What Makes an Online Annual Report a Great Annual Report?

Featured article by Tiffani Rowe, Independent Author

Over the last few years, many companies have started seeing the value in shifting their annual reports online from printed documents. For starters, electronic reports tend to save money, as there aren’t the associated printing and mailing costs that come with paper reports. Posting reports on a company website is also a greener option, and has the potential to increase the audience for the report, when interested individuals who might not otherwise receive a copy can log on to look. Online annual reports allow companies to tell a richer story, using elements like video and animation that are impossible on paper, and bring their company and its accomplishments to life.

Yet for all of the benefits of online annual reports, many companies still struggle to do their reports “right.” In some cases, organizations do little more than post a PDF or HTML copy of the same document that would have been printed. While maintaining the same tone and brand in an electronic report as would appear in a printed report is important, using the Internet as little more than a delivery mechanism isn’t the most effective use of the resource — and it can actually backfire on your company.

A well-designed online annual report, though, can do a lot more than relay important information to your customers, investors, and regulators. A great annual report can inspire, entertain, and educate — but only if it has certain qualities.

Responsive Design

The concept of responsive design is a priority in all aspect of Web development these days, but what does it mean when you’re designing an annual report? Like any website, your online annual report needs to be responsive to the reader, no matter what type of device he or she is using — computer, smartphone, or tablet. Studies show that the number of people viewing annual reports on mobile devices has increased exponentially every year since 2011, and is only increasing, so it’s important that your online report be designed in such a way that users can easily read text, images, and graphs no matter what type of device they are using; the report should automatically adjust to prevent excess scrolling or lost information.

Responsive design is also important for those companies using their online reports as part of an SEO strategy. Google recently announced that responsiveness is one of the factors used in search engine rankings, so companies that want to capitalize on the SEO value of their reports need to keep responsiveness in mind.

Simplicity

Annual reports need to contain a wealth of information, but that doesn’t mean it has to be complex or hidden within dense amounts of text. Readers don’t have the time or the inclination to pore over complex charts and graphs or to read long, complex articles. They want to find pertinent information quickly, so it’s best to present your information in attractive, easily digestible snippets.

Infographics, for example, are gaining in popularity in annual reports, thanks to their ability to present a great deal of information in an attractive and entertaining manner. Even if you aren’t using infographics, consider the design of your charts and graphs, and keep them as simple as possible. By using a reporting tool, like the one offered by Windward, you could easily present data in such a way that the reader can understand and draw conclusions at a glance.

Interactivity

Interactivity is where online annual reports have the greatest advantage over printed versions. Instead of an article with quotes from your CEO highlighting your company’s mission and values, include a video that tells a story about your company. Include pop-out glossaries or interesting facts that users can click on, or links to additional information apart from the report.

Making your report searchable is also a benefit of moving it online; readers can easily search for the information that they need, when they need it. The only limit is your creativity, but remember that simplicity still rules, and that bells and whistles are only as good as the content they are presenting.

Usability

Because your audience may not always want to read your entire report online, or may need to access it when they are away from their desks and devices, you still need to make your report accessible offline. Some companies have gone as far as to develop applications for this, while others still include a downloadable PDF version for offline access. Either way, you cannot ignore the segment of your audience that doesn’t want an online report.

Eventually, some predict, printed annual reports will cease to exist altogether and all reports will be online. If you haven’t made the switch yet, or just want to improve your reports going forward, keep these points in mind, and create reports that people actually want to read.