This is a guest post from Conversion Rate Optimisation specialist, Joe Doveton.
Unlike consumer websites with instant purchases, conversion on B2B websites usually means trying to show the right content, to the right prospect at the right time - thereby generating interest and facilitating information gathering.
It can be a long process engaging with a potential prospect who may become interested in hiring your business and cascading through typical lifecycle stages of marketing qualified lead, sales qualified lead, opportunity, customer and advocate.
But are consumer and business behaviours so different? After all the tactics employed - user research, AB testing, data analysis - are the same across both types of organisation. So, what is different about optimising a B2B website?
In this article, we highlight 6 key best practice themes and over 20 actionable tips for improving your B2B website's performance across navigation, usability, readability, messaging, lead conversion, social proof, and analytics.
Navigation & Usability
1. Organise Navigation by Usage Type and Industry
B2B buyers often seek solutions to specific problems rather than just browsing for products. Structure some of your navigation to align with user needs and industry-specific solutions to enhance their search efficiency, rather than just organising just around your products. Utilise card sorting techniques to understand how your audience organises information (Snyder, 2003).
Example: Lionbridge organises their translation services by industry type, as well as by products:
2. Prioritise Site Search
Internal site search functionality is a significant conversion driver. In eCommerce, visitors using site search are five times more likely to convert, and this principle applies to B2B as well (Sterne, 2010). Ensure your search feature is prominently placed and the search results are presented in an accessible and usable way.
3. Design for All Formats
This should be pretty standard by now - but while B2B users are more likely to access your site from desktop computers, ensure your design is responsive and functions well across all devices and screen sizes, as some users may look you up whilst travelling, or in meetings.
Readability
4. Reduce Jargon
Focus on delivering business solutions rather than technical details. Simplify language to ensure clarity and relevance for your audience (Hogue, 2018).
5. Accommodate Skimming Behaviour
Since users often skim content, provide summaries or abstracts for lengthy texts to ensure key messages are quickly accessible (Nielsen, 2010). Break down large blocks of text into smaller, more digestible sections. Employ a “layer cake” approach to content presentation, with images, call out boxes and quotations breaking out longer paragraphs.
Example: Nielsen Norman has been one of the best established UX agencies over the last 30 years. One of their most famous studies saw them develop an equation to help website owners calculate the likelihood of content being read (as opposed to just skimmed). They found that on average readers had time to read a maximum of 20% of the text content they were presented with. To accommodate this, break text blocks down into small, scannable chunks.
6. Ensure Accessibility
Make your content accessible to all users by checking for colour contrast and other potential accessibility issues. Tools like the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) can assist in this process.
Messaging & Content
7. Tell Human Stories
Humanise your content by incorporating storytelling techniques. B2B buyers respond positively to narratives that connect on a personal level (Fogg et al., 2003). Short, impactful quotes from satisfied customers can significantly boost conversion rates by building trust and credibility.
8. Create Thought Leadership Content
Position yourself as an industry expert by producing valuable, insightful content. This approach helps in nurturing leads and establishing authority.
9. Cross-sell Blogs
Keep users engaged by suggesting related content. This practice increases time spent on your site and improves overall engagement.
Example: This blog layout by Canva makes great use of space:- Social buttons are prominent for sharing.
- There is a clear table of contents which breaks the blog down into subheadings which are easy to access the author’s name is clear at the top of the sidebar.
- Useful tags are provided for grouping the design ‘cross-sells’ other articles which are ‘recommended for you’
10. Make Your Visual Content Relevant and Useful
Incorporate relevant images such as product photos, dashboards, or outputs to provide context and support your messaging. Avoid generic corporate images which may lack impact. Instead of lengthy intro content make practical, instructional videos instead. Focus on creating videos that demonstrate value and provide solutions.
11. Leverage FAQs
Address common queries with a well-organised FAQ section to preemptively resolve concerns and enhance user experience. Increasingly this is good for being discovered in the first place as search engines like Google and LLM’s like Chat GPT have moved to answering queries asked in a more conversational style.
12. Be Globally Aware
Tailor content to local cultures and preferences to resonate with a global audience and avoid cultural missteps. Use photographic subjects of local ethnicity wherever possible.
Example: Dell China localises to images of photographic models of local ethnicity to help sell its products.
Lead Conversion
13. Qualify Appropriately
Adjust your lead forms based on your qualification needs. Shorter forms might be necessary for higher volume, while more detailed forms could filter out lower-quality leads. In all cases, highlight user progress through the form and manage expectations about who will respond and when.
14. Balance Form Fields
Ensure that the number of form fields is proportional to the value of the asset you are offering. A longer form can be justified by a higher perceived value.
15. Test Open Gating
Consider leaving content accessible but offer a download option for users who wish to take it away. This strategy can increase engagement while still capturing leads.
16. Understand Microconversions
Track and analyse smaller user actions, such as reading case studies, accessing white papers or newsletter sign-ups, to better understand the user journey and improve lead nurturing.
17. Visual Hierarchy of Goals
Clearly communicate your primary goals - what you want the user to do - to your visitors. Ensure that your most important actions are prominently displayed, with secondary actions less emphasised.
Persuasion
18. Highlight Case Studies
Prominently feature case studies to build credibility. Demonstrating trust from reputable companies can significantly influence prospective buyers.
19. Ensure Readable Accreditations
Display accreditation logos clearly and legibly, especially on mobile devices, to enhance trustworthiness and professionalism. Fewer, easily readable accreditations are more valuable than unreadable logos.
20. Be Appropriate
There are many different persuasion techniques including use of social proof, scarcity, salience and others. Make sure that any tactics you use are appropriate to the user at their specific stage of their customer journey.
Analytics
21. Utilise Form Analytics
Track and analyse form performance to identify where users drop off and optimise accordingly. Zuko Analytics is a great tool specifically designed to track form completion rates plus other field specific metrics like hesitation or re-write rates.
22. Employ Call Tracking
Implement call tracking solutions like Infiniti or Calltracks to gain insights into phone interactions and their impact on conversions.
23. Enable Content Sharing
Encourage users to share content on social media to increase reach and drive additional traffic to your site.
Remember, optimisation is a journey, not a destination. Often AB testing or user testing is required to try out different ideas to make sure you hit the right tone and provide engaging content that is measurably an improvement on the status quo. Chances are that your design will require several rounds of tweaking before you hit upon the appropriate mix.
However, by considering these best practices, you can enhance the effectiveness of your B2B website, improve user experience, and ultimately drive higher conversion rates.
References:
- Fogg, B. J., et al. (2003). What Makes Web Sites Credible? Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication.
- Hogue, R. (2018). Clear Communication: How to Reduce Jargon in Business Writing. Harvard Business Review.
- Nielsen, J. (2010). How Users Read on the Web. Nielsen Norman Group.
- Sterne, J. (2010). Social Media Metrics: How to Measure and Optimize Your Marketing Investment. Wiley.