Yet lots of companies treat their existing users as endpoints instead of starting points. They focus on acquiring new customers rather than leveraging the growth potential already sitting in their user base.

There are plenty of strategies to maximize your existing user base, including leveraging the power of growth loops and positive network effects as covered in other articles, but today I want to touch on how strategic feature creation that drives collaboration is an underrated revenue opportunity.

Why account expansion through collaboration can beat traditional sales tactics

The traditional approach to account expansion relies on sales teams identifying upgrade opportunities and convincing decision-makers at a company of the value. However, a new group of buyers is not accounted for in this model.

“Citizen SaaS buyers” now influence 40% of all company SaaS spending. These aren’t IT decision-makers; they’re everyday users who either A) find tools so valuable that they eventually buy them for their teams or B) see how much more effective it would be if more team members used them, so they advocate for upgrades.

These users typically start as single-seat or individual account holders, and instead of a traditional path to account expansion, their user journey finds upgrade paths via team or collaborative features. This style of collaboration-focused expansion makes upgrading feel like an extension of getting work done. It focuses on what naturally happens when users find real value.

How does it work in action?

This model of account expansion creates self-reinforcing cycles where user actions naturally drive more user actions. Unlike traditional sales funnels that end with a purchase, growth loops turn a user interaction into a potential expansion opportunity.

Here’s how a collaboration-driven growth loop works:

• User finds value → Individual user discovers your product solves a real problem
• User enhances value through collaboration → To maximize the solution, they need to involve teammates
• Collaboration creates shared investment → Team builds workflows, templates, and shared resources
• Shared investment increases dependency → Team becomes reliant on collaborative workflows
• Dependency drives expansion → Team needs more features, seats, or capabilities
• Expansion enables bigger problems → Larger teams tackle more complex challenges
• Bigger problems require more collaboration → Loop repeats at a larger scale

This isn’t just theory. We’ve seen this pattern drive expansion in everything from design tools to project management platforms. The key is designing features that naturally create more collaboration opportunities. Eventually, revenue grows through authentic value creation rather than time-intensive upselling.

Understanding the types of collaboration and team features

Before diving into strategy, it’s helpful to understand the different types of collaboration features that SaaS companies use to turn individual users into team advocates. These features work best when they feel like natural extensions of your core product value rather than bolted-on additions.

Sharing and access features

These are the foundations of most collaboration strategies. Users can share specific content, projects, or workspaces with colleagues. Examples include shared documents, project folders, dashboard links, or design files. The key is making sharing feel essential to getting work done rather than optional.

Notion has clear shared workspaces, allowing groups of individual users or “teams” to share documents, templates, and files.

Invitations

Direct invitation systems let users add colleagues to their accounts or workspaces. This includes features like “Add team member,” workspace invitations, or role-based access controls. The most effective invitation systems make it obvious why adding someone will improve the work for everyone involved.

Google Meet offers pre-meeting invite capabilities and makes it simple to add new attendees to a meeting with multiple invitation calls-to-action, and even provides suggestions of individuals you can add.

Real-time collaboration

Features that let multiple people work on the same thing simultaneously. This includes co-editing documents, collaborative whiteboards, shared design files, or synchronized data entry. Real-time collaboration often creates the strongest expansion pull because it makes individual work feel incomplete.

Figma is a masterclass in real-time collaboration, with shared files, “jam sessions” or timed working sessions, and even name tags on cursors to see where collaborators are in the file.

Communication and feedback tools

Built-in ways for team members to communicate about shared work. This includes comment threads, @mentions, approval workflows, or status updates. These features keep conversations contextual to the work, making your product the natural hub for project communication.

Airtable offers commenting, tagging, and assignment features throughout the tool, allowing teams to notify each other and host conversations in relevant project spaces.

Permission and role management

Systems that let users control who can see or edit what. This includes viewer/editor roles, department-level access, guest permissions, or approval hierarchies. Good permission systems make it safe and easy to include external stakeholders in workflows.

TLDV clearly outlines the sharing permissions on videos with levels of access, including “my team,” “my organization,” and individual users. There are also general access links if you want to share beyond account holders.

Workflow and process sharing

Features that let users create templates, processes, or automated workflows that others can use. This includes shared templates, workflow automation, or standardized processes. When teams build shared workflows, they create a collective investment in your platform.

Canva has brand kits, controls, and templates that can be shared amongst your team to help standardize and speed up your design workflows.

Social and activity features

Elements that show what team members are working on and create visibility into collaborative work. This includes activity feeds, presence indicators, or team dashboards. These features help teams stay coordinated while showcasing the value of collaborative work.

Slack offers great visibility into who is online with the green or transparent status dot next to users in the sidebar, giving easy indicators of who is available for active collaboration.

7 tactics for building collaboration features that drive account expansion and keep users around

The good news is you don’t have to pick just one type of collaboration feature. You can combine multiple types to create comprehensive collaborative experiences that make teamwork feel natural and essential. Here are some essential tactics to help you do just that.

1. Make sharing more valuable than working alone

The biggest barrier to collaboration isn’t technical, it’s behavioral. Users default to working alone unless collaboration is obviously easier and more valuable than individual work.

Design your product so that collaborative features provide immediate, obvious benefits that individual work can’t match. Don’t just make collaboration possible; make it essential for getting the best results.

For example, Figma revolutionized design by making real-time collaboration the default experience. Instead of designers working in isolation and then sharing static files, Figma made the design process inherently collaborative. Stakeholders could see work in progress, provide feedback in context, and feel involved in the creative process. This didn’t just improve design quality; it naturally expanded usage to include project managers, developers, and executives who previously only saw final designs.

2. Build features that create shared investment

When users invest time in building collaborative structures, they create switching costs that extend beyond individual preferences. The more a team builds together, the harder it becomes to leave your platform.

Provide tools that enable users to create shared resources, templates, and workflows that become more valuable as more people contribute to them. Make it easy to start collaborative structures and painful to abandon them.

A good example is Notion’s template system, which creates significant shared investment. When a team builds a comprehensive project management template with custom properties, linked databases, and automated workflows, they’re not just organizing their current work; they’re creating a system that becomes more valuable as more team members contribute to it. Removing team members from the workspace breaks the system, creating a natural resistance to downsizing.

3. Make collaboration visible and desirable

When users see colleagues accessing information, participating in decisions, or benefiting from workflows they can’t access, they naturally want to be included. Visibility drives demand for inclusion.

Make collaboration visible and valuable. Show users what they’re missing when they’re not part of collaborative workflows. Create transparency around who’s involved in what work, and make it easy to request access or suggest inclusion.

One example is Slack’s channel system, which creates visibility that drives expansion. When important decisions happen in channels users can’t access, they naturally request to be added. When they see colleagues sharing resources, celebrating wins, or coordinating work in channels they can observe but not participate in, they want to create their own channels for their work. This visibility drives organic expansion as users advocate for broader team adoption.

4. Include stakeholders who don’t use your product daily

Most SaaS tools start with individual users and try to expand outward. A better approach is to identify who needs to be involved for your primary users to be successful, and then build features that naturally include those stakeholders.

Map out who needs to be involved for your users to achieve their goals. Design features that make it easy to include those stakeholders in workflows, even if they’re not primary users of your product.

Miro understood that successful brainstorming sessions require diverse perspectives. Instead of building a tool just for facilitators, they created features that make it easy to include participants who might never use Miro independently. Guest access, simple sharing links, and intuitive contribution tools mean that workshop participants don’t need to be Miro experts to add value. This naturally expands usage to include executives, clients, and cross-functional team members who become advocates for broader adoption.

5. Recognize when users need help and suggest collaboration

The most effective collaboration features activate automatically when users hit natural collaboration points in their workflow. Instead of requiring users to remember to invite colleagues, smart systems recognize when teamwork would be valuable and make it easy to initiate.

Identify the moments in your user workflows where collaboration would be most valuable. Build features that recognize these moments and proactively suggest or facilitate collaboration.

Canva’s team features activate when users create designs that would benefit from collaboration. When a user creates a brand template, the platform suggests inviting brand managers. When they start a campaign design, it recommends involving marketing team members. When they build a presentation, they offer to share it with stakeholders for feedback. These suggestions feel helpful rather than pushy because they activate at moments when collaboration genuinely improves outcomes.

