B2B Website Design is More Important Than You Think

With the advancement of technology today, it’s a given that a website is often the first interaction consumers have with a company. And first impressions are enormously important. In fact, both B2B marketers and their website visitors agree that websites play a huge role in buyers’ purchasing choices.

In a recent study from Orbit Media Studios and Ascend2, the top website elements that B2B marketers think are essential line up with the ones that their visitors find influential. However, when it comes to website attractiveness, the two had differing opinions. B2B marketers were less apt than their site visitors to think that a beautiful website design is a persuasive element (22% and 12%).

Typical sales cycles for B2B companies are relatively long compared to B2C brands, with numerous interactions across different media channels and devices. As a result, B2B websites should be designed to captivate, inform, and influence site visitors to engage with their brands. The better your B2B visitor experience is, the more often your brand will create positive, long-lasting impressions that lead to new customers – and the visitor experience usually starts with your website and its features.

Elements Your B2B Website Design Should Include

The following are important website elements that should be included in your B2B web design:

1. Engaging Homepage

The homepage of a B2B website is, debatably, the most critical element of successful site design. It’s generally the page where visitors start, acting as a “welcome wagon” for the rest of the website. Designing an engaging homepage can be challenging because site visitors typically decide whether to stay on the site or bounce within just a few seconds.

The header on your homepage may be the only thing that a visitor reads before deciding to stay or go. To make sure viewers stay, tell them briefly and precisely what you do and for whom you do it – “we do X for Y.” This is your value proposition. This may seem uncreative, but it’s the most effective way to get your value proposition seen before viewers decide whether or not your site is where they need to be.

Other recommendations for homepage design include:

• Proof – Show visitors that other customers like them trust you and use your products or services. Do this with customer testimonials, case studies, or customer logos.
• Differentiation – Tell or show site visitors what sets your brand apart from competitors. Why are you the best choice for them?
• Calls-to-action – Make the next step of the sales path clear to visitors with thoughtfully placed CTAs.

2. Section for Products and Services

Your B2B website design must include a section devoted to the details about your products and services. Start with a landing page that provides an overview of what you have to offer. Next, site visitors should have the option to go further and navigate to individual pages with more information about each product or service. Product pages should be engaging but concise. Paragraph after paragraph of details about a product is often overkill at this point. Instead, they should consist of short bits of content, with photos, videos, or illustrations to support it. You don’t have to provide all the information, just enough to help educate and motivate visitors, so they take action, like picking up the phone or filling out an online form.

3. Properly Placed CTAs and Contact Information

Never make a website visitor hunt for a way to contact you or buy your products. You must make buttons, chat features, pop-ups, and contact information clearly visible on your B2B website. Even when potential customers are interested in your products and services, if they can’t find how to make a purchase or reach you with questions or concerns, they are likely to look to your competitors who make it easier.

4. High-Quality, Valuable Content

It’s easier to sell to an audience that is well-informed, so providing them with valuable content about your products and services and their industry is essential. Blog posts, guides, white papers, and webinars will encourage prospects to become customers. However, it isn’t simply enough to make high-quality content available; you have to provide them attractively. If it doesn’t look professional and polished, site visitors may not ever click on your content to read it.

5. Contemporary, Cohesive Design

Website design trends change rapidly in today’s digital world, so you need to make sure to keep your site updated and relevant. Experts agree that businesses should have their websites redesigned every three to five years and more often if your site has become stale. When other sites look much sleeker, with essential features that yours doesn’t have, you should get it updated ASAP.

Additionally, it’s important to be sure that your site design elements are consistent with your current branding. Maintain consistency with fonts, colors, illustrations, and image style on your website and other marketing areas like brochures and other print materials.

Hire an Experienced B2B Marketer and Web Designer

Your B2B website should have all of the above elements. Ensuring this has gotten more complex in recent years, so it’s in your best interest to hire experienced marketing and web designing professionals to take on a project like this. They will understand the intricacies involved and know how to create the best user experiences, speed, SEO, and content to effectively represent your brand.