Building an Enterprise Website: A Guide for Manufacturers

Key Features to Include in Enterprise Websites

Key features of a manufacturing enterprise website:

• Responsive design and mobile optimization are essential as more people access websites from their mobile devices.
• Easy navigation and clear call-to-actions help guide users through the site and encourage them to take desired actions.
• Customer reviews, testimonials, high-quality product images, and videos build trust and showcase your products effectively.
• Interactive functionality, such as chatbots and product configurators, can enhance the user experience.
• Scalability ensures your website can grow alongside your business.
• Connecting your website to automation tools, like CRM systems and marketing automation platforms, helps capture visitor information and engage them with drip marketing campaigns.

Interactive functionality:

The power of great design and usability in a manufacturing website cannot be overstated, as it directly impacts user engagement, trust, and brand perception. By prioritizing these aspects, companies can create a more effective and memorable online presence.

• Branding (Logo & Color Pallette): Implementing a modernized logo and a color palette based on effective color psychology can elevate the user experience and garner admiration for your organization.
• Great Brand Story: Craft a compelling and authentic brand story that resonates with your target audience, effectively communicating your company’s purpose and vision.
• Interactive Homepage Video: Implement an engaging homepage video that showcases your products or services, providing a dynamic visual experience that quickly informs visitors.
• Testimonials and Case Studies: Incorporate testimonials and case studies into the design, demonstrating your company’s expertise and success, while building trust with potential customers.
• Social Media Inclusion: Integrate social media buttons and feeds into your website, encouraging users to connect with your brand and share content, amplifying your online reach.
• Marketing Automation: Utilize marketing automation tools to streamline lead generation, nurturing, and conversion processes, increasing efficiency and personalization in your marketing efforts.

Investing in great enterprise website design and usability for your manufacturing website can result in increased user engagement, trust, and conversions. By focusing on these elements, businesses can create a strong online presence that meets the needs of their target audience and drives long-term success.

Interactive functionality Examples:

An average manufacturing website simply focuses on details about the products, services, and company. However, a great manufacturing enterprise website strives to create interactive features that turn its website into a utility, encouraging existing clientele to return frequently and use the website as a resource. Here are some examples of interactive functionality that you can build into your website:

Incorporating these interactive features into your enterprise manufacturing website can significantly boost user engagement and lead to higher conversion rates. By staying ahead of the curve, businesses can create a dynamic online presence that meets the evolving needs of their target audience.

Your Brand Beyond Your Logo

We have created a system that guides businesses in transforming their branding and product identity into a compelling narrative. This concept is inspired by Donald Miller’s book, Building a Storybrand.

StoryBrand is a marketing framework that helps businesses craft compelling brand narratives by following a storytelling structure. It simplifies the brand’s message, enabling businesses to connect with their audience more effectively and drive customer engagement.

Another crucial aspect to consider during the enterprise website design phase is ensuring that it aligns with your ‘branding toolkit.’ At Farotech, we have developed a process called ‘StoryLabs.’ StoryLabs delves into every aspect of your brand, from the color palette to the atmosphere and the target customer profiles. We examine every detail of your brand through a series of activities. The Toolkit is a document that establishes all the principles and guidelines for conveying and implementing your brand effectively.

When designing your website, it is vital to ensure that your design adheres to the established guidelines of your brand, both in terms of visuals and content.

There are many technical aspects of your website to take into consideration as well. Here are just some examples of a manufacturing enterprise website:

• Content Management System (CMS): Selecting the right content management system (CMS) is crucial. Although many great content management systems exist, we recommend WordPress due to its versatility, ease of use, and widespread adoption. In fact, 42.6% of all websites are powered by WordPress, including companies like The New York Times and Sony Music.
• Website Speed and Performance: Fast loading times and smooth functionality directly impact user experience and search engine rankings, ensuring a positive impression for visitors.
• Website Security: Prioritizing security measures, such as SSL certification and regular updates, protects both your site and visitors’ data, maintaining trust and credibility.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Implementing SEO strategies improves your website’s visibility in search results, driving more organic traffic and reaching a larger audience. Integrating on-page and technical SEO into your website greatly improves overall SEO effectiveness. Studies show that 61% of marketers in the industrial industry consider improving SEO and growing their organic presence to be a top inbound marketing priority, highlighting the significance of these elements in online visibility.

Content Strategy

The primary method for developing your brand involves effectively communicating your content strategy. This approach not only positions you as an industry expert but also encompasses elements that synergize with SEO, ultimately establishing your authority with both your target audience and major search engines like Google and Bing.