6. Support different work styles and schedules

Not all collaboration happens in real time. Some of the most powerful collaborative features work across time zones, schedules, and work styles. Asynchronous collaboration features often drive more expansion because they’re less dependent on coordinating schedules.

Build collaboration features that work when team members aren’t online simultaneously. Focus on features that let people contribute when it’s convenient for them while maintaining context for others.

Loom’s video messaging creates asynchronous collaboration opportunities that naturally expand usage. When someone creates a video explanation of a complex process, they often need to share it with multiple stakeholders who weren’t part of the original conversation. The video becomes a shared resource that multiple team members reference, comment on, and build upon. This creates natural expansion as teams recognize the value of asynchronous video communication for knowledge sharing.

7. Use access control as an expansion tool

Most SaaS companies think about permissions as security features. The smartest ones also use permissions as expansion features. Well-designed permission systems create natural opportunities for users to expand access as their needs grow.

Design permission systems that make it easy to grant appropriate access to new stakeholders without overwhelming them or compromising security. Use permission requests as expansion opportunities rather than barriers.

For example, Dropbox’s permission system creates natural expansion opportunities. When users want to share folders with specific access levels, they’re guided through options that often result in upgrading accounts to accommodate more users or storage. The permission system protects files and creates moments where users recognize the value of bringing more people into their workflows.

Ready to organically drive account expansion?

Collaboration-driven account expansion isn’t just about adding team features to your product. It’s about understanding how work really gets done and building features that make collaboration feel natural, valuable, and necessary.

The SaaS companies that master this approach turn every user into a potential growth engine. They create products so collaborative that teams can’t imagine working any other way. When collaboration becomes essential to how work gets done, account expansion becomes inevitable.

At The Good, we’ve helped SaaS companies identify and build collaboration features that drive meaningful account expansion. Our Digital Experience Optimization Program takes a systematic approach to understanding user behavior, designing collaborative experiences, and optimizing for sustainable growth.

Ready to transform your users into your most effective growth engine? Let’s explore how collaboration-driven expansion can accelerate your growth.

The post How to Drive Account Expansion with Collaborator & Team Features That Stick appeared first on The Good.

“The fundamental shift that people have to make is that you’re no longer a data collector. You’re a data connector,” says Ari Zelmanov, former police detective and current research leader. In Ari’s view, as teams get leaner and tools get better at executing research tasks, the job of the researcher becomes standing up repositories, socializing learning mechanisms, and creating the systems that empower organizations to act on good information.

We spoke with research leaders who've successfully made this transition, transforming their teams from siloed specialists into customer-centric learning cultures. Their approaches varied, but one theme was clear: when you empower others to answer their own questions, you don't diminish your value, you multiply it.

The d word holding us back

Before diving into solutions, there's an elephant we need to address: Democratization. Many researchers worry that democratizing research will lead to poor methodologies, incorrect conclusions, or devalued expertise. But Ari feels the argument is nye.

"The only people arguing about democratization are researchers," says Ari. "Nobody else is arguing about it. We're infighting about something that we have zero control over. It's happening."

I tend to feel like anyone arguing about democratization is missing one critical point: customer centricity isn't just one person's job.

Anton Krotov, Researcher in an organization of over 10,000 people, was in the fortunate position of being very trusted by his colleagues. So much so that they believed research could answer all of their questions.

“I had already established a reputation. I was fortunate that I didn't need to sell the value of research. Quite the opposite. People came to me with too many requests. They believed research could do everything for them. I needed to set up boundaries.”

Overwhelmed with requests from colleagues, Anton realized that the solution wasn't saying no—it was saying yes in a different way. Rather than becoming a bottleneck, Anton chose to become a bridge.

Connect teams through shared intelligence

Good intelligence is the responsibility of many disciplines, not just research. To get answers quickly, Ari's teams use what he calls the "Moneyball" approach to research, a framework that prioritizes speed and accessibility over methodological purity:

"Product teams are incentivized to move fast. So, how do you make research fit into that in a way that makes sense? We built something called Moneyball Research. It's super simple: start with what you know. It could be in your repository, it could be what you know. Then you go to what data is accessible within 24 to 48 hours. That's usually internal analytics, CSAT tickets, NPS, sales conversations, and tribal knowledge. Then—and only then—do you go to primary research."

This approach shifts conversations away from methods and focuses instead on what teams need to know and how confident they need to be. "Then it's up to the researcher to be the doctor. Diagnose that, determine how they're going to collect that evidence given the time, money, and level of rigor."

René Bastijans, lead researcher at a growth-stage startup, has found creative ways to loop colleagues into data collection. His sales team is trained to lightly survey prospects during sales calls and report back to the wider team.

"We've trained our sales team to ask for specific data and enter it into Salesforce. Researchers and the product team have access to these data, and therefore, sales has allowed us to keep a pretty good pulse on the market."

This creates a healthy feedback loop that keeps everyone abreast of evolving user needs while extending the research team's reach without expanding headcount.

Invite colleagues into the research process

While it might seem counterintuitive to share methodologies and research responsibilities, successful research leaders see democratization as an opportunity rather than a threat.

To remove research bottlenecks, Anton ran internal workshops to upskill his colleagues on doing their own research. This proactive approach to education focused on tailoring training to his colleagues' specific needs: "I try to cover the cases that will be really applicable, so I don't offer any cookie-cutter material and don't go much into theory. It's really tailored to their day-to-day work."

The key is meeting people where they are and giving them tools that fit their contexts. Not everyone needs to become a master researcher, but many can learn to conduct basic customer interviews or query data effectively.

Brittany Lang, UX Research Manager and M.S. in Information Science, uses project reviews as a time to cultivate a shared point of view and continually refine her thinking.

“Before we socialize research plans, I usually take a look at it, or I have someone else on my team take a look at it. It doesn't have to be your manager that's reviewing something, but can someone give you feedback?

It's nice when coworkers leave comments and I can see what other people on the team have said and we can agree or challenge, and then have a discussion about it. I also learn in those moments too. When I'm looking at how members of my team have reviewed other work, where they're coming from and their perspective, I learn a lot from them in those moments.”

Facilitate low-risk learning

It takes more than a few ambitious researchers to imbue a company’s culture with a learning mindset, which is why rituals and learning programs are so important.

Anton’s employer formalized this approach to building safe learning environments through a program called "Gigs for Growth," a repository of side projects from different departments where employees can apply to work on learning opportunities outside their typical scope.

"It's like a company green light that you can work on learning during your full-time gig and outside of your typical work scope. Something that you would never otherwise be able to touch in the company."

Under this program, researchers can support QA engineers, sales can support marketing, and everyone gets exposure to new perspectives that inform their primary roles. "You get some really new experiences that otherwise you wouldn't be able to."

At The Good, we like to build regular, low-stakes opportunities for knowledge sharing and skill development. One of our approaches at The Good is a ritual called "Random Question of the Week." During another bi-weekly meeting, team members share client questions that stumped them or that they felt they could have answered better.

These conversations help build shared perspectives that then get turned into artifacts:

• FAQ entries for brief, punchy answers
• Articles for long-form perspectives
• Policies or SOPs that outline ways of working

The result is that teams become more aligned, can answer tough questions on the spot, and save time by referring to their collective knowledge instead of rehashing the same discussions.

Another effective ritual is "Critique & Share" sessions, where team members bring questions, websites they admire, or work they're developing to get fresh perspectives from colleagues who haven't been deep in the weeds of a particular project.

Maggie Paveza, Senior Strategist at The Good, shares that it has helped her break the ice when building a shared P.O.V.

"It's pretty informal and often we're not showing our own work, so it feels less intimidating to ask your team members, 'why do you think this competitor is using this strategy,' than if it were your own work," explains Maggie.

The power of being a data connector

"The fundamental problem that research as an industry has is we've been myopically focused on the front end of the equation," says Ari. "Data collection, statistical significance, theoretical saturation—insert whatever fancy academic word you want in here. But the real power comes on the back end of the equation."

That back end is about connection, synthesis, and empowerment. When researchers shift from being data collectors to data connectors, they don't lose their expertise; they amplify it.

