How Basic Usability Standards Help Land New Clients

We've all felt the defeat of letting a prospective lead slip through our fingers, but when it comes to the online customer journey, you may be losing more potential clients than you realize. Luckily, insights into user preferences help us determine what causes some B2B websites to succeed and what causes others to fail.

In a word, credibility is the top indicator of a website's success. Based on a recent study by Huff Industrial Marketing,* we've outlined three discrediting scenarios that can prematurely end the customer journey, causing B2B websites to lose leads and, ultimately, sales.

1) Build Credibility From the Start.

In this day and age, Internet search is the #1 source for competitive research. This trend puts your B2B website front and center during the initial stages of purchase, where the buyer is gathering information and comparing vendors. If your website doesn't meet basic standards, you may never get the chance to meet your potential customers.

Discrediting Elements that Cause Buyers to Leave B2B Websites

• Unclear purpose of business: 46%
• No contact information: 44%
• Animated ads: 42%
• Poor design & navigation: 37%
• Automatic media play (audio/video): 33%
• Intrusive live chat: 30%

Vague messaging, distracting web elements and poor navigation send an immediate red flag to customers. Never leave a prospect thinking, "This company doesn't understand my needs," or even "This company doesn't know what they are doing."

Whoever handles your website should be able to help you repair simple (and absolutely critical) errors, such as missing contact information. To evaluate additional opportunities for improvement, download our free checklist as a guide to best standards and practices.

2) Deliver a Clear Brand Message.

A whopping 46% of B2B buyers will leave a website if they cannot immediately ascertain what the company does. It's important to remember that B2B buyers are often making complex decisions that require in-depth information about your company and its offerings. Beyond contact information, buyers need to understand the products and services offered by your brand. B2B Buyers Say They Need These 4 Elements:

1. Information on Products & Services
2. Contact Information
3. About / Company Information
4. Testimonials

When creating a brand message for your website, focus on your audience. Break information down into clearly labeled sections with easily digestible content. Because B2B buyers face a more complicated customer journey than their B2C counterparts, it often takes a robust range of information to reflect the full scope of B2B brand value.

3) Remove All Barriers to Action.

Even beautiful websites with strong brand messages can lose sales. This is because B2B websites need to be convenient and functional, especially during the final stages of the user journey. Final Stages: A Buyer's Top 2 Deterrents from Moving Forward

1. Excessive form field requirements (69%)
2. Requires too much personal information (65%)

If you're asking too much of your customers upfront, you may never get the chance to serve them. Customers need to establish greater bonds of trust before they will submit detailed personal information. To respect your customers' varying parameters of privacy, adjust forms to make non-essential information voluntary. As a rule of thumb, strive to keep the final phases of the user journey as simple and streamlined as possible, removing all barriers to action.

Double-check website functionality by clicking through the site and completing forms as your customer would. Keep an eye out for any barriers to action such as slow load times, non-functioning attributes and excessive requests for personal information.

If you're considering upgrading your website, professional insight can help save you time and make you money. You can always reach out to Doc4 if you have any questions. We would be more than happy to help.