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! One great way to take advantage of the current momentum surrounding the world of B2B is by building your 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 much thought and effort into your new site 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 consider before creating the perfect B2B website.
1) Think About Your Own Browsing Habits
The best way to develop a great B2B website is by simply browsing the web. Yes, it’s perhaps the easiest homework you’ll ever have, but understanding your browsing habits can be vital to understanding how your clients will use your website.
As you peruse the web, pay 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 to implement features from your favorite websites into your website design.
2) User Experience Matters More Than Anything
Though it can be hard to nail down why you love a particular website, a few things will 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 and 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. You may go out of your way to tell friends and colleagues to avoid sites like the plague.
That’s why focusing on a clean user experience is one of the most important website best practices. Ensure 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 ensure 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 much harder to implement than many people know, it’s far from impossible.
First, focus on your loading times. You can maximize your site’s speed in a few ways, such as image optimization, enabling caching, and keeping your design as simple as possible.
Next, ensure your key info is listed as high up as possible. 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 contact you 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 will ever see it? At that point, you may as well not have a website at all.
If you don’t have an SEO strategy or want to brush up on your current marketing tactics, pay close attention; these tips can help you scale Google rankings like never before.
Mobile-Ready Design
You’d be surprised at how many of your clients will 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.
Ensure 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.
Ideally, these will be search phrases your customers tend to use when connecting 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 a 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 must 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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