What does it take to construct a B2B website that grabs users' attention and shows them—right from the start—that it's the right place to be? According to Kate Headon Waddell, writing at the Savvy B2B Marketing blog, it just requires "following through on a little knowledge about how B2B customers interact with websites."

Waddell suggests you take these four steps to start building the B2B site of your dreams:

Define a clear mission—with metrics. Define exactly what you want a prospect to do at your site, then make sure all the elements of the site design and copy are working together to achieve that goal. Next, "track user behavior and continually tweak your website until it is a conversion machine," she advises.

Develop a clean, appropriate industry-standard design. For most B2B companies, simple works best. Don't get so creative that users can't easily find the information they seek, Waddell says. And make sure you choose a color scheme and graphics that reflect your industry.

Sell solutions, not products. Most site visitors won't have a clue as to which one of your products they need, Waddell notes. "Try placing a huge graphic button on your front page that says 'XYZ keeping you up at night? Click here for a good night's sleep.' Then watch the analytics to see how effective it is," she writes.

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