A poor website experience can drive your traffic straight into your competitor's sales funnel, so your website should be optimized with excellent user experience, captivating visuals, and engaging content. The key to crafting an exceptional website experience is to guide your target audience seamlessly through various pages, leading them directly to conversion.
In this article, I will share B2B website best practices for lead generation. Whether you are an experienced professional or new to building B2B websites, these strategies will assist you in improving your online presence and accomplishing your business objectives.
B2B website best practices for lead generation
To optimize your B2B website for lead generation, we have compiled a comprehensive list of eight best practices. These practices are carefully crafted to ensure that your website visitors are effortlessly led toward conversion:
1. Understand your target audience
Before creating a B2B website, you need to understand and define “who” will be using your services and the exact problems you’re solving for them.
First, you should start by checking your customer data to identify your ideal customer profile and their buyer persona, pain points, and what information and resources they seek.
An ideal customer profile (ICP) is how you identify your ideal customers. It describes the exact type of customers you want to attract. Think of it as a fictitious company that boasts all the qualities you’d want from a customer that best fits your products or services.
This might include their annual revenue, the industry they operate in, their budget, the number of employees in a particular department, their location, and company size.
ICP is about the best company to chase, while buyer personas are the individuals you encounter in that company. Buyer persona defines the qualities of decision-makers involved in the buying process.
Let’s look at an ICP and personas for a Software Development Company
ICP: Insurance Company using Legacy Systems
IdealCompany Size
Annual Revenue
Industry
Geographical Location
500+ employees
$1 billion+
Insurance
North America
Persona 1: IT Director
Goal
Wants
Values
Limiting Beliefs
Modernize legacy IT systems
Scalable and flexible software solutions
Efficiency, system integration, data management
Concerns about implementation time, budget limitations, disruption to the existing operation
Persona 2: Chief Executive Officer
Goal
Wants
Values
Limiting Beliefs
transformation
Software solutions that can improve efficiency and streamline operations
Great Customer experience, cost reduction
Concerns about ROI, implementation time, disruption to existing operations
By following B2B website best practices and considering your ICP and buyer personas, you can create a website that effectively addresses your target audience's needs and pain points, leading to better engagement and conversion rates in the B2B space.
2. Follow the 30,000-foot view strategy
Once you’ve developed a clear picture of your ideal customer profile, follow the 30,000 Foot View strategy. Begin with personas in mind and build a sitemap that effectively guides users through your website.
For example when you're flying in an airplane and look out the window, you get a broad overview of the landscape below. You can see the major geographic features like mountain ranges, bodies of water, and cities, but you can't make out individual buildings or streets.
Similarly, the 30,000-foot view of a website's sitemap gives you a broad overview of the site's structure and organization. You can see the major sections, pages, and links but can't see the details of individual design elements or content. The sitemap helps you understand how different parts of the website are connected and how users navigate the site.
When building my own website, I started with this same B2B website strategy .I first defined various personas I wanted to target, and then with this amazing octopus.do tool. I started building a sitemap.
I first created a homepage and then started thinking of what I would like visitors to do.
On the homepage, I kept sections like My Intro, Free Resources, and About Me, and I also defined the structure where users can navigate if they click on the various page elements.
Here on the Resources page, I aim to educate visitors and take them to various forms of educational content I have created.
How did I end up with these flows? I focused on my target personas or people I would love to guide and work with. For my website, that would be junior marketers, marketing managers, marketing students, new business entrepreneurs, and so on.
For example, users who click on the free resources section will be redirected to the resource page, including blog posts, free checklists, and my YouTube Videos.
By following this way, I have a 30000-foot view roadmap ready for my website, and you can follow the same strategy for your B2B website.
Important Suggestion: Download Your Free Homepage CRO Checklist, which has 14 actionable items with 25 real-world examples. It serves as a guide, showing you what to focus on and how to improve each section of your website homepage effectively.
