Just like any project, building a B2B website requires planning before you even consider mocking up a design.
Make sure that you take these 5 things into consideration when planning your site’s elements, content, and design so your website can become a successful tool for your company’s marketing strategy.
The business-to-business (B2B) community is booming! And one great way to take advantage of the current momentum surrounding the world of B2B is by building your own site.
But that’s a lot easier said than done. Especially since building a great website isn’t something that can be accomplished in a matter of minutes.
But your website has such an important job, representing your company to new and returning visitors alike.
You’ll need to put plenty of thought and effort into your new site if you want to stand out from the crowd. That begins with careful consideration before you and your team even create your sitemap.
Here are five things you’ll need to take into consideration before creating the perfect B2B website.
1) Think About Your Own Browsing Habits
The best way to come up with a great B2B website is by simply browsing the web. Yes, it’s perhaps the easiest homework you’ll ever have, but understanding your own browsing habits can be quite vital to your understanding of how your clients will use your website.
As you start to peruse the web, start paying attention to what attracts you to certain websites.
Is it the design? How easy is it to navigate? Maybe they convey their information in a way that seems fun and easy to understand.
Though every website is different, everyone uses the web in similar ways. And that includes your B2B customers. So as you continue to surf the net, start thinking of ways you can implement features from your favorite websites into your own website design.
2) User Experience Matters More Than Anything
Though it can be hard to nail down why you love a particular website, there are a few things that are sure to make your site a dud.
Imagine that you’re going to a website that takes forever to load. That’s strike one.
When you do eventually get the website to load, it’s cluttered, messy, and it’s hard to tell what the point of the website is in the first place. That’s strike two.
Finally, you keep clicking on menu pages hoping they’re better designed than the home page, only to learn that these pages are empty or give you a dreaded 404 error message. And that’s strike three.
Chances are you’re never going to visit that awful website at all. In fact, you may go out of your way to tell friends and colleagues to avoid the site like the plague.
That’s why focusing on a clean user experience is one of the most important website best practices. Make sure that your website is easy for your customers to navigate or suffer the consequences.
3) Make A Great First Impression
You only have about 15 seconds to make a positive first impression on your visitors. In fact, by one expert’s estimate, you only have 2/10 of a second. That’s not a whole lot of time, to say the least.
Therefore, you’ll want to make sure that the first thing a visitor sees properly conveys your company’s branding.
The first impression should be warm, welcoming, and enticing. Though that’s a lot harder to implement than many people know, it’s far from impossible.
First, focus on your loading times. There are a few ways you can maximize your site’s speed such as image optimization, enabling caching, and keeping your design as simple as possible.
Next, make sure that your key info is listed as high up as it can be. This includes elements like your company name, your logo, and some form of contact information.
Finally, including a landing page is a great way to entice a client to get in touch for your service or check out a free offering. But make sure you give your visitors at least a few seconds before bombarding them with your sales pitch.
4) Implement Your Search Engine Optimization Strategy
What good is a fantastic website if no one is ever going to see it? At that point, you may as well not have a website at all.
If you don’t currently have an SEO strategy or want to brush up on your current marketing tactics, pay close attention, because these tips can help you scale Google rankings like never before.
Mobile-Ready Design
You’d be surprised at how many of your clients are going to browse your site via a mobile device. In fact, as of last year, mobile browsing surpassed desktop browsing as the preferred method of surfing the net.
Be sure that your clients can access your website on any device they want.
Use The Right Keywords
Keywords are pretty much the driving force of many SEO efforts. You may already use keywords in your content, but don’t forget to include some throughout your website, as well.
Ideally, these will be search phrases that your customers tend to use when trying to connect with a business like yours.
URL Structure
Improving your site’s URL structure is a simple way to please Google. Clean up messy URLs and simplify your pages and subpages.
www.yourwebsite.com/services/energy-industry
Looks a lot cleaner than text mixed with a bunch of numbers and symbols. And Google certainly thinks so, too. The easier your site is to index, the likelier you are to rank higher.
5) Convey Your Company’s Tone
Finally, you’ll need to consider how you can implement your brand’s tone through your website.
A lot of first-time website owners think that copy is copy. This isn’t quite true, especially in the B2B community, where branding is everything.
You’ll want to balance a professional tone with warm, welcoming language. Remember, B2B is more about establishing relationships and fostering a sense of personality than making an immediate sale.
Finding the right tone can take some practice, so don’t feel bad if you have to keep drafting your site’s copy.
Use These Tips To Create A Great B2B Website
The fact that you’ve read this article means that you’re a step ahead of the competition thanks to your thought and consideration. These five website best practices should help you create a fantastic B2B website.
Don’t forget to include those killer call to actions for your B2B website, you won’t regret it!
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