The right B2B website design can significantly impact your business's ability to generate leads and convert customers. By focusing on customer-centric content, streamlined navigation, and embracing the latest digital trends, you can create a website that truly drives business growth. In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about building a successful B2B website, including expert-backed best practices, 20 real-world examples, and key insights into emerging design trends that will future-proof your digital presence.
Big Ideas:
B2B (business-to-business) website design involves creating websites specifically intended for businesses to conduct transactions or establish partnerships with other businesses. Unlike B2C (business-to-consumer) websites, B2B sites focus on providing relevant information, resources, and a streamlined interface tailored to decision-makers in professional environments.
Let’s walk through some more crucial differences between B2B and B2C websites.
While B2B and B2C websites share foundational elements, the buyer's journey and content needs differ significantly:
One of the most common mistakes in B2B website design is focusing too much on your company’s story, services, or products and not enough on the customer’s needs.
Imagine walking into a store where the salesperson only talks about themselves. Instead of building a connection, they overwhelm you with details about their qualifications, awards, and achievements, leaving you wondering, "How does this help me?". This is what happens when a B2B website doesn’t prioritize the customer, which often drives away potential customers and conversions.
To create an engaging user experience, your website should act more like a trusted advisor than a self-promoter. Businesses visiting your website are there to solve problems, so your content must directly address their pain points and offer tailored solutions.
Let’s talk about how you can ensure that your B2B website design is focused on your customer.
Address Pain Points: Speak directly to the buyer’s challenges, business objectives, and desired outcomes. For example, if you're a software company offering data analytics tools, don’t just list your tool’s features. Instead, address a common problem like, “Are you struggling to make sense of overwhelming amounts of data?”. Then, show how your tool helps turn data into actionable insights that drive better decisions.
Highlight Success Stories: Use customer success stories or case studies to demonstrate real-world applications and results. A case study showing how your CRM software increased client retention by 25% for a mid-sized company helps potential buyers see your product’s impact, giving them confidence in the solution.
Use Clear, Concise Content: Find the right mix of industry jargon and straightforward messaging that resonates with your target audience while still establishing you as a credible source. The reality is that B2B buyers appreciate clarity. Instead of bombarding them with technical terms on every page, use simple language to describe how your product or service solves their problem.
Of course, some products and industries require a deep understanding of technical specifications. This is where resource centers with downloadable assets come in handy. Think of it like explaining a complex topic to a colleague at lunch rather than a formal presentation to a panel of experts. We’ll talk more about this topic later.
Too often, B2B websites focus on a long list of product specifications or company accolades. While this information is important, it’s secondary to showing how your product or service benefits the customer.
Imagine selling a car by listing every mechanical part instead of focusing on what the car can do—how it drives, how comfortable it is, and how reliable it will be. Your buyer would be left in a daze of car part jargon and be confused as to what to do next. Using your B2B website design, you can be clear about the outcome your customer can expect when using your product or service.
Communicate Value: Instead of simply showcasing features like "automation tools" or "integrated APIs," highlight the value these features bring to the customer. For example, you could explain how your automation tools save companies hundreds of hours in manual work, allowing their teams to focus on strategic initiatives.
Outcome-Oriented Messaging: Clearly articulate the benefits and results that customers can expect. A great example would be showcasing how your B2B SaaS platform can reduce operating costs by 30% or how a manufacturing solution you offer can increase production efficiency by 20%. This connects directly to the bottom-line outcomes that B2B buyers want to see.
A confusing website is like a maze with no exit. This can frustrate your visitors, causing them to leave your website and possibly end up purchasing from your competitor.. Simplifying the user journey is essential for guiding your prospects smoothly toward conversion. Your website should feel more like a well-organized showroom, where every step brings the buyer closer to a decision.
We’ve listed out a few ways that you can simplify the user journey with your B2B website design.
Intuitive Navigation: Implement simple menus and a logical site structure to help visitors find information effortlessly. For example, a B2B website for an industrial supplier might include clear navigation categories like "Products," "Industries Served," "Case Studies," and "Contact Us," ensuring that buyers can quickly find the information most relevant to their needs.
Visible Calls-to-Action (CTAs): Place clear CTAs throughout the site to prompt desired actions, such as contacting sales or downloading resources. We like to think of CTAs like signs in a physical store that guide customers toward the checkout. For a B2B site, this could be a well-placed button that says, “Request a Demo” or “Get a Free Consultation.” These prompts should appear naturally within the content, such as after a section explaining how your service solves a common problem.
