The Three Biggest B2B Website Mistakes
Today’s B2B website is a living, breathing, dynamic marketing asset. Because the website is so important, B2B marketers and business owners really need to ensure that their sites are up to snuff before beginning a social media campaign or developing a content strategy. Avoid these three huge mistakes to help you increase sales.
By Dianna Huff
twitter: @diannahuff
DH Communications, Inc.
In the early days of the Internet, web content was an after-thought as the main focus was the printed product brochure. Once the brochure was complete, it was then added to the website, usually in the same format in which it was printed.
On the Home or Products / Services pages of your website you need to state exactly what you offer and how it will benefit people. Yet too often B2B websites are full of gobbledygook language such as, “We’re the leaders in providing scalable integrated digital gizmos for industry verticals.”
One of the first things I look for when talking with a prospective client is whether or not the website is optimized. Usually it’s not and when I point this out, I’m told that they paid a web designer to “throw some keywords in the meta tags.”
Having an abundance of e-books, white papers, webinars, podcasts, video, and so on is good. Yet before you get to the content wealth stage, you need to ensure you have lots of “bread and butter” content including:
- Services / product info – I recommend that for each service or product you offer, you have a page of content describing it – versus cramming everything onto one or two pages. Having more pages also makes it easier to optimize for specific keywords.
- FAQs – Multiple FAQ pages regarding different aspects of your business answers people’s questions as well as draws them to your site via search.
- Case studies / testimonials / client lists – Third-party endorsements help prospects decide whether they should do business with you.
- Articles / e-newsletter / blog – Whether you have all three or just one, this type of content educates site visitors, shows your expertise, and gets passed around via social media.
Dianna Huff
DH Communications, Inc.
23 Atkinson Depot Road, Ste. 101
Plaistow, NH 03865
603-382-8093
diannahuff.com
RELATED CONTENT
-
I’m A Puzzle Guy
Looking back, Mark Albert now recognizes that some of his most satisfying moments as an editor revolved around the puzzle-solving aspects of writing an article. Putting an article together was much like the process of solving a puzzle, assembling a model kit, figuring out how to make something work or fixing it if it didn’t.
-
Life On Deadline
EVP of Content and Web Kate Hand on building an unexpected career at a place that values balance.
-
The Not-So-Simple Act of Storytelling
The industries Gardner Business Media reports on grow and evolve constantly. New technologies emerge and change things and become part of the larger story almost constantly. Scott Francis, Editor-In-Chief, Products Finishing discusses the importance of asking questions, listening to the real experts who have devoted their lives to their work, and the role of storytelling in manufacturing.