Setting Effective Goals for B2B Websites

Your business provides valuable products and services to clients and customers daily (I assume), and your website makes that possible. Is your B2B website designed with your customers in mind?

Buyers today are more educated (and opinionated) than ever before. In search of solutions to their problems, they begin the sales journey long before your business ever has a chance to connect. In the online world, market competition is fierce. And when you only have a few seconds to grab the buyer's attention, your website better be exactly what the user is searching for. 

I likely don’t have to convince you of this fact, but your website is the first point of contact for your business. Your business will take a hit if it does not deliver what the customers need or cater to their interests. Notice I didn’t say could or might - I said will. It may even push customers directly into the arms of your competitors.

Well-designed B2B websites are user-focused and tailored to serve the needs of your business. Great sites use strategic content to educate audiences and build brand authority and credibility. They engage customers and push them down the conversion path through highly relevant, easily-accessible content. When buyers feel like they are making an informed decision, they are more likely to move forward with a sale. But businesses must establish this customer relationship to increase conversions.

Of course, a strong marketing strategy is a major player in determining the success of a website. It's what generates traffic and gets people involved with your business. But is that enough to keep the ball rolling and lead to conversions? With effective website design goal setting, it can be.

To learn how to measure your B2B website's performance and how to set the right goals to improve it, keep reading.

S.M.A.R.T. Website Goals

Businesses can improve user experience and buyer relationships by setting smart goals for website development. But knowing what B2B website goals will work for their business is more complicated than it sounds.

That's why techniques like the S.M.A.R.T. methods are relevant for businesses, regardless of industry. This method breaks down goal setting into a simple process that guarantees growth. It can be a useful strategy for businesses at every stage of development, especially for those looking to improve their B2B website performance.

Here are the five components of a S.M.A.R.T. goal:

1. Is it Specific?
   Broad ambitions will get your business nowhere. Identify clear and specific outcomes and outline a step-by-step strategy to get there.
   
   
2. Is it Measurable?
   Think of the steps needed to achieve your goals as a staircase, not a path. You want each step to build on the last. Every level upward is an improvement that brings you closer to your ultimate goal. When you skip a step, you stumble and have to spend time and energy to get back up again. But, when objectives are measurable, it's much easier to see where you started and where you are going.
   
   
3. Is it Achievable?
   Being unrealistic when setting goals is a recipe for failure. Examine the resources you have available to you. With those in mind, is it possible to achieve this goal, or are other things required? Ambition is important for success, but too much can be detrimental. Focus your attention on realistic objectives that work towards your ultimate goals.
   
   
4. Is it Relevant?
   Zooming out, how does this goal fit in the big picture? Is it the next step on the ladder that leads to the ultimate goals of your business? Or is it an improvement that leads to horizontal growth rather than vertical? If the second, a top-down approach to setting your B2B website's goals could be more productive.
   
   
5. Is it Time-Bound?
   Goals accompanied by deadlines are more likely to be achieved. The plan of action is set in motion by incorporating a sense of urgency. The momentum rises with every step and compounds with each benchmark that is met. Streamline the process of improving website performance by incorporating timeframes for your goals.

How to Determine Good Website Goals

The S.M.A.R.T. method is a practical tool for creating effective goals. But there are a few things to consider before applying this framework to your B2B website. First, it's important to recognize the two key components that will largely shape your goals: your website's purpose and target audience.

What is your website meant to deliver to your business? Is it meant to capture and convert leads? Is it designed to inform your audience? The purpose should benefit the long-term business objectives of your business, and it will also inform which short-term goals will work towards achieving them.

To serve its purpose, your website must cater to its intended demographic. Enhanced user experience is a top priority for all successful websites. This is because it builds trust and credibility through accessibility and education, and users feel confident that your products and services will provide quality solutions. When B2B websites are made with users in mind, the buyer's journey is made convenient and easy. And you know how much we love convenient and easy. 

Pinpointing your website's purpose and target audience is the first step to setting achievable goals. But how are they determined?

Take a look at your site’s current performance. Examine analytics like customer demographics, engagement metrics, organic traffic, and more to uncover how your business relates to potential customers. Then, invest in a website audit to better understand how your website is built, how it supports your business, and where it can improve. Use that insight to direct your website's focus to serve a specific purpose and audience. With more research and data in hand, you can begin to craft goals to improve your B2B website.

Examples of Good Website Goals for B2B Websites

Now that you know how to set S.M.A.R.T. goals and identify your website's purpose and audience, it's time to put it together.

Orient your goals to serve your B2B website's purpose and audience. For example, say your website's purpose is to educate a specific audience, and creating a steady stream of blog content on a particular topic is a productive goal. Or, say, the purpose is lead generation. Incorporating SEO and running strategic marketing campaigns would be a much more practical approach. 

Depending on your business needs, your goals may focus on things like:

• Generating leads
• Educating audiences
• Streamlining the buyer journey

Once you have an objective, utilize KPIs and efficient timeframes to outline how you will measure and the steps to success. 

Here are a few examples of good SMART goals for B2B websites:

1. Increase “Schedule a Consultation” conversions by 25% before the end of the year. 
2. Generate at least 10 qualified leads per day in B2B sales for 6 months.
3. Increase engagement with website resource content by 30% before the end of the sales quarter.

The more granular you can get with your goal, the more likely you are to achieve it. Remember to utilize the SMART methodology to guide your path to success. 

Marcel Digital Web Development and Marketing Services

Setting the right goals for your B2B website is essential for building your brand's credibility, authority, and success. And Marcel Digital's team of experts can help your business every step of the way.

Our specialty services are data-driven and proven to boost traffic, drive sales, and get results for every client. We provide a comprehensive digital strategy that integrates SEO-friendly Umbraco web development and intuitive digital marketing.

From building new websites with CRO. to running and implementing informative audits and employing paid media campaigns, let Marcel Digital make it easy to achieve your goals.

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