Clean Interface: Avoid clutter to minimize decision fatigue and keep users engaged. A clean interface with clear white space is akin to walking into a well-organized office—everything is where it should be, making it easier to focus on what matters. If your website’s design is too busy, visitors might get distracted and miss key information. Use clean layouts to draw attention to essential elements like product features, CTAs, and testimonials.
Our recommended best practices for B2B website design start with language. In B2B industries, technical language can be essential to establish credibility and communicate effectively with a knowledgeable audience. However, it’s important to strike a balance between being professional and accessible by using tactics that we’ve outlined below.
Resonate with Expertise: Craft content that aligns with your audience’s knowledge level. For example, if you’re a provider of medical equipment to hospitals, your audience will expect precise technical descriptions. Don’t dumb down the details—they need to know specific metrics like sterilization capabilities or compliance standards. But keep in mind that even highly technical language can be made more engaging through clear, concise explanations.
Provide Detailed Insights: Don’t oversimplify; offer in-depth information that positions your company as an expert. For example, a B2B technology website could offer deep dive resources like white papers or technical specifications to cater to engineers or IT professionals who need thorough documentation before making decisions.
Professionalism builds trust, especially in B2B settings where decisions often involve significant investments and long-term relationships. The tone and design of your website should reflect the seriousness and reliability of your business so visitors can see (and feel) that your business offers a service or product that can be trusted.
Clean and Minimalist Design: Think of your website like a high-end corporate office—everything should be well-structured, sleek, and professional. Use clean layouts, intuitive typography, and consistent branding to make it easy for users to navigate and absorb information. Minimalism isn’t about being bland; it’s about showcasing your professionalism and authority with simplicity and clarity.
Consistent Branding: Your visual identity, including colors, fonts, and logos, should be consistent across all pages and materials. This consistency reinforces brand recognition and trustworthiness, much like a company’s logo on every document and product signals reliability to clients and partners.
Another best practice for your B2B website design is to ensure that it has features and offerings that make it optimized to jumpstart the sales funnel. A great B2B website doesn’t just attract visitors—it turns them into leads. To capture leads effectively, you need to offer something valuable in exchange for their contact information.
Strategic Lead Capture Forms: Place forms throughout the site to collect information without being intrusive. Instead of cluttering the homepage with too many forms, strategically place them in areas where visitors are likely to engage, such as at the end of a product overview or within a blog post that discusses a specific industry problem. These lead capture forms need to be placed in areas where your web copy has moved the visitor to think, “Yes! This is what I need. How do I get it?”. Conveniently, the lead form button will be right in front of your visitor to keep the sales process moving towards a conversion.
Offer Valuable Resources: Provide white papers, product demos, or free trials in exchange for contact information, such as the visitor’s email. Think of this as the “free sample” at a store. By offering valuable resources, you build trust and give your audience a taste of what you can deliver. For example, a company offering cloud-based software might offer a 14-day free trial or a product demo to give visitors a no-risk way to experience the product.
In today’s fast-paced business world, B2B buyers expect websites to load quickly and work seamlessly on all devices. Let’s discuss exactly why your B2B website needs to be fast and designed for mobile devices.
Fast Load Times: Just as no one likes waiting in line at a store, visitors won’t wait for a slow website. In fact, studies show that even a one-second delay can result in lost leads. You need to optimize images and code to ensure quick page loads. Making your B2B website faster can be as simple as compressing images or enabling caching.
Responsive Design: Ensure your site functions well on all screen sizes, especially mobile. With many business users researching on the go, your website must provide a flawless experience across devices, from desktops to tablets to smartphones. A responsive design ensures that your site adjusts dynamically, whether viewed in a conference room on a laptop or in transit on a phone.
SEO Benefits: Mobile optimization can improve your search engine rankings. Google prioritizes mobile-first indexing, so a website that’s optimized for mobile use will rank higher in search results. This not only improves your visibility but also ensures you reach a broader audience, increasing your chances of capturing leads.
Our last recommended best practice for B2B website design is to make sure the buyer has a smooth path to conversion. In B2B, the buyer’s journey often involves multiple steps and decision-makers. Your website should be designed to guide users through each phase—from awareness to consideration to decision—with clear, strategic pathways.
Strategic CTAs: Place CTAs where they naturally fit within the content. For example, after detailing the benefits of your product, offer a CTA like “Download the Case Study” or “Request a Custom Quote” to encourage the next step. This way, you lead your audience deeper into the sales funnel, guiding them to engage with your business further.
