10 Features All Manufacturing Websites Should Have

Creating a successful manufacturing website is a complex process. It’s not difficult, as long as you know what you’re doing, but it does take a certain artful effort.

That’s because manufacturing websites aren’t exactly the same as other types of websites. Because the industry relies on the production of many intricate parts and pieces, manufacturing websites need to reflect that attention-to-detail in their online presence.

That being said, here are ten features all manufacturing websites should have. Consider these a checklist to follow while you go through the art of creating or revamping your company’s site.

1.) Regularly updated content

If you’re not used to creating digital content, it can be hard to follow a regular schedule. We totally understand. However, if you want to regularly generate leads, you need to regularly create and post new content. A blog is a good place to start – focus on information that will be helpful to your prospects, customer success stories or case studies, or new developments in your industry. From there you can produce more in depth content like spec sheets, white papers, and e-books.

2.) Simple contact forms

You want to be easy to contact. Have your address, main phone, and email contact information located in your site’s footer — on every page. Keep your contact forms simple and easy to fill out – ask for name, email, and what they’re interested in. You’ll be able to gather more information later on once you’ve made the initial connection.

3.) A reliable website host

The content and navigation of your website are only two factors when it comes to success. Another factor: speed. This is especially true for the mobile version of your site. Since so many individuals do their web searching on their phone, you need to make sure your site loads fast enough to keep up. A reliable hosting service like WP Engine will give you that.

4.) Thorough, detailed product specs

Your website is likely going to be visited by engineers and similarly technically-focused individuals. Manufacturing companies can’t afford too much salesey fluff on their website. Instead, focus on information and details. Provide thorough specifications for all your products that are easy to both read and share for technical audiences, and overview information for the C-suite.

5.) Case studies

We’ve mentioned before about how, historically, a lot of industrial and manufacturing sales have been done through word-of-mouth. A Case Study is a digital version of a traditional spoken recommendation, which is why they’re especially successful for industry websites.

6.) Intuitive navigation

If someone can’t navigate your website easily, they’re not going to waste their time attempting. Make sure your navigation is intuitive and works from the top down to cover all of your main topics.

7.) Well-done product photos

Manufacturing is all about the creation of specific parts and pieces. This can apply to a huge variety of industries, but in the end it all comes down to one thing: the products. You have to present them in a way that makes other businesses understand what you offer in order to be interested in purchasing. This is most commonly achieved through high-quality product photos.

8.) Links to social media pages

Social media matters, even for manufacturing companies. If you have social pages, you want them to be easily accessed. One way to do this is by using icons to link to each of your pages in your web page’s footer.

9.) CTAs on all pages

If someone is on your website, they’re already interested in what your business has to offer. Take advantage of this interest by offering clear, concise calls-to-action (CTAs) on each page.

10.) A modern design aesthetic

What this entails will depend on your specific industry and product offerings. The latest trends lean toward simple, direct design that focuses more on reactivity and mobile performance than it does flashy imagery.

We’ve been offering our marketing strategy and consultation services for companies in the manufacturing industry for years. We’ve learned a lot during this time and are more than happy to share our expertise to help your business take its next steps toward further success.