process helps identify content to be withdrawn, added or improved.
• Decentralizing refers to the level of involvement of various groups in the content preparation and distribution process, as well as site improvement. Companies with a decentralized website content management process could utilize expertise within specific groups, and hence, have the capacity to improve certain types of content. 
• Standardizing roles and responsibilities and formal and informal procedures bring consistency to the content management process. This can boost the efficiency and effectiveness of this process.

Tables 1 to 4 show the level of usage (low, moderate or high) of each of the control tools examined in the study. The percentages reflect the number of companies out of a total of 180 in each level. 

In the area of planning (Table 1), about a quarter of the companies surveyed gave a low rating to how they planned their website-communications strategy. Only about half the companies made a concerted effort to integrate their Web-communications strategy with their overall communications strategy. Just over half the companies identified Web communications related risks, while only one third put risk management processes in place. Projecting the long-term information needs of stakeholders seems more widespread than projecting long-term resource requirements (41 per cent vs. 31 per cent).

To monitor website content (Table 2), a majority of the companies used very few sophisticated means such as focus group findings, fall-out reports, and user satisfaction surveys. A high percentage of the companies, however, made moderate to high level use of regular website content evaluation exercises, comparing their sites with competitor sites.

As illustrated in Table 3, decentralizing website content preparation and distribution activities, as well as website improvement processes, garner low to moderate usage as part of website content management.

Standardizing website content management mechanisms (Table 4) primarily entails defining roles and responsibilities of the various people involved in the process, sharing the common vision of a website, and the emergence of informal agreements.

Companies overall tend to use feedback mechanisms (planning and basic monitoring tools) to a greater extent, whereas internal structures (decentralization and standardization) tend to be less developed. Given the low percentages associated with “high” usage rankings, except in the case of planning, the companies simultaneously use few control tools, but rarely use a number or more complete set of such tools. They seem to be in the learning phase when it comes to integrating their content management practices into their daily routine. This may be partially due to limited human, material and financial resources.

Influence of control tools on website performance

How well websites perform can be assessed in terms of the quantity and quality of the information presented on the sites. Two indexes were used in the study to measure content quality and quantity:

• The quantity of website content corresponds to the number of items presented on the sites from a list of 132 items. The list contains different categories of information, including financial content, non-financial content (general, corporate governance, operations, social responsibility, human capital and products/services), and promotional/transactional content. The content quantity index represents the percentage of items presented on the site out of a total of 132 items.
• The quality of website content is associated with respondents’ perception of the quality of i) different types of information (general, financial, non-financial, promotional, transactional); ii) the general format of the information (graphics, audio, video, etc.); iii) website functionality (navigation aids, items by user needs, internal/external links); and iv) overall website content, in relation to content on competitor sites. The website content quality index is expressed as a percentage of respondents’ perceived quality on a scale of one to seven.

Diagrams 1 and 2 illustrate the relationship between the website content quantity/quality indicators and the various content control tools (planning, monitoring, decentralizing and standardizing):

• The first column (in blue) indicates the mean quantity/quality index for companies that use control tools to a lesser extent than the average of the organizations.

The second column (in red) indicates the mean quantity/quality index for companies that use control tools to a greater extent than the average of the organizations.

Influence of control tools on quantity of website content

As illustrated in Diagram 1, the companies that present more information on their websites are those that use control tools to a greater extent than the average organization, by planning their communications strategy, monitoring website content, decentralizing content management activities and standardizing related mechanisms.

Influence of quality control tools on website content

Diagram 2 shows that the general perception of content quality is clearly higher for companies that make greater use of control tools than those companies that use such tools less than the average company.

Control tools enhance website content management

Overall, companies that use control tools to a greater extent systematically present more information on their websites and the content of their sites is perceived to be of greater quality. Globally, the effect triggered by the use of control tools has more impact on the quality than the quantity of website content. Control tools therefore help improve the content management process aimed at making the site more productive in terms of maintaining relationships with stakeholders, promoting products and services, and encouraging electronic transactions. Company leaders would therefore do well to develop and expand content management tools. Management accountants have a vital role to play in helping companies manage their website communications strategy.

Jean-François Henri, PhD, CMA, is a professor in the school of accounting at Université Laval and holder of the chair in cost and performance management.

Sylvie Héroux, PhD, CA, is a professor in the École des sciences de la gestion at Université du Québec à Montréal (ESG-UQAM).

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