As Anton puts it, "Where soil is right, then you can do things. Praise people for when they do things great. You can learn from mistakes, you can learn from success."

The goal isn't to turn everyone into a researcher. It's to create an environment where customer insights flow freely, where good questions get asked by many disciplines, and where learning happens continuously rather than in bursts.

Making the shift

Building a customer-centric learning culture doesn't happen overnight, but it starts with understanding where your organization is open to change and being constructive about how you facilitate it.

Look for teams and individuals who are already curious about customers. Find the places where people are asking good questions but lack the tools or confidence to find answers. Then meet them there with the right combination of education, tools, and support.

"At the end of the day, it's about empowering decision-making," says Ari. And in a world where customer expectations evolve quickly and research teams are lean, that empowerment might be the most valuable thing researchers can provide.

The post From Data Collector to Data Connector: Embracing Research Democratization appeared first on The Good.

And there is nothing more frustrating to a business than losing out on a sale because their website was optimized for one audience and, in turn, alienated a whole second subset of shoppers.

We see this a lot for ecommerce brands that have a direct-to-consumer and wholesale operation. They are selling to shoppers purchasing for personal use AND to big businesses who are then going to resell their product.

It’s a great opportunity for the brand, expanding its reach and diversifying channels. However, the two audiences are on completely different customer journeys, making it difficult to create a digital experience that delivers to both.

We’ve gone deep into how to manage (and prevent) channel conflict. But, we still feel there is something left unsaid: How can brands specifically optimize their online experience for both a B2B and B2C audience?

In this article, we’ll look at a step-by-step approach for catering to your unique users.

Let’s dive in.

Understand Your Audience

As a business straddling the line between B2B and B2C sales, it can seem impossible to deliver a seamless website experience for both. But that isn’t the case if you take the time before diving into the intricacies of dual-targeting strategies to understand your data.

Note: If you’re a reader of our content, the first step being an analysis of your audience and data shouldn’t come as a surprise. It’s a foundation for all of the optimization strategies we’ll recommend later on.

A good first step is to check your Google Analytics. Specifically:

• Review Audience by Page: Take a look at the distribution of your audience across different sections of your website. Analyze page-specific data to identify where both B2B and B2C users are engaging or where one audience may play a bigger role.
• Review Traffic Source by Page: Traffic sources play a pivotal role in shaping user intent. Review how users arrive at specific pages so you can better align the content on your site with their expectations.
• Review Revenue Source by Audience: Identify where the majority of your revenue is coming from so that you can make informed decisions on prioritization and resource allocation for each audience.

Reviewing your ecommerce analytics reports will help you determine the traffic and revenue split between B2B and B2C.

Map The Customer Journey For Each Segment

Once you have an idea of your audiences and how they engage with different parts of your site, you can outline the customer journey of each. This helps you make informed decisions on when to prioritize one audience over the other and put together a unique treatment for each.

A few good questions to answer in this stage are:

Do you have a primary audience?

Establish if one audience generates significantly more revenue than the other. Or if there is one that is always shopping online while the other generally prefers print or in-store. This is a great prioritization tactic.

Where do you need to have messaging and content that speaks to both audiences? Where can you prioritize one audience over the other?

This helps to identify key touchpoints where messaging and content need to resonate with both B2B and B2C audiences. It also gives context so you can strategically prioritize one over the other (where it makes sense) based on the significance of each segment.

Where in the customer journey do you divert B2B traffic to a different section of the site?

Also, as you look at the customer journey, you can pinpoint where diverting B2B traffic makes the most sense. Usually, you can uncover specific touchpoints to redirect the different shoppers for more tailored experiences. This ensures that users encounter content and features relevant to their needs, optimizing their journey and increasing their likelihood to purchase.

Hypothesize Areas for Improvement

With all of your context, you’re set up to start hypothesizing areas for improvement on your website.

We’ve optimized hundreds of millions in revenue for clients and their digital properties, so while strategies will depend on what you uncover, there are some common areas for optimizing the B2B and B2C challenge and a few examples that can help get you started.

Homepage

The homepage serves as a crucial touchpoint for both audiences. Find ways to guide users to their intended website pages with consistent design but unique stories and content that resonate with both.

Here is a great example from Old World Christmas, whose digital team works with The Good to optimize their direct-to-consumer (DTC) site while keeping their robust retailer network in mind.

By reimagining a homepage module that directs users to register as a retailer, they showcase similar messaging and content that both B2B and B2C customers can appreciate, while still providing a clear call-to-action for potential partners.

This creative approach ensures a consumer-friendly presentation while still addressing the vital B2B audience.

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Menu Navigation

Consider menu navigation sections that cater specifically to B2B and B2C users.

Ecommerce companies can learn from SaaS in this regard. Distinct functionalities may be more appealing for each audience type, so SaaS companies reflect this right away in the menu.

QualtricsXM, for example, shares specific use cases for their product right in the menu and also highlights who that use case is best for.

While ecommerce brands will likely choose to take a softer approach, there is value in seeing how a menu can be laid out so users know exactly where to click next to get to the right content for them.

The office supply company, Staples, has a dedicated “For Business” section prominently displayed in their navigation. Clicking on the option expands it and shows users the option to explore wholesale or B2B programs that Staples offers.

Landing Pages

Segmentation is a powerful tool to tailor your website experience for different audiences. Consider creating distinct landing pages based on user profiles.

This allows you to prioritize the segment that contributes the most to your revenue without neglecting the other. On landing pages, you can craft messages that resonate with the distinct needs of B2B and B2C audiences.

Let’s take a look at how tailored messaging can enhance the user experience and align with the goals of each segment.

Take Brooklinen, a brand that caters to DTC and wholesale customers through distinct landing pages, as an example.

For their DTC audience, Brooklinen prioritizes ease of purchase.

Their landing page is representative of a well-designed ecommerce site. A ‘Shop by Category’ option can be found directly under the fold.

They also highlight enticing “Best Sellers” in the next section. Browsing feels effortless, guiding customers toward adding to their carts.

On the B2B side of things, the spotlight shifts from shopping to partnering with Brooklinen.

They do away with product listings on this landing page, focusing instead on their two programs: Trade and Hospitality. Each program is tailored to specific business needs.

CTA buttons are different, with “Apply Now” and “Log In” being the call-to-action on the B2B landing page.

Test and Validate (Or Invalidate) Ideas

Once you’ve hypothesized areas for improvement, you’ll be excited to start improving your website. But, before implementing changes, make sure you test changes with your audiences.

The goal is to collect feedback to validate or invalidate hypotheses and refine your strategies based on real user insights. This is a crucial step in the process that can help your site be more user-centered, save you resources, AND increase conversions.

Depending on your time and the change you’re testing, we would normally recommend A/B testing or a form of rapid testing.

Once you confirm that your ideas will positively impact the user experience you can go ahead and implement them, feeling confident in your decision and how it will improve your online experience.

Improve B2B Sales Without Hindering Online Purchases

The key to improving your B2B sales without hindering online purchases is to make sure each user’s journey is optimized for their unique requirements.

Continuously adapt and refine your strategies, and your business will thrive by catering to the needs of both B2B and B2C audiences.

A few tips to remember before I sign off:

• Prioritize based on revenue but consider the unique needs of each audience.
• Strategically divert B2B traffic at critical touchpoints in the customer journey.
• Tailored messaging and design enhancements can significantly impact user engagement.
• Regular testing and evaluation are essential for refining strategies and ensuring ongoing success.

With that in mind, you can embrace the duality of B2B and B2C sales, viewing it not as a challenge but as an opportunity for growth.

And if you want to start optimizing for both B2B and B2C, contact us.

The post How To Optimize Your Website For Both DTC and Wholesale appeared first on The Good.

“Always looking for the wins doesn’t help you improve. That helps you feel good, but it doesn’t help you make more money. It doesn’t help you serve your customers better.”

That’s Justin Albano, Digital Marketing Manager at IDX. And after a decade of driving results in various marketing and creative roles, he knows it’s better to face an issue than sweep it under the rug. 

“As hard as it is to sit there and have someone say, ‘This is not working’…it’s always so much better to know that and be able to move on than have it not working and maintain the status quo.” 

