Ideally, your manufacturing website design should be the anchor point in your digital marketing strategies because it is an online property that you can control. It’s not subject to the whims of a third-party social media platform. There are a variety of digital marketing tools at your disposal to capture and nurture leads.
If your manufacturing business is not generating sufficient leads or sales and you’re being surpassed by your competitors, then taking a look at your outreach efforts is a recommended first step in diagnosing potential problems.
Manufacturing Web Design: The Essentials
Websites should be designed with both customers and search engines in mind, and it’s important to create a website that is attractive, efficient, and effective. A well-designed website can help you to attract and convert leads into customers and generate growth for industrial and manufacturing companies.
A well-designed industrial website can passively generate leads and turn them into customers, moving site visitors all the way from lead capture to client.
At Snap Agency, web design for manufacturing companies is our specialty. We understand the unique needs and challenges of the manufacturing world. In this article, you’ll learn how strategically crafted manufacturing web design can generate more leads, outperform competitors, scale with you as your company grows, and, ultimately, increase your bottom line.
B2B Branding
Before we can truly discuss a website redesign for a manufacturing business, we need to have a clear idea of what it will look like. This is where branding comes into play.
Seth Godin, a renowned marketing expert, once said that branding is “the set of expectations, memories, stories, and relationships that, taken together, account for a consumer’s decision to choose one product or service over another.”
Maintaining consistent branding across all of your digital channels (starting with your website) allows customers to recognize you immediately. Excellent branding establishes authority, builds trust, and keeps customers coming back.
Poorly executed branding, on the other hand, repels customers. Before you start designing and coding your website, make decisions about your branding elements:
- Professional Logo
- High-quality Images
- Impactful Colors (bold or pastel)
- Easy-to-Read Typography
- Clear Messaging
A good starting point for branding is to use your company’s story — how it came to be formed, its values, mission, and goals. Story is one of the most effective ways to anchor a brand in your audience’s mind.
Another effective strategy for engaging with your audience is content. Providing helpful information and offering exceptional customer service will help you create a strong brand identity that customers trust. You can use content to educate customers about your products and services, and to showcase your expertise in the industry.
These are all effective branding strategies that will establish your company as an authority in your niche and create a strong brand presence.
Manufacturing Website Design
Once you have a vision of your branding, it’s time to design your website. At a minimum, your web design should provide a simple user experience that guides leads through your sales funnel.
The five most important pages of your website are:
- Home page
- About
- Products and services page(s)
- Contact page
- Blog
For most manufacturing websites, these are the five links you’ll see in the menu bar on every page. That’s because each one is uniquely important to building the trust of the customer as they learn more about your company and services.
It’s also important to consider the user experience when designing your website. Make sure the layout is easy to understand and that the navigation is intuitive. Consider adding search bars and similar features that facilitate visitors finding the information they need quickly and easily.
Additionally, make it easy for visitors to take action and contact the business. Contact forms and phone numbers that link to a phone dialer (“tap to call”) make it easy for potential customers to take the next step with an inquiry.
Manufacturing Website Designs Examples
If you can determine your site’s overall purpose and branding, as mentioned earlier, you’ll know where your site fits with the three major types of web design —
- Static – a simple website that has fixed content and layout.
- Dynamic or CMS, where the site has content that changes based on user interactions or other dynamic inputs.
- E-commerce, a specialized design for creating online stores
To put the concept of web design into a more tangible form, we have surveyed top manufacturing websites worldwide and have come up with a few exemplary models for consideration:
- Beechcraft military – with clean branding, easy navigation, clear calls to action, and capturing the excitement of the end user, this is a win.
- John Deere is a good example of a giant corporation that has a large number of divisions, products and information to disseminate in a consumable package. The company offers an e-commerce vibe in an information package format.
- Lear is an easy-to-navigate site that features good use of white space. There is a savvy use of motion graphics and video to convey excitement and provide a subtext to the brand’s energy; it also informs the visitor on the manufacturing process of their flagship products.
- Carpenter Technology uses a simple graphic interface, hidden mega menu, and information cards to impart information in consumable chunks when the visitor is ready for it.
Check out some of the website examples Snap has done for our clients.
- KEB America: Together, we crafted an optimized UX to support online leads and sales for KEB America.
- Riedell Ice: Riedell’s robust digital growth solution encompassed a strategic combination of link acquisition, content creation and technical improvements to their site.
- Nonin Medical, Inc.: Nonin’s responsive design provides a seamless UX that quickly guides users toward the ideal monitoring solution for their needs.
Website Development for Manufacturing Businesses
Now that your creative juices are flowing, you need a premier website development team to implement your vision. User experience is just as important now as it was during the web design phase.
Regardless of the type of website you decide to create, there are common factors that can place you ahead of the competition. These include:
- Fast site speed
- Easy navigation
- Pop-up messages and newsletter sign-up forms
- Calls-to-Action (CTAs)
- Tracking and analytics
- Excellent online security
- Social media icons and sharing buttons
The best part? These factors benefit search visibility and the user experience!
On-site SEO for B2B Manufacturing
You probably know how important search engine optimization (SEO) for a manufacturing business that wants to be found on the internet. If you’re one of the many manufacturers who serve a national or even international audience, you have a lot of competition.
Search engine optimization (SEO) is essential for all businesses, but particularly those in the business-to-business manufacturing industry. Optimizing your website for search engines will ensure that your business is easy to find online by potential customers.
This involves optimizing page titles, meta descriptions, headings, and content with industry-relevant keywords. In addition, you should create internal links on your website that direct users to other pages on your site.
The vast majority of online searches are mobile, with people using their smartphones throughout their everyday life. Your website needs to adjust to different screen sizes, from mobile phones up to tablets and desktop monitors.
Think about your customers — they will visit your site while on the go, while in the field, and while in the office. Your website should meet your customers on their terms to successfully convert those leads.
Ongoing Optimization
The road to a successful, lead-generating manufacturing website doesn’t end when you click Publish.
Online success means constantly working to outperform competitors, who are constantly working to outperform you.
So use your blog to answer users’ questions and demonstrate your expertise in your field. How-to articles and tutorials show your audience that you know your stuff. Hint: the right keywords will attract the right audience in droves.
More Leads in Less Time
The right manufacturing marketing agency can generate more leads faster and transform your website into lead-generating automation. At Snap Agency, we understand that you have a lot on your plate.
But you don’t have to go it alone. We know that web design for a manufacturing company isn’t as straightforward as a typical platform, and we’re here to help.