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What Manufacturers Should Look for in a Web Design Agency

Your manufacturing company needs digital marketing solutions that instantly reflect your dedication to quality, craftsmanship, and earned reputation. It’s a modern reality that customers often view your web presence in the consideration phase of the buyer’s journey, and quickly rule out lower quality websites. This means elements such as an outdated visual style, a logo in need of an update, or a clunky web experience can all cost you new business opportunities.

Here’s what to look for to achieve the best outcome when hiring an agency to elevate your digital presence:


Proven Track Record with Manufacturing Websites

    In order to make sure your website is as competitive as possible, it’s standard practice to hire a web design agency with a solid history of projects in the manufacturing industry. Agencies who have already learned your business model, performed competitive research in the space, and built functional web experiences can save you a lot of time and heartache learning the in’s and out’s of creating a website that leads to profitability.

    Here at BOWEN, we have an extensive portfolio of web design for manufacturers. We’re accustomed to designing custom experiences to demonstrate the expertise of manufacturing companies, as well as highlight what makes them unique. You’ll want to reference the portfolio of any company you’re looking into, and make sure they have quantifiable experience in the manufacturing space.


    Custom Coding


    There’s a huge difference between getting a custom-developed website by a team of coders, tailored to your specifications… and going with a templated structure on a bloated hosting platform. While they can appear similar to the untrained eye, custom sites drive superior results such as faster load times, improved functionality, and stunning ways to showcase your capabilities to prospective prospects. 

    Manufacturing businesses rely on their established reputation for a high degree of quality and service. The last thing you want is your digital experience to feel slow, generic, or cheap. While the advantage of template-based sites is that you can have a new version of your website up and in potentially less time (or at a lower cost), the downside is that this is also true for your competition.

    If your brands are indistinguishable from one another, it will be impossible or position your organization as the innovative partner prospects are looking for.

    The level of care put into your website should reflect the level of care you put into your products. Inevitably, that is how your audience will evaluate your legitimacy.


    Conversion Data Matters


      While it’s important to search for agencies capable of creating a high-quality web experience, it’s also important to consider the end goal. Your new website needs to generate new business. It’s helpful to have a team that can build according to a strategy, directly in line with clearly defined goals and drives results.

      While it is possible to hire one company to create an amazing website, then move on to working with a company specializing in lead generation, these teams will often not be in sync. It’s highly productive to have the same team from site creation to execution on marketing campaigns, as they will be fully aware of and develop the long-term execution strategy for your company.

      If you have custom web experiences designed to persuade your audience, you’ll want to monitor them and optimize for results over time. If you shift to a marketing-only agency, these small tweaks can feel like a big project – as you’ll have to reopen a contract with a design agency to fulfill them.

      It’s important to gain as much data about your prospects as possible – what items they are clicking on most, what they are searching for in your menus, and which pages are driving the most traffic. This level of analysis can greatly inform the success of ad campaigns, and inspire improved website modifications which move the business forward.


      High-End Visual Department


        As you improve upon your brand, you’re going to need new image assets to be created and for quality control to be maintained. Look into whether or not the agencies on your list are capable of creating custom graphics, video editing, and branded social media assets.

        Leaving this as an afterthought can result in a disjointed web experience, where your website is performing at a satisfactory level while other platforms appear neglected and turn off your audience. You want to make sure that no matter where customers search for you first, your brand appears in its best light and clearly presents what you bring to the table.

        One of the most efficient ways to represent your brand and quickly gain authority in the minds of your audience is video. We are big fans of creating video banners for key sections such as the homepage of manufacturing clients, to quickly engage users and tell a better story of what you can bring to the table. If you’re looking to strengthen the first impression of your organization with a corporate video, create longer clips for Youtube, commercial ads, or other placements which will require high-definition video, you want to make sure the agency you hire has these capabilities early on, so that these assets can be created and rolled out based on the platform or environment in which they’re needed.


        Final Thoughts


        Manufacturing website design requires a holistic, data-driven approach that considers conversion opportunities from the beginning of the process. Each design aspect should be carefully crafted with consideration to your end goals and long-term marketing strategy. This will be more successful if you have the same agency throughout the process of strengthening your digital presence and experience. Be sure to make sure the agency has experience in both design and marketing for the manufacturing industry, and that they are willing to stay on for both of this journey.

        Our digital marketing and web design roster includes high-profile companies in many different facets of manufacturing. BOWEN is well-versed in the nuanced approach required by various manufacturing companies. If you’re ready to schedule a call, we’re happy to advise on next steps to unlock your brand’s potential.