Key takeaways:
- Poor site structure was the most common B2B conversion barrier, found on 43.5% of the B2B websites studied.
- Unclear messaging ranked second at 41.3% as buyers couldn’t quickly tell what the company sells, who it serves or how it differs from competitors.
- 82.6% of the B2B websites studied had at least one of five conversion barriers.
- 34.8% had no defined conversion path from key pages to a quote, demo or sales conversation.
- 21.7% had a credibility gap that made the company look smaller or less established than it is.
Poor site structure and unclear messaging are the most common conversion barriers on B2B websites, according to a new study by Digital Silk. Poor site structure appeared on 43.5% of the B2B websites studied and unclear messaging on 41.3%. Overall, more than four in five (82.6%) had at least one barrier keeping buyers from becoming leads.
The study looked at 46 B2B client websites before Digital Silk redesigned them, along with performance data after launch. The companies include manufacturers, software providers, financial services firms, contractors and professional services firms.
Below are the five most common conversion barriers, how each one showed up and how B2B companies can assess their own websites.
The 5 Most Common B2B Conversion Barriers
1. Poor Site Structure (43.5%)
Site structure, also called information architecture, is how a website’s content is organized and labeled. When it doesn’t match how buyers search, they leave before finding what they need.
One truck dealer with 32 branches had no individual location pages, and its vehicle pages had no contact option. One insurance software company showed more than 20 solutions in its main navigation. One commercial contractor buried the service and maintenance department that brought in its repeat business.
How to assess it: Ask someone outside the company to find a specific service, specification or location. If it takes more than three clicks, buyers are likely leaving.
2. Unclear Messaging (41.3%)
These websites led with features, technical specifications or internal terminology instead of the business problem the product solves.
At one industrial equipment manufacturer, buyers couldn’t tell which of two product lines fit their application. One infrastructure technology company presented its software platform as a hardware catalog, which hid its main differentiator.
How to assess it: Show the homepage to someone unfamiliar with the company for 10 seconds. Can they say what you sell, who it’s for and why it’s different?
3. No Defined Conversion Path (34.8%)
These websites relied on generic “Learn more” links and a single contact form, with no clear next step matched to each page.
At one flooring contractor, visits averaged 51 seconds and buyers had no way to request a quote. After one insurance software company added a dedicated demo landing page and replaced its generic forms, monthly lead form submissions rose 135% within five months. At one AI software company, rebuilt conversion paths came with 48% more leads and a 50% lower cost per acquisition.
How to assess it: From every product and service page, check whether a buyer can request a quote, demo or consultation in one click, with a call to action specific to that page.
4. A Credibility Gap (21.7%)
These websites made the company look smaller, newer or less established than it is, with few brand trust data signals such as project portfolios, client names, certifications or company scale.
At one commercial electrical contractor with $100 million in revenue, general contractors read the website as a small operation, and the company received fewer invitations to bid.
How to assess it: Check whether the homepage shows scale and proof, such as years in business, locations, completed projects, notable clients or industry certifications.
5. No Audience-Specific Journeys (19.6%)
Buyers, investors, partners and job candidates were all sent through the same user journey and messaging. This also attracted leads that didn’t fit.
At one community lender, borrowers and investors shared a single path, and the lending criteria were buried. Staff spent hours screening out loan requests the lender couldn’t fund.
How to assess it: List each audience your website serves. Check that each one has a dedicated entry point from the main menu, and that qualifying criteria appear before the contact form.
“B2B buyers arrive with two questions: Can this company solve my problem, and how do I start the conversation?” said Gabriel Shaoolian, Founder and CEO of Digital Silk.
“When a website is hard to navigate or doesn’t explain the offering clearly, buyers can’t answer the first question, so they never get to the second. Many B2B companies try to fix low lead volume by driving more traffic, when the bigger loss happens after visitors arrive,” Shaoolian added.
Learn how Digital Silk can help your business address website challenges with a custom web design strategy.
