The vital role of user experience in manufacturers websites

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Amy Culham
Digital Marketing Manager
15/11/2023

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For manufacturing companies, a website with a good user experience (UX) plays an essential role in helping their visitors to easily find the content they need.

Why is user experience essential for manufacturing websites?

  1. Showcasing products and services: Manufacturing websites often have extensive product portfolios. UX plays a crucial role in organising and presenting this information in an easily accessible and digestible manner. Easy navigation and comprehensive information about each product contribute significantly to a user-friendly website.
  2. Building trust: Many manufacturing companies have B2B customers with bespoke requirements. Good UX elements like consistent branding, clear messaging, easy-to-find contact details, and case studies can build trust and industry credibility.
  3. Lead generation: Websites with seamless UX stand a better chance of converting visitors into leads. A positive user experience is more likely to lead to a user taking desired actions, such as contacting the manufacturer, finding a dealer, or requesting a quote.
  4. Accessibility: Inclusivity matters - user experience should prioritise accessibility for users with disabilities by meeting the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) standards. This will enable the website to cater to a broader audience base and minimise the risk of alienating potential customers.

Best practices for enhancing UX in manufacturing websites

  1. Understand your customers: Find out what questions they have and what they want from your website. Create your website around what you customer wants to see as well as what you want to tell them.
  2. Prioritise clarity and simplicity: Keep your design clean and straightforward, making it easy for users to navigate and find information. Users shouldn't have to guess which buttons to click or where to find a particular product.
  3. Mobile responsiveness: Make sure your website is optimised for mobile devices, as an increasing number of users prefer accessing information on-the-go. A mobile-friendly interface ensures seamless browsing for all users.
  4. Consistent and professional design: Present a uniform design across the website – from logos and typography to colours and imagery. This creates a sense of professionalism and trust among visitors.
  5. User testing: Gather user feedback to understand their pain points and preferences, enabling you to craft a more tailored user experience.
  6. Optimise website performance: Ensure the website loads quickly and without any performance issues, as a slow-loading site can frustrate users and lead them to abandon it.
user experience

Richard Western

Richard Western, a leading manufacturer of high-reliability agricultural trailers, excellently uses the following UX-focused elements on their website:

  1. Clear product presentation: A user-friendly tab system was designed to present a comprehensive array of product information—including features, dimensions, and videos—allowing users to navigate between various content types effortlessly.
  2. Premium positioning: The website's design emphasises high-quality messaging and effective branding, showcasing their products' reliable and trustworthy nature.
  3. Dealer locator: With a focus on usability, this accessible feature enables potential customers to find their nearest dealer, displaying dealers' contact details and websites.
richard western screens

Richard Western

Faraday Motion Controls

Faraday Motion Controls, specialists in precision motion control systems have a visually appealing and intuitive website that showcases Faraday's expertise in motion control engineering.

The site boasts clear navigation, search functionality for its core product range, and multiple micro-animations that create a highly satisfying and dynamic experience.

faraday home

Faraday Motion Controls - micro-animations

These two case studies highlight the importance of good user experience in manufacturer websites. Attention to design, presentation, messaging, and customer-focused content is essential for achieving success.

You will need a good B2B website design agency to help you get your website UX right. Ask them how they can measure the user experience on your website and how they would improve it.

 

This article was updated on , filed under website design.

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