Clear Next Steps: Make it obvious what action the user should take next. Whether it’s scheduling a demo, filling out a contact form, or exploring product details, each page should have a clear and logical progression for the customer journey. It’s like guiding a customer through a store—each section should lead them closer to the checkout, with helpful signage along the way.
Now that we’ve covered the essential information and best practices for B2B website design, let’s look at some website examples that will inspire you to elevate your own website.
Square’s website targets small and medium-sized businesses seeking to grow, with aspirational yet accessible messaging such as “Power Your Business” and “Sell Everywhere.” Square’s B2B website design balances professional simplicity with strong visual elements, using vibrant imagery and concise text to communicate its offerings. Whether users are seeking a point-of-sale system or e-commerce tools, the site’s clear CTAs and compelling copy create a motivating atmosphere that encourages exploration and action.
HubSpot stands out as a leader in inbound marketing and there's a good reason for that. The company’sB2B website excels in offering an abundance of free resources, including blogs, eBooks, and case studies that help establish trust. The site’s design uses strategic CTAs to guide users through various funnels, whether they’re exploring the free CRM, subscribing to newsletters, or trying premium tools. HubSpot’s focus on educational content and customer success stories provides value upfront.The well-organized interface uses our best practice of providing a seamless buyer’s journey and ensures visitors can quickly find what they need.
Another great example of B2B website design can be seen on Dropbox’s website. The company keeps its website refreshingly simple, with a focus on key functionalities like storing, syncing, and sharing files. The homepage doesn’t overburden visitors with technical jargon or unnecessary details. Instead, it showcases the tool’s benefits with clean, minimalist visuals and concise descriptions. This clarity of purpose is especially important for B2B buyers who are seeking straightforward solutions for document management, making Dropbox’s design a textbook example of efficiency.
Mailchimp’s pricing page is prominently placed on its homepage, giving businesses quick access to essential cost information without having to dig through the site. This transparency is a key trust-building feature for B2B buyers, particularly for small businesses with tight budgets. Mailchimp’s site also emphasizes its value as an all-in-one marketing platform. The B2B website design uses a clean, colorful layout that reflects its creative services while still remaining professional and accessible.
Zen Supplies, a B2B platform for dental office supplies, uses a minimalist design that enhances functionality by removing distractions and focusing visitors’ attention on what matters—requesting demos and learning about products. This website makes great use of our best practice of optimizing lead generation with its easy-to-find lead form button. It uses green “Request a Demo” buttons with ample white space around them to make them stand out, encouraging action. Zen Supplies illustrates how minimalist design can guide user behavior and improve conversion rates by keeping the interface focused and streamlined.
Evernote’s B2B site is all about helping businesses organize their workflow. The messaging is simple and clear: “Organize your work. Remember everything.” By focusing on core functions like note-taking and task management, Evernote makes it easy for visitors to understand the value of its product without needing to wade through unnecessary information. The site’s layout is intuitive, with visually distinct sections that allow potential clients to quickly find the information they want and need.
Cobalt Robotics offers advanced security solutions, and their website needs to communicate a lot of technical information. The company makes good use of our recommended best practice of allowing for industry-specific language so it can establish its credibility in this complex field. Despite the text-heavy content, the design remains clean and uncluttered, with carefully spaced sections and minimal distractions. This balance ensures that while visitors get the in-depth information they need, they don’t feel overwhelmed by the layout or design. The clear, professional aesthetic reinforces Cobalt’s authority in the tech space.
Good Start Packaging focuses on eco-friendly products, and their website reflects this mission with bright, vibrant imagery of sustainable packaging solutions. The visuals are complemented by a clear value proposition: helping businesses make environmentally friendly choices. This company made strategic B2B website design choices with the use of bold colors and images of products in action, which gives the site a lively, engaging feel that resonates with their eco-conscious target audience.
IBM’s B2B site is vast, offering a wide range of products and services, from AI to cloud computing. Despite the complexity and plethora of its offerings, IBM uses a thoughtful navigation system that organizes information in a way that is easy to understand and access. The site uses dropdown menus that are comprehensive but not overwhelming. It also uses a combination of icons and succinct descriptions to help visitors navigate its large product catalog efficiently. This ensures that even the most complex solutions are approachable.
Visitors to HireLevel's website could be from two different audiences: B2B or B2C. The website separates its experience for B2C and B2B audiences, making it easy for business visitors to navigate directly to relevant resources. By creating a clear distinction on the homepage—directing employers to one section and job seekers to another—HireLevel ensures that visitors are presented with targeted content. This segmentation helps B2B users find what they need quickly, improving engagement and conversion rates.
