You or your superiors may be asking, “Why do we need a new website?”
At its core, a B2B website is the digital face of your business and often the first step a potential client will take in evaluating your company. Did you know that it’s actually fairly common for potential clients to determine if your business is credible and trustworthy based on your website design alone? Almost half of people surveyed recently said that a website’s design is the major factor in determining the credibility of a business (Business2Community, Dec 2014). At a minimum, your website design needs to create a great first impression and earn the trust of your potential clients.
It can be tough to determine whether your business needs a B2B website design overhaul. How do you determine if now is the time for a re-design or launch of a new website? We’ve put together a simple checklist that you can go through to see if your existing website design is maximizing your ROI.
Complete B2B Website Design Checklist:
If you answered “No” to any of the questions on the checklist, it’s time to take a serious look at your B2B website design. Today, your clients and prospects have higher expectations of your company’s digital presence. A simple website with 2-3 pages of content won’t help a prospective client learn more about your business, your services or products, or what differentiates your from your competitors.
In 2015, if a B2B website design isn’t responsive, user-friendly, informative, and an effective lead generator, then it’s not adding value to your organization. A weak digital presence sends the message that your company is outdated and behind the times.
My B2B Website Needs a Redesign, Now What?
The great news is that there are many things you can do to overhaul your website design and improve the ROI of your website. If you have worked through the Complete B2B Website Design Checklist and discovered the weak points in your current website design, you can create a concrete strategy for your digital presence.
First, you need to determine what your website objectives are, finalize what you must have, and settle on what you would like for your redesign. Website objectives vary from acting as a credibility piece to a lead generation tool to an educational resource. Finalizing your list internally will make the process of choosing a B2B web design firm easier. It’s always a great idea to have a budget in place before you start looking for a firm as well.
Next, you will need to build your core team of approvers and contributors. While there may be a variety of stakeholders at your organization, try to boil it down to a few key people who can make decisions and be the final call on written and visual content.
After you have determined your requirements and identified the decision makers, you can start looking for a qualified, experienced B2B web design firm that has experience with your industry and has a strong portfolio of work. It’s a good idea to work with a B2B website design firm that has experience in your industry and the technical ability to meet your requirements.
