Many businesses think the presence of a website makes them a credible business—with little regard given to user experience or design. But let’s say your website is at least a step above that, are you still building value to prospects?
New visitors to your website may have a general idea of what you do, but you also face the following hurdles:
- Their perception may be inaccurate
- They’ve already researched your competition
- They’ve seen bad reviews of your business
- They’re unaware of your business
These hurdles are a “make or break” moment for visitors—who often make up their minds within seconds of visiting your website. So how can your B2B website squash any concerns or misconceptions?
Feature customer testimonials
Plain and simple, customer testimonials let your prospects know you’re legit. On top of that, it tells them you’re awesome to do business with! Reach out to past top clients and ask if they’d be willing to provide a few sentences about your business. Focus on gathering testimonials that communicate specific or measurable outcomes like improved sales, employee morale or productivity.
Universities are a great example for featuring testimonials. UC San Diego’s Leadership of Healthcare Organizations faces the additional challenge of convincing busy healthcare executives to join their Master’s program. To convince prospective students that the program is worth their valuable time and money, testimonials are placed directly on the homepage from high-level executives—driving home the quality of the education and the potential outcomes.
Include news coverage and special events
If your business received positive press coverage, put that front and center. A popular choice among websites now is to include an “As featured in” bar showcasing publications who have covered your business. It’s a quick way to build credibility for visitors when browsing your homepage.
But what if you’re a new business or just don’t have press coverage? Featuring speaking engagements or company-hosted events serves the same purpose—showcasing your business as recognized in the industry.
Put thought leadership upfront
If your business has a blog, don’t bury all that content under other pages. Bring the blog to the forefront, displaying a link to it in the primary navigation. By doing so, a visitor will at least recognize that you’re keeping your website updated with relevant industry related content.
An added bonus is featuring a blog roll on your homepage with the most recent posts. This also encourages visitors to click deeper within your page and become more engaged with your business.
Highlight business partnerships
Many B2B businesses work behind the scenes for larger recognized brands. Think of engineering, manufacturing and technology businesses—oftentimes they’re creating products and services that support or integrate with Fortune 500 companies. Showcase your business partnership to illustrate to prospects that your long-term partners rely on you.
Showcasing passionate employees
If a returning visitor is convinced of your credibility and is now ready to get personal—they will navigate to your team bios. Build some of this personal connection on your homepage with a brief statement from the business owner, president or senior executive. While it doesn’t have to be a full bio, it can communicate why the business was started, what they value and where the executive comes from.
Financial planning firm Planning Within Reach builds trust and credibility with a brief statement from their founder on the homepage. In just three sentences, a visitor is put at ease when reading why the firm was founded and how it can help individuals in need of financial planning.
In addition, if your office features a robust team, think of placing a (professional) group photo to put a face to your company. Or if your board of directors has influential professionals, bring their photos to the forefront.
Share past awards or accolades
Received any past industry awards? Your visitors love to know they’ll be working with an award-winning partner. Even if your business hasn’t received any recent awards, check your Yelp page or local listings for any positive ratings. To say you’re a BBB certified business with five stars drives home your value.
Case studies or outcomes
Visitors love to see your past work—it allows them to quickly envision the level of quality they can expect from you. Have a great project that you recently executed? Bring it to the forefront of your website.
A popular choice among design agencies and architecture firms are project galleries as a helpful way to communicate your capabilities. Construction firm R.A. Burch created a rotating slider that started with a photo of their most influential project.
Before & after images are also a helpful method of driving home your businesses value and credibility. If your service delivery helped increase sales or other key metrics, show the comparison stats.
Don’t forget
All the above ideas are options to put on your homepage, but shouldn’t all be used at once. Your homepage should be clean and easy to navigate, so pick the most impactful option.
