B2B brands are constantly trying to stay relevant in their space and a key way to do that is by making sure they have good web design. If a potential client finds your work online and wants to check out who you are, your website is going to be the first thing that they see.
Making a good first impression can be the difference between landing that client and losing them to a competitor. In order to fully understand what this can look like for your own company, we have put together a list of seven B2B brands that are killing it with their web design so that you can follow their lead and bring in new customers.
TeamSupport – TeamSupport.com
TeamSupport is a customer support software built for B2B software and technology companies. Founded in 2008, TeamSupport helps businesses manage their customers at the company level. They are dedicated to solving problems and streamlining processes in order to create a better experience for both the client and company.
The reason TeamSupport is on our list is due to their straightforward approach to web design. It’s very clear as soon as you open their home page that they are a B2B company that helps in customer support. They have multiple ways to see how their process works and they have a chat bot in the lower right hand corner that looks professional instead of annoying.
When you are designing your own site, remember a few things from TeamSupport:
- State your purpose clearly and concisely. If someone has to click more than once to know what you do, you need to do something different.
- Present multiple options for the person on your page to click on. Not everyone is going to be visiting your page for the same reasons, make their options clear so that they can find what they are looking for quickly.
Square – SquareUp.com
Square is a unique company that seeks to lower the barriers of entry for small businesses who are in need of a simple way to accept credit cards at their places of business. Started in 2009 in San Francisco, Square has always relied on their snappy design and simple pitch to do their marketing for them. So far, it seems to be working.
Their website follows the same streamlined and minimalist approach that is even apparent in the company’s logo. Square gets straight to the point on the home page, presenting two dropdown menus for new visitors to choose from based on what size their business is and what industry they operate in.
If you are less familiar with Square and not sure what they even do, a quick scroll down presents a brief description of the company with three options on what your next step should be.
Square has made our list due to their sleek look and straightforward calls to action. Here are some things you can learn from their site:
- K.I.S.S. Keep It Short, Simple. Having a clear call to action leaves site visitors with only a few options on how to move forward, leading to more conversions per click.
- Understanding your demographics and market cannot be overstated. Most people know who Square is, so they assume you are coming to their website because you have a business. Knowing who is coming to your site allows you to position yourself toward their needs.
IBM – IBM.com
As a massive company, employing over 375,000 people in 170 countries, IBM is one of the most prevalent and widespread companies in the digital space. They have been innovators for longer than most companies have been around and have countless services that they offer their clients. How can someone so massive know exactly how to position themselves with their website?
Unlike Square, which has a very straightforward purpose for their website, IBM works in many different industries and countries with a huge customer base. However, their web design is done well and doesn’t have any clutter, despite all of the different areas of their website. It can be difficult, as a large company, to have a good home page for visitors to land on without overloading their senses, but IBM has found a good middle ground.
If your company has a large amount of services or industries served, consider taking a few notes on IBM’s design.
- Even with a deep catalog of pages on their site, IBM still has good site maneuverability and keeps all of their work within a few clicks reach.
- IBM’s overall message is confident and clean. This all comes back to knowing what you do and who you serve. Visitors on IBM’s website would expect nothing less, so they make sure that they are hitting the mark.
MailChimp – MailChimp.com
As it states on their homepage, MailChimp is the largest marketing automation platform in the world, mainly specializing in email marketing campaigns. Founded in 2001, Mailchimp has definitely made a name for themselves with countless marketing campaigns and an easily recognizable brand strategy. Since MailChimp is the leader in their market, it is vital that they have a fantastic online presence, otherwise customers won’t trust them with their own.
MailChimp’s web design is clear, concise, and assumes you already know who they are. If you have listened to a podcast in the last few years, you have probably heard one of their ads or if you watch TV you have probably seen one of their ads. Combining an aggressive marketing campaign with a simple pitch like “Build your brand, Sell more stuff” is the reason why MailChimp is on our list.
Some things to learn from MailChimp’s success include:
- Confidence is king: MailChimp once ran an entire advertising campaign based around messing up their name. That is how confident they are in their brand.
- Tease it: MailChimp has a good amount of pictures on their website that show exactly how easy it is to create an email marketing campaign with their product, but it doesn’t tell the whole story. Teasing what you are ultimately capable of is a good way to keep people on your site without showing your hand too early.
Hootsuite – Hootsuite.com
Hootsuite is the most widely used social media management platform, so they know a thing or two about branding and messaging. Founded in Vancouver in 2008, they have spent the last few years building their customer base and have expanded into new markets, but their web design and message has stayed consistent throughout their history.
Again, like the other companies on this list, Hootsuite does a great job of telling people exactly what they do as soon as you visit their website. “Manage all your social media in one place” is a pretty enticing line that is sure to capture the attention of visitors long enough for them to either click deeper into the site or call the sales line, which is located in the upper right corner.
Some things to learn from Hootsuite include:
- Having examples of their work as a background is a great way to show off your work without being braggadocios about it.
- Using the same color for all of your calls to action creates a clear path for the visitor to know where to look in order to proceed. Try some A/B testing if your click-through rate isn’t where you want it to be.
Oracle – Oracle.com
Oracle is similar to IBM, in that it has a massive customer base (over 380,000) and they have been around since 1977. Oracle is a household name and serves all 100 of the Fortune 100 companies in some capacity. Obviously, a company like this absolutely has to have a good web presence, and they do.
The one word I would use to describe their web design is Bold. They know that they are the best and that most likely people won’t be coming to their site in order to call them for their services. They are more likely going to their site in order to compare them with another company or see if the service they need falls under what Oracle does.
Even if your company doesn’t have the same kind of base as Oracle, you can still learn from what they do online.
- If your company revolves around technology, having bold and dynamic displays of futuristic tech concepts can be a way to show your visitors that you not only have a handle on the technology that is already out in the market, but that you are working on new and future technologies as well.
- Having a rotating home page can be a mixed bag, but if the different variations are all telling the same story, it can be a powerful way to display projects and services while the user finds what they are looking for.
Slack – Slack.com
Slack, the messaging program that has shattered all of the records, has some of the smartest design of any company in the world right now. Whether out of necessity or it’s just the way the company operates, everything that Slack does is clean cut and works exactly the way it should.
Considering they have never hired a sales team and rely simply on people telling their friends about them, Slack has grown by sheer force of will. As you can see from their home page, everything is clear, obvious, and user friendly.
There is a lot to be learned from Slack’s simple and innovative design:
- Sometimes less is more. Use negative space to speak volumes on your different pages.
- Everything on a website can fit into a few categories. If there isn’t a lot of depth to your site, keep it general on the home page to make it easier to navigate.
If you want to read more about responsive web design and making sure your SEO is doing what it’s supposed to, check out our eBook SEO Mistakes to Avoid.
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