B2B website foundations

Most B2B websites confuse visitors instead of converting them. Build clear pages that answer questions, establish credibility, and make the next step obvious.

B2B website foundations

Introduction

In 2014, I completed a seven-month traineeship at CXL, where I learned everything there is to know about conversion optimisation. Since then, I’ve built websites for my own marketing agencies and run experiments across e-commerce and B2B funnels.

One thing I’ve learned is that you don’t need huge amounts of traffic or complex A/B tests to start improving your site. Most B2B websites fail on the basics: structure, clarity, relevance and fixing those makes a big difference.

This playbook gives you a no-nonsense, step-by-step approach to improve your site’s performance. Whether you’re starting from scratch or want to refine what’s already live, you’ll learn how to boost conversions without overcomplicating it.

You don’t need perfect data to make progress. You just need to know what to fix and how to fix it. This guide will help you do exactly that.

Chapters

1

How to run qualitative research

Use heatmaps, recordings, and survey data to uncover friction. Discover confusion and blockers that hurt your conversion rates and user experience.

2

How to write an about page that builds trust

Tell your story in a way that establishes expertise, demonstrates values, and shows why buyers should choose you over competitors in the market.

B2B website foundations

tools

Webflow

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18

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Webflow

Webflow builds custom websites visually without code, offering designer control, CMS capabilities, and hosting for professional web projects.

Figma

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15

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Figma

Collaborative design for interfaces and assets excellent for landing pages, ads, and prototypes when marketing and design need alignment.

Hotjar

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39

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Hotjar

Hotjar captures user behaviour through heatmaps, session recordings, and feedback polls to understand how visitors use your website.

Microsoft Clarity

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0

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Microsoft Clarity

Microsoft Clarity provides free session recordings, heatmaps, and user behaviour analytics without traffic limits or time restrictions.

Unbounce

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79

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Unbounce

Unbounce creates landing pages with drag-and-drop building, A/B testing, and dynamic text replacement optimised for paid advertising conversion.

Instapage

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99

per month

Instapage

Instapage builds post-click landing pages with A/B testing, personalisation, and collaboration features for paid advertising campaigns.

Leadpages

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49

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Leadpages

Leadpages builds landing pages, pop-ups, and alert bars quickly with templates and basic A/B testing for lead generation campaigns.

Squarespace

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15

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Squarespace

Squarespace builds complete websites with beautiful templates, hosting, and e-commerce features for creators, small businesses, and portfolios.

Books

Breakthrough Advertising

Eugene M. Schwartz

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Breakthrough Advertising

A field guide to message market fit. Use stages of awareness to pick angles, craft offers and brief ads that speak to real pains and jobs.

Dotcom Secrets

Russel Brunson

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Dotcom Secrets

Translate funnel templates into clean journeys. Focus on offers, sequences and pages that convert instead of tactics that age badly.

$100M Offers

Alex Hormozi

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$100M Offers

A practical guide to shaping offers that convert. Translate ideas into pricing, guarantees and copy you can test this quarter with real customers.

Wiki

Mobile responsive

Ensure websites display and function properly on all devices to avoid losing mobile traffic that bounces from broken layouts or tiny unclickable buttons.

Page speed

Optimise how quickly pages load to reduce bounce rates and improve rankings since slow sites frustrate users and get penalised by search algorithms.

Social proof

Display evidence that others trust and use your solution to overcome scepticism and reassure prospects they're making a safe choice by buying.

Trust signals

Display security badges, guarantees, and credentials to reduce purchase anxiety and prove legitimacy on pages where visitors make buying decisions.

Hero section

Design the prominent first section of pages to communicate value immediately and guide visitors toward conversion without requiring them to scroll or search.

Above the fold

Place critical information and calls-to-action in the visible area before scrolling to capture attention immediately when visitors land on pages.

AIDA

Map the buyer journey from attention to action, crafting messages that guide prospects through each stage to conversion.

Stages of awareness

Match your messaging to prospects' current awareness level from problem-unaware to solution-aware to speak directly to their mental state.

Offer

Structure your pricing, deliverables, and guarantee into a compelling proposition that makes buying decisions easier and more confident.

Customer journey

Map every touchpoint from initial awareness to repeat purchase, creating seamless experiences that guide prospects toward conversion.

Heatmap

Visualise user behaviour through colour-coded overlays showing clicks, scrolls, and mouse movement, exposing hidden friction points.

Call-to-Action (CTA)

Craft clear, compelling prompts that drive specific user actions across platforms, from clicking through to converting.

Related topic

Marketing funnel

Your website, email flows, and remarketing all work together like a mousetrap. Build clear landing pages that convert, automation that nurtures leads, and a machine that drives discovery calls without you chasing people. Stop leaking leads halfway through.

B2B website foundations

Other playbooks

Automation

Automation

Identify repetitive tasks draining time and build workflows that run without you. Use HubSpot and Zapier to automate lead routing, follow-ups, notifications, and data entry.

Weekly scorecard

Weekly scorecard

Set up and run the weekly 12-metric review across all four growth engines. Structure the meeting, assign ownership, use traffic lights, and escalate issues that need attention.

Dashboard setup

Dashboard setup

Build a reporting dashboard that tracks the 12 growth metrics across all four engines. Choose the right tool, structure views correctly, and make data actionable weekly.

Audience targeting and segmentation

Audience targeting and segmentation

Define exactly who to target by building ICP criteria, audience segments, and account lists that focus your spend on prospects most likely to convert.

Sales follow-up sequences

Sales follow-up sequences

Keep deals moving forward with automated outreach cadences, task reminders, and nurture sequences that prevent qualified leads from going cold or slipping through the cracks.

Discovery call framework

Discovery call framework

Qualify prospects and uncover needs through structured discovery conversations that build trust, surface pain points, and position your solution as the obvious choice.

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