After all, ‘maintaining status quo’ isn’t how the best companies pull ahead. 

Below, you’ll find out how to adopt experimentation like this company. Justin and IDX admitted room for improvement, signed on for our optimization services, and have seen results like: 

• Homepage tests and implementations that boosted enrollment in their product by 20.37%
• Focus and clarity around exactly what to improve and why 
• An understanding of fundamental conversion truths IDX still uses each week 

Identity theft cases more than doubled from 2019 to 2020

In 2020, combined fraud losses climbed to a staggering $56 billion. According to Javelin Strategy and Research, identity fraud scams account for $43 billion — over 76% — of that cost. 

In a world of “over-sharing,” individuals are an increasingly attractive and vulnerable target.  

IDX, a privacy protection service, is designed to help. They’re out to make the digital world a safer place for vulnerable consumers. 

To do so, their service crawls the dark web to find out if your information (credit, medical, or otherwise) is compromised. If so, they alert you and work on your behalf to restore what was stolen. They cover the costs of doing so, too. 

Simply put, IDX offers easy and robust protection from identity threats. 

But, when we first met them, consumers were struggling to understand that.

How does a historically B2B company resonate with B2C customers? 

Justin Albano, the Digital Marketing Manager at IDX, first came to us in August 2018. 

IDX had spun up a marketing site for their B2C product, MyIDCare — a big step into new territory for the historically B2B company. 

Justin knew success hinged on making a strong connection with customers. “Ultimately, we are trying to connect with our prospective customers out there,” he explained. “It really comes down to how effective are we at resonating with them? How effective are we at speaking to what their real needs, real pain points are?” 

So, Justin knew his end goal — resonating with B2C visitors and converting them into customers. What he didn’t know was how, exactly, to reach that goal. 

They had Google Analytics set up on the site and data coming out of ad platforms, but Justin knew this wasn’t the full picture. And he knew that piecemeal data wouldn’t tell him what, out of his big spreadsheet of ideas, to test — let alone which tests would make a difference in revenue. 

Was it button colors? What about lifestyle imagery? Something else altogether? (Spoiler: the last one.) 

To answer these questions, he needed better data. 

“We needed better data to help us make decisions”

Justin and his team at IDX had assumptions, ideas, and gut leanings. But they knew those inputs weren’t unbiased (or influenced by lunch) and not reliable enough to drive the outputs they wanted to see. 

“It’s easy to think you’re super smart, and you’ve got it all figured out,” Justin noted, “But until you actually test it, until you actually go out and learn how people are perceiving you…you don’t really know.” 

With big competitors in the space, IDX needed to know. But gathering and interpreting the data that’d require? It was an overwhelming thought. As Digital Marketing Manager, Justin had a hundred things on his plate and couldn’t spend all day in these tasks. 

He needed a partner who could both do the work and remove all the guesswork.

“I really needed someone who could come in, do the research, do the analysis, and put in front of me a clear path to success…And that’s exactly what The Good gave me.” — Justin Albano

The search for experts with a clear roadmap

Justin considered hiring a partner internally. But, as a small team, IDX couldn’t bring on an analyst or strategist that could spend all day, every day, on these problems. 

That meant turning to an agency instead. 

Justin had spent over a decade in the digital marketing and creative industry, and he knew plenty of talented optimization professionals. This didn’t make his decision easy. 

In the end, two factors made The Good a good fit for IDX: 

1. A clear roadmap and process 

“I knew upfront what I wanted,” Justin reminisced, “I wanted a clear path.” He wanted to know what low-hanging, high-impact fruit his team could address now and what great ideas his team could tackle later. And he wanted to know exactly how a partner would identify those things. 

While Justin is a huge fan of roadmaps in general, a clear path wasn’t just for him — it was also essential for getting buy-in from stakeholders. To bring in an agency, Justin would need to advocate for rigorous testing and the ROI of doing it. 

“It wasn’t nebulous…they helped me articulate why we needed this, what we’re going to do, and what we’re going to accomplish in a way that I was able to get buy-in.”  — Justin 

2. An emphasis on optimization so strong, it’s in the team’s DNA

IDX didn’t need a team that dabbled in optimization on the weekends. They needed a team that knew it inside and out. That was Justin’s impression of The Good. He recalled, “They talked it, they walked it, they breathed it…It’s in their DNA.” 

IDX needed a partner who’d make their lives easier, not harder. And that meant a partner they didn’t have to second-guess, check in on, or project manage.  “From the start, I knew I wasn’t going to have to manage them,” Justin said, “They were going to do their job and execute.”

“From the first conversations with Natalie and her team, it was really clear they were exceptionally competent and knew what they were doing.” — Justin 

With the decision made, it was time to head into the first project.

Identifying key opportunities through a Digital Experience Optimization Audit   

Note: It’s been three years since we first teamed up with IDX. Since then, we’ve audited their original site, done testing through our Digital Experience Optimization Program, and completed another audit of their latest site. You’ll find highlights from all of that below, starting with the original site audit. 

When we do a Digital Experience Optimization Audit, our process looks like gathering different types of data, identifying problems, and outlining improvements. 

Audits take, on average, 3-4 weeks from start to finish. The steps involve:

• Kickoff with stakeholders
• Research and analysis
• Findings presentation 

Here’s what that looked like for IDX. 

Kickoff with stakeholders: defining goals 

The initial kickoff meeting involved IDX, The Good, and a lot of note taking. We dug into what IDX wanted to accomplish, what questions they had, and other background information. 

Kickoff is also a chance for our clients to get to know their dedicated team. Each of our clients receives a lead optimization strategist and a specialized team. Teams frequently include specialists in consumer behavior, applied psychology, user experience design, and human-computer interaction. (These diverse backgrounds help us form a 360-degree strategy.) 

In terms of outcomes, goal-setting is a big part of these meetings. For IDX, the goals we established at kickoff and validated through research were: 

• Increase site enrollment volume
• Improve customer experience on-site
• Align navigation to user intent
• Decrease funnel abandonment
• Increase email subscriptions so IDX can nurture leads 

Research and analysis: marrying quantitative and qualitative

After the stakeholder discovery, we provided an external and unbiased audit to identify tweaks and improvements. To do so, we went beyond surface-level metrics and gathered both quantitative and qualitative data.

For example, in a typical audit, one specialist will dig through Google Analytics data to answer questions such as:

• Who are the top audiences?
• What pages are they visiting the most?
• What data indicates a problem area or opportunity for impact? 

This quantitative research helps inform what is happening on the site. But to build a full picture, our team also needs to look into why. 

“You have to have the data. You have to have someone who can run through the data for you and be able to analyze it correctly. You need those two working in tandem.” — Justin

So another specialist will then apply qualitative research methods, such as user research, to help answer questions such as:

• Why are people taking certain actions?
• What’s stopping conversions or contributing to abandoned goals?

Altogether, here’s what our team’s methodology included for IDX’s initial audit:

Findings presentation: where to go next 

Once our team gathers and organizes all our findings, we build out a detailed roadmap outlining strengths, weaknesses, and key opportunities for improvement. 

“When they came back and presented their findings to us, that’s when the real magic started to happen. Because now we had a clear roadmap.” — Justin

In the audit review meeting, our team walks through all of the findings, what they mean, and what the client can do next, with plenty of opportunity for Q&A. 

For IDX, this meant a clear path forward. They met us with a pile of assumptions and ideas; now, they knew exactly what to test to improve the experience for users, maximize investments in ad traffic, and generate ROI. 

“We saw an immediate revenue impact.”  — Justin

Experimentation and an improved enrollment experience through the Digital Experience Optimization Program 

Following the audit, IDX began a custom recurring Digital Experience Optimization Program. Their program consisted of research, strategy, and monthly A/B, multivariate, and split testing to reach their goals. 

For IDX, much of our testing revolved around improving enrollment for their platform.  

Here are some highlights of the testing we did: 

The power of asking, “what can we do better?”  

A reason IDX saw these improvements is their willingness to face shortcomings and lean into a proven CRO process. 

In a sense, it would’ve been easier for IDX to pretend as if their site was perfect. But Justin knew that’s not how they’d boost enrollment and revenue. To make meaningful improvements, IDX’s team had to face where things were broken or needed improvement and then make changes. 