3. Website design and user experience
Website design and user experience (UX) are crucial for increasing conversions and leading to lead generation, especially regarding B2B website best practices. A website with good design and user experience (UX) is essential for increasing conversions and leading to lead generation.
When a website is easy to use, looks visually appealing, and provides relevant information, it can significantly improve the user's experience and ultimately lead to more conversions. A well-designed website can help guide visitors through the sales funnel, from initial interest to reaching out or completing a desired action.
In contrast, a poorly designed website can turn visitors away and cause them to lose trust in the brand. A website with confusing navigation, poor layout, or outdated design can make it difficult for visitors to find what they need or take the desired action, leading to frustration and a higher bounce rate.
Therefore, investing in good design and UX is essential for any business that wants to optimize its website for conversions. By creating a website that is easy to use, visually appealing, and relevant to the target audience, businesses can increase the chances of visitors converting and achieving their marketing goals.
To learn more about website design and user experience (UX) in-depth, check out this comprehensive article:
This article covers B2B website best practices with examples.
4. Content and copywriting
When drafting copy for your b2b website, consider these insights:
1. Audience: Make sure your copy is professional and speaks to the specific needs of your clients.
2. Value Proposition: Clearly explain how your business can help solve your customers' problems and achieve their goals. Use data and case studies to support your claims and show how to provide a competitive advantage.
3. Clarity: Keep your copy clear and concise, avoiding jargon or technical terms that might confuse your audience. Use bullet points and subheadings to make your content easy to read and digest.
4. Branding: Ensure your brand is consistent throughout your website copy, using visuals to highlight your team's expertise and build trust with potential clients.
5. SEO: Optimize your copy for search engines by using relevant keywords, clear site structure, and valuable content like blog posts or white papers.
6. Testimonials: Use client feedback and case studies to build trust and demonstrate your track record of success.
For better help and understanding, explore the following articles:
To make your b2b website a true lead generation website, you need to add some important Call to Action elements, such as:
1. Contact Us: This CTA invites visitors to get in touch with your company to learn more about your services and start a conversation about how you can help them achieve their goals.
2. Expandable Multi-Step Forms: Rather than overwhelming visitors with a long and complicated form, using expandable multi-step forms can effectively gather information and keep visitors engaged. By only showing one field at a time and expanding as the visitor fills in each field, these forms can provide a more user-friendly experience and help increase form completions.
3. Schedule a Consultation: If your services require more in-depth discussion or consultation, then CTA can encourage visitors to schedule a call or meeting to explore their needs in greater detail.
4. Request a Demo: If your B2B services are software-based, offering a demo can effectively show potential customers how your product works and how it can benefit their business.
5. Download a Resource: If your website offers valuable resources such as whitepapers, case studies, or e-books, inviting visitors to download them can be a great way to demonstrate your expertise and provide value to potential customers.
6. Sign Up for a Newsletter: If you offer regular content updates or other valuable information, inviting visitors to sign up for your newsletter can help you build a relationship with them over time and keep your brand top of mind.
7. Live Chat: Adding a live chat option to your website can effectively engage visitors and answer their questions in real time. This can help build trust and establish a positive reputation for your business.
8. Announcement Bars: Announcement bars are banners that appear at the top or bottom of a website and can be used to promote sales, discounts, or other time-sensitive offers. They can be an effective way to encourage visitors to take action and create a sense of urgency.
9. Learn More Popups: "Learn More" popups can provide additional information or resources to visitors interested in your services but may not be ready to take immediate action. By offering more information, you can help build trust and establish yourself as an expert in your field.
10. Website Widget Buttons: These are small buttons that typically stay fixed in a vertical position on either the left or the right side of the screen, providing easy access to features like live chat, email subscription forms, or social media links. They can be a convenient way for visitors to interact with your website without navigating to different pages.
6. Add trust through testimonials and case studies
Listing case studies on a B2B website can help demonstrate expertise, build credibility, highlight outcomes, and differentiate your firm from competitors, and support the sales process by providing real-world examples that help potential clients understand the value of your services.
