B-to-B: Turn Your Web Site’s Homepage Into a Winner
Every business-to-business (B-to-B) merchant should take the time to optimize its homepage space to ensure its customers have a positive experience, said Amy Africa, president of Eight By Eight, a strategic consulting firm specializing in online and offline integration, in her session “The Best of the Best: B-to-B’s Top 25 Web Sites” at the Sixth Annual MeritDirect Business Mailer’s Co-op and Interactive Marketing Conference held last month in White Plains, N.Y.
Africa offered the following tips for b-to-b marketers interested in taking their Web entry pages from so-so to stellar:
1. The entry page should download as quickly as possible. “Make sure important stuff loads in four seconds,” said Africa.
2. Change the entry page daily. Even if that means simply changing the date, do so to keep it looking fresh and up-to-date, she noted.
3. Encourage the customer to click into the site as quickly as possible. Entry pages are action-oriented pages, rather than content-rich pages, noted Africa. Offer an initial, actionable step. E-mail signups and polls tend to work best, after which you should push customers deeper into your site, she said.
4. When it comes to page design, a three-column approach works best. Africa noted that most customers tend to predominantly look at the middle of the page.
5. Make sure your take-away message is represented at least once in all four quadrants on the screen. Africa pointed out that sophisticated users first view the center column, look to the upper right second, then finally view the action bar. Less sophisticated users first look to the upper-right quadrant, to the action bar next, then finally view the left-hand quadrant. She suggested using an urgency push in the upper right-hand quadrant (e.g., an offer deadline) to spur customer action. Also be sure offer express/quick order sections are in all four quadrants, noted Africa.
6. Give users a method to contact you immediately. When it comes to b-to-b merchants, that often means a telephone number. Africa pointed out that 30 percent of all b-to-b orders are placed on the phone.
7. Give an adequate representation of the products you offer. Avoid showcasing too few or too many products. Africa suggested using analysis to determine how many products you need to feature on both the entry page and Web site as a whole. Next, determine how often you should change your offering and whether dynamic entry pages will improve your conversion. Make sure to analyze which products you should show, said Africa. Finally, test whether to theme or not to theme the products featured. Themes may include new products, bestsellers, or grouping products by category or seasonal use.
8. Show a lifestyle image on the site.”Images of real people tend to work best,” said Africa. “Customers want evidence that someone just like them was here.”
9. Establish navigation standards, and don’t change them. Site visitors like familiarity, said Africa.
10. Use perpetual navigation. Customers should be able to retrace their steps, moving easily back and forth between previously viewed pages. Also keep the shopping cart and secure shopping information on hand, said Africa. The shopping cart should stay with the customer as he or she navigates your site.
To contact Amy Africa, e-mail her at amy@eightbyeight.com or call (802) 878-8944.
