Have you been asking yourself, “Do we need a new website?” If you are asking that question, chances are the answer is yes. The technology supporting web design has changed drastically in the past two years, so even a website that is only five years old is a great candidate for a redesign.
As a San Diego web design agency working with B2B firms on redesigning and launching new websites, we encourage those on the quest for a new website to ask the following 5 important questions before starting a B2B web design project.
Why Do We Need a New Website?
Let’s start with the basics. Why should you bother with a new website if you have an existing website? Here are three reasons why you may need a new website.
- Multi-Screen Searching
- Lead Generation
- Credibility
Multi-screen searching is when users perform searches for products or services across a variety of devices, including desktop computers, tablets, and smartphones. Whether a potential client is searching for your product or services on a desktop computer and checking it out later on their smartphone, you want them to be able to access your website with ease.
It’s a busy world and people often don’t have the time to pick up the phone and call a potential vendor. Whether your firm provides products or services, a strong B2B web design offers potential clients the ability to contact your firm via your website – typically with online forms. These forms have the possibility to become a major source of lead generation for your sales team.
Face it, we live in a digital age. Whether your firm provides cutting-edge SaaS, recruiting services, or hard-to-find components, your first impression to a potential client matters. As your B2B website is often your first impression on a potential client, you want it to build up your credibility and not make your firm appear outdated. A technology that incorporates current technology ensures a prospect that you are up-to-date and a credible company.
What Does a Great B2B Website Need?
There is not a definitive answer for this question, as every firm is unique and has distinct needs. The good news is that there are a few best practices when it comes to building a great B2B web design.
- Distinctive Branding
- Clear Messaging
- Strong Calls-to-Action
- Content Resources
- A Blog Feature
There are so many things that can be included to make a website successful, but these are a good place to start.
A strong B2B brand carried throughout the layout, content, and imagery informs your prospects who you are and what you have to offer.
Direct messaging removes all doubt, educates potential clients about your value proposition and tells them why you are the best.
An easy way to provide an excellent user experience for your prospects is by letting them know what next steps to take. A strong call-to-action (CTA) lets them know what to do next: Call for consultation, Schedule an appointment, Contact our sales team.
If a potential client isn’t ready to take the next step, it’s important to give them tools where they can learn more about you, your product or services, and how to use them. A Content Library with case studies, before and afters, infographics, and ebooks gives them resources to move them down the sales funnel.
This last one is simple: a blog. Even if your B2B firm isn’t ready to start blogging every week, it’s ideal to create a web design that incorporates a blog feature. A blog is a simple way to share timely, relevant content with prospects and existing clients and it’s an easy way to continue adding optimized content to your B2B website.
What Content Do We Need on Our Website?
The answer to this is: What content do your prospects and clients want on the website? Think back to grammar and high school English classes – a good storytelling includes the who, what, when, where, and why details.
Here are the main types of content pages to include on your website:
- Who – About Our Company page
- What – Products or Services pages
- When – Clients Needs / Portfolio pages
- Where – Contact Us / Map / Address
- Why – All pages should incorporate your value proposition that discusses WHY a potential client should work with you.
Is SEO Really Necessary?
The only time SEO isn’t necessary on a website is when you want the website to stay hidden on the internet and have no visitors. You want visitors to the website and potential clients to find your website? Then you need to incorporate search engine optimization into your B2B web design.
SEO isn’t just keywords and page titles; it also includes the hierarchy of pages, website loading time, hosting, back-end coding, image titles and more. Work with a professional web design firm familiar with all the web design best practices for SEO.
How Should I Promote My Website?
It’s never too early to start thinking about how to promote your website after launching it. It’s best to have a soft internal launch first, meaning that after the website goes live, wait a few weeks to ensure any bugs or broken links are corrected. Once you are confident your B2B website is ready for the world – announce it.
- Write a press release
- Share it on social media channels
- Mention it in an Enewsletter
- Add it to your email signature
- Start blogging
The idea of launching a new web design project can be exciting and scary, but by asking these 5 important questions about your website you can start preparing for the process.
Have more questions about starting a website project? Check out our Guide to the Top 10 Website Questions to learn more about what a typical website costs, why you should care about WordPress, and more.
