B2B Web Design Done Right: Best Practices for High-Performing Websites

Introduction to B2B web design

B2B (business-to-business) websites are designed for businesses who sell their products or services to other companies. 

Unlike B2C (business-to-consumer), B2B website design needs to support more complex information to accommodate a longer decision-making process and meet the needs of multiple stakeholders.

As a B2B web design agency in Manchester, we’re specialists in knowing how to get your clients to convert. We know that great design and a clear user flow work together to build trust and communicate your value quickly, setting a strong foundation for your lead gen funnel. 

We’re proud to have worked on some great B2B sites for businesses throughout the North West, nationwide, and even across the pond!

What are the main differences between B2B and B2C websites?

Unlike B2C buying – where purchases can be made on impulse and within minutes – B2B websites need to accommodate a much longer user journey. This is due to the many steps businesses have to take before making a purchase – from research, to comparing multiple suppliers, to having to request permission from a finance director or team.

For this reason, B2B websites should focus on providing as much information as possible in order to build trust and reassurance to the buyer and their approval team. Rather than fast-selling tactics, best practices for B2B websites include longer-form, educational content – such as case studies, or guides (like this one!).

The tone of voice should be professional, informative and reassuring. Not only do you want to attract the initial lead, but you also want the people with purchasing power to feel confident in their decision to buy from your business.

The user experience in B2B design should not feel rushed. Instead, the lead should be nurtured throughout their decision making process. Rather than “buy now” or “get in touch”, initial CTAs (calls-to-action) should instead offer value, such as “request a demo” or “download a brochure” – all of which build your business’ credibility.

What’s involved in building a new website for your B2B business?

We have a tried-and-tested process for approaching website development for B2B. Here’s how we’d work with you:

• Discovery phase – We sit down with you to understand your business goals, audience, user types, and competitors. All of this gives us a great idea of what your website needs before jumping into ideation.
• Sitemap and structure – Next, we’ll map out how your site and its content will be organised for content, clarity and a smooth user journey.
• UX and design – Our UX experts will dive in to ensure your website map is logical, and pages are  laid out in a clean, accessible and visually appealing way.
• Development – The design team will hand over to our web developers, who will build your site. With a portfolio of B2B websites under their belt, they’ll make sure it’s fast, secure, mobile-friendly and easy for your team to update with content.
• Testing and launch – We’ll conduct a UAT (user acceptance testing) phase, where we’ll work together to ensure everything works on all devices, and that pages and links are functioning properly.
• Go live! – The exciting part: we’ll launch your website. But don’t worry, our support doesn’t end there. A snagging period is included to ensure that any bug fixes or updates are dealt with swiftly.

Understanding the needs/requirements of a B2B business

When it comes to the needs of a B2B business, it’s helpful to think back to school and use the “who, what, where, why?” approach:

• Who will be using your website? Will they be new customers, current clients, or a mixture of both? Do they have existing knowledge of your industry and services? Will you need a portal for client orders, internal staff, or job seekers?
• What is the purpose? Is your goal lead generation, brand awareness, recruitment, or something else?
• Where are the pain points? Is your current website difficult to manage? Does it not perform well for nurturing leads? Is it displaying strangely on mobile or other devices?
• Why will visitors want to use your site? What value will you be providing to them? This can be anything from resources and guides, to simply offering a far more convenient buying journey than your competitors.

Lead generation tools for B2B websites

Once the foundations are in place, there are lots of features that can help accelerate turning your visitors into leads. These include:

• Gated content like e-guides or whitepapers
  • Users share their contact information with you in order to download resources. Requested fields usually include a name, email address, and company.
• Live chat for real-time support
  • This could be a chatbot for the initial touchpoint.
• CRM integration (e.g. Hubspot, Salesforce)
• Newsletter sign-ups and website pop-ups to capture leads
• Dedicated landing pages with contact forms

Essentials elements of great B2B web design

To ensure the very best user experience in B2B website design, your site needs to look on-brand, be easy to navigate, enhance credibility, and support lead generation. Here’s what every high-performing B2B website should include:

Clean, professional visual design

In B2B, your website is often the first touchpoint with a potential client. Your site should be modern, uncluttered, and easy to navigate. First impressions really do count, and a clean website builds trust and credibility from the second a visitor lands on the homepage.

At Ultimate, we often pair website design with brand. Our work with B2B clients across Manchester often starts by refining (or creating!) the visual identity and brand guidelines. Learn more about our brand services here.

