Creating Compelling Content for Manufacturing and Industrial Websites

Content, especially for manufacturing and B2B websites, is incredibly important. It informs users and search engines about the technical topics typically found in your industry. A thoughtful B2B website content strategy can inform and improve traffic to your website.

Search engines are smart — but they’re not yet smart enough to deliver an answer to every question out there, especially when it comes to industrial/manufacturing-related queries. All search engines know is what keywords are relevant and the most common keyword strings associated with a particular term. B2B website content will impact where your website will show on the SERP, making it especially important to include valuable information on your website.

Quality: Become the Richest Resource

 Many websites can answer the user’s question, but few prove to be the best resource. So what constitutes the best resource?

Consider the following example: A user searches for “retaining ring types”.

• Website A says: We offer many different retaining ring types. Contact us for more information.
• Website B says: We offer many different retaining ring types, including Internal Retaining Rings and External Retaining Rings. The website goes on to list which types of internal and external retaining rings they have, what materials the rings are available in, and what finishes they offer. They also provide an image, a set of design diagrams, and a comprehensive specification chart listing diameter, thickness, thrust load, etc.

The rhetorical question here is, “Which website is the search engine going to qualify as the better, richer resource for a user?”

Bottom Line: Leave no question unanswered. Build your B2B website content to be thorough to answer all common questions. Be the best resource for your users and you shall be rewarded.

Capitalizing on Quantity

While specific word counts are going out the window, unique, well-written, and informative content continues to build in importance. The objective is to write as much useful information as possible (that means filtering out the fluff) to provide users with all the information they need in order to choose your product/service/company over the competition.

So many clients in the manufacturing and industrial industries say, “I don’t have time to write content” or “We don’t want a lot of content because we want people to call.”

My response is: “Say Sayonara to showing up in search engines, being found by users, making sales, and making money.

B2B website content done right is one of the most important things you can do to drive qualified, ready-to-buy users directly to you, creating a huge return on the initial time invested.

In the words of the brazen, uninhibited Tyler Durden, “You are not a beautiful or unique snowflake.” Everyone can buy your product/service somewhere else.

So aside from being the richest resource, how do YOU stand out in a sea of carnivorous competitors?

Users need to know a few key things:

• They’re buying a quality product/service
• They’re working with a trusted, reputable and experienced company
• They’re getting the best value

But without outright saying all of the above, how do you convince your users? Value-adding statements need to be bolded, styled, and prominently featured.

Value-adding statements could be:

• Free Shipping
• Fastest Turnaround Time in the Industry
• 50 Years in the Business
• Patented Products/Technology
• Low Production and/or High Production Capabilities
• Snippets of Customer Reviews
• List of Well-Known Clients

But what about value-adding symbols? In the manufacturing and industrial industries, the typical BBB symbol isn’t enough. Your B2B content strategy should include important parts of your company that stand out from your competitors.

• So what kind of value-adding symbols does your audience want to see? Professional Certifications (like ISO Certifications)
• Compliancy (like RoHS Compliant)
• Awards (like Manufacturer of the Year)

When You’re on That Next Level…

If you’ve got all of the above, give yourself a well-deserved pat on the back. Great job! You’ve advanced to the next level. So what else can you do to sway users? One powerful word: MEDIA. Showing users unique images and/or virtual tours of your facility serves as a powerful form of persuasion. That being said, some media is not necessarily better than no media.

Great media is just as powerful as bad media. Your users are not going to be impressed by a grainy, shaky virtual tour or dark, blurry photos. Users want to see how amazing your equipment is, how well-kept your facility is, and how hard-working your staff is. Make sure your media is meaningful. Think: Great Media Showing Great Things

Bottom Line: If you’re going to do it, do it right the first time. You’ll save yourself a lot of headaches down the road. But most importantly, you’ll be getting more traffic, more qualified leads, more sales, and MORE ROI.

Contact us to learn more about how we can help elevate your B2B website content strategy to drive new leads and traffic to your website!