In all my years of marketing experience, I've seen my fair share of website design problems on B2B software and tech sites. Look, we get it: B2B technology isn’t always the sexiest line of business and rarely gets the fanfare and attention that new consumer technology startups receive. Top B2B technology companies like Slack, Rackspace, HubSpot and MailChimp are proof that great website design really can improve your brand image, make your messaging more memorable, and ultimately help grow your business.
That said, if you're planning on redesigning your B2B tech website, set the bar high and be careful to avoid these four common web design problems.
Issue #1: Thinking of Your Website as a “Brochure”
The days of designing a website that mirrors the copy on your sales collateral or trade show handouts are over. Smart B2B marketers know that a website is a crucial element in the company’s overall marketing mix and that you have to work to improve your website over time to get maximum results.
Your website has the potential to be much more than just a place to share product information or features through text and images. Marketers now have the ability to add interactivity to websites, personalize content, and continually update site content to make the website a much more powerful marketing tool.
Another common website problem that many B2B technology companies fall victim to is reusing old marketing copy, often from an old website or brochure. While that copy may be technically correct or relevant, when you’re redesigning your website, it’s a prime opportunity to rethink your message and ensure that your copy is relevant to your audience.
Tip: Your website should not just say what your company is or what your product does, but also showcase to your ideal customer how you can help solve a problem they are facing.
Issue #2: Ignoring Mobile Users
I know what you're thinking. We're in the third decade of the 21st century--how could someone ignore mobile users in website development? It still happens. Every day. Even with tech companies.
61% of mobile users will not return to a website if they had a poor experience, yet poor mobile UI/UX still runs rampant. The age-old excuse of “my customers are only using our site from their desktops” isn’t true anymore--and has not been for some time. The data backs it up: up to 70% of all web activity is from mobile users.
Tip: Use Google’s free Mobile-Friendly Test to see how your site performs on mobile devices.
Issue #3: Making it Hard to Get in Touch with You
One of the primary reasons a B2B technology company has a website is to convert visitors to leads, right? So why do they make contacting the company so challenging? Don’t hide your contact information. Make your phone number and other contact information (forms, live chat, etc.) super easy to navigate to and use.
Bonus points if you use a contact form to make it even simpler for a prospect to get in touch! You’ll give your visitors a straightforward way to contact you and can link the contact form up with your CRM or other marketing software for added value.
Tip: Include three or more ways for a visitor to contact you via your website, such as a contact form, a live chat utility, and a click-to-call phone number.
Issue #4: Not Thinking About Your Audience
It’s easy to talk about your product features on your website, but good marketers create content which adds value fo visitors. That content could be an engaging blog post, an interactive tool to drive your visitor to the right information based on their needs, or a video that succinctly describes your products and what issues you solve.
Think about what problems your audience is facing and how you can provide a solution for them. Think about the language and words they tend to use and write in a way that will resonate with your ideal customer.
Tip: Create buyer personas of your ideal customer(s) and create content and graphics that will resonate with them, not just with yourself.
Support Conversions With Good Web Design
A poorly designed website will do more harm than good for your brand, and your conversions and marketing funnels or flywheels will suffer. So, when you’re planning your next website design, make sure to follow best practices and design for your audience versus doing whatever is easiest (or cheapest!) to produce.
