You probably already know that your website is what people associate with your businesses within the digital realm. It represents you, your brand, your message to the world along with your entrepreneurial vision. However, when we’re talking about B2B websites, the stakes get higher – these websites are much more. They are marketing tools that aim to generate leads and turn those leads into clients.
At first glance, it might not be obvious. What makes a good B2B site, and why should it be different from any other platform on the internet? B2B sites are created to sell, to offer goods or services. They are built to address specific needs and to drive specific actions.
Apart from all this, most B2B buyers will do their research before contacting a business. They will be thorough and reach out only for the best online options.
That being said, if you operate a B2B website, you should up your game and fit the most common criteria that are used to evaluate a good B2B website.
If you’ve spent enough time in the digital realm, you’ve probably noticed that a lot of the best B2B platforms have a lot in common, even though, they are oftentimes vastly different. Truth be told, there are a lot of similarities in every manner, however, there are certain design traits that connect them together almost instantaneously.
Below are some of the qualities that all high-conversion B2B websites share.
They Make a Good First Impression
First impressions are crucial when you are introduced to a brand and business service/product, and web design plays obviously the most important role in conveying that message properly in the digital world.
That being said, most B2B websites should all sport a pleasant design, one that makes a good first impression and does justice to the brand at hand. When you run a site that clearly states what it’s all about, people will take you seriously and those who are really intrigued by the experience will be more likely to reach out to you.
They Have a Strong Overall Brand Presence
This is true to all great websites, however, with B2B websites, this quality’s importance is kicked up a notch. And it makes perfect sense. You are an entrepreneur, you mean business, and don’t have time to waste. As such, you are looking to partner or market to other businesses who are also confident in what they do and don’t mess around. The best way to send out this message is by having a strong brand presence on your website. Oftentimes, if used correctly, branding can also be used as a bald statement that says: “we get the job done”. Click here to see how one such website looks like.
And at the end of the day, everybody wants to hire a company that gets the job done, right?
Strong branding and good design can also add authenticity and more credibility to your site/company. These qualities have always been the cornerstone of good businesses and high-priority criteria on the list of serious B2B buyers. Going even further, Stanford’s Web Credibility Research suggests that 75% of users decide about credibility based on web design.
That being said, all serious B2B web apps have a straightforward, simple, and clean design, with their primary focus being on quality content, and call-to-action.
Lastly, third-party validation can also serve as a source of upping your credibility.
Testimonials, third-party logos, impartial product/service tests, or reviews will always help to make a case for your products – especially if they are good.
B2B buyers want to limit risks before making a move and they want to feel reassured that they are making the best choice. Third-party validation, in that sense, can play a crucial role in giving reassurance and boosting your credibility at the same time.
The Website Sits in The Center of a Well-rounded Digital Ecosystem
Another thing that most quality B2B sites share is the fact that they all have a complex and intertwined digital ecosystem, that all points to one direction: the site itself.
Apart from the fast, SEO-friendly, and gorgeous website, you also have several landing pages that have to option of visiting the main site and performing a certain action (more on that later). They also have several social pages that all have links that will take you to the main page, they have a comprehensive blog section with quality content that also has the right CTAs. email newsletters and other site features also encourage users to interact with the site, drawing them ever so close to becoming a lead, and ultimately, a satisfied customer.
They All Improve Lead Generation and Enhance Call-to-action
For B2B websites being a main lead generation source is of the essence and with great web design tactics, you can create such a website with ease. You’ve probably seen that all high-conversion sites have primary CTAs, making it incredibly clear to visitors the nature of the website’s ultimate end goal.
Good websites also make great use of secondary CTAs (like learn more and view more) by easing your not-so-sure customers into contacting you. They are vital for smoothing out your website flow without being too harsh on potential prospects and deterring them from contacting you.
Great B2B Websites are Similar because they are all Different
Okay, before you think we went mad, hear us out. Visit your top B2B web addresses and see what you see in common. That’s right – most of them (if not all) are custom-made web apps that aren’t confined to the limitations of pre-made cookie-cutter templates. They all sport highly individualized features, eye-catching design, and a great user experience.
We’re not trying to say that you can’t get a good user experience out of a template, however, if credibility and strong branding is something you consider as essentials, you will probably have to opt for a custom design to meet your own high standards.
And rest assured, B2B buyers will notice.
At the same time, probably all of these websites are optimized for mobile devices. As it is 2024, this should go without saying, but having a mobile-responsive website is a prerequisite if you want to have a website that does a solid job at generating leads, driving traffic, and ultimately, boosting your sales.
That being said, if your website still fails to perform optimally on mobile, it’s probably time to reach out to a design company and help you rearrange things a bit so you stop losing business unnecessarily.
They all have Forms that are Easy to Fill out
We’ve already talked about the importance of CTAs. They are the bread and butter of great B2B websites as they initiate the first steps of people reaching out to your company.
That being said, you should also focus on having forms that are easy to fill out to create an even smoother process.
It should be a quick and flowing process because most prospects will not commit to filling a form out if it seems like it will take too much of their time.
They are all about User Experience
All good B2B websites tend to focus heavily on education as well, a factor that will usually determine the amount of content on the website and its structure. The first question will usually be answered by marketers, the second question will fall almost completely on designers.
And when it comes to good design, it’s not only about the visuals, but also the entire structure of the site, its layout, and the overall user experience it delivers.
Good user experience starts with easy navigation, finding information fast, filling out forms with ease, and finding other process explanations easy, along with pricing, documentation, and so on.
Great UX design manages to eliminate unnecessary fluff and provide a clean sitemap and great overall user flow. The designers of these websites also invested time in using different wireframes and adjusting them to the specific needs of targeted customer groups, often based on thorough research and even first-hand feedback.
On the other hand, the content flow on these sites is also nearly immaculate, meaning, everything is explained simply and intuitively, without making the overall design too crowded or messy.
They Embrace the Importance of the Customer Journey
All good B2B websites support the idea that the buying journey is almost sacred when it comes to boosting sales and generating leads.
One way of creating such a journey is by taking the CTA-route which we’ve already talked about.
Apart from that, the content flow should also be created around the customer journey, catering to its every stage, depending on where your visitors are along the way. Quality B2B web apps have different, strategically placed pieces of content that help tip the scale in favor of reaching out to a sales representative.
Apart from that, great B2B sites go one step further and embrace the entire customer journey in their entire online ecosystem. While this is more or less a result of a good marketing strategy, strategically placed and structured content (which is more on the design end of things) also plays a crucial role.
They are Fast
You know that speed is a crucial element both in user experience, web design, and SEO. However, you know that page speed is a critical element of every website, only when presented with the numbers you really start to grasp just how important they are. For example, only a second of a load delay can result in a 7% conversion loss.
Serious B2B websites are very serious about speed since they know that search engines are also quite rough on slow-loading sites. Not only them, visitors as well – if your website is slow, they will bounce, stop buying, and stop visiting altogether.
That being said, if you too want a high-conversion website, do everything you can to improve your loading times because, in the digital industry, just like in the world of motorsports: glory and fame come to those who cross the finish line first.
Putting it all Together
As you can see, there are quite a few things great B2B sites have in common and, most notably, they all make a good impression, build trust towards brands, and help prospects get from point A to point B, which is turning them into customers.
As a site owner, understanding these important features and strategies can help you build a much larger customer base, as they aren’t simply useful design tools and development hacks – they are also important marketing tools that help immensely when it comes to putting your site on the digital map.
