Is Your B2B Website Working For You?

If the answer to this question, “Is your B2B website working for you?” is “I’m not sure,” “I don’t know,” or “I think so,” then the real answer is “no, it’s not.”

When embarking on a website redesign or building a website for the first time, many businesses start from the premise that they want the website to showcase their company. Yet there usually is little thought of using the website as a marketing tool to generate new leads, to engage customers or to provide solutions and answers to customer problems.

If you take stock of your website right now, is your website too “me centric”? In other words, is it designed to showcase your company like a bright shiny brochure? If so, then you are too focused on yourself and not on your customers.

Visitors don’t want to know how great you are - at least not yet. You need to help solve problems, educate, inform and engage them. Visitors are coming to your website for a purpose. It’s up to you to understand what those purposes are and develop content that meets those needs.

To understand if your web design is working, there are some essential elements that will help you get a better grasp on what to look for and what to do about creating a more “customer-centric” website. 

Is Your Use Experience Up To Par?

When visitors land on your website’s home page, they should be able to find what they are looking for quickly and easily. Clear, logical navigation structures reduce frustration and keep users engaged, while a well-designed menu, consistent layout and strategically placed links guide users smoothly through your site, ensuring they can access content effortlessly.

If your goal is to attract other businesses to work with you, there are a few other areas your website should excel at besides how visually appealing it is, including:

• Fast load times
• Mobile responsiveness
• Accessibility considerations

Studies show that users are likely to abandon a website if it takes more than a few seconds to load. Speed not only impacts user satisfaction but also affects search engine rankings. To ensure fast load times, optimize images, use efficient coding practices, leverage browser caching and consider using a content delivery network (CDN).

With the increasing use of mobile devices, ensuring your website is mobile-responsive is critical. This is especially true if your clients lean toward younger generations, with Hubspot reporting that 80% of Gen Z and 62% of millennials primarily use mobile search. 

A mobile-responsive b2b website design adapts to different screen sizes, providing an optimal viewing experience across devices in order to be more user-friendly. These design elements not only improve user satisfaction but also boost your site’s SEO ranking since search engines prioritize mobile-friendly websites. Test your site on various devices to ensure it looks and functions well everywhere.

It’s also important to ensure that your website has a modern design that is accessible to all users, including those with disabilities. Implementing accessibility features such as alt text for images, keyboard navigability, and screen reader compatibility ensures that everyone can use your site. Following guidelines such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) helps create an inclusive user experience.

Is Your B2B Website Optimized?

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is critical for driving organic traffic to your business website. By optimizing your site for search engines, you increase its visibility in search results, attract more visitors and ultimately convert more leads. 

Effective SEO web design involves a combination of on-page and off-page strategies designed to improve your site’s ranking on search engines like Google.

On-page SEO refers to optimizing individual web pages to rank higher and earn more relevant traffic. Key on-page SEO practices include:

• Keyword Usage: Conduct keyword research to identify the terms and phrases your target audience is searching for. Integrate these keywords naturally into your content, titles, meta descriptions and headers.
• Meta Descriptions and Title Tags: Write compelling meta descriptions and title tags that accurately describe your content and include your target keywords. These elements are crucial as they are often the first thing users see in search results.
• Alt Text for Images: Use descriptive alt text for images to improve accessibility and help search engines understand the content of your images, which can also enhance your site’s SEO.

Incorporating multimedia elements like images, videos and infographics can enhance user engagement and improve SEO as well. Multimedia can make your content more appealing and easier to digest, which can reduce bounce rates and increase the time users spend on your site.

Off-page strategies include link building, social media engagement, PR campaigns and content marketing. To be successful at content marketing, you need to have high-quality content on your website.

Does Your Site Have High-Quality Content?

Content is the cornerstone of your SEO strategy. High-quality, relevant content not only engages your audience but also signals to search engines that your site is a valuable resource. Key aspects of content creation include:

• Engaging and Relevant Content: Create content that addresses the needs and interests of your target audience. This can include blog posts, articles, videos, infographics and more.
• Clear and Concise Copy: Ensure your content is clear, concise and free of jargon. This makes it easier for your audience to understand and engage with your content.
• Regular Updates: Keep your content fresh and relevant by regularly updating it. This can involve adding new information, revising outdated content or creating new content on trending topics.

Adding images and videos to your written content can also enhance user engagement.

