In the realm of business-to-business (B2B) sales, where corporate decision-makers autonomously conduct research and make purchases online, the market is teeming with organisations offering a similar array of products or services. Virtually all of these businesses now maintain an online presence. Consequently, customers are faced with the challenge of distinguishing between brands across a multitude of B2B websites, carefully assessing the design elements, interactive features, and digital marketing strategies employed by each.
Given this challenge of making your business stand out in a highly competitive digital market, it should come as little surprise that web design matters – and that the site features, layout, and usability of your B2B website can have a huge impact on your potential customers, and on your own business, as a result.
[Image source: SCNSoft.com]
How does B2B web design affect your business? Here are seven key ways:
1. B2B Web Design Determines How Well Your Website Speaks to Your Target Audience
The target audience for your B2B website will consist of the key buyer personas charged with making purchasing decisions on behalf of their businesses. So, no matter how beautifully designed your website may be, if you don’t understand the needs and pain points of these key players, speak their language, and present them with a value proposition that appeals to them specifically and directly, your B2B website is doomed to fail.
In this regard, there are a number of considerations that visitors to B2B websites look out for in a good web design, as indicated by the chart below: Importance of B2B website characteristics
[Image source: Orbit Media Studios]
2. Your B2B Website Needs to be Mobile Friendly – and Provide a Great User Experience
In today's digital landscape, where over 50% of all internet traffic is generated by mobile devices, and Google Search rankings are predominantly influenced by mobile-first indexing, B2B web design takes on a critical role. Businesses aiming to craft visually engaging websites that provide an exceptional user experience to site visitors, boost website traffic, and enhance conversion rate optimization must prioritize mobile-friendliness.
Responsive design is key to this. A web design which is responsive automatically adjusts the layout of your B2B website to fit the form factor of the screen on which it appears. So the same B2B web design may display differently, when viewed on a desktop system or mobile device. In fact, recent research by GoodFirms indicates that 53.8% of web designers cite “not being responsive on all devices” as a top reason for a website needing to be redesigned.
Check out the following articles to learn more about Conversion rate optimization:
- Top 3 Tactics to Supercharge Your Website Conversion Today
- 3 Great Design Tips to Increase Website Conversion Rate
- Boost Your Conversion Rate: The Significance of Optimisation
3. Speed Matters
A study by 55 and Deloitte commissioned by Google revealed that decreasing the page load times on a mobile website by just one tenth of a second resulted in major increases in conversion rates (8.4% for retail sites). In today’s digital market, some 83% of users say they expect website pages to load in three seconds or less. If a page takes longer than that, they’ll likely hit the “back” button.
So for B2B web design, speed needs to be of the essence. B2B websites can reduce page loading speeds in a number of ways, including by caching web pages, compressing visual images, and limiting the number of redirects.
4. You Need a Visually Appealing Website that’s Consistent with Your Company’s Brand
B2B website visitors are looking for a visually appealing web design which enables them to instantly identify your company’s unique branding and value proposition. In today’s web design terms, that translates to a B2B website with a minimalist design that uses high contrast for increased visibility, and colour schemes that keep users engaged while effectively communicating your branding.
Recent studies by Top Design Firms suggest that 26% of consumers prefer primary colour schemes, 21% prefer complementary, and 20% prefer analogous colour schemes. In all cases, the choice of colours for your B2B websites must be consistent, and align with your branding.
5. B2B Websites Must Be Easy to Navigate
B2B consumers require a website that not only serves as a great example of functional minimalism but is also exceptionally user-friendly. This combination enables them to instantly identify what they're looking for, thanks to logically organized web page sections and page orders, as well as the generous use of white space, which functions as an informal navigational guide, allowing them to achieve their goals quickly and effortlessly.
6. Security is Important to B2B Website Users
For your B2B website, you’ll need to purchase an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate, so that the website has an HTTPS denomination in its web address. B2B websites should also include safeguards to ensure that any information visitors provide cannot be stolen. This is especially true if your B2B website includes online payment options.
7. Your Choice of B2B Design Partner Matters
It’s unlikely that your business will possess the in-house web design skills and coding expertise needed to meet all the requirements above. You will therefore probably need to partner your business with a capable and reputable B2B website design agency.
You need a B2B website design agency that excels in both design examples and B2B website design, serving as your technology partner. They should be capable of identifying and effectively communicating the key elements of your business's brand message and value proposition to your target customers and website visitors.
Additionally, this agency should be adept at creating nurturing content marketing materials that generate leads, as well as implementing mechanisms to seamlessly convert potential visitors into actual consumers. Ultimately, their expertise in B2B website design will foster a loyal customer base and turn them into enthusiastic brand advocates.
Here at Incisive Edge, we employ a team of experts that includes qualified data scientist resources, who can help you build a B2B website that truly performs when it comes to organic search traffic. We begin with an SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) audit, looking across your B2B website performance through the lens of Google Search, measure performance using our specialist web tools, and identify where you want to be seen.
We select performance metrics which are important to your business, and continually track the performance of your B2B website via the user’s browser, on both desktop and mobile. The report we generate will break down your B2B website score metric by metric, and give you a clear next step, helping your business to take your desired action and boost performance.
To find out more about how Incisive Edge’s B2B web design and B2B website monitoring services can have a positive effect on your business, get in touch with us.
