How is B2B Website Experience Optimization and Conversion Rate Optimization different from B2C websites?
In this post, we explore why and how optimizing B2B website experiences and conversion rate optimization (CRO) drastically differs from B2C websites such as eCommerce, travel, or consumer brands. We’ll discuss how optimizing B2B websites requires distinct optimization approaches and capabilities compared to standard B2C approaches.
Before we dive deep, let’s set the stage: The Website Optimization Category consists of 3 main sub-categories: 1) SEO optimization, 2) Performance Optimization, and 3) Experience Optimization. This post will focus on B2B Website Experience Optimization, aiming to enhance business performance and impact, specifically through improved conversion and engagement rates.
Experience Optimization relies on 2 main approaches: Experimentation & Personalization. In experimentation we run various tests to determine which experiences perform best whereas in personalization, we tailor certain parts of the page or the journey to a specific visitor. These two methods can also work in unison, for example, testing between various personalized offers.
This is true for both B2B and B2C websites. However, a closer look reveals significant differences, and the tactics that are effective in B2C often fall short in conversion rate optimization for B2B. Let’s dig in!
Main Website Objective
In B2C, the primary objective is to generate on-site conversions as everything is geared towards driving immediate, on page actions (purchases, signups). In contrast, B2B websites aim to educate and support off-site objectives such as SQL, pipeline development, and revenue generation.
Of course, B2B websites are also tasked with the goal of converting visitors into leads but those are only means to an end. Furthermore, the growing trend we see in B2B buyers is of increased anonymity and less visitors are willing to fill forms and disclose personal information (you can read our yearly and mid-year reports on Buyer Journey Trends here).
Therefore, B2B website optimization must include the ability to connect to these off-site objectives and demonstrate their impact on the business. To measure the real impact of the website and experiences, you must be able to connect them to the business outcomes, which happen off the website (typically in the CRM or marketing automation).
Relevant Audience Attributes for Optimization
B2C optimization often focuses on attributes like language, geography, gender, interests, and age. These broad categories help target a diverse audience effectively. On the other hand, B2B optimization is more specialized, targeting specific accounts, geographies, and personas (roles within companies). This specificity means B2B websites first and foremost must have the capability to identify which accounts are visiting the site (account deanonymization).
Journey Complexity
In B2C, the goal is to have the shortest possible journey. Users often need to make quick decisions after visiting a few pages. However, in B2B, the journey is much more complex, involving several pages read by multiple people from the same account. B2B website optimization needs to facilitate the movement of visitors effectively between these pages, ensuring a smooth and engaging experience for all stakeholders involved. A short website journey in B2B is not a good thing – we want our prospects to read content, educate themselves about our offering and have a clear understanding of the value proposition before they speak with sales.
Importance of Content
Content consumption typically plays a secondary role in B2C, where website visitors are primarily focused on product pages and transactional elements. Conversely, in B2B, content is crucial as it guides buyers through their journey, providing valuable information and building trust. Thus, B2B website optimization must measure content performance and its impact at various stages of the journey, whether it’s as a landing page, part of a nurturing sequence, or at the point of conversion.
Traffic Distribution
B2C websites typically have a few landing pages that attract high volumes of traffic. In contrast, B2B websites typically attract less traffic and can have many “landing pages”. This is because of organic traffic from SEO which means visitors can potentially land almost anywhere on the site. Each page tends to have relatively low traffic.
Therefore, B2B website optimization requires the ability to optimize a large number of pages at scale and improve the inter-page movement of target audiences.
Optimization Strategy
In B2C, the focus is on optimizing a few key pages with numerous experiments and variations to drive conversions and actions on the page. B2B strategies, however, involve a broader approach where most of the time is spent understanding and optimizing the entire journey across the website. In other words, where B2Cs invest in on-page optimization, b2bs need to invest in inter-page optimization. B2B website optimization needs the ability to map journeys of accounts and segments across the site, ensuring a cohesive and effective experience.
Optimization Team
B2C companies, and especially Ecommerce where the website is the main asset driving revenue, can allocate large teams, including product teams or agencies, dedicated to optimizing the website. B2B organizations, on the other hand, typically have smaller, in-house teams. This means B2B website optimization must rely more on automation to handle the number of page-level optimizations and the complexity involved, making the process efficient and scalable.
Conclusion
B2B GTM has its own rules, which means it needs its own set of strategies and tools, especially when it comes to something as crucial as website optimization. It’s not just about bumping up conversion rates or snagging more leads; it’s about tailoring those conversions to fit the pipeline. For this, companies need to rethink what they want their website to achieve and adopt the tools and approaches that drive scalable and repeatable pipeline growth.