Considerations for B2B Website Design

Considerations for B2B Website Design

With so much commerce taking place on the internet today, it’s more important than ever for businesses to maintain a strong, effective website. Yet the focus for many years has been on a consumer-orientated site, with elements like online shopping, user reviews and suggestions for companion products.

In the rush to get every consumer satisfied with their online experience, many of us forget that business-to-business (B2B) traffic is important as well. After all, the transactions that get goods to the final consumer often require multiple B2B transactions in the earlier stages of the supply chain.

When you’re in a B2B enterprise, you have a lot of things to keep in mind as you create and manage your site. Staying current with these needs will make you more effective.

Get The Right Platform

As anyone can attest after encountering browser compatibility issues, software matters. For example, if you’re working on developing an inventory management system for your business, you need a system that properly manages IoT/Internet of Things functions.

Platforms are everything. They provide interfaces that users must go through to conduct a transaction with you. They gather and provide data about what’s selling, where it’s going and how it’s being paid for. In short, they’re the hands and feet of your B2B site, and if you have the wrong system, it just won’t work.

Resist the urge to use the first system you try so you can carefully review your options before making a commitment.

Get The Right Look

We sometimes forget that business customers are still customers, just like end consumers. They want the same things in a website that everyone else wants: ease of navigation, functionality and lots of interactive information. A sterile, text-only system just won’t get them the information or function that they want.

At the same time, you have to balance that function with flash. If a site seems too gimmicky, it comes off as a consumer site and won’t give you the proper image of professionalism and business-friendliness. B2B site design is a give-and-take proposition, so always strive for the right look for your site. Consider using a template that can guide the overall look.

Never Neglect Security

One of the great advantages of B2B sales online is that the buyer can pay online and reduce the complication in their payables. Of course, to do that, the buyer must utilize a secure financial resource to transfer money to the seller.

When that transaction takes place, it has to be executed with the highest level of security. B2B sites can be targeted by hackers just as easily as those that sell to final consumers, so you should utilize and publicize your secure network. In this day of identity theft and cybercrime, security is as strong a selling point as price.

Even your product offerings can be sensitive data. Businesses that source their inputs through you may be hacked by competitors who want to replicate their successful formula, so they’ll attempt to find out what your customers are buying. Your security system is the only thing standing between a loyal customer and a costly breach of their proprietary data.

Despite the differences between a B2B site and one geared for consumers, they both need many of the same things. They must first be functional, stable and effective. They must also be user-friendly, so users can maneuver through them. And once a transaction occurs, there has to be an infallible security system in place that protects their purchase history and their financial tools. With that combination, a good B2B site is easy to build.