Acme’s industrial automation website prioritizes function over form. The B2B website design for this company is straightforward and pragmatic, with simple menus and clear product information. By focusing on utility rather than flashy visuals, Acme makes it easy for B2B buyers to explore product specs and request quotes without distraction. This no-nonsense approach appeals to industries where practicality and efficiency are key.
Trello’s website demonstrates how B2B tools can be both powerful and simple. The homepage showcases Trello’s project management features through clear, concise descriptions and engaging visuals, allowing visitors to understand the platform’s value without diving into complex jargon. This balance between simplicity and functionality helps Trello appeal to teams looking for straightforward collaboration tools.
Intellum’s B2B website design excels in providing detailed case studies that demonstrate the effectiveness of their solutions, which is a prime example of using our best practice of emphasizing customer outcomes over features. By placing real-world results prominently on the site, Intellum builds trust with potential customers. This approach is particularly effective for decision-makers who rely on proven results to make purchasing decisions. Intellum is a great example of how to use content strategically in B2B website design.
Bentobox’s website is designed to capture the attention of restaurant owners by emphasizing ease of use and profitability. The website uses the power of words through compelling copy, case studies, and customer testimonials, to build credibility and encourage visitors to sign up for demos. Bentobox integrates social proof throughout its pages to guide potential clients towards conversion.
Slack’s B2B website wastes no time addressing its target audience’s pain points with the messaging “Keep your team coordinated, wherever you are.” This clear, user-focused approach immediately resonates with businesses struggling with team communication. The clean interface, combined with easy access to the free trial, helps drive conversions by reducing friction in the user journey, showing that leaders in B2B offerings use the best practices that we also recommend.
Webflow’s B2B website design utilizes minimalism, relying on negative space to highlight key features. The result is a clean, modern look that appeals to creative professionals and businesses looking for flexibility in web development. By keeping the design simple, Webflow allows its product to take center stage, making it easy for users to explore its website-building capabilities without distractions.
Quid’s website is an excellent example of using our best practice of adopting a professional tone as part of its B2B website design. It uses a sleek, dark design to communicate its expertise in AI-powered data analysis. The use of modern fonts and visuals combined with straightforward messaging gives the site a polished, credible feel. Quid’s design showcases how a company can merge advanced technology with user-friendly design to make complex offerings more accessible to potential clients.
And last but certainly not least, let’s take a look at the world’s leading CRM platform, Salesforce. The company structures its website around the needs of its clients, offering a range of demos, detailed product information, and customer success stories. The site’s intuitive navigation and extensive resources allow potential customers to quickly understand how Salesforce’s solutions can be tailored to their specific business challenges. The use of interactive elements and live demo options further enhances engagement, positioning Salesforce as a leader in the B2B space.
Challenge: As a leader in insulation and building materials distribution, Service Partners needed to modernize its outdated website, which was limiting customer engagement and hindering lead generation. Despite their strong market position, the old site lacked the functionality and user experience necessary to support their growth objectives.
Solution: Fratzke delivered a fully responsive, mobile-first website designed to meet the needs of Service Partners' diverse customer base. Key enhancements included the integration of branch-specific pages, an advanced product catalog, and a robust SEO strategy to boost visibility. The result was a seamless, user-friendly platform that made it easier for customers to find products and connect with local branches.
Results:
By streamlining the user experience and improving site performance, the new website provided multiple benefits including enhancing customer engagement and also solidifying Service Partners' position as an industry leader both online and offline.
Challenge: Cheme Engineering, a leader in process and chemical engineering solutions, had outgrown its existing website, which no longer reflected the company’s innovation or international reach. The site’s outdated design and functionality were failing to communicate Cheme’s expertise and global capabilities effectively.
Solution: Fratzke reimagined Cheme Engineering’s online presence with a modern, mobile-responsive website tailored to their industry. The redesign featured a fresh, professional look with streamlined navigation, allowing users to easily explore Cheme’s services and expertise. An SEO-driven content strategy was implemented to improve search rankings, attract qualified leads, and support global growth efforts.
Results:
With a refined digital presence that emphasizes the company’s credibility and knowledge in the industry, Cheme Engineering saw immediate improvements in user engagement and lead generation, positioning the company to capitalize on new business opportunities in a competitive market.
Leading brands stay ahead of the curve by standing out from their competitors with both exceptional products and services and by showcasing them. The key? Strategic and innovative B2B website design. Let’s take a look at the trends that major brands are embracing to keep their websites optimized and maintain their competitive edge.
