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MOTORCOACH WEB DESIGN didn't get the information they needed, or the format was diffcult to access. "You're going to get more people being able to use the website effectively and improve search engine optimization, [if you] have the same content no matter what view [they're using,]" Schohl says. Additionally, because a responsive site is modularly built, it's easier to make additions, such as a Facebook module or Twitter feed, making it more fexible for updating, he adds. "Before, you might have been locked into a very strict architecture. The responsiveness makes it a more fluid site," Schohl says. POST-ROLLOUT While the RWD process was easy with support from the company that handles its advertising, it's important to stay on top of the process after the rollout, Maureen Penfold, director of marketing, VIP Tours of Portland, Maine, says. TIPS FOR THE RWD PROCESS Wondering where to start your RWD project? David Schohl, partner, CodeGreen Development, shares some tips here. 1 Review the developer's experience and look at samples of their work. Also, make sure the websites are indeed responsive and not just being constricted. A responsive site should use the dimensions of the browser window, not the device itself. 2 Remember the return on investment. You can get a template site up and live for a few hundred to a couple thousand dollars. However, you will get what you pay for. Building a website, especially a responsive one, must have a solid strategy behind it. It also must have the view for each layout created specifically for the company. Otherwise, they are just using what worked for someone else but will not necessarily work for them. A website should achieve goals, including driving new leads and revenue opportunities. The best way to do that is make the investment and build the site correctly the first time. 3 Write good content with the mobile/smallest view in mind. Long content does not work on a mobile phone; it doesn't work that well for larger versions either. Also, make sure the content is written according to best SEO practices. 4 Ask questions if you do not understand something. 5 If you choose to build a new website, make sure to keep evolving it, whether with content or new features. You do not want to have a stale website. 50 < mETRO mAGAZINE JUNE 2013 Getting ahead of the curve by adding RWD, VIP optimized the website viewing experience for its users with mobile devices. "For us, it's all about having easy reading and navigation of our site," Penfold says. "Whatever device somebody is using, it's easy for them to fnd what they're looking for." VIP had been hearing about RWD for the last couple of years, but was only recently able to set aside the time to learn how to utilize it. Staf members started looking into it last November and rolled it out for customers at the beginning of 2013. "It wasn't a very long process," Penfold recalls. "Te information is readily available, and there are a lot of companies now that ofer services to help you." VIP used the multimedia company LocalEdge, Hearst Media Services Co., which had previously been its representative for phone books for the last few years but had since moved into digital media. "We discussed their new option and decided to move forward with a new advertising package to take the place of our phone book ad," Penfold says. That includes a mobile website for optimized viewing, a landing page — a page that appears when a user clicks on a SEO-optimized search result or ad — and a video for VIP to put on its landing page to advertise specifc tours. Te operator uses the landing page to get its audience to fnd what it's promoting with certain keywords. VIP provided LocalEdge with photos and the most pertinent information for its customers to access phone numbers, key services and a way to submit quote requests. Te operator pays a monthly fee of about $225 a month for its service package. After only a few months in use, the benefts are already apparent; VIP has seen a spike in the number of charters booked through the mobile website and landing page. Additionally, the operator can see which mobile devices the email inquiries are coming from. Te only challenge, Penfold says, was remembering to take the extra step to ensure the technology was working correctly, so customers weren't submitting inquiries and then not getting responses. Customer email inquiries from the mobile site to VIP's email inbox were getting lost for a couple weeks, she explains. "We did miss a few potential leads [before] we realized we had an issue and worked it out." For other operators planning RWD, Penfold suggests taking the time to learn about and test the technology. "[At frst] we didn't realize we weren't getting mobile quote requests until we tried it out on our end and realized we weren't getting the response in emails," she recalls. "You have to test and understand what you're working with to know that you're not missing something," Penfold says. "You have to get comfortable with it so you can work with your customers. Te last thing any of us want to do is not get back to our customers. It's all about having efective responses for [them]." metro-magazine.com