Is your digital brand being informed by B2B website best practices? It’s time to assess your online presence – and redress weaknesses that may inhibit your website’s performance.

Anyone who has ever been through a website build or redesign knows it isn’t easy. Depending on the size of the site, the sheer complexity of design and development steps often requires a formal project management process to see a website build-out through to successful completion. When it comes to graphical execution, what works “on paper” can often be difficult to emulate in a digital environment, particularly when working with templates or pre-determined brand standards. Consideration of customers’ data needs – especially in relationship to phases within the “buyer’s journey” — should inform page content and navigation. As content is developed, it’s important to create SEO signposts throughout web pages, to ensure your target audience is able to find your site when they need relevant information. The list of B2B website best practices, imperatives, variables, must-dos and never-dos goes on and on.

There will be plenty of hurdles and redirects along the way to creating a killer B2B website. As you answer questions about what you want your online brand to be, try using this simple model to make sure you keep on a strategic track.

Aesthetics
Does your website create a look and feel that will captivate your target audience and make it easy for users to quickly navigate to relevant information?

• Use dynamic graphics – like video and infographics – that are proven to improve stickiness.
• Incorporate a clean, contemporary, uncluttered template.
• Align your graphic design and content tone with your audience persona.
• Keep critical information above the fold.
• Make sure your site is mobile responsive.
• Use an elegant navigation system that complies with the “1-2 clicks” rule.

SEO
Does your website dominate search engine rankings for “mission critical” keywords?

• Develop keyword-driven meta data and URLs.
• Write keyword-rich page content – enough so that visitor information needs are filled, but not to the point where search engines suspect stuffing.
• Build relevant off-page links.
• Make your content dynamic, with frequent refreshes.

Engagement
Does your website encourage visitors to stay on the site and stay engaged with your brand? Does it encourage lead generation and ultimate sales conversion?

• Offer your visitors high-value, audience-centric content – write in a professional, yet conversational, tone that fits your audience persona, and always work to capture the “voice of the customer.”
• Incorporate top-, middle- and bottom-of-the-funnel messaging, so your audience finds relevant content no matter where they are in the buyer’s journey.
• Use call-to-action buttons liberally, making sure they are page appropriate.
• Link your CTAs to landing pages that fulfill the promise of valuable, relevant content – content for which your audience would gladly exchange contact deets.
• Maintain an up-to-date blog with content that addresses customer pain points – or provides useful or entertaining info.
• Make it easy for your audience to engage your brand – and get to your site – via social networks.

If you let this simple, yet powerful, model be your guide, you’ll stay out of the technical weeds that sprout up around any website build and stay focused on strategic business outcomes.