According to thegood.com 94% of B2B buyers research online before they make a purchase decision.
So you need to have a website that makes a great impression. As always, this is easier said than done.
Research shows you only have 15 seconds to capture a visitor’s attention before they leave your site Time.com — and, of those who visit your website and find it lacking, only 12% will ever return.
You will need a clean website design and functionality that just works.
Lets quickly cover the three key differences of B2C and B2B website design:
However, at the end of the day, no matter which side of the B2B or B2C divide a marketer works on, all marketing is person to person (P2P). Despite the external differences you are always selling to a person. In our Ulitmate B2B Marketing guide we cover the difference between B2B Marketing and B2C.
When building or updating your website you should at a minimum have these 4 key elements to drive and capture traffic:
There tends to be a lot of research in B2B selling situations. An interested customer might take days, weeks, or even months looking at your website before they ever call... or follow up on a salesperson's visit. Make it easy for them to find what they're looking for by having lots of information on your product and service pages.
You probably have two B2B decision-makers: the person who investigates your products and services, and the one who approves the purchase or writes the check. Make sure you have detailed information for the people doing the in depth research and a synopsis of everything focused on ROI for C level executives.
Having downloadable eBooks, case studies, and guides is a great idea. It gives your sales and customer service staff an easy set of resources they can point to and builds your company brand. These resources help them be an expert, authority, and "the one that helped".
We come across a shocking, seriously shocking, number of B2B websites without a way to find out more and get in touch. Somewhere in your website should be detailed contact information for your sales, customer service, and billing departments.
A good guideline to follow when crafting the design is to save the marketing speak. B2B buyers want you to get to the point — and fast. Don’t be afraid to get technical or use industry terms that resonate with your target audience. This content needs to be built around ROI for your CEO's
Keep your target audience in mind when you design. Consider what you want each visitor to do, what they expect to find, and how you can make their experience on your site simple and pain-free.