One of the primary quandaries facing B2B companies is how to design a website that will maximize inbound lead conversions. Pinpointing what causes a potential B2B buyer to inquire about your products or engage your services versus leaving your website and never returning can be difficult. In general, B2B vendors need to understand what their potential leads are looking for in a vendor and use this information to cultivate an aura of credibility and trustworthiness around their B2B website. To that end, following these five design tactics will help you craft a B2B website that encourages leads to take the next step.
1. Be clear about who you are and what you offer right away
A potential B2B buyer’s first impression of your company and website forms the basis for their judgment about the credibility of your business, and a poor introduction can lead to a prospect doubting your trustworthiness. Luckily, the foundation for making a good impression is simple: be upfront about your business. In other words, make it easy for a potential buyer to locate your contact information, find out your company’s story and see a general overview of the services or products that your business offers. Creating a header and footer for your website that puts your contact information and links to important information on every page on your website ensures that buyers won’t miss out on any critical details.
In this same vein, B2B vendors should note that stock images tend to turn away B2B buyers because they fail to provide information about your company and employees. Hiring a photographer to take some candid shots of your employees at work as well as formal headshots can go a long way to increase the credibility of your B2B website in the eyes of potential leads.
2. Provide potential B2B buyers with clear, concise information on your products
A strong first impression won’t be enough to convert a potential lead; the buyer needs to understand the product or service you are offering and see that it aligns with their requirements. Creating interactive or multimedia product tutorials and descriptions may seem like the best way to generate interest in your products or services, but many studies indicate that B2B buyers want the basic information about your product in a straightforward and concise manner. That means putting information about your pricing, your lead and ship times, your product reviews and information about your technical support front and center.
3. Minimize distractions
Features that may work on sites aimed at consumers can backfire for B2B vendors. In general, potential B2B buyers are looking for clean and simple websites that do not include distractions such as pop-ups, auto-play audio or video, animated ads or forced live chat functionality. Remember that your potential leads are looking for clear information about who you are and what you offer; design bells and whistles that distract from your website’s message are likely to send B2B buyers in the opposite direction.
4. Craft clear and transparent forms
Getting a B2B buyer to fill out a website form is a crucial step in moving the lead conversion process forward, but a poorly crafted form can end up driving potential leads away. B2B buyers want to know exactly what they will be getting when they fill out your form, so be clear on who from your company will be contacting them and what they can expect from this initial contact. Limit the number of form fields to the minimum. It’s important to only ask the necessary information from your potential buyers or you will surely lose form submissions.
5. Make sure your B2B website is mobile friendly
Just as consumer-oriented websites must become mobile friendly as an increasing number of consumers use their smartphones and tablets to shop, B2B vendors must also optimize their sites for mobile devices. In 2015, Google implemented an algorithm that rewards mobile-friendly sites by increasing their SEO ranking. Even if your website is not fully optimized for display on a mobile device, it is crucial that certain basic mobile functionality features such as automatically dialing your number when tapped are enabled. Failing to do so can cause you to receive a poor search engine ranking in addition to potentially losing out on important lead conversion opportunities.
