How To Find A Good B2B Website Designer In The USA?

how to find a good b2b website designer in the usa

One of the fastest-growing business sectors is the B2B space, and the landscape has altered dramatically over the last six or seven years.

Going digital is now a given, and the days of face-to-face negotiations with decision-makers, sales pitches, and promos to clients are long gone.

Also vanished is the distinction between consumer marketing and business marketing. Today, the most valuable marketing tool is your website and you need top quality B2B web design.

To get more insights into the new eco-system, here are some interesting facts and figures:

More than 40% of companies conduct a big chunk of their corporate purchasing online
Today’s B2B purchaser conducts the same amount of research and expects the same UX during the sales cycle as they would in a B2C purchasing experience.
67% of industrial sectors including manufacturing and engineering make purchases based on the digital experience.
A large majority of them are passed more than 50% of their journey through the purchasing process before they meet with a business rep for the first time.
More than 70% of millennials have decision-making powers in their companies.
Converting leads into customers is the top priority for B2B marketers.
More than 71% of buyers expect personalized communication from B2B companies
New models such as B2B2C and B2C2B are gaining traction.

Table of Contents

What Is A B2B Business?

A case where one business makes a commercial transaction with another business is referred to as a B2B (business to business) transaction. Businesses that are exclusively in this sphere are known as B2B businesses. This is in contrast to B2C (business to consumer) businesses that deal directly with the consumer of end products/services.

They may source raw materials for production, require specialized knowledge/skills for operational reasons, or they may re-sell products/services sources from other businesses. They may also be selling wholesale, have distribution relationships with large sellers/chains, they may sell to organizations or could be suppliers selling to resellers.

Here there is business personnel on both sides, unlike B2C where one is the business and the other is a consumer. The overall transaction values are much higher in B2B, and the running costs much higher.

In B2C, the branding/reputation are dependent on media, marketing, etc., whereas in B2B the personal relationship between the two business entities may hold more value.

Do B2B Businesses Require a Website?

Though a large number of B2B’s have been reluctant to enter the eCommerce arena till recently, the current environment demands that they do. Otherwise, they risk lagging behind competitors, could become obsolete and finally redundant.

Efficiency: An eCommerce website helps you to speed up your processes such as sales order processing, order processing, fulfillment, etc.
Better UX: A well-designed website enables your customers to tie in their good user experience with your products/services, making the experience more memorable and repeatable.
Convenience and Opportunity: A greater volume and higher velocity of business orders can result from a smoother, easier, and faster journey through the purchasing process.
In sync: Buying trends have altered dramatically and studies show that buyers are younger, more digital-savvy, and expect you to be in sync. Being stuck in a rut could damage your brand, encourage negative feedback on social media, and also drive customers into the arms of your competitors.
Expands your Reach: Websites are living, dynamic entities. They help you extend your reach into newer areas through ERP and CRM platforms.
Know The Customer: Being a great communication channel, your website helps you connect with buyers and use the data analytics available to analyze, serve, and predict better.

Tips To Find The Right Website Designer for your B2B in the USA

Do a Needs Analysis

Reflect and be objective about what exactly you require from your website besides the standard offerings. A clearly defined value proposition helps the designer to give you a better product. Focus on the benefits that you expect from your website. This is a more effective approach and is more solution-oriented.

Get referrals and recommendations

The easiest and most convenient resource is right there at your fingertips – the internet is an ocean of information on design agencies. However, it’s wiser to use trusted sources in your industry for information and feedback on website designers. You can also get ideas from looking at your competitors’ websites. Make a shortlist of likely candidates and prepare a list of queries, concerns, ideas, etc. that you have. Involve your marketing team in this exercise.

Evaluate their capability

Ensure that you select an agency or designer who has loads of experience in creating B2B websites. Look at their portfolios and don’t get sidelined by screen-shots. Check some of their websites yourself to get an authentic look and feel. Confirm that their work ticks the right boxes: visual appeal, easy navigation, professional look and feel, clear calls to action, responsive design, and tech loaded without being too complex.

Budgeting

Firm upon your budget, but stay flexible up to a certain pre-determined point. Remember that cheap doesn’t mean the best, because a low-budget quote could find corners cut elsewhere. In general, the costs are classified under set-up, design, support, and maintenance. Security certificates, domain names, hosting, etc. have their own price tags.

Read reviews

Don’t rely on their own marketing and advertising. Do your own research by reading reviews, talking to former clients, getting feedback from your own marketing team, and evaluating their work yourself. Work only with well-established, reputed agencies that can demonstrate a proven track record. It may be tempting to hire a newbie or start-up, but in the long run, you could end up wasting time and resources.

Great content

Your business must be showcased through high-quality gated content. It must appear at every point on the site so that the customer/visitor is funneled seamlessly through the process. Consistent, original, authoritative, and regularly updated content can make your website a byword in the industry. It serves to inform and educate your target audience and can yield top-quality organic leads that will boost your search engine rankings. Such content would include e-books, how-to videos, webinars, podcasts, whitepapers, blogs, explainers, downloadable guides and pricing sheets, round-up of the day’s trends, etc.

Mobile friendly

Ensure that your website designer is capable of providing mobile responsive design. Google surveys report that users who have a positive experience with a business’s website on mobile are 67% more likely to convert. A great mobile experience is one that is convenient, secure, fast, offers great customer service and UX, supports comparisons and continuity across different platforms, renders perfectly to screen size, is personalized, and promotes social interactions.