A website’s design often serves as the first and sometimes last impression of your business. With increased technology use and reliance on mobile devices, it’s essential that your website design creates the best possible impression to expand your customer base. So how do you get noticed and create an effective B2B website? This article will guide you through some of the key elements that make up a great B2B website design and share a few visual examples of designs we love.
Why is B2B website design so important?
Unlike B2C websites, which typically sell directly and can drive more frequent purchasing decisions based on want and emotion, the selling process through a B2B website is a bit more complex. The B2B selling process requires more attention to detail as well as more in-depth analysis of how visitors are using the website. The sales process on a B2B website is often longer, requires multiple decision makers, and more frequent communication between the business and potential customer. Since the purchase most likely takes time to develop, a B2B website design should focus more on improving conversion rates. Increased website conversions allow a business to better connect with their visitors through access to more detailed information that can better guide the sales process. An effective B2B website design will help your brand gain visibility, gain more qualified leads and convert those leads into customers.
1. A Design that Directly Reflects a Business’s Vision and Values
If your B2B website design hasn’t been updated in years, chances are that it no longer reflects your core values and needs. Businesses evolve and grow as they expand their product offerings, form new partnerships, and attract new talent to their team. Your business therefore needs a website that can adapt and reflect these new changes. This can be done through thoughtful page design. Examples of this could include an updated ‘About Us’ section, customer testimonials, interactive product and services pages, and inclusion of new forms of media that better attract and inform new customers such as a blog, video, or photo gallery.
2. A Clear Focus on Target Customer Base
Your business should be aware of the types of visitors it is looking to attract and structure the website design based on the requirements and needs of these individuals. These are known as buyer personas, which describe the characteristics, needs, wants, and drives of a website user. A website design that integrates tools that allow for analysis of different types of visitors will help determine how to best structure and present content to increase metrics, such as page-views and time spent on the site. Once you have identified your buyer personas, you will be able to structure your website in a way that allows them to best interact with your brand.
3. Simple and Effective Navigational Components
A B2B website should have a layout that makes it easy for visitors to find the information that they are looking for. This makes website navigation an important component of an effective B2B website design. In a survey conducted by Clutch, over 91% of respondents noted that simple navigation was the most important element of a well-designed website. Some tips for effective website navigation include:
- Use a descriptive heading
- Don’t create an overly complicated or long menu
- Include a search function to help visitors find information more quickly
- Include a “call to action” to improve website conversion rate
- Make sure the website is optimized for mobile navigation
4. Well Optimized For Search Engine Use
Optimizing your B2B website for search engine use is especially important if you want to increase your rankings and improve website traffic. You can click here for a free SEO health evaluation. There are a number of ways to improve your SEO strategy. You might want to consider adding new content to your website to keep it updated, which could be done through inclusion of a business blog or case study section. Other ways to improve onsite SEO include:
- Keyword optimization
- Image optimization
- Improve page speed
- Update security to HTTPS
5. A Content Management System that Allows for Business Growth
Your content management system is essentially the backbone of your B2B website. Therefore, you need something that allows you to easily organize and update content in an efficient way. A good content management system will also allow for new website integrations to be incorporated as your business needs grow. Click to learn more about WordPress or Drupal CMS.
Some content management must haves include:
- Ability to add, delete, and update content efficiently
- Ability to add/integrate new website functionality
- Allows for flexibility in content presentation as business needs change/adapt
- Incorporates tools for SEO optimization
- User friendly
6. Content that Attracts, Engages, and Informs
B2B websites need more than just a simple online presence. In a competitive online marketplace, your website needs to attract, engage, and inform. Therefore, content presentation should be thoughtful and focused on the buying experience for the visitor. Your website should carefully guide visitors to different pages to help establish trust in the products or services you provide. Some other ideas for creative ways to present content include:
- Case studies/Product reviews
- Infographics
- Photo galleries
- Blogs
- Youtube/Video
- Interviews
- Social Media Integration
- Events pages
Alliance Interactive is a digital, web design, web development, and website maintenance agency for nonprofits, associations, b2b organizations, and more. Give us a call today at 888-222-9056 or contact us here.