It’s important to make sure that your content includes call-to-actions, or CTAs, as well. Designing effective CTAs guides users toward desired actions. For example, at the end of a blog article, you may include a button or link that says, “Download our Free Ebook.” If a potential client clicks on the CTA, they will be directed back to a landing page where they can fill out a form to receive the ebook. This not only engages the user further but also helps capture leads for your business.

Do You Have The Data You Need?

You may think your B2B website is working for you, but do you have the data you need to answer with 100% confidence?

If your B2B site isn't delivering the expected results, it might be because you aren't effectively tracking and analyzing key performance indicators (KPIs). Proper analytics and metrics are essential for understanding how well your site is performing and identifying areas for improvement.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) To Track

To gain valuable insights into your website's performance, it's important to monitor the following KPIs:

• Bounce Rate: This measures the percentage of visitors who leave your site after viewing only one page. A high bounce rate could indicate that your content isn't engaging or relevant, or that your site has usability issues.
• Conversion Rate: This is the percentage of visitors who complete a desired action, such as filling out a contact form or making a purchase. Monitoring conversion rates helps you understand how effectively your site turns visitors into leads or customers.
• Session Duration: This measures the average time users spend on your site. Longer session durations typically indicate that visitors find your content valuable and engaging.
• Pages Per Session: This KPI shows how many pages a visitor views during a single session. More pages per session can indicate good navigation and compelling content.
• Traffic Sources: Understanding where your traffic comes from (e.g., organic search, direct, referral, social media) helps you identify which channels are most effective in driving visitors to your site.
• Exit Pages: Identifying the pages where visitors most commonly leave your site can highlight potential problem areas that need improvement.

Tools to Use for Monitoring Website Performance

Several tools can help you monitor and analyze your website’s performance effectively:

• Google Analytics: A comprehensive tool for tracking a wide range of metrics, including traffic sources, user behavior, and conversion rates. It provides detailed reports and insights that can guide your decision-making.
• Google Search Console: This tool helps you monitor and maintain your site's presence in Google search results. It provides insights into search traffic, indexing issues, and keyword performance.
• Hotjar: A tool that offers heatmaps, session recordings, and surveys to help you understand how users interact with your site.
• SEMrush: An all-in-one marketing toolkit that provides insights into your site's SEO performance, including keyword rankings, backlinks, and competitive analysis.
• HubSpot: A powerful CRM and marketing platform that includes robust analytics tools to track website performance and user behavior.

Interpreting Data to Make Informed Decisions

Collecting data is only valuable if you know how to interpret it and make informed decisions:

• Identify Trends: Look for patterns and trends in your data. For example, if you notice a high bounce rate on a particular page, investigate what might be causing users to leave.
• Set Benchmarks: Establish benchmarks for your KPIs to understand what constitutes good performance for your site. Compare your current metrics against these benchmarks to gauge your progress.
• A/B Testing: Use A/B testing to experiment with different versions of your web pages and determine which performs better. This can help you make data-driven decisions to optimize your site.
• Regular Reporting: Create regular reports to track your site's performance over time. This helps you stay informed about what’s working and what isn’t, enabling you to adjust your strategies accordingly.
• Customer Feedback: Combine quantitative data from your analytics with qualitative data from customer feedback. This holistic approach can provide deeper insights into user behavior and preferences.

By diligently tracking and analyzing these KPIs, utilizing the right tools and interpreting the data effectively, you can ensure your B2B website is working for you. This approach enables you to make informed decisions that enhance user experience, improve conversion rates and ultimately drive business growth.

What's The Purpose?

In the end, it’s important to ask yourself, “What are you trying to accomplish with your website?” Too many non-effective B2B websites are still company-centric, making them out dated and insufficiently capable of engaging anyone.

The competitive business environment is pushing companies to develop an optimized website, but good looks and usability will only get so far. Branding, targeted content, messaging, SEO and VALUE are the key areas to develop. 

Customers are beginning to expect it and look for it. The winners, in your line of business, will be the companies that seek to create an online environment designed to meet the needs of their customers.

Virtually all B2B websites will eventually be built around these core functions. The competitive nature of business will drive it that way. Some are already doing it. Are you?

Here's the final note. Many companies know that they need to do something about their online presence, but don't know where to start.  Sometimes finding the right help can make all the difference in the world. If you are in this place and are looking for answers on how to better market your company online check out our article on hiring a marketing agency to see how marketing specialists can make a difference.