In an increasingly interconnected world, your website acts as a virtual storefront. It allows your potential customers to browse your products and services.
B2B companies know that a solid online platform is one of the key elements to business growth. And although many prioritise social media, they also require a strong website design.
The importance of a strong B2B website design
Seasoned marketers spend endless hours figuring out the perfect sales funnel. One that transports prospective customers to a sleek-looking web page with a compelling CTA button.
However, many think of their website as just that – a sleek-looking portal that magically converts. In reality, good B2B websites have the potential to shape perceptions, build credibility, and foster meaningful connections. They are the bridge between companies and their target markets.
As an expert B2B digital agency, we know that a website is a remarkable investment of time and resources.
Before embarking on such a project, you need to examine all the factors contributing to a successful website. In this article, we’ll reveal 5 aspects to consider, alongside examples of some of our best B2B websites.
1. Strategic branding
Many business owners want a modern nice-looking website. But this is simply not enough to drive growth. A strong brand identity is a key pillar to attracting B2B audiences likely to become loyal customers. So, strategic branding is an essential aspect that needs to precede and inform your web design project.
Strategic branding goes beyond aesthetics. It establishes a company’s identity, perception, and reputation in the eyes of its ideal customers.
Through a comprehensive brand strategy, you align the company’s values, mission, and visual elements. Thus, your website becomes more than a compilation of beautiful images accompanied by generic text. Strategic branding transforms it into an effective profit-generating tool. It opens numerous business growth avenues, including:
- Fostering familiarity and trust among your audience, establishing your company as a credible and reliable solution provider
- Standing out in a competitive landscape by communicating your business’s unique value proposition and distinct positioning
- Creating a lasting impression, encouraging long-term relationships with clients, suppliers, and partners
Let’s look at Leathwaite, a global leader in executive search. We helped them undergo a major rebrand which ultimately reflected on their website design.
Leathwaite’s visually stunning homepage, integrating video content in the hero for a premium feel
The rebrand focused on their wealth of experience, with the brand tagline “Discovering exceptional.” To embody this promise, the website needed to be both functional and stunning in appearance. So, we used advanced functionalities like refined filtering and video integration to captivate users and underscore Leathwaite’s unwavering dedication to talent excellence.
Additionally, all design assets gave off a premium feel.
Our work for Leathwaite was shortlisted for the Transform Awards 2024. So, we can confidently say that strategic branding played a pivotal role in their web design.
And, as you can see in this example, a strong brand strategy opens new avenues for a user-centric design.
2. User-centric design
With so many resources invested, it’s easy to understand why many business leaders take personal ownership of their website. It becomes their passion project.
However, in reality, a website belongs to its users. And for it to do so, it needs to provide an engaging UX that caters to their needs and preferences. In this case, the needs and preferences of B2B buyers.
This is where a user-centric design comes into play.
User-centric websites are enjoyable and easy to navigate because they prioritise the user’s experience. An intuitive navigation, a responsive (and even interactive) design and clear CTAs are critical components of such websites.
The impact of these design elements is profound, with business benefits like:
- Achieving higher conversion rates, as a smooth and intuitive user journey leads to taking desired actions
- Demonstrating your business’s commitment to meeting customer needs, which fosters brand loyalty and a positive emotional connection
- Reducing the need for assistance, leading to cost savings by minimising the resources required for customer support and troubleshooting
For example, our client Mecsia, aimed to differentiate themselves in the facilities management industry through an empathy-driven rebrand.
Mecsia’s human-centric design with a simplified user journey
We responded by designing a visually captivating website that emphasises Mecsia’s human-centric approach, prioritising simplicity and easy navigation to enhance user experience. This strategy ensured that users could easily find the information they need. Case studies and corporate resources further enhanced the UX, showcasing Mecsia’s dedication to always being there for their customers.
Thus, user-centricity didn’t solely rely on the website’s UX, but on its content as well.
3. Content marketing and search engine optimisation (SEO)
Consider this: B2B buyers engage with at least 3-7 pieces of content before reaching out for service details.
Understandably so. The B2B sales funnel is notoriously complex – and for good reason. B2B products and services are usually a costly long-term commitment. So, buyers need to be certain that your company has the expertise required to deliver outstanding results.
One of the core elements of building a good reputation is your content. Breaking down the steps towards a winning content strategy is beyond the scope of this article. But one thing is certain: delighting your audience with quality content is a worthwhile tactic.
In the B2B space, valuable content can take many forms. From educational posts to white papers, webinars and podcasts, the goal of your content is to reinforce your credence. These will reassure your audience of your expertise. However, there’s another higher power that needs to assess your authority.
Search engines.
By building an authoritative domain, you have higher chances of getting organic traffic through searches.
Thus, your content needs to strike the perfect balance between intriguing your audience and being search engine-friendly. Once you reach that sweet spot, the opportunities are invaluable, for example:
- Increasing your business’s visibility and reach within its target audience
- Educating and informing potential customers about the industry, challenges, and solutions
- Ranking higher in search engine results pages (SERPs), reducing the reliance on paid advertising
Indeed, content strategy is critical for any B2B company looking to establish authority and attract organic traffic.
