Enquiro’s most recent ”B2B Survey” whitepaper, based on responses from 1,000 B2B buyers, shows just how important it is to get it right when it comes to a company’s online presence.
“… When asked what the top influences were on the purchase decision, respondents across all phases indicated that the website of the vendor, followed by distributor websites and search engines were the most important influencers,” say the report authors (who are, puzzlingly, not named).
B2B Buyer Influences (based on 1,000 B2B buyers surveyed)
This chart from the Enquiro whitepaper shows the top overall influences in all phases of the buying cycle, and among both offline and online sources, on a scale from 1 to 7:
One more notable excerpt:
“… Another significant finding was where this research tends to happen online. General search engines are often the first place people turn to begin their online research session and among the general search engines, Google holds a dominant position, being the first choice of 77.7% of respondents. As researchers begin to research their purchase, they rely heavily on information from the vendor’s own website….
Research into action
If your website does not show up in Google results when prospects type in a common description of your services — or if your website is not helping you get and stay in consideration throughout all phases of a sales cycle – there is room for improvement.
There is a new checklist posted in B2B Central, the Business Communications Group online resource center, that can help.
“B2B website ROI: a 12 point checklist“ suggests 12 ways to check your website’s performance. Access it at www.b2bcommunications.com/b2b-website-roi
