Is your website designed to please buyers or impress competitors?
The truth is, buyers complete anywhere from 57% to 90% of the process before they ever speak to someone on your team.
What are they consuming during this research phase? Your website.
B2B website design matters because your website is your best marketing asset. It’s crucial to give prospects and leads the tools they need before they ever even consider picking up a phone or drafting an email.
What’s Wrong with Your B2B Web Design and Why Should You Care?
When Forrester Research analyzed 60 B2B websites across 12 industries for engagement, they found that every single one scored poorly. It doesn’t sound good, does it?
In general, here’s what most B2B websites get wrong.
It’s Too Generic
63% of senior-level execs say that most of the content they consume is too generic while another 58% says it lacks original nuance. For the kicker, more than half – 53% – say that content doesn’t address their problems.
You Don’t Have Content for the Entire Journey
Look, it’s understandable. Comprehensive high-quality content for every stage of the sales process takes plenty of resources and you’re working with a limited budget.
Remember that your buyer is completing up to 90% of the process before they talk to anyone on your team. Furthermore, six or seven people are involved in the average buying process.
You’re Blockading Your Best Content Behind Forms
On desktops, forms are annoying. On mobile, they’re a deal-breaker.
You spend so much time and money developing authoritative content. Why are you hiding it behind a form?
Your B2B leads spend up to three hours researching on their smartphone each day and type 70% of their Google searches from mobile devices. B2B web design with forms does nothing but hold you back.
Poor (or Non-Existent) Personalization
65% of businesses say they’ll consider switching vendors of a company doesn’t make any effort to personalize communication. Personalization isn’t “nice to have” in 2020 – it’s essential.
Like Justin Shriber writes for Harvard Business Review:
“B2B buyers have slowly been conditioned to expect the same personalized treatment that they get while shopping on Amazon.”
Dead End Landing Pages
80% of your leads will never convert into buyers and 96% of people who visit your website aren’t ready to buy. Dead end landing pages do nothing to help nurture visitors into leads and leads into buyers.
How to Build a B2B Website Strategy for 2020
Going back to the Forrester Research results, analysts said that B2B website design content needs a human or empathetic touch to make it more interesting and engaging.
Their research falls in line with what the statistics keep saying: B2Bs expect high-level personalization and high-quality content. The following B2B website design elements below are essential for connecting with buyers in 2020.
1. Seamless Mobile Design
What did all the best B2B website designs in 2019 have? A seamless mobile experience. With 70% of all B2B searches happening on a smartphone, you can’t afford a clunky or slow mobile experience.
If SEO is important to you, you should know that Google is ranking sites based on their mobile experience over desktop. The best way to boost your B2B website design experience for mobile is by getting rid of forms. Let your leads consume content at their leisure and give you a contact email when they’re ready.
2. Multiple Types of Content for Different Audience Segments
Look at your website’s content and ask yourself “does it answer every possible question for all B2B team members at each stage of the buying process?” If someone has to pick up a phone to answer a simple question, your content has failed.
Segment your audience on two levels:
- Firmographics like job role, buying power, company location, etc.
- Content type like blog, whitepaper, video, eBook, podcast, etc.
Remember to create content for end-users of your product, too.
3. Several Points of Contact
Make it easy for leads to ask a simple question without entering into any kind of commitment. A live chat, LinkedIn or Facebook messenger, or comprehensive FAQ can all go a long way with using your B2B website design to nurture leads. Make yourself available on multiple channels: message apps, email, your website, etc.
4. Well-Categorized Content with Bingeing Features
An adaptive content hub groups all your best content together and organizes it based on type.
- Case studies
- White papers
- eBooks
- Authority blogs
- Podcasts
- Video tutorials
Once a lead finishes one piece of content, an algorithm presents them with related content based on the topics they’ve already read. It removes any burden to find relevant content from your website visitor and encourages them to stay on your website.
5. Self-Nurturing Landing Pages
96% of leads who arrive at your landing pages – whether PPC or organic traffic – aren’t ready to buy. Instead of collecting an email and waiting to launch the nurturing process, why not let your B2B website design do the arduous work?
Self-nurturing landing pages present your visitor with relevant pieces of content in a stream. You don’t have to give the whole thing away – just a sample. When they’re ready, they’ll supply a business email address to get a download link.
6. An Engaging Exit Intent Strategy
If someone is trying to leave your website, why would they want to fill out a lead form?
Instead of popups with invasive forms that wreak of desperation, give your visitor a popup with more amazing content. After all, that’s why they came to your website in the first place.
Create the B2B Website Design Your Leads Expect
Hushly can help you skyrocket your lead conversions by 51% with a new B2B website strategy. By removing forms and allowing your leads to self-nurture, you’ll only collect information from qualified leads, and they’ll be further along in the buying process by the time they reach out!
With Hushly, you only pay for genuine leads – not spam email addresses or service fees for using the platform.
You’ve got nothing to lose except your clunky forms. See the Hushly software in action and level up your personalization!