A B2B website, where you promote products or services to other businesses, is a particular category. As a result, the way you approach the design and development of a B2B website should be unique. For the project to be successful, you need high-quality website design, but you also need a website that works for your business and delivers on your objectives.

The following eight considerations when designing a B2B website will help you achieve these objectives.

What You Want Your Website to Do

Deciding what you want your website to do is the first place you should start. Examples include:

• Generate leads.
• Generate online sales through e-commerce functionality.
• Generate inquiries, whether by phone or email.
• Generate bookings.
• Increase signups to your email newsletter.
• Increase registered users.
• Provide information to your customers, such as technical specifications of products.

The purpose of your website will significantly influence the design and the development process.

Your Current Website

If you have an existing website, conduct an audit looking at the functionality, content, sitemap, navigation, SEO, and how it works on mobile devices. You should also review your analytics reports.

Identify the things you like about your current website and the things you don’t like, as well as the things that work and those that don’t.

Your Competitors’ Websites and More

Look at your competitors’ websites, too. Please take into account the design, sitemap, and content they have included on their site, as well as their calls to action. Again, the websites of your competitors should be the benchmark to make yours better.

Don’t restrict your research to just your competitors, however. You might find good ideas on companies’ websites in your industry that don’t operate in your area. You might also find good ideas on the websites of other companies.

The Definition of Your Customers and the Buyer’s Journey

Your website needs to appeal to the business customers that you are targeting. It needs to answer the questions they might be asking when looking for your products or services, and it needs to provide them with solutions to the problems they are seeking to resolve.

To achieve this, you need to have a clear definition of your customers. Some of the key things to think about include:

• The types of businesses you target as customers.
• The industries they operate in.
• Why do businesses need your products or services?
• What is the most critical factor to your customers when they are making a decision?
• Who in the industry will decide on buying the products or services you offer?

Once you have defined your customer, you should consider the buyer’s journey, particularly how your website fits into that journey. For example, is your website the first point of contact? Will potential customers have several interactions with your website before making a purchase, possibly through your blog? How do businesses typically purchase the products or services that you offer?

All the above information is invaluable for the team building your website, and it will help make your new website successful once it is launched.

Value Proposition

Your value proposition is an essential part of your website, particularly when you launch a new site. In simple terms, why would a business do a deal with you instead of one of your competitors? What makes your offering more compelling?

Your value proposition needs to come through loud and clear whenever potential customers visit your website.

Sitemap, Navigation, Content, & Design Best Practices

A good starting point here is to write out the pages that you think your website will need. For example, will you have a page for every product or service you offer, or will you group products or services according to category or type?

From there, you can start to develop a sitemap. This will also create the first draft of the web site’s navigation and tell you the content you need.

It’s important to consider website best practices at this stage, too, so they are sufficiently prioritized during the development. Examples include SEO, page load speed, and security.

What You Will Do Post-Launch

For most businesses, launching a website is not enough to make a positive contribution and achieve its objectives. In most cases, you need a post-launch digital marketing strategy to let potential customers know your website exists, generate traffic to the site, and ensure your site is as visible as possible on Google.

Who Will Design and Develop Your New Site

You’ll also need to think about how your website will be designed and who you will hire to complete the work. There are many things to think about, but selecting a website design company with experience is most important.

Making Your Website a Valuable Asset to Your Business

It is crucial that your website has a purpose and adds value to your business. Of course, this point applies to all websites, but it is essential for a B2B website. It’s also why thinking about the eight points above is crucial when you start getting a new website developed.

8 Things to Consider When Designing a B2B Website

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