You probably know the feeling: you click on a website to learn more about a company - and within seconds you've already ruled them out. Why is that? Because their web design either looks like something from 1998 or because it's impossible to find your way around. For B2B companies with technical products and services, a professional and user-friendly website isn't just a nice-to-have - it's part of your credibility.
More than 90% of all B2B commerce journeys start online. The first point on that journey? Your website. And if it's not performing, your leads won't go anywhere. In this post, we take a closer look at 10 classic design mistakes that startups and B2B companies with their own customised web solutions often fall into. We explain why these mistakes are harmful to your business - and how to avoid them.
The colours are grey, the fonts are small and cluttered, and it feels like the site hasn't been updated in years. An outdated design sends subconscious signals that your company isn't keeping up with the times either. For tech companies, it can be a killer:
Instead, consider updating your design to reflect a modern and professional identity with bright colours, structured layout and easy-to-read typography.
Even though most B2B customers are sitting at a computer, that doesn't mean the mobile experience doesn't matter. Your leads may be on the train or quickly checking your site on their phone after a meeting. A website that doesn't automatically adapt to different screen sizes creates frustration:
Make sure your web design is responsive and test it on mobile, tablet and desktop in all modern browsers.
When a potential customer visits your website, they have one goal: to find information. A confusing menu or a confusing hierarchy of information quickly makes them give up. We often see this mistake in companies where many decision makers have wanted to ‘have it all’ - and end up with menus with 20 sub-menus.
Keep it simple. Use a fixed top menu with a maximum of 5-7 items and create clear subpages with logical organisation. Ask yourself the question: “If I knew nothing about this company, where would I expect to find this information?”
Modern websites should feel alive and interactive. However, when animations are used indiscriminately - with buttons jumping, images flying in and entire sections constantly changing - it ends up being distracting and annoying.
Especially in technical B2B industries, users are not looking for entertainment but for an overview and concrete information. Only use animations if they make sense:
Design isn't about fluff - it's about helping the user achieve their goals.
A very common mistake is that the site is designed based on what the company thinks is important - not what customers need. When the entire front page is about the company's history or when products are presented in engineering language without context, you lose the user.
Start by understanding what your buyer persona wants to know:
Design the entire site around these questions - and make it easy to take the next step.
You can have the most beautiful website in the world - but if it doesn't guide your visitors to action, you won't get much in return. A classic mistake is that CTA buttons are either missing, poorly worded or don't stand out.
Examples of improvements:
Your website shouldn't just inform - it should convert.
Have you tested how fast your website loads? Slow load times are still one of the biggest reasons why people abandon a website. And it hurts SEO significantly.
Large images or external scripts are often the culprit. Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights or GTMetrix to find bottlenecks. And optimise your images:
There's something about black text on a dark grey background or white text on neon yellow - it just doesn't work. If your text isn't easy to read, people will drop out.
Choose high contrast between background and text - and make sure the font is easy to read. Use left-aligned text and avoid centred body text. Make the body text at least 16px in font size - preferably larger for older decision makers.
If people can't understand what you offer in 5-10 seconds, you've lost a potential customer. Many B2B sites suffer from buzzwords and imprecise texts: “We digitise your business with next-gen value creation.”
Say what you do - and who it's for. Preferably already in the headline. Example:
“Efficient IoT solutions for growing manufacturing companies”
Also, use subheadings that explain typical benefits or target groups - so the customer can quickly recognise them.
Nobody likes to be the first to try something new. That's why it's important to support your solution with social proof:
It puts the B2B buyer at ease and eliminates doubt. And it makes it much easier for your salespeople to get through.
The truth is that most B2B websites - especially those of more technical companies - have at least a few of these problems. Most people just have a hard time seeing it themselves. And that's understandable - because you see your own site with “internal glasses”.
We help B2B companies optimise their websites and generate more leads through design, data and strategy. If you want a concrete and honest assessment of your site, don't hesitate to contact us. It's completely non-binding - and we promise to be straightforward.
Shall we take a look at your site?
Do you have a project you would like to discuss with us, or would you like to hear how we can help you achieve better results?
Contact us to learn more about the possibilities.
Visit us here:
Herstedvang 8, 2620 Albertslund
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