Clear value propositions and strong CTAs

Your visitors should be able to quickly understand who you are and what value you offer. A strong value proposition (think Uber’s “the smartest way to get around”) should appear high up on your homepage. 

Follow your hook with clear CTAs that guide users through the website before encouraging them to take action. This could be “book a demo”, “download our e-guide” or “speak to our team.”

Mobile-ready, responsive layout

With mobile traffic now making up a significant portion of B2B website visits, responsive design isn’t optional. Your website needs to look and perform just as well on mobile as it does on desktop. 

A mobile-ready (or even mobile-first!) approach ensures every button, menu and image looks good, and functions, on smaller screens, helping your users navigate without frustration.

Fast-loading pages

Page speed affects both user experience and search engine rankings. If your website takes too long to load, visitors may bounce (click off the website quickly) before even seeing your content. For B2B companies, this can mean missed leads or lost credibility.

There are lots of rules to ensure your website loads quickly. For example, optimised images and clean code can significantly improve performance.

The importance of homepage design for B2B websites

As mentioned, first impressions really do count in B2B. Your homepage should immediately communicate what your business does, and the value it provides.

To keep users on the site, your homepage should feature a header menu and CTAs throughout to encourage visitors towards content like services, sectors, and case studies.

To build credibility, it should also spotlight trust signals like partner logos, accreditations, and testimonials from happy clients. Make sure to feed those testimonials throughout your case studies, too!

Best practices for B2B web development

Great website design should always be paired with great development, to ensure functionality, performance, and longevity. 

Here’s what we recommend when it comes to best practice for web development:

Planning, strategy and audit of your existing site

Before any development begins, it’s important to have a clear strategy in place. Much like the approach we take for website design, we’ll work with you to assess what’s working (and what isn’t) on your current site. From here, we’ll set clear goals for the new website – looking at traffic, SEO, conversion rates, and any technical issues we can improve.

UX and navigation considerations

In B2B, intuitive navigation is a necessity. If your visitors can’t find what they need quickly, they’ll go elsewhere. For this reason, menus should be simple and clear, and the journey from homepage to enquiry should feel seamless.

The whole site should work together to guide users towards conversion.

SEO for your specific industry

Search engine optimisation (SEO) isn’t something you can take a cookie-cutter approach to. A property management company won’t have the same SEO strategy as an accountancy firm, for example. Industry-specific terms, search intent, and buyer journeys vary from one sector to the next.

Our SEO experts can optimise your website for relevant keywords. We want to ensure that when your audience is searching, they’ll find you.

Lead with trust

We can’t bang the drum enough about the importance of case studies, client logos, certifications, accreditations and testimonials. From quotes to logo walls, our devs will ensure your website has all the components and pages you’ll need to put trust front and centre.

Tips for choosing the best web design agency

If you’re ready to invest in a new website, you want to make sure you’re getting the very best outcome. Here’s what to look out for when choosing a web agency:

• CMS options – Will you or your team be able to easily update your own website post-launch? You should ask about whether your agency is using user-friendly CMS platforms like WordPress, or whether there will be a bespoke system tailored to your needs.
• Integrations – Will the website be able to integrate all your tools, from CRMs like Hubspot to booking systems like Calendly?
• Technical requirements – Do you need more bespoke booking tools, gated resources, or multilingual support? It’s important to look for an agency that has the skills to develop this in-house.
• Ongoing support – The work doesn’t stop after go-live. Your website will need maintenance to ensure it is secure and running smoothly. Does the agency offer hosting, security updates and post-launch support?
• Futureproofing – Your business will grow and change as the years progress. Does the agency offer scalable solutions, with flexibility for future content or additional features?

At Ultimate, we work closely with clients across Manchester and the UK to create bespoke B2B websites that can grow with them.

Examples of great B2B websites

We’re proud to have worked on a suite of B2B websites for some fantastic clients. Here are a few of our favourites:

• ITS Technology – We conducted a full digital transformation of ITS’s website. Included in this was a bespoke digital sales portal which allows partners to search for quotes, place orders and track delivery progress all in one place. Read a testimonial from CEO Darren Baythorpe in our case study here.
• Knight Corporate Finance – We started with a full rebrand before designing and developing Knight’s new website with an easy-to-use CMS system. Full case study here.
• Workwell Global – We rebranded Workwell and developed a multi-regional website which could grow with them following a major merger. Full case study here.

Get in touch

Looking to redesign your B2B website, or even build one from scratch? As a specialist B2B web design agency based in Manchester, we’ll create a site that looks great and delivers real results.

Get in touch with our team today to chat about your website goals. 

Or – head here to explore our full range of digital services.