So, they leaned into the kind of testing we did above. They knew it was better to address a weakness than bury their heads in the sand and pretend it didn’t exist. 

“The sooner we can identify what hurdles are in place for people…the sooner we can correct them, and the sooner we can improve.” — Justin

This was a mindset alignment between our team and IDX, speaking to one of The Good’s core values to make improvements, not excuses. 

Seeing those hurdles (especially when your team designed them!) can be difficult, but Justin says, “once you get to the end, the reward is pretty sweet.” 

A clear direction for new and future programs 

Since then, we’ve worked with IDX in several ways. Most recently, we partnered with them to audit their new site. 

As IDX had successfully grown their B2B and B2C branches of business, they’d started to fragment their messaging. Yet, both of these audiences wanted to see similar information — product details, pricing, trust signifiers, and so on. Justin said they realized they’d “benefit from a more holistic approach” and opted to roll the two websites they had into one. 

But creating a cohesive site for multiple audiences was no small feat, and they knew there were opportunities to improve messaging, information architecture, and navigation. 

So, they brought it to us for review.  

“You can’t just stick your head in the sand and say, ‘we did this new website.’” — Justin

How acknowledging mistakes can deliver ROI

“You launch a new site, a new campaign, or a new software product, and you’ve put your all into it,” Justin said, “And having someone objectively look at it and point out some pretty obvious things you might have missed…it’s hard to be that vulnerable as a professional.” 

It’d be easier for IDX to launch their new site, celebrate, and move on. 

Easier, not better for more customers or IDX’s bottom line. 

Similar to past projects, Justin knew where he wanted to end up but wasn’t 100% sure how to get there. And he knew it was better to face their blind spots than plow ahead in the dark. 

“Oftentimes, I learn so much more from being proven wrong than I ever would’ve by just assuming that I was right.” — Justin

Similar to our first audit with IDX, we combed through the site using several quantitative and qualitative methods. However, because this site had lower traffic than the initial site we audited, we leaned more heavily on qualitative methods this time around. 

For example, Maggie Paveza, a strategist with an extensive background in user research, used methods such as:

• Remote user research with highly qualified users, to understand the perspective and hurdles for someone new to the site. This revealed what prevented IDX’s target audience from reaching a conversion. 
• Tree testing, a technique for assessing how well users can locate the information they want within a navigation. This illuminated hurdles within the information architecture and opportunities for testing a more intuitive navigation. 

These and other qualitative methods, combined with several quantitative methods, helped us identify several key improvements for IDX, including: 

• Improving lead generation forms with better expectation-setting for time-to-contact, assuring users sensitive information will be handled securely and confidentially, 
• Providing easier access to resources for those at a top of funnel info-gathering stage

Baselines and focused testing efforts going forward   

In the findings presentation, we presented several short-term wins, as well as a roadmap for future improvements and testing. 

These recommendations were beneficial to IDX in three big-picture ways:

• “Best possible” starting point: IDX is building several new programs from scratch. Justin says the site audit is, “helping us build those programs, and build the website to be able to support those programs, in the best way possible to start.” 
• A baseline for impact: Now that IDX has a clear picture of the current state of the website, Justin says they can “start testing and seeing what kind of impact we can drive.” 
• Focused testing efforts: Because of the audit, Justin says “we’re not sitting there wondering what we should be doing.” Instead, IDX knows exactly what steps they need to take.

“It’s giving us a clear focus on what really matters.” — Justin

Immediate conversion improvements and long term mindset shifts 

In the three years we’ve partnered with IDX, they’ve seen many short-term and long-term wins. 

In the short term, their willingness to improve combined with our proven testing methods have resulted in homepage improvements that increased enrollment by 20.37% and “About Us” page improvements that increased enrollment twofold. 

Immediate returns for testing AND improved ROAS

These and similar results meant immediate ROI for IDX — both in terms of our services, as well as in terms of investments they were making in other services, such as return on ad spend (ROAS). How? An optimized website makes the most out of traffic coming to the site, meaning dollars spent in driving traffic are maximized as well.  

Three long-term benefits that aren’t disappearing anytime soon 

In addition to those short-term wins, IDX has experienced several longer-term wins, too.

These are: 

• An understanding of fundamental conversion truths
• Data-backed decision making
• Focus and clarity 

An understanding of fundamental conversion truths

From our very first project together, Justin started to collect fundamental conversion truths that continue to inform every site, landing page, and campaign his team develops. 

“There are some fundamental truths that came out of that first analysis I use on a weekly basis.” — Justin

Take trust-building. Our research indicated building trust with IDX’s audience is critical. Without it, potential customers default to a well-known competitor. This is true for many brands in many industries, but it’s especially important with security. “In order for them to trust us with something that is so scary,” Justin recalls, “they really need to know who we are and know they can trust us.” 

Consumers have to trust you to buy from you — that’s a fundamental conversion truth. And it’s one of many Justin and his team continue to reference in their day-to-day work. 

He emphasized every time they build something, whether it’s an email or a site, they ask questions like, “Do we have trust builders? Do we have member quotes?…can people feel confident they can work with us?” 

“…those truths continue to be guiding lights. Those continue to make an impact not just for me, but for multiple people on my team.” 

Data-backed decision making

“The main result of our work together is that their team makes data-backed decisions,” Natalie Thomas, Director of Strategy, explained. They’re “informed by real user research and behavioral data, rather than making gut-based decisions.” 

Justin and his team suspected they couldn’t rely on guts or biases when it comes to driving results; our work with them solidified this. 

For example, Justin thought optimizing lifestyle imagery was a priority. But through working with us, he discovered IDX’s audience doesn’t “necessarily care about the age and demographic makeup of the person you put in your picture.” In other words, Justin cared about this factor, but consumers didn’t. Turns out, for them, there were more important issues at stake. 

Extensive research, analysis, and testing have helped illuminate which tests matter and which tests don’t. This, in turn, enables Justin’s team to focus on improvements that directly impact revenue and conversions vs. improvements that are trendy or personally driven.  

Focus and clarity 

Knowing which tests matter — and what tests don’t — give Justin’s team clarity and focus. In each project with us, IDX received a clear list and roadmap of high-impact improvements they could implement now, later, and further down the road. 

To zoom out for a moment, this gives IDX a competitive edge in an increasingly dense security market. 

Justin pointed out, “anyone can guess” and trust their gut, and that’s what many teams out there do. But while some competitors are spinning their wheels on ideas that might make a difference, IDX is gaining velocity making high-impact changes they know will move the needle. 

“We are much more targeted and focused on what we can actually do. We’re not sitting there wondering what we should be doing or what’s going to make a difference. We know what we need to do now, and we’re getting after it.” — Justin

Now It’s Your Turn

We harness user insights and unlock digital improvements beyond your conversion rate.

Let’s talk about putting digital experience optimization to work for you.

The post How Experimentation Allowed IDX To Expand From B2B to B2C (& Improve The Enrollment Experience In The Process) appeared first on The Good.

B2B buyers are less impulsive. They ask more questions and perform more research. Additionally, they spend more time considering their options and testing potential solutions. They also expect you to spend more time answering questions that relate to their specific circumstances.

According to Gartner, the typical B2B customer is actually a group of six to 10 people who all gather information independently. Together, they must create consensus before making the purchase (which may require the sign-off of additional stakeholders). This is why 77% of B2B customers describe making a purchase as “very complex or difficult.”

Why is it so challenging? When we break it out, we can see the dozens of steps that B2B customers have to make before they can actually buy. This process takes far more time and nurturing than a typical B2C transaction.

All of this means that traditional B2C website design practices aren’t sufficient to meet the needs of B2B customers. If your customers are businesses, you must treat them as such by implementing good B2B website design techniques.

In this article, we help you understand what B2B website design means and how to implement it on your site. We also share some B2B website examples for inspiration.

What is B2B Website Design?

Before we dive into improving your B2B website, let’s make sure we’re on the same page.

B2B website design refers to the creation of websites specifically intended for businesses to conduct transactions with other businesses. This type of website design aims to provide a professional and reliable image of the company, while also offering a user-friendly and efficient experience for customers.

