Building a high-converting B2B website is no easy feat.
It needs a unique approach to web design that will successfully attract high-value prospects, build brand credibility, and encourage conversions. On top of that, the B2B buying journey is a long cycle that can take its toll on all parties involved.
If we look at the available data on the nature of the buyer’s journey, 77% of B2B buyers describe it as complex. Moreover, the typical B2B purchase involves between six and ten decision-makers.
Compare this to B2C, where up to 95% of shopping decisions are subconscious, and it becomes clear that designing an effective B2B website necessitates a highly strategic approach to drive conversions.
If you’re looking for ways to boost your site’s effectiveness, here are eight critical principles of B2B design, plus tips on how to apply them to your site.
1. Optimize Sales Propositions to Communicate Value
One of the most essential web design strategies for B2B organizations is that they need to convince prospects that a purchase, or engaging a service, will solve a pain point.
According to the Gartner B2B Buying Report, 99% of B2B purchases are driven by organizational changes, 66% of which are overwhelming. In other words, B2B buyers often have to make buying decisions to remove frustrations. And to invest in a solution, they need to know how it can help them solve a pain point or improve company performance.
The good news about this aspect of B2B buyer behavior is that you can effectively meet your audience’s needs by optimizing your sales proposition to instantly highlight value.
To apply this principle to your website, start by doing something as simple as placing value propositions in the right spot. User behavior research shows that the topmost section of your web pages attracts the highest amount of web visitor attention, so placing your value proposition in the ‘hero’ area of key pages (especially the homepage) will effectively show B2B buyers that your organization offers the solution they need.
For instance, if you check out the Forter homepage, you’ll see that the entire hero section of the homepage is reserved for the value proposition.
This design choice ensures that B2B buyers can’t miss the value offered by the brand. It removes all distractions, encouraging web visitors to read the copy and watch the explainer video to get them as invested in the product as possible