Crafting a Tailored Content Strategy

• Create a content strategy that aligns with your company’s goals and target audience.
• Utilize different types of content, such as blog posts, case studies, and product pages, to educate and engage customers.
• Produce relevant, valuable content that answers customers’ questions and addresses their pain points.
• Connect your content strategy to an automation tool like Hubspot
• Utilize analytics to make data-driven decisions on scaling and re-optimizing your content strategy for enhanced effectiveness.

NOTE: if you like to learn about the benefits of using HubSpot’s platform for your manufacturing business read the following article.

Analytics

Analytics play a vital role in shaping your manufacturing enterprise web development strategy, as they provide invaluable insights into user behavior and website performance. Leveraging these data-driven insights can inform decision-making and optimize your online presence.

• Implement Analytics Tools: Utilize tools like Google Analytics for macro-level insights and Hubspot for micro-level data, identifying individual user engagement patterns on your website.
• Lead Scoring: Employ Hubspot to create a rubric for evaluating user engagement, generating alerts, drip marketing campaigns, and tasks for your sales team to follow up.
• Data-Driven Decisions: Schedule regular meetings with your marketing and web team to analyze data, draw important conclusions, and adapt content and usability for maximum engagement.
• A/B and Multivariate Testing: Implement testing methods to better engage website visitors and guide them further down the conversion funnel.
• Video Analytics: Incorporate analytics into your videos to track engagement and strategically place them on your website for optimal storytelling and impact.

Incorporating analytics into your manufacturing enterprise web development strategy allows for more informed decision-making and continuous optimization. Harnessing the power of data can lead to a more effective online presence that meets the evolving needs of your target audience.

To learn how manufacturers can utilize crucial analytics metrics and KPIs to make informed decisions, refer to the following article. This article covers:

• An Assessment of the Current State of Manufacturing Marketing Analytics
• How Best to Leverage Marketing Analytics in Manufacturing
• The Practice of Utilizing Analytics to Monitor Retention Rates
• Leveraging Automation
• Building a Dedicated Analytics Team
• An Analysis of Marketing Analytics in the Future

Budget for a website

Establishing a marketing budget for an enterprise website can be challenging, as it largely depends on your objectives, the complexity of your products and services, and the intensity of your future marketing initiatives.

When budgeting for an enterprise website, several factors can influence costs. Consider the following elements:

1. Number of Pages: If your team or an agency needs to write the content, the number of pages on your website can impact costs.
2. Unique Design Templates: The more design templates you require, the greater the complexity and potential costs associated with creating a visually cohesive website.
3. Number of Products and Services: The scale of your offerings can affect expenses, as larger inventories or complex catalog systems may require additional development and management.
4. Customer Service Integration: Integrating customer service features into your website may impact costs, depending on the level of functionality and integration required.
5. Interactive Functionality: Advanced interactive features often require dedicated programming resources, leading to increased expenses for development and implementation.
6. Enhanced Security: If you plan to handle sensitive information or user accounts, investing in robust security measures becomes crucial, potentially affecting website costs.
7. Web Hosting and Additional Servers: Depending on your website’s scale and performance requirements, utilizing additional servers or premium hosting services can impact overall expenses.
8. Ongoing Maintenance and Content Marketing: Factoring in ongoing maintenance and content marketing efforts is essential for long-term success, as these activities incur additional costs over time.
9. Graphic Design and User Experience (UX) Improvements: Incorporating professional graphic design and UX enhancements into your website may contribute to higher costs, ensuring an engaging and visually appealing user experience.

Considering these elements when budgeting for an enterprise website allows for a comprehensive financial plan that aligns with your goals and objectives. Assessing the scope of content, design requirements, product range, customer service integration, interactive features, security needs, hosting solutions, maintenance, content marketing, and design enhancements will help you make informed decisions regarding your website budget.

The Bottom Line

In conclusion, a meticulously designed and optimized website is paramount for manufacturing enterprises seeking to enhance brand awareness, generate leads, and foster customer engagement.

By thoughtfully considering design, technical elements, content strategy, and analytics, you can develop a website that drives tangible outcomes for your manufacturing company.

As a CMO or CEO in the manufacturing industry, it is imperative to invest in your website to remain competitive and effectively reach your target audience. Keep in mind that a well-planned and executed website has the potential to yield substantial returns on investment, making it a critical component of your overarching marketing strategy.

To ensure your company stands out in the industrial industry, it is vital to partner with an agency that possesses extensive experience in both web design and development for your enterprise website. Moreover, it is crucial that the same agency has a proven track record in implementing comprehensive digital marketing strategies, encompassing lead generation, nurturing, and conversion, to transform clients into brand advocates.

If you require assistance with this initiative, we encourage you to reach out to us via the following link.