B2B websites typically include features such as product catalogs, order management systems, account management tools, and secure payment processing. The design of these websites also takes into account the target audience, which is often business professionals who are seeking specific products or services.

The parallel of B2B website design is B2C website design. There’s a lot of overlap, but you have to make some special considerations when designing a business-to-business site.

How Do I Create a Good B2B Website?

Often, our B2B clients point to an existing site they like and say, “Make ours like that.”

Unfortunately, websites aren’t one-size-fits-all. Your site must fit your brand and your primary audience. Drawing inspiration from the most successful B2B websites in your industry is bound to happen, but replicating their messaging and website design can only take you so far.

That said, there are some things all lead-generation or ecommerce websites have in common. Both should cover the fundamental bases of effective ecommerce website design. That’s not an arbitrary or subjective opinion. Study after study confirms that website effectiveness (i.e., conversions generated) is directly related to website design.

For instance, we know that visitors need a reason to stay on your site. If you don’t prove your value within a few seconds, most will leave, and few will give you a second chance.

We also know that nearly 70% of consumers say that page speed impacts their willingness to buy from an online retailer. The highest conversion rates occur on pages with load times between 0-2 seconds.

And we know that extra fees at checkout, forced account creation, and slow product delivery are always bad ideas.

Accordingly, B2B website design factors that can draw visitors in and get them to stay long enough to evaluate your offer(s) include considerations like these:

• Your site must load quickly. Every second of delay sends more potential customers or clients to your competition. Not only that, but the faster the load time of your website, the lower your bounce rate will go. The lower the bounce rate of your website, the higher you’ll rank on Google compared to other sites with longer load times.
• Your user interface must be simple and easy to figure out. Visitors have a low tolerance for complexity when browsing. Studies have shown that visually complex websites are rated as “less beautiful” than websites with simpler, straightforward design. The simpler the design, the better the experience is going to be for your customers.
• Your content must attract the right visitors and give those in your desired audience a reason to dig deeper. Focusing your content to meet the needs of your target audience will avoid attracting unqualified leads to your website. Revisit your buyer personas to identify what your customers value, then focus on amplifying that value.
• You must provide a clear path for a frictionless buyer’s journey. Menus and page links must be apparent, but not too complex or overwhelming. The search function of your site must be easy to operate. Eliminating all of the pain points of your website will provide for a better user experience and will have a positive effect on conversions.
• You must provide personalization for your visitors. Creating a personalized experience for your customers will ensure a memorable experience on your website. Technology like chatbots is becoming a highly effective method for B2B companies to add personality to their customer experience and guide site visitors through the sales funnel.
• Your products or services must be clearly described. The more you allow your visitors to virtually experience and interact with your offers, the higher your conversion rate.
• It only takes someone about half a second to form their initial opinion of you, so make your site glaringly obvious to your visitors, including who your site is for, what your site offers that person, and what they should do next to gain the benefits you promise.

B2B lead-generation and ecommerce websites live or die based on user experience (UX). Your products may be exceptional and your offers extraordinary, but if nobody sees them, your business will starve.

Just like their brick-and-mortar counterparts, websites must draw visitors and convert them into paying customers. Website design that isn’t aligned with user intent isn’t guaranteed to not convert.

Differences between B2C and B2B website design practices

While B2B and B2C website design practices hold much in common, there are some differences. Those differences center on the needs and preferences of the audience. Here are the most typical differentiators:

1. The B2B journey from awareness to interest to purchase tends to be a longer path than that of the B2C journey. Consequently, B2B sites will necessarily need to provide more in-depth information (white papers, for instance) and access to staff.
2. B2B products and services often come at a considerably higher price point than the products and services on B2C sites. Here, again, the buying journey isn’t likely to be short. The purchase will normally require individual configurations, and the final price will often require negotiations.
3. B2C websites typically want to build quick interest and secure the sale during the visit. B2B sites are more focused on developing the relationship than on getting the sale. B2B business normally isn’t consummated on the site, whereas B2C is.

In order to account for those differences, B2B websites require designers to take off the B2C hat and don the B2B hat.

10 Best-In-Class B2B Website Examples

Now that you understand the fundamentals of building a business-to-business site, let’s look at some B2B website examples. Use this as inspiration for your site.

1. Pixelgrade

Why we like it: Pixelgrade is upfront and transparent about its mission: providing uncomplicated WordPress themes that enable users to swiftly establish their websites. They don’t clutter their message with unnecessary details. Instead, they succinctly express their value proposition and provide a convenient CTA for browsing their theme collection. We also like the social proof they sprinkle throughout the site.

2. Avery Dennison

Why we like it: Avery Dennison sells tools and equipment for the retail industry. Their product pages use large, colorful images that clearly show their products from multiple angles. They also offer a generous amount of information for each product, which helps B2B buyers decide if the product meets their unique needs.

3. Square

Why we like it: Square uses clear language that speaks to businesses directly. Phrases like “Power your business,” “sell everywhere,” and “diversify revenue streams” are music to the ears of anyone who wants to grow their business. It’s aspirational but achievable.

Square’s site also has an exceptional modern appearance. It’s clear that the brand is backed by talented designers who know how to build a quality product.

4. HireLevel

Why we like it: We love that HireLevel’s homepage makes a clear distinction between B2C and B2B customers. B2B customers can feel confident they are in the right place. On the employers’ page, there are more simple options for visitors to make to keep them moving toward their goals. HireLevel also offers a “Skill Up Your Team” whitepaper that B2B customers would appreciate, as well as live chat.

5. Intellum

Why we like this: Intellum smartly includes a case studies page as part of their B2B website design. B2B customers are far more likely to read case studies than B2C customers. Case studies explain – in detail – how the brand helps its customers, thereby demonstrating competence and success. We especially love their titles which put the results front and center, such as “How Facebook Reached 2 Million External Learners in 34 Months.”

6. Good Start Packaging

Why we like it: Good Start Packaging knows exactly who they’re speaking to: business owners who care about eco-friendly products. The colors and imagery all represent environmentalism and sustainability. Their mission clearly explains how their business aligns with their customers.

Furthermore, Good Start Packaging creates a good user experience by using pictures for their categories. It’s quite simple to find exactly what you’re looking for.

7. Cobalt Robotics

Why we like it: Cobalt’s website knows their customer well. They include lots of high-quality photos of their robots in commercial spaces. They speak about facilities, safety, automation, and liability – topics their customers care about deeply.

8. IBM

Why we like it: A diverse company like IBM obviously has a lot of pages, so clear navigation is critical. IBM has been thoughtful about this. Their dropdown menus are comprehensive, but use a clear hierarchy that’s easy to navigate. Below the hero row, an expandable grid helps you navigate technology options.

9. Bentobox

Why we like it: Bentobox uses excellent copy throughout its site. Phrases like “commission-free ordering,” “ticket and merchandise sales,” “back of the house,” and “make money 24/7” are enticing for restaurant owners and managers. The Bentobox site is also full of social proof, case studies, and opportunities to demo the product for free.

10. Mailchimp

Why we like it: “Turn emails into revenue” is a beautiful piece of copy. It’s clear and speaks directly to the B2B customers’ needs. “Generate up to 4x more orders” is also smart copywriting.

Additionally, Mailchimp puts its pricing table right up front on the home page, which is an unusual location for SaaS businesses. They know that their price-sensitive customers need to know about cost first before they bother learning anything else.

B2B Website Design Best Practices (And How to Go Beyond Them)

We want to be very careful with the phrase “best practices.”

Best practices are for beginners. They’re a good place to start, but at a certain point, you have to move beyond them to level up your business. We like to think of best practices as a launch pad. They’ll get you moving, but eventually, you have to make your own way.

So while you can use best practices to start optimizing your B2B site, you should immediately dive into a system of data collection and experimentation.

That said, here are some B2B website design best practices to get you started.

1. Allow yourself to use some industry jargon

B2B website copy can often include technical language that B2C websites couldn’t get away with. Stakeholders within the industry are normally more jargon-savvy than consumers. You won’t have to explain yourself as much to industry insiders. Technical specifications that may confuse B2C consumers may be required data for your B2B customers.

Oracle’s site is a great example. Notice all of the industry-specific words and phrases they use that the average person probably won’t understand.

