Website Design for Manufacturing Companies
The Secret to Better Website Design for Manufacturing Companies: Focusing on User Needs
If you’re thinking about a website redesign for your manufacturing company, you probably started the process by visiting your competitors’ websites to see what they’ve got going on, right? The easy button is to go to some web design agency and just say “make something like X competitor or Y competitor.” But, there’s a lot of really good reasons to not hit the easy button on this.
- They all look the same.
If you’re going to invest the money to redesign your website, you want it to stand out. Forget the stock template and tired layout everyone else is using. Move away from outdated visual elements and overcrowded navigations. It’s time to build a user-centered design that actually meets the needs of your customers. - You risk replicating their mistakes.
Just because all your competitors are doing the same thing, doesn’t make it right. Decisions on the design for your manufacturing website should be based on market research and data analytics, not what everyone else is doing.
Your design should reflect your company and your business goals.
Your products are not the same as your competitors. Your mission, vision, and values aren’t the same as your competitors either. And, while you probably ultimately have the same primary goal to sell more of your products, how you go about achieving that goal may differ significantly. Your website design should reflect who your company is and why your customers should choose you over your competitors. It should help them seamlessly navigate through the buyer journey as you have mapped it out.
So, how do you break the mold and design a manufacturing website that actually represents your brand and focuses on your users needs?
Simple and intuitive navigation
Your customers need to be able to find what they’re looking for quickly. The best way to achieve that is with a clean, simple, and intuitive navigation. Organize your primary menu based on your customer journeys and the usage patterns you have identified through data analysis and heat mapping. The search bar on your site can be another great way to understand what your customers are actually searching for. The goal is to limit the number of clicks a user has to take to get through the funnel effectively
Strong Calls-To-Action (CTA)
Include effective CTA buttons throughout the site to ensure you never leave your customer unsure of what to do next. Your CTAs are the lead guiding your customers through the funnel to purchase. Be sure to be as specific as you can be with your button copy so there are no surprises about where the user will end up on your website after clicking.
Clear value proposition and unique selling points
Many manufacturers relegate this information to a single sentence on their homepage or occasionally an about page that gets buried in the footer but your value proposition and unique selling points are the reason your customers will buy from you rather than your competitors. Weave this content throughout your site, whether that’s in embedded video demonstrations, iconography showcasing that your products are made in the USA, or call-outs on your product pages about your short lead times—every page should detail why customers should choose you.
Detailed product specs w/ visuals
Provide all the information your customers need to make an informed decision, tailored to who they are—whether they’re an engineer who requires precise technical specs or a warehouse manager who needs practical product dimensions and applications. Include all key specifications on the product detail page, along with additional visualizations like schematics, 3D models, or interactive diagrams that give each type of buyer a complete view of how the product can meet their specific needs.
Modern design and consistent branding
Define your brand through colors, fonts, and visuals. You want your customers and potential customers to recognize your site as yours from the moment they land on the page. Leverage a clean, modern design custom fit to the needs of your customers to stand out from the competition and clearly communicate what sets your brand apart.
