Baunfire | Top B2B Website Considerations for 2023 | Digital Design for B2B Corporate, SaaS, & Technology Companies

Looking ahead at the B2B web trends that leading companies are keeping a pulse on

As B2B companies across all sectors move into the new year, there are several creative and technical trends that these businesses should take into consideration, particularly in the realm of website design and development. These trends are driven by a combination of factors, including advances in technology, evolving customer behaviors, and shifts in the larger competitive landscape. Here are the essential B2B marketing website considerations that are expected to have the biggest impact in 2023:

Automation and AI Adoption

With ongoing advancements taking place in the software automation and artificial intelligence (AI) space, B2B companies are more equipped than ever at understanding their range of customers as well as their nuanced preferences. Innovations such as smart virtual assistants, sophisticated chatbots, voice recognition tools, to name a few, are allowing technology businesses to more efficiently communicate with web users.

A recent Forrester forecast report projects that global enterprise spending on AI software will reach $64 billion by 2025 — virtually doubling the $33 billion spent in 2021. According to Forrester’s principal analyst, Mike Gualtieri, the majority of global enterprises are strategically implementing AI, arguing that “it is far easier to get AI in the next upgrade of your accounting system or supply chain planning system than to build a bespoke AI application.” Similarly, a recent Databricks study found that companies view AI adoption as critical to long-term growth. In addition to marketing and sales, companies keen to stay competitive are also adopting AI within their product, finance, and IT departments.

Web Privacy and Data Security

Going into 2023, users are increasingly more familiar with web privacy and data security best practices. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a law that establishes guidelines for personal data collection and processing, providing consumers with more control over how their information is managed and shared by businesses, enterprise-level B2B companies included. Under GDPR, companies are required to inform users about what they do with their collected personal data, as well as when a data breach occurs.

For a website to become GDPR-compliant, companies can take several key actions, including auditing all personal consumer data, maintaining comprehensive records of the information collected and processed, updating privacy notices to all website visitors, and resolving any identified database errors. Companies are also advised to minimize cookie usage, capture only necessary information, and offer the ability to opt-out of online tracking. Ensuring that your corporate marketing website prioritizes privacy and security policies from the first impression will help provide your users with a more credible, trusting, and confident browsing experience.

Analytics-Driven Design

With the widespread presence and opportunity that big data offers in 2023, B2B technology companies have the ability to tailor their marketing website to meet the expectations and preferences of their potential customers. By tapping into available market research, consumer reports, and user studies, well-equipped businesses can leverage these insights to help inform the visual language on their corporate website.

Taking a human-centered approach is essential when performing research on your customers, especially considering the rich, complex nature of the B2B technology space. Analytics-driven design ensures that real customer behaviors and habits are taken into consideration when making creative decisions for your corporate website. The ultimate purpose of using data to inform visuals for your marketing website is to provide potential customers with a more personalized, dynamic user experience, one that encourages and influences conversion in an organic way.

Web Accessibility and SEO

Beyond just technical compliance, web accessibility is more about putting users first through inclusive, thoughtful visual design. This helps ensure that a company’s website is designed and developed so that individuals with disabilities can navigate the experience with virtually no issues. In 2023, B2B companies should consider web accessibility an essential component for any corporate website project. Businesses are advised to adhere to WCAG 2.2 or WCAG 3.0 accessibility guidelines, which are set in place so that website content is understandable and navigable to everyone, regardless of their abilities or what devices they are using. Web accessibility considerations include but are not limited to:

1. High-contrast colors

2. Legible typography and sizing

3. Keyboard accessibility

4. Text-to-speech functionality

5. Image alternative text

Additionally, meeting accessibility requirements can positively impact Search Engine Optimization (SEO) performance for your company website. For example, when the SEO components below are thoughtfully considered and properly implemented, they can also significantly improve the browsing experience for users with disabilities:

1. Image captions

2. Video and audio transcripts

3. Title and header tags

4. Anchor and link text

5. Structured data or schema markup

Site Animations and Performance

This year, emerging B2B technology companies left a mark on the website design and development space with memorable, detail-driven web experiences that placed user engagement and conversion goals at the core. With high-end web curation platforms such as Godly, Awwwards, and The FWA, the creative community continued to push what is possible on the web from a brand experience standpoint; but going into 2023, this attention to detail is transcending B2C brands, as we are seeing more elevated creative output within the B2B and enterprise-level space as well. In industries such as software-as-a-service (SaaS), supply chain logistics, automation, robotics, and B2B cryptocurrency, we are noticing a shift toward more creative, impactful aesthetics and interactions across the web and other digital touchpoints.

Website elements such as high-impact transitions and animations, as well as delightful microinteractions and hover states are becoming more prevalent across industry-leading B2B corporate websites, in an effort to stand out in the market and position themselves as trailblazers in their fields. When rooted in thoughtful, strategy-driven information architecture (IA) and user experience (UX), site animations can serve as a catalyst for conversion on any B2B marketing site.

However, when including site animations and other motion flourishes across your corporate website, it is important to be cognizant of site speed and overall performance. With the guidance of a creative strategy team, understanding your unique web users and buyer personas will heavily inform the level of motion and “surprise-and-delight” that is appropriate for your corporate website. Additionally, an experienced development team will help ensure that animations are vetted and tested across multiple web browsers and viewing devices, in order to meet your specific conversion goals. Ultimately, this provides your potential customers with a memorable, engaging site experience, without sacrificing page load times and user friendliness.

An Evolving B2B Space

It is clear that, as a whole, the greater B2B space is experiencing a creative evolution — a fresh, exciting shift from outdated legacy aesthetics to elevated, inspiring brand touchpoints across web and digital. By keeping a pulse on advancements across automation, AI, privacy, security, analytics, accessibility, SEO, and site animations, ambitious B2B companies can expect to see immeasurable growth and return from their corporate website projects.