Fifty milliseconds—that much time it takes users to form an opinion about a website. That is to say, you’ve got a blink-of-an-eye moment to make an impression.
For B2B companies, where decisions often involve multiple stakeholders and lengthy sales cycles, first impressions matter a great deal. That is especially true for website design.
According to Forbes, the structure and design of a B2B website play a vital role in influencing potential clients and boosting conversions. Besides boosting conversions, a well-structured website can enhance user experience.
And when it comes to a B2B website, your website is the first and best shot at capturing attention, building trust, and encouraging action.
But designing an effective B2B homepage isn’t about being flashy or trendy. It’s about understanding your audience, addressing their needs, and guiding them seamlessly toward the next step. Whether it’s a decision-maker researching solutions or a team member gathering information, your homepage must work for all types of visitors.
Here, we’ll share some best practices for designing a homepage that will impress visitors as well as keep them engaged and moving toward conversion.
Inc.com says that effective storytelling fosters connection, encourages action, and changes reluctant hearts and minds. Still, most B2B brands miss out on it.
Don’t make that mistake. Stories evoke reactions. They build emotional connections, humanize your brand, and make your business memorable.
When visitors land on your homepage, they are not just looking for products or services. But they are looking for a reason to trust you. Your brand story is that reason.
Use your homepage to share why your company exists, what drives you, and the impact you’re making. Make sure there is enough copy on the homepage to tell your story.
Keep things real, however. Whether you started your brand as a solution to a problem you faced or to innovate an industry—whatever your story is, let it shine. Use simple, relatable language and avoid corporate fluff.
Time is precious. Your visitors won’t stick around to figure out what you’re all about.
Your homepage must hit them with the most important information right away. Don’t bury the important info under layers of fluff. Imagine it as a news story—lead with the good stuff and save the details for later.
Interactive elements like sliders, toggle buttons, and carousels look great. Use them, but don’t bury your core message. That will do more harm than good. Visitors shouldn’t have to click around or wait for an animation to finish before they understand what your business offers.
Instead, put your value proposition front and center. There is no guarantee that a website visitor will interact with elements. So, don’t hide important details inside these features.
For instance, if you offer custom CRM solutions to help startups scale faster, highlight that with a bold, clear headline. Pair it with a subheadline or short blurb that elaborates, but keep it concise. The goal here is to grab attention and communicate your value instantly.
According to Enterprise Apps Today, interactive elements enhance engagement as well as intuitiveness in web design. It would be best to use them to draw attention to a smaller element of the story.
Do you know that the sales cycle for more than half of new customers takes four months or longer? This B2B website design guide cites a study conducted by the Miller Heiman Group that reveals these statistics.
Interestingly, the same study found that the sales cycle is much shorter—under four months—for existing customers, notes GoingClear.
What does this mean for your homepage? You need to create clear, frictionless pathways that nurture leads at every stage of the buyer’s journey. Whether visitors are just exploring or ready to make a decision, your homepage should guide them seamlessly toward the next step.
Offer multiple entry points for lead generation. Not everyone is ready to buy right away. Some might prefer subscribing to a newsletter or downloading a resource first.
Include an enticing call-to-action (CTA) like ‘Request a Demo,’ ‘Download Our Free Guide,’ or ‘Talk to an Expert.’ Pair these CTAs with forms that are easy to fill out. Keep forms concise—fewer than five fields whenever possible. A long, overly detailed form is a conversion killer.
Marketplace sites like Envato, Shutterstock, and Bigstock offer inexpensive stock images. Even software platforms like Adobe allow access to stock photography in their monthly software packages.
While stock images can populate your homepage, those images are generic. According to Business.com, another problem with stock photographs is that they are overused.
That is not to say, you shouldn’t use them at all. Include stock imagery on your homepage, but refrain from using too much. Otherwise, your homepage will look impersonal.
In place of them, use real photos of your team, office, or product in action. If you must use stock images, they must reflect your style guide. Customize the imagery with your logo and brand colors, and even include personalized features that correspond to the products or services your company provides.
Your B2B website’s homepage is your first opportunity to make a lasting impression. Keep things clean, clear, and customer-focused. And you’ll have a homepage that not only looks great, but also drives real results.
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