2. Adopt a more professional tone and appearance

B2C websites can be more personable and light because they want to be liked and talked about by consumers. B2B websites, however, should have a professional appearance that implies credibility and respect within the industry.

Baymard Institute, an independent web research agency, uses a clean and professional style. If they started using unnecessary design elements, their customers would wonder if the content of their research was equally silly.

3. Provide the right content and messaging

One of the best-kept secrets of digital marketing (and a concept that many website managers struggle to accept) is that the idea isn’t to draw the most traffic; it’s, it’s to draw the right traffic.

To do that, you must deliver the type of content and messaging your most-desired customers or clients find relevant. Then design the sales path to lead those prospects from point to point while building desire and interest along the way. Focusing your content to meet the needs of your target customers will ensure an optimal customer experience and improve your on-site conversions.

Hootsuite knows that its customers want to save time and get results with social media marketing. They use crystal-clear copy to align the platform with their customer.

4. Your marketing should be deeper and more value-adding

Marketing content for a B2B website should focus more on providing insights and solutions in order to generate leads, usually in the form of white papers, case studies, networking events, webinars, sales calls, product demonstrations, and other premium content. Blogging and social media posting usually isn’taren’t sufficient.

Pulse 220 knows that their customers want to see case studies right away, so they put it as the third item in their primary menu. That’s prime placement.

5. Prepare for numerous extended conversations, often live

Whereas B2B sales typically take place entirely virtually, the B2B sales funnel is usually a slower process that involves more than one person in the purchase decision. These needs tend to create more touchpoints.

It’s important to make yourself available to your B2B customers. Provide a public email box and assign someone to monitor it. Install live chat on your site and respond to inquiries right away. Consider moving customers into a more direct sales process with a higher level of touch.

Asana knows that their customers often have questions about the platform before they’re ready to buy, which is why a live chat widget is available on every page.

6. Use lead generation to continue the conversation

As we mentioned, B2B sales cycles are typically longer than B2C cycles. You’ll need to create multiple touchpoints beyond your website, usually in the form of an email. Create as many opportunities as possible to collect email addresses. Then, craft targeted email content that establishes you as an authority figure and helps potential customers solve their problems.

Instapage is a great example. They use webinars to convert buyers, but those email addresses aren’t discarded after the event. They nurture their subscribers over time and work to convince them that Instapage is the right solution for their needs.

7. Proactively overcome their problems

When B2B customers arrive on your site, they will come with problems. For instance, a potential customer might say, “Whatever product I buy must allow multiple users.” Instead of letting them wonder, put those answers front and center.

Dropbox does a great job overcoming objections with its homepage copy. They explain all the other things Dropbox can do besides storing files, like sharing, tracking, and signatures. A little farther down, they list what else Dropbox can do, which proactively answers any question that starts with, “Is Dropbox able to…?”

8. Create a culture of testing and experimentation

This final tip is the most important. This is how you go beyond best practices.

Part of your B2B website design program should include a process to test and improve the site based on data and methodical experimentation. This is how you get from best practices to a truly optimized website that meets your customers’ needs.

Most importantly, this type of data-based decision-making must be baked into your culture. Running a test here or there isn’t sufficient. Testing should be a part of your overall process; an expectation with every endeavor.

B2B Website Design FAQs

B2B website design is a big topic, so you may still have concerns. Here are some common questions we see about B2B website design.

How is B2B website design different from B2C website design?

B2B website design focuses on professionalism, industry expertise, and establishing trust between businesses. It prioritizes informational content, case studies, and client testimonials. B2B websites often have complex navigation structures and offer personalized experiences, account-based features, and integration with business systems.

In contrast, B2C website design emphasizes visual appeal, product displays, seamless checkout processes, and consumer-oriented marketing techniques for immediate purchases.

What are the key elements of a successful B2B website design?

The key elements of a successful B2B website design include the following:

• A clear and intuitive navigation structure
• Professional and visually appealing design
• Strategic use of relevant and informative content
• Prominent calls-to-action for lead generation
• Showcasing of products or services
• Social proof through testimonials or case studies
• Seamless integration with business systems
• Mobile responsiveness for accessibility across devices.

How can I optimize my B2B website for lead generation and conversion?

To optimize your B2B website for lead generation and conversion, focus on clear and prominent call-to-action buttons, strategically placed lead capture forms, compelling content offers or incentives, personalized and targeted messaging, social proof through testimonials or case studies, and analytics to track conversion rates. Regularly test and refine your website design and content to improve lead generation and maximize conversions.

What role does content play in B2B website design?

Content plays a crucial role in B2B website design by providing valuable information, educating visitors, establishing industry expertise, and building trust with potential customers.

High-quality content, such as blog posts, whitepapers, case studies, and guides, helps attract and engage the target audience. It showcases the value of your products or services, answers common questions, addresses pain points, and encourages visitors to take the desired action.

How can I measure the success and performance of my B2B website?

Start by tracking website traffic, user engagement, and conversion rates using web analytics. Monitor metrics such as click-through rates, time on page, bounce rates, and form submissions. Implement event tracking and goal tracking to assess specific actions or conversions. Conduct A/B testing, analyze heatmaps, and gather feedback to continually optimize and improve your website’s performance.

Are there any emerging trends or technologies in B2B website design that I should be aware of?

Yes, there are several emerging trends and technologies in B2B website design.

• Personalization will continue to be important, with dynamic content and personalized user experiences based on individual preferences.
• Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning are being used for chatbots, virtual assistants, and predictive analytics to enhance customer interactions.
• Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) offer faster, app-like experiences on mobile devices.
• Voice search optimization is gaining prominence as more users rely on voice assistants.
• Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) are being explored to enhance product visualization and immersive experiences.

The Good Could Be Your Secret Weapon for B2B Website Design

Best practices are a starting point, but they won’t get you far. In fact, if you limit yourself to best practices, you’ll leave a lot of money on the table.

The Good can help you move beyond best practices and optimize your site for a customer experience that converts and retains. Powered by over a decade of industry-leading optimization, research, and strategy, we have the rare balance of data-driven strategy and beautiful design skills to improve the user experience and drive conversions.

How does it work? We start by studying your site and your users to determine why they aren’t converting. Then, we build a roadmap and testing program to fix it.

Don’t let your B2B website suffer the meager performance of best practices. If you embrace methodical experimentation and data-based decision-making, you’ll build a B2B machine that generates revenue effortlessly.

The post The Complete Guide to B2B Website Design (with Examples and Tips) appeared first on The Good.

A great ecommerce site actually provides retailer partners with a lot of support. For example, if the site has a great user experience and helpful content, it’s a positive touchpoint in the multi-screen research process most consumers go through before making a purchase.

There are some things, however, that brands do with ecommerce that can frustrate relationships with retail partners. Here are our top seven:

1. Selling below MSRP
2. Not providing a store locator
3. Making a site that works for the brand, not the customer
4. Not coordinating promotions with retailers
5. Only selling a select portion of available products
6. Not offering replacement parts online
7. Not providing online retailers with marketing support beyond an AdWords budget

If ecommerce brands aren’t supporting their retailers by sending ready buyers into their stores, they’re missing a huge opportunity to boost sales across the board.

1. Selling below MSRP

The highest margin sale a brand can make is direct to consumer through their website. If a brand offers competitive pricing on their site along with other incentives, the (perceived) likelihood they’ll cut into their partner sales goes way up.

For the benefit of their retail partners, ecommerce brands can afford to close fewer sales online by sticking to MSRP pricing for current season and marquee products.

2. Not providing a store locator

Consumer brand sites see about a 40% conversion rate for their online store locators. If a customer searches for a brand, the dot com will typically be the top result.

When they’re looking for a place to buy that brand’s products, it is critical that task can be completed from the brand site.

If ecommerce brands aren’t supporting their retailers by sending ready buyers into their stores, they’re missing a huge opportunity to boost sales across the board.

3. Making a site that works for the company not the customer

Too many brand sites feature content that is focused on the company rather than the products (the history, the founders, the brand story, etc.) While it may seem like this focus keeps the site from competing with retailers, it is actually just hurting everyone.

Customers are looking to the brand site for detailed and helpful product information, and if ecommerce brands are too busy talking about themselves, nobody wins.

