An investment in a website redesign is a significant business decision. From start-to-finish, it can be a long and tedious process that involves multiple resources from across your company. To ensure there is clear direction for all of the people involved, we recommend that you begin with a thorough B2B website strategy.
This article will cover the basics of a website strategy including what a website strategy is and what a B2B business should include in their strategy.
What is a website strategy?
A website strategy outlines the purpose of your company website, as well as the functional and nonfunctional requirements. The business and marketing teams will rely on this document to provide a deeper level of detail into the essential elements of your website, including design, functionality, and content. These extra details keep all sections of the website (and teams working on the site) moving toward the same goal.
In addition to the factors above, a fully inclusive website strategy also plans for content, goals, SEO, design, and performance.
Tip: If leadership buy-in is a part of your decision-making, a thoroughly documented website strategy can provide insight to the leadership team, helping with executive buy-in.
What should you include in a B2B Website Strategy?
The contents of a website strategy will vary from company to company as they account for different goals. Overall, we recommend including the components below to start, but there are also additional items you can include to help with your project.
- Goals and Timeline
- Target Audience
- Website Requirements
- Competitor Information
- Branding Information
- Site Map and Page Descriptions
If you’re unsure what to include in your strategy, we recommend partnering with a marketing agency with website experience in your industry. But to help you get started on the base, I’ll dive into each recommended component I mentioned above. Let’s begin!
1. Goals and Timeline
The main priority and goal of any B2B website is lead generation and brand awareness in support of revenue growth. A high-performing website should have information that checks the following boxes:
- Is the website easy to find through Google search?
- Did we include important calls-to-action (CTAs) so that we are sure our visitors are easily led to important information?
- How are we converting a website visitor to a prospect?
Set specific goals like “Increasing monthly qualified leads by 20% in 4 months.” or “Improve conversions by 10% by the end of Q2”. Including the key milestones and timelines for each component of the project (Copy, Design, Programming, SEO, Review, and Launch) provides clarity for the resources involved. This document is your go-to resource and should have all the information to help your team set priorities and make informed decisions..
2. Target Audience
Your website’s design and content will ultimately depend on your target audience. Knowing your target audience will guide the tone and imagery of your content and design which will lead to higher engagement and a better ROI. When your website is built with your target audience’s needs in mind, you’re more likely to engage them in a way that converts visitors into prospects.
Tip: Need help determining your target audience’s pain points and triggers? Conduct a Buyer’s Journey research project.
3. Website Requirements
Now think of what your new website must do and what it should look like. A B2B business needs a high-performing website that is created to provide key information to your target audience while quickly guiding them to an action or next step that ties to your sales process.
Requirements can include the following:
- CRM integration for quote request or contact forms
- Newsletter sign-ups with Mailchimp Integration
- E-Commerce Capabilities
- Project Gallery
Tip: Looping in an agency with website design expertise can help take the headache out of ensuring your new website has what it needs to perform well for visitors while also seamlessly integrating into your sales process.
3. Competitor Information
No website strategy is complete without spending time assessing your key competitors. You have to put yourself in your potential customer’s shoes and see if your competitors have credible and modern websites that provide easy access to information with clear steps to connect with the sales team.
A competitor assessment should include:
- Pages and content included in the navigation menus
- Design style and branding (do they look modern and up to current standards)
- Messaging and wording used to communicate the value proposition
- Accessibility of important information
- Speed of the pages to load
- Accessibility of information on different devices and screen sizes
- Content (case studies, photos, and videos) included
Most importantly, knowing what your competitors do and what works for them can help you fill gaps in your strategy.
4. Branding Information
What is a design you like and don’t like? What colors do you want to stay away from? What info will you have above the fold? This section will outline your design requirements and expectations to provide guidance to the design team.
Always make sure your design considers user experience and ease of use! The easier the information is for your potential customer to find, the more likely they are to continue deeper into the pages of your website. It’s also worth noting what your biggest competitors are doing with their websites and finding ways to incorporate some of those aspects into your website design.
Tip: Use this section to link off to brand guidelines, logo files, and any relevant branding information that can be useful.
5. Site Map and Page Descriptions
So we know what your site will do, what it will look like, and what it’ll include, but where will all your content live on your site? A sitemap maps out the structure and organization of all the pages on your site and also outlines what content will be on each page.
A sitemap will help you determine the amount and types of content to be produced, ranging from copy to photography to video content and naturally uncovers internal page linking opportunities.
The site map also helps you create a proactive plan to identify the subject matter experts who need to be involved in providing direction and feedback to ensure you end up with a high quality that helps build credibility for your brand.
Are you ready for your new website?
If a new website excites you, but the idea of putting together a B2B website strategy intimidates you, an experienced B2B digital marketing agency like Marketing Refresh can provide the guidance and support needed.
If you’re ready to take the leap, reach out to our team. If you need more preparation to take that step, take a look at our website design services and case studies to see our capabilities! Our Strategists, Designers, and Programmers will make your website vision come to life; all you have to do is call!
