We love working on business-to-business (B2B) websites. The unique challenges B2B businesses face require in-depth understanding of their buyer personas and of the strategy that is woven into the site's design.
Just like business-to-consumer (B2C) businesses it’s incredibly important to get it right. That is - create great websites that support their goals, effectively showcase their products and services and in general serve as one of their most powerful marketing tools.
Considering the challenges of "getting it just right" we wanted to explore a few of the things that need to go in to a good B2B website design, and provide some of the best B2B website examples that incorporate these principles.
Must Haves for Your B2B Website
So, what are the must have design elements you need for a stellar B2B website of your own? Here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Put Your Customers First: It really is of utmost importance to build your website for your customers as opposed to your business. Remember to put yourself in their minds when building your website. Make sure to include customer-focused design, copy, and features that speak to their needs and solve their problems.
- Keep It Simple: Make it easy on your customers. Give them the information they need. There’s no need to make things flashy. That’s not what your customers are looking for. They want simple navigation, white space, a clean design, and a clear visual hierarchy.
- Prioritize Mobile Design: If your site isn’t mobile friendly, you’ve already lost the battle. So many businesses are literally run on mobile devices (and Google prioritizes mobile design for SEO). Many of your customers may be looking to purchase from you using their phone. If your website isn’t mobile friendly, they’ll look to your competition.
- Build for Speed: Speed - specifically, loading speeds - is everything. In fact, research compiled on Kissmetrics shows that up to 40 percent of users will leave a website if it takes more than three seconds for a page to load. So do whatever you must to make sure your website pages load in under three seconds.
- Use SEO Best Practices: While much of your customers’ research does take place directly on a vendor’s website, 67% of B2B decision-makers begin the research process with a simple internet search. Therefore, it’s imperative that you focus on SEO using keywords. But don’t forgo good readability just to include keywords. Find that balance.
- Offer them Something: We all know that lead generation is key when it comes to your business. But you can’t rely solely on your contact page to secure those leads. So, it’s pretty important to include relevant offers to your website visitors. This allows you to target specific audiences. Here are a few commonly used freemium offers:
- Request a free quote
- Schedule a demo
- Register for a webinar
- Download the guide
- Subscribe to a newsletter
We thought it would be wise to illustrate these concepts with some actual sites. Here are some of the best B2B website examples (spoiler alert: a lot of them we're proud to call clients!)
1. Pindrop
Pindrop's web design employs ample use of white space and clean design; it’s visually appealing. The website features a simple navigation bar at the top. What we love most about it is that it uses compelling copy in the hero slider to immediately signal what they "do" as a company and use the CTAs to connect with their personas ("Secure Your Contact Center.") Obviously such CTAs aren't targeted for every person on the internet but that's a good thing: qualified personas will instantly know that this is a product targeted for the unique challenges faced in their industry. The page also goes on to offer numerous places to convert that target different stages of the buyer's journey so there ends up being a little of something for everyone.
2. Keyfactor
Keyfactor's site makes an immediate visual impact. The colors are everything here: notice how the color contrast of the CTAs draw the eye. We also love that rather than simply offering visitors the chance to request a demo, they also have a demo center, implying and interactive hub to see demonstrations of their product or aspects of their product. Rather than having to wait for a scheduled demo, this allows curious (and let's face it - time-strapped) browsers the ability to jump right in. Again the copy here speaks to a very specific audience and employs simple design that encourages exploration.
3. Buffalo Wild Wings Franchising Website
Who doesn’t like Buffalo Wild Wings? One of the things we like about this site is that it’s no nonsense. There’s a very simple navigation bar. The prospective franchise business owner knows exactly what’s being offered. There’s a CTA that allows them to request info and, right up front, a contact form with qualifying questions. We also love that they’ve included news items. Like reviews or testimonials, the inclusion of press garners trust and increase the FOMO of prospects.
4. Help Scout
What we love about Help Scout is the site's clarity. Their simple headline allows this B2B brand to tell visitors exactly how they can help them: “Customer support for growing businesses”. They’ve answered a pain point for their customers in big bold letters. Some other areas where they scored points: the site loads fast, looks and performs great on mobile, and they prospects are offered a free trial to get started.
5. Blue Ridge Global
Blue Ridge Global takes the guesswork out of supply chain planning using their sophisticated, AI-powered software. One quick glance through the Blue Ridge Global homepage and you:
- Immediately understand their UVP (hero headline, "Demand Planning Software for a Resilient Supply Chain"
- Can schedule a demo
- Intuitively feel compelled to follow the dotted line imagery which leads you down the page and through the homepage content
- Find quantitative metrics and qualitative indicators (testimonials) of the company's positive impact
- Learn what size businesses and what industries they serve
- Can engage with their chat functionality
- And more
It's clear this client ticked all the boxes of homepage design best practices. They've incorporated plenty of whitespace, kept things simple, while also providing enough information so that their target audience will surely feel drawn in and convinced they're a company that can help them level up when it comes to sophisticated supply chain planning. The site looks great on mobile, loads quickly and has rightfully earned a spot on our list.
6. One Page Love
We appreciate One Page Love because of its simplicity, which is of course part of what the business is selling: simplicity. It’s a website devoted to one-page website designs. The best thing about it is that it immediately puts customers first by giving them what they’re looking for: one-page web designs. We also love the resources they provide in their simple yet robust navigation bar. Businesses can go to this site for templates, education, resources, and inspiration. This site offers a great deal of information and many items, but it’s still easy to navigate.
Are You Ready to Design One of the Best?
We’ve given you a few tips on what to include when designing your B2B website, and we’ve given you a few of the best B2B website examples to illustrate. There’s a lot to consider when designing your site. At the end of the day you can't go wrong by keeping it simple and putting the customer first.
If you find yourself struggling to design the perfect site for your company, we’re here to help!