4. Not coordinating promotions with retailers

There’s a huge opportunity for ecommerce brands and retailers to offer the same discounts rather than competing with each other. If a brand is offering a new product at a 10% discount online, they can work with retail partners to offer the same (or an increased) discount for in store pickup.

Retailers could offer exclusive online coupons to their customers, and receive a portion of the sale. The opportunities are endless, and few companies are coordinating efforts in this way.

This is also a great use case for retailer promotion coordination. Offering retailers a discount coupon for their customers and a kickback for the referral to an online sale.

5. Only selling a select portion of available products

Retailers feature the most current season of products, with last season’s are available on clearance. Customers aren’t always looking for the most current version of something, and may even be seeking products or parts that are difficult to track down at a retail location nearby. This provides an opportunity for ecommerce brands to support both retailers and customers by offering their complete product catalog and replacement parts for sale online.

6. Not offering replacement parts online

Another key way that ecommerce brands support their customers and their retailers is by offering an expanded catalog of service and support for their products. When replacement parts or extended warranties are available for purchase directly from the brand site it makes life easier on customers and retailers. This is also a great opportunity to point customers toward updated versions of a product or product line.

7. Not providing online retailers with marketing support beyond an AdWords budget

There are many ways a brand can support their online retail partners beyond marketing co-op dollars for cost per click campaigns, unfortunately most ecommerce brands don’t pursue them. It is up to those brands to provide their partners with high quality product images and videos for use in the partner’s marketing efforts.

Offering unique product descriptions (not the same ones found on the brand site or in the print catalog) would maintain better control of the customer experience while increasing SEO for all parties.

Overcoming retailer fears about direct sales competition with the brand starts with the willingness to acknowledge and then fix those things that are unnecessarily frustrating the relationship.

Following up with coordination and communication will enable retail to partners start to realize what a huge support component and ecommerce site truly can be — for both of you.

The post 7 Simple Ways Ecommerce Brands Can Frustrate Retailers appeared first on The Good.

As ideal as this sounds, brands can’t leave brick and mortar stores entirely. Aside from the fact that brands still need a way to launch products and display seasonal product lines, customers still want to experience first hand the latest and greatest. They need the reassurance of seeing a product in person, especially when trying to find the right fit.

Competing revenue streams

Brands are continuously launching new products each season. As they better understand which of these new products are gaining traction with customers, brands innately want to capture as much of the profitability as possible, especially as volume increases. This approach conflicts directly with retailers, dealer networks and distributors, who also want to maximize profits from these same high volume products.

In this respect brands have an advantage. They are not limited to physical locations to interact with customers. Retailers, dealer networks and distributors are very much dependent on a physical presence as a point of sale. They could create e-commerce sites to compete with brands but the challenge in getting customers to see them as both a physical destination and digital destination will likely overwhelm its resources.

In contrast, brand e-commerce websites are natural places for customers to go looking for a specific item. For example, customers don’t have to spend much mental energy on figuring out where to go online to buy size 8 black Nike Softball Cleats – at the very least, they know they will be able to find them at nike.com.

Eventually, some brands will move entirely online. Naturally, retailers, distributors and dealer networks see this as a direct threat to their livelihood.

Resisting change

Brands can avoid the headaches of high overhead costs, limited selection and staff education required by a retail location. Such cost savings allow brands to offer better pricing to customers while retaining the same margin. Therefore, it’s not surprising that many brands are racing to invest in their ecommerce platforms. Eventually, some brands will move entirely online. Naturally, retailers, distributors and dealer networks see this as a direct threat to their livelihood.

Retailers are keenly aware of this trend and it concerns them deeply, so they have made attempts to combat this change. They threaten and even refuse to carry certain product lines unless brands agree to enforce consistent pricing and/or provide friendly financing terms. If these distribution channels represent a meaningful portion of revenues, then brands really have few options. To complicate matters further, stores have the added advantage of understanding customers better than the brands do. Customer feedback is easier to get in a retail environment, and stores have better mechanisms for assessing customer needs, preferences and aspirations.

Finding a fit online will never be as natural as just trying something on, but it will get easier to communicate as the web evolves. Perhaps, the new athlete-endorsed basketball shoes are a bit too narrow and cause an athlete to roll their ankle. Perhaps, the sleeves on the new down-hill ski jacket are a little too tight in the shoulder and restrict movement. Perhaps, the orange shoelaces are the wrong shade of orange to match their college team colors. These are some of the hurdles that knowledgeable staff can answer and help customers to navigate. This type of customer understanding and trust is invaluable and will be difficult for brands to acquire overnight.

Digital solutions to showrooming

Despite these challenges, brands must be innovative to build an ecommerce base that isn’t antagonistic to its existing retail partner relationships. Digital tools offer a host of possible solutions.

The first solution is obvious. Sell what the physical stores can’t and don’t.

1. Sell what the physical stores can’t and don’t

The first solution is obvious. Sell what the physical stores can’t and don’t. Stores are constrained by space and must sell products that produce the highest revenues per square foot. Cash flow is also a concern. So, items with lower inventory turn are a lower priority. This often means that specific brand product parts and accessories don’t end up in physical stores, allowing for brand ecommerce stores to capitalize on this gap in the market. Other products that stores don’t normally carry include: bundled packages based on position or athlete type, special or anniversary editions, and non-standard items such as hard to find sizes. All of these items can be sold online with ease and little disruption to retail channels.

Through e-commerce fulfilling customized requests like these is possible, and does not upset retailers while providing a unique experience for customers.

2. Offer product personalization

A second solution is similar to a strategy employed by Nike with their NikeID initiative. Physical locations tend to sell only the most popular colors and configurations depending on the sport, yet customers want unique items that are tailored to them. Online product configurators offer customers a way to personalize their own equipment. A great example is a coach who would like to special order their unique combination of team colors. By allowing customers to design their own version of a product online, brands are providing a service that retailers cannot. For instance, obtaining equipment in the customer’s team colors and engraved with their jersey number or name is a common request we’ve found through our consumer research in working with brands. Through ecommerce fulfilling customized requests like these is possible and does not upset retailers while providing a unique experience for customers.

According to a 2013 Google study, 40% of customers who used a store locator to find a retailer went into the store to make a purchase.

3. Offer a “Buy Local Now” button on the site

A third solution is offering a “Buy Local Now” button on the site. While this may seem to contradict a brand’s desire to capture more margin, it reflects a segment of the market that can’t wait 2-14 days for a product to arrive. Parents may need to buy cleats for their child’s first soccer practice that starts in two hours. Brands build loyalty by helping customers meet their needs regardless of if that need is online or in stores. According to a 2013 Google study, 40% of sporting goods customers who used a store locator to find a retailer went into the store to make a purchase (source: Carabetta and Marchant, 2013). Armed with that information, what retailer wouldn’t want more product information and accessibility available to customers.

4. Partnering with brick and mortar

Yet another solution offers a way for brands and their retail partners to work together and share in the rewards. Digital catalogs allow stores to leverage their physical space and brands to increase point of sale displays. These catalogs can include entire brand inventories. If customers can’t find what they are looking for in the store, the retail kiosk offers a way to complete a purchase and have an informed staff member guide them through the process. For stores, they don’t miss the opportunity to sell to a customer that is ready to buy and could receive a commission on the sale. They also don’t have the headaches of managing inventory, processing payment, managing cash flow and fulfilling orders.

Brands with an ecommerce infrastructure can take care of those pain points for the stores. And the brands should, because the brands capture a sale they wouldn’t have gotten, obtain meaningful feedback that is normally retained at the retail store level, and develop another means to engage the customer. These retail kiosks represent a way for brands to share information with the customer and obtain information to refine its own e-commerce sales.

Ecommerce is an important revenue stream for brands. Its importance will only continue to grow as customers feel more and more comfortable conducting purchases through the internet. Balancing the needs of retail partners and the desire for growth will be challenging, especially as customer buying habits evolve. Digital tools offer innovative solutions that can manage both. It’s more important than ever to have a digital strategy that combines the interests of physical stores and your ecommerce website.

The post 4 Ways to Change How Your Retail Partners Think About Showrooming appeared first on The Good.