When listing case studies on a B2B website, you could include the following key elements:
1. A clear description of the client's problem.
2. A detailed account of the services provided to the client.
3. A description of the outcome or results achieved by the client as a result of your services.
4. Metrics demonstrating the project's success include increased revenue or cost savings.
5. Testimonials or quotes from the client that highlight the services' value.
The key takeaway is that a well-written case study can help potential clients understand how your consulting services can address their specific needs and solve their problems. Including clear metrics and testimonials, case studies can also help build credibility and demonstrate the success of your company’s past projects.
Let's look at some really good examples.
The First one is from FrontApp, on their pricing page has a nice section showing case studies across various industries.
The thing I like about this layout is that it segments the visitors based on their industry, and within their industry, they can check out the brands/competitors who are using Front. And if a visitor clicks read more, they can learn more about the features that are fine-tuned for that customer segment. Pretty Clever.
7. Follow SEO best practices
SEO is the practice of refining web pages to improve their ranking on search engine result pages ultimately. The purpose is to have search engines (like Google) return links to your website when users enter relevant questions or queries.
If your B2B website is ranked high, users are more likely to click, increasing your company's online visibility and organic traffic to your website.
Some of the things to consider:
(i) Keyword Research: Conduct thorough keyword research to identify the terms and phrases your potential clients are searching for. Use these keywords in your website's copy, meta descriptions, and other relevant areas.
(ii) Site Structure: Organize your website clearly and intuitively, with easy-to-use navigation and a logical hierarchy of pages. Make sure your URLs are clear and include relevant keywords.
(iii) On-Page Optimization: Optimize your website's individual pages with helpful and relevant content that includes your target keywords. Use meta titles, meta descriptions, and header tags to make your content more accessible to search engines.
(iv) Backlinks: Create high-quality backlinks from reputable websites in your industry. Backlinks from authoritative sources can increase your website's visibility and search rankings.
(v) Page Speed: Optimize your website's loading speed to ensure a fast and responsive user experience. Use a content delivery network (CDN), compress images, and minify code to improve loading times.
(vi) Thought Leadership: Establish yourself as a thought leader in your industry by creating authoritative content that provides valuable insights and analysis. This can include blog posts, white papers, webinars, and other resources.
(vii) Branding: Build a strong brand identity by developing a unique and recognizable voice, tone, and visual identity. Use visuals, such as images and videos, to reinforce your brand and enhance your messaging.
By focusing on these SEO factors, you can establish yourself as a thought leader in your industry, build a strong brand identity, and increase your B2B consulting website's visibility in search rankings to attract more potential clients.
8. Track your website analytics regularly
Review your website data monthly and quarterly to identify wins and determine where you can improve moving forward.
Through Google Analytics, you can check the performance metrics for your website; here are some:
1. Traffic Sources: Analyzing your website traffic sources can help you understand which channels are most effective for driving conversions.
2. Conversion Rates: Measuring your website's conversion rates is critical for understanding how effectively your website converting visitors into leads or customers.
3. Bounce Rates: High bounce rates can indicate that visitors are not finding what they're looking for on your website, so tracking this metric can help you identify areas for improvement.
4. Time on Site: Understanding how long visitors spend on your website can provide insight into how engaged they are with your content and help you optimize your website to keep them engaged.
5. Top Pages: Analyzing which pages on your website are most popular can provide insight into which content resonates with your audience and help you optimize your website for conversions.
6. Form Submissions: Tracking form submissions can clearly show how many leads or customers your website generates.
By regularly monitoring these B2B website metrics and applying best practices, you can ensure that your website performs at its best and drives meaningful results for your business.
In today's digital age, having a B2B website is not enough. To effectively generate leads and stay ahead of the competition, your website must provide an exceptional user experience and follow best practices tailored to your target audience. Here, we've outlined eight key B2B website best practices for lead generation, all designed to guide your visitors seamlessly toward conversion.
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