Despite more than $130 billion invested in corporate websites each year, 72 percent of websites graded through MarketingGrader, a service offered by online marketing consultant HubSpot, receive a failing score of 59 or lower.
Jessica Meher, head of enterprise marketing at HubSpot, offers seven reasons why most B2B websites fall short:
1. No clear description or call to action. Many websites fail to state who they are and what they do. As Steven Krugg sums up in his best-selling book, “Don’t Make Me Think,” if visitors can’t identify what it is you do or where to go to find what they need within seconds, they won’t stick around long.
2. Cluttered design. It’s more difficult to take away than it is to add. Some of the most effective websites are the simplest.
4. Difficult to find the right information. Even if you have multiple divisions or complex product offerings, there are simple ways to organize your website that makes it easy for the visitor to navigate.
6. Bad at generating leads and demand. Getting leads is at the top of everyone’s priority list. Yet a large percentage of B2B sites only offer bottom-of-the-funnel offers, such as a “Contact sales” button. Every website should also contain top-of-the-funnel content (e-books, infographics and whitepapers) and middle-of-the-funnel content (like case studies and demos).
7. Gobbledygook. Terms like “cutting-edge,” “innovative” and “mission critical” litter too many websites. Even if you sell complex products, it’s Marketing’s job to translate that complexity into simplified terms so that even your grandmother has a basic understanding of what you offer.