Intercom: Intercom’s AI-driven chatbot system is widely known for improving customer support and engagement in B2B settings. The system automates initial customer interactions and routes complex inquiries to human agents. Intercom has documented its chatbot capabilities in multiple case studies and industry articles.
Salesforce: Salesforce has invested heavily in AI-driven personalization through its Einstein AI, which helps B2B companies predict customer needs, automate workflows, and deliver personalized content based on user behavior. Numerous blogs and Salesforce case studies detail the implementation of Einstein in B2B contexts.
Alibaba: Alibaba’s use of PWAs to boost mobile performance is a well-publicized case. By implementing a PWA, Alibaba saw significant improvements in mobile engagement and conversions. This case has been shared across several tech blogs and eCommerce optimization case studies.
Forbes: Forbes implemented a PWA to improve mobile performance, focusing on their B2B content consumption. Case studies about Forbes’ use of PWAs are available through multiple digital marketing platforms.
HubSpot: HubSpot is known for its adoption of emerging trends in SEO, including optimizing content for voice search. This strategy has been documented on their blog, which includes insights into how businesses should prepare for voice search.
Microsoft Azure: Microsoft has incorporated voice search compatibility across its platform, enabling business users to access product information and resources via voice assistants like Cortana. Microsoft’s own documentation and industry analysis highlight this feature.
Siemens: Siemens is a leader in the use of AR and VR for product demos, particularly in industries like manufacturing and engineering. They use AR to allow potential clients to explore their machinery virtually. This has been showcased in multiple AR/VR innovation forums and case studies.
Caterpillar: Caterpillar uses AR/VR to offer virtual tours of its equipment and train operators, helping customers explore machinery and improve safety without needing on-site demos. Using this emerging trend helps to boost engagement and streamline the buying process.
B2B website design is not a one-and-done process; your website needs to be monitored and updated to help you maintain a competitive edge in your industry. Effectively measuring the success of your B2B website requires tracking the right metrics and continuously refining the user experience. We’ve assembled a list of key performance indicators (KPIs) and strategies to help you assess and improve your website’s performance:
Conversion Rates: Track how often visitors take desired actions, such as filling out contact forms, signing up for newsletters, or requesting product demos. For example, if you notice a high number of visitors viewing your demo page but a low conversion rate, it may indicate that the call-to-action isn’t compelling enough or the form is too complicated.
Bounce Rates: Monitor pages where visitors leave without interacting, or as we call it, the bounce rate. A high bounce rate could suggest that the content or design is not engaging. For instance, if a product information page has a high bounce rate, you might need to make some changes to simplify the content, add visuals, or clarify the value proposition to keep visitors on the site.
Time Spent on Pages: Analyze how long visitors stay on key pages. Longer time spent on service or product pages may indicate high engagement, while short times could mean that the content isn’t resonating. If visitors are spending less than a few seconds on a solutions page, you might consider breaking up the text, adding more visuals, or making the navigation clearer to improve their experience.
Overall Traffic: Track the total number of visitors to gauge the effectiveness of your marketing efforts, such as email campaigns, SEO, and paid ads. If traffic is increasing but conversion rates are stagnant, this indicates that there is friction somewhere in your sales funnel or B2B website design. It could be a sign that the traffic is not targeted or that the user experience needs to be refined for your ideal customer. Regardless of the issue, we recommend monitoring this KPI so you can identify roadblocks that are potentially preventing conversions in your business.
A/B Testing: Experiment with different versions of page elements to see what resonates best with users. For example, you could run an A/B test on your call-to-action buttons, testing whether "Request a Demo" or "Get Your Free Consultation" leads to higher conversions. Over time, these insights will help you optimize your pages for maximum engagement and lead generation.
Heatmaps: Using heatmaps is a great way to visualize how visitors interact with your website. Heatmaps can show which parts of a page are getting the most attention and which areas are being ignored. For example, if a heatmap shows that visitors aren’t scrolling past a certain section, it might indicate that the important information lower on the page is being missed. You could then restructure the layout to prioritize key content, such as moving a testimonial or product feature higher up to capture attention sooner.
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A well-designed B2B website is more than just aesthetically pleasing—it's a powerful tool for generating leads, building customer trust, and driving business growth. By focusing on a seamless user experience, emphasizing customer outcomes, and leveraging emerging trends like AI and PWAs, your website can deliver exceptional value to both your clients and your business.
Ready to transform your B2B website? Fratzke's consulting services can help you craft a site that not only looks great but performs even better. Contact us today to get started!
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