You probably have a fair notion of what goes into growing your online presence, from designing your website to engaging premium SEO services. As a B2B company, however, the average web design is not going to fit the bill.
Your business requires a specialized website designed to attract specific clientele. Your clients will have needs that differ from the average consumer marketplace.Plus, they likely have a more sophisticated approach to finding products and services they need, thanks to corporate directives.
In other words, you need to tailor your web design to appeal to B2B clients. Along the way, there are several mistakes many companies in your position could make. Here are a few of the most common snafus and how to avoid them.
1. Marketing to Businesses
This might seem counterintuitive, considering your clients are corporations (or alternately, small, local businesses). However, you have to remember that there are people making decisions on behalf of those businesses.These decision-makers are your real clients and you should be marketing to them.
2. Ignoring Client Goals
As a business, you have your own goals, from lead generation to sales. Do not lose sight of the fact that prospective clients have goals, as well. In order to meet your goals, you must first help them to meet theirs.
Your website must therefore convey concise and relevant information. The design should be professional, intuitive, and consistent. Further, you should determine what is most likely to appear attractive and compelling to your target audience. When you understand what your clients want and need, you can find ways to convince them that you’re the right partner to help them accomplish their goals.
3. Failure to Update
This mistake can present in a variety of ways. Not only do trends change where the appearance of websites is concerned, but so, too, does the technology that governs usage.
Every field of design goes through trends. Just look at interior design. Would you use the same color palette and design elements your parents or grandparents did? No. If you’re going to bother remodeling, you want a modern home interior.
The same is true of web design, and an outdated website can make you look incompetent and out of touch. This isn’t to say you have to overhaul your website every month or even every year.You should, however, assess your site regularly to decide if updates are necessary.
One good example is your menu. A few years ago, a tool bar under the header was considered the height of custom website design features. Today, hamburger menu pulldowns have become far more popular.
In terms of technology, there is absolutely no getting around the fact that you need responsive web design. Mobile search traffic continues to grow and you have no choice but to get on board if you want to remain competitive.
4. Lack of Focus
Imagine that you’re in search of a product or service. Do you want to have to search through paragraphs or even pages of information to find what you’re looking for? More likely you want it to be readily available from the moment you click-through and land on a page.
Your clients are busy people and they don’t want to have to work too hard to discover why they should hire you instead of competitors. Your website needs to convey your core message, as well as promote what makes you special and distinguishes you from the competition. What makes your company unique and capable?
Plain language is preferable to industry jargon that is all but incomprehensible to the layman.You also must ensure that the most important information is provided first. From there you can add form to your function, rounding out content with a dose of personality.
5. Poor Layout and Design
Marketing services will attract traffic, but it will be for naught if your website is so visually distracting that visitors are repelled. Poor layout and design, including issues like bulky text, a lack of graphics, insufficient white space, visual clutter, bad navigation, and broken links, just for example, will all work against you when it comes to impressing professional visitors and proving that you are capable and trustworthy.
6. Bad CTAs
Your call to action (CTA) is arguably the most important part of your website. It provides clear and direct instructions for conversions. You don’t necessarily have to do the same dance with business clients that other companies do with individual consumers. When clients are ready to pull the trigger, make it easy for them.
