3 B2B Website Design Best Practices to Convert Leads

If your B2B website has high traffic and engagement but low conversions, the problem may be that the user experience (UX) was not designed with businesses in mind.

Compared to B2C decisions, B2B decisions are more logical and less impulsive. B2B buying decisions are often made by a group of professionals, rather than one individual. This means that a B2B design needs to be unique, starting at the drawing board.

Here are three website design tips that will help you avoid the common mistake of making your website too focused on consumers. Instead, these tips will help you make a website that speaks to other businesses.

3 best practices for designing a B2B website

#1. Design for logic

People usually make purchases based on how they feel. Websites for consumers are designed this way too. If someone leaves a website without doing something, like buying something or subscribing to a newsletter, it's because they went with a competitor instead. This is why websites for consumers are designed to be dynamic, simple, and make people feel like they need to act right away.

B2B engagements are different from regular ones. Business people want information and solutions from you that they can depend on. They also need to know that what you're offering is real and will work. When you're selling to a company, they will be more interested in articles, webinars, white papers, pitch decks, and other resources that will help them understand what you're selling and how it can help their company. 

The opportunity for a B2B user to learn more should be easy to find. When you give out information, make it open so that the person feels like they can trust you. When someone trusts you, they are more likely to become a long-term customer.

#2. Design for groups

When designing a B2B user experience, it’s important to think of your target audience as a group of people who make important decisions. This group is likely very diverse in their backgrounds, opinions, and levels of authority. While a B2C user experience is tailored to appeal to a specific demographic, a B2B site needs to appeal to both the people who might use the product, as well as the people who might buy it, who may be bosses, founders, or an entire conference room of stakeholders with different thoughts and needs.

To design a site that is aimed at multiple users, there are some things to focus on. Clear and large search bars will allow users to easily walk through the user interface and feel like they have control of their information searches. Also, having home tabs divided by user roles (e.g., for users, for executives, etc.) will welcome users with different priorities and make them feel like the UX has been tailored specifically to them.

#3. Design with a longer buying cycle in mind

When designing a website for businesses, it is important to remember that the buying process is usually longer than when selling to consumers. This is because businesses usually take more time to make a decision about which product or service to buy. In addition, the final conversion usually does not involve a 'buy now' button or shopping cart.

B2B buying cycles can be much longer than buying cycles for other types of products. This is because the people who are involved in the decision to buy a B2B product are often higher up in an organization, and they need to agree on the purchase. On average, 6.8 people are involved in a B2B purchase decision. Between each "OK" there is often a series of complex protocols and guidelines that must be followed, each requiring a different resolution to approve.

There are many different contact options available on a website, and each one is important. A "buy now" button is good, but it's not the only thing that matters. You also need "learn more," "request a quote," and "talk to a representative" buttons. People who visit your website should feel confident that they can get in touch with someone who can help them learn more about the product and guide them through the buying process. The goal of the website is to make it easy for people to buy, and not to pressure them into making an impulse decision.

Designing for a business audience will give you better results

There are certainly design trends that B2B can steal from B2C. However, marketing professionals need to work with the inherently different business process of a B2B audience. B2B users tend to be groups looking to solve complex and long-form problems, and they are looking for trust and verifiable results. If designers can find ways to include more information without sacrificing the visual appeal of the design, they’ll see greater returns.

It is more difficult to convert a business-to-business customer than a consumer. This is especially true if you lose the lead near the end of the process. Make sure your website design is easy to navigate and provides information that will help persuade potential customers to do business with you.

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