How to Increase Conversions On a B2B Website

Guest post by Sasha Dlinni

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So your visitor rate might be looking good and businesses are staying on your website to check out what you do and browse your products, but why are they leaving and why aren’t they buying? These are the key questions that many companies, including those in the construction industry have been asking themselves since online marketing and businesses strategies began to boom. You can have the best looking website and great content but if your visitors are not creating conversions then your efforts aren’t transferring into direct profit.

A conversion is a goal or action that businesses wish their visitors to make on their website and is often measured by the purchase of a service or product. Basically, your conversion rate increases when more people buy on your website.

Here’s how you can get them to do just that.

Get Out Of Your Own Way

You might be making it difficult for people to get what they want from your website without actually realising it. B2B websites see a longer sales cycle so it’s not just about getting your visitors to buy but instead looking at encouraging positive engagement and brand awareness.

The main thing to remember here is not to block visitor’s way with unnecessary information about your company or with pop-ups that present them with questions and forms. Try to make it as easy as possible for people to find what they’re looking for without being pushy. For example, you don’t need them to fill out form to just get your address. Doing this makes  it less convenient for potential customers to get what they want.

When the internet is a place full of distractions and very little time, it’s important that you make their visit to your site enjoyable, smooth and easy. By all means give them options to create an account or sign up to a mailing list, just don’t make it compulsory.

Know How to Catch Their Eye

We all know that one of the most powerful aspects of marketing your business is your brand. Stick to a simple, effective and attractive website design that reflects your company’s services/products and ethos. Information should be to the point as well as easy to access and understand. One of the best ways to catch a prospect’s attention and build trust is to feature a gallery of previous construction projects you were involved in, along with information on your role in them.

When it comes to conversions, highlight how they can contact you and present key information with colors and even subtle movement. This countdown meter on Anglia Tool Centre is a great example, as it constantly gives a sense of innocent urgency to visitor’s opportunity to order online. This is a great way to catch a customer’s eye, but remember not to over-do it with too much going on or they’ll soon be put off and your bounce rate could increase as a consequence.

Be Real, Be Nice

You want people to believe in your business. Even if they’re on the other side of the world, visitors should be able to understand and connect to your company’s identity through the smallest screen. This may sound like a lot to ask but it’s now so much easier for brands to create real, relatable identities online and spread this widely with the popularity of social media. Make sure your Facebook and Twitter accounts are managed right and if it fits with your brand voice, you can even publicise who exactly posts and tweets to make your business less anonymous to customers. Many B2C companies even use their Twitter account to deal with customer queries and feedback, for example Three mobile. Which brings me to my next point…

Let Them Sell You

Communication with your customers is key. Whether they’re your biggest buying fan or don’t have anything good to say about your services, you should listen to where they’re coming from. Why? Because it’s how you can mould your business strategy to increase B2B conversions. Respond to negative comments with dignity and understanding and allow visitors to see plenty of first-hand product reviews and ratings so that they can see reliable opinions from people who have used your services before.

Be sure to monitor and analyze whether your website is really reflecting your business in the best way possible. It can be an empty space on the internet or a massively profitable asset. The power is in your hands.

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Sasha Dlinni writes about trends in architecture and travel. He now resides in beautiful Portugal, where he enjoys the relaxed lifestyle but misses the pizza of his home city, New York.