Take our client dormakaba, a global leader in access control and security solutions, for example. With a robust content strategy centered around their industry-specific blog, dormakaba consistently delivers valuable insights to their audience.
dormakaba’s extensive content hub tackling industry-relevant topics
By regularly publishing informative articles, they not only showcase their expertise but also drive 3.6K monthly organic search traffic. Moreover, with 80% of their keywords having informational intent, they have positioned themselves as an expert in their are. Their 45% domain authority score further proves this fact.
So, dormakaba’s success exemplifies how a well-executed content strategy can elevate a company’s online presence and enhance credibility.
And with a good content strategy in place, you need to ensure your users can easily access what you post. Thus, performance and functionality are the building blocks of successful web design.
4. Performance and functionality
If your website is slow or fails to deliver what users need within a few clicks, they will simply look for a better alternative.
You might have the most insightful content or the best product on the market. But without a seamless browsing experience, these will simply go unnoticed. Your website design needs to prioritise performance and functionality. That’s because web design encompasses a wide range of factors that collectively contribute to boosting performance and functionality.
Consider that:
- Web performance relies on minimising large files, optimising images, and using efficient coding practices.
- Responsive design techniques ensure that pages function effectively on various devices, including desktops, tablets, and smartphones.
- Intuitive navigation structures with user-friendly interfaces ensure that all interactive elements (buttons, forms, menus) function smoothly.
- Design choices, like providing alt text for images or maintaining proper contrast ratios, contribute to a more inclusive experience for individuals with disabilities.
All these practices fall under the umbrella of web design. The resulting boost in performance and functionality will bring you numerous advantages, like:
- allowing B2B buyers, who often have specific goals and limited time, to find information easily
- making it easier for users to navigate the website, find relevant information, and complete desired actions
- encouraging repeat visits and fostering customer loyalty as a result of positive interactions with your website
Take, for instance, our client Beacon. They are a pioneer in ophthalmic gene therapy working on a cure for a rare condition that causes sight loss.
Beacon’s accessible web design catering to various visual needs
Given Beacon’s mission, their website design had to merge functionality with accessibility. Thus, we planned the user journeys to accommodate both patients and caretakers, simplifying navigation across the website. To cater to diverse visual needs, we implemented high-contrast colour schemes and customisable font sizes. Additionally, we designed all interactive elements with keyboard navigation in mind, ensuring an inclusive experience for users with different abilities.
Balancing these functional needs with the visual identity of the brand, our work extended beyond aesthetics. It was a great feat of accessible website design.
However, a website doesn’t work in isolation. It’s part of a complex system that transforms users into leads and leads into conversions. Integration is essential to make this system work for you.
5. Seamless integration
You might have noticed by now that none of the aforementioned aspects work independently of each other. They are interconnected practices that come together to generate the most optimal avenues for business growth. So how does your website fit into the overall digital ecosystem?
As discussed in the beginning of the article, websites are crucial for conversion, yet they don’t work in a vacuum. They are highly dependent on all your other platforms, like social media or your MarTech tools. To create an unified system, all these need integration with your website.
Achieving integration through web design requires a strategic approach. It involves designing consistent user interfaces and experiences that seamlessly connect your website with external platforms.
For example, integrating your CRM synchronises customer data, tracks interactions, and provides a comprehensive view of customer relationships. Connecting with payment gateways provides secure payment processing and facilitates online transactions. Linking to your marketing automation tools streamlines all marketing efforts.
The possibilities are endless, and the benefits even more so. Here are some examples:
- Accommodating increased data volume, users, and business complexity as the company (and thus the website) expands
- Allowing for targeted and personalised campaigns, optimising lead generation and engagement through MarTech integration
- Facilitating controlled access to data and enhancing security by centralising user management and permissions
Our client Mahindra & Mahindra, the Indian multinational automotive manufacturing corporation, boasts an extensive social media presence across most major platforms.
Mahindra’s breadth of social media posts on Facebook
Recognising the vast user base in their target market on Facebook, Mahindra strategically utilises this channel for both organic and paid reach. With an impressive 926K followers, Mahindra’s approach centres on community-building. They feature posts that showcase corporate milestones alongside customer-centric product updates.
This engagement has transformed the platform into a dynamic communication channel. Users actively participate in comment sections with feedback and support queries. This interactive approach helps Mahindra establish a personal rapport with its audience, seamlessly guiding them towards other touch points. Through this cohesive strategy, Mahindra’s online ecosystem remains interconnected, effectively funneling users from various platforms towards their central website.
So, to establish a robust digital performance for your business, integration is the final piece of the puzzle. It works hand in hand with the other four aspects to garner a holistic approach towards sustained growth and success.
Web design for your business needs
The B2B sales funnel might be complicated, but your B2B website design project doesn’t have to be.
As discussed, your website isn’t simply a visually pleasant platform. It serves as a virtual storefront, forging connections and shaping perceptions. By applying these principles, B2B companies can harness their website’s potential to fuel growth effectively.
Not sure where to start?
Dusted is a specialist digital and brand agency. We work with some of the most ambitious businesses in the world, blending strategy, creativity and technology to solve their B2B web design challenges.
Get in touch with us to discuss how we can design a website for your business needs.
