Our B2B websites are more important than ever.
Modern B2B buyers spend two thirds of their buying journey independently researching before they ever talk to a sales rep. The scary part is that 81% of them have already picked their preferred vendor before they ever reach out.
Think about that for a moment. This means that the hundreds of crucial touchpoints that used to happen through sales conversations are now mostly happening online - silently and anonymously. Every product detail, every competitive distinction, every trust-building moment—these pivotal interactions are increasingly unfolding through your web experience, a place buyers return to again and again as they move through their journey.
Yet most B2B websites are stuck in the past - static, text-heavy digital brochures that fail to engage, explain, or convince.
This article is the first in a three-part series exploring how to turn this challenge into opportunity. We'll show you:
- Why your website has become your most crucial revenue driver (and why it's probably underperforming)
- How video transforms the way buyers experience your solution
- Why human connection matters more than ever in digital buying - and how to create it
Let's start by understanding exactly what's changed in B2B buying, and what it means for your website...
The new reality of B2B buying
Today’s B2B buyers are driving the timeline—and making decisions—long before sales ever enters the picture. The data tells a clear story:
- Buyers are 70% through their journey before talking to sales
- 85% know exactly what they want before reaching out
- They spend 8 months researching before a single sales call
- Teams of 11 people are comparing 5 vendors at once
This isn't just a change in timing - it's a complete shift in how businesses buy. Your website isn't just one touchpoint anymore - it's where deals are won and lost.
The warning signs are clear
While buying habits have transformed, websites are falling behind:
- Website traffic has flipped from 16.2% growth to a 6.3% decline in just one year
- Visitors are leaving faster - sessions dropped 2.6%
- Conversion rates have slumped to 2.4%
- People are scrolling and reading less than ever before
This gap between what buyers need and what websites deliver isn't just a marketing problem - it's costing you deals. When your most important sales channel is your weakest link, something has to change.
What your website needs to do
Meeting this moment requires a fundamental shift in how we think about B2B websites:
- Meet Buyers Where They Are
- Turn text into experiences they'll actually engage with
- Make complex solutions easily and quickly understandable
- Give them content in formats they prefer to consume
- Enable Buying Teams
- Make information quickly digestible for diverse groups
- Create content that's effortless to share
- Help them build their internal business case
- Build Trust at Scale
- Answer questions an SDR or sales rep would usually handle
- Demonstrate value through every interaction
- Showcase your people
The choice is simple
When 81% of buyers choose their vendor before saying hello, your website isn't just sharing information - it's actively winning or losing deals. The question isn't whether to transform your web experience, but how quickly you can make it happen.
Coming up in part 2, we'll show you why video has become the secret weapon for forward-thinking companies who are turning their websites from boring digital brochures into deal-winning machines.
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References:
- 6sense's 2024 B2B Buying Experience Report
- HubSpot's Website Benchmark Data
- Contentsquare's Digital Experience Benchmark Reports
