5 Best Practices for CSR On Your Website

We’ve talked about how important corporate social responsibility (CSR) is for your company, and even various elements that should be included when you’re telling your story online, but, when you’ve made the decision to move forward with CSR storytelling (high five, by the way), what are the best practices for CSR pages on your website?

Thankfully, we’ve done the work for you.

Most companies are practicing a form of corporate social responsibility with the overall goal of contributing to their community. The storytelling aspect, however, has changed over the last decade; companies have felt increased pressure to “dress up” CSR and that they need to be delivering every single aspect of every single initiative on their website.

We’re here to tell you that you don’t. We believe that CSR activities should be expressed online in a way that focuses on the fundamental goal of aligning your company’s community projects and initiatives with its business purpose and values, making your CSR endeavours easy to consume online – not difficult to understand.

So, how can your company do it?

We’ve pulled together five of the best CSR websites online now, while providing best practices that will help you stand apart from your competition.

5 Best Practices for CSR On Your Website

1. Ensure that it’s mobile-friendly. Example: Cisco

We love Cisco’s mobile, tablet and desktop-friendly CSR website. It’s easy to navigate, it’s responsive, and it’s worked well on every device we’ve tested.

It’s important to have a mobile-friendly website for investors. 83% of mobile users say that a seamless experience across all devices is very important to their browsing habits, and it’s even more important when a potential investor is arriving to your website.

teck best practices for csr

2. Include a dedicated blog. Example: Microsoft Green Blog

When you’re putting together your CSR section or dedicated website, consider the power of a blog.

Microsoft Green is committed minimizing their environmental impact, so they’re working with partners around the world to focus on a sustainable, low-carbon future for our planet. On their website, Microsoft writes frequently about related topics such as Earth Day, press releases, and company events.

A dedicated CSR blog allows you to focus on internal and external activities as a business, giving you the ability to showcase authenticity and differentiate yourselves from competitors.

best practice csr - microsoft

3. Keep your CSR reports visible. Example: IBM

It’s important to have CSR report downloads from both current and past years in a visible, easy-to-navigate place on your website. This makes the research experience simple for visitors, including investors, and decreases the possibility of high bounce rates.

IBM does it right. The company has two clear navigational drop-downs on their homepage, with one being “Our Reports”. It’s easily found, providing a strong browsing experience.

IBM

4. Pull out the “big wins”. Example: Disney

We love how Disney pulls the “big wins” and displays it on the Philanthropy section of their website.

Disney isn’t afraid to display the massive 23.1 million books donated figure on their homepage, or 333.3 million in giving throughout 2015. Instead of including every single aspect on their site, Disney pulls only the statistics that matter most and have the most impact.

For your business, highlight the big wins; pull 2-3 key statistics that you’re proud of, instead of paragraph upon paragraph from your latest community event. With read rates and time on site lower than ever, you must attract visitors quickly.

disney

5. Make your purpose clear. Example: Google Green

When a visitor lands on your CSR site, there should be no question what the focus and goals of your programs are. Included in this should be your history, business, and overall economic impact of your CSR endeavours.

Google Green knocks this out of the park with their website. When landing on Google.ca/Green, a visitor knows that Google is committed to supporting resource efficiency and renewable power.

Google Best Practices for CSR

Conclusion

From building mobile-friendly sites to celebrating big wins, it’s important to have a CSR section or website that is focused on delivering the key information to the end user – whether it’s the investor or the customer. Too often, we see companies make the mistake of having the CSR site serve the purpose of Executive or Leadership groups, without taking user experience into consideration. With these 5 best practices for CSR on your website, your business will be equipped with the tools you need to break apart from the competition in Corporate Social Responsibility.