Top Resources to Create a Great B2B Homepage

When it comes to B2B SaaS and technology companies the homepage is by far the most important page on the site. Having had access to tens of Google Analytics accounts in my previous role as a fractional Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) the concentration of traffic on homepages was staggering with some B2B SaaS clients. When there was an ineffective SEO strategy and poor home page design the % of traffic to a site that was ‘stuck’ on the homepage was often over 50% in some extreme examples. Without going further into the site, engaging further with the copy, and navigating to high-intent pages like a Pricing page the traffic simply bounces, reducing your odds of encouraging the visitor into a sales funnel flow. 

In short, for most if not all site visits to a B2B SaaS website, it is the “performance” of the homepage which will determine how successful your startup will be.

Given the high percentage of traffic that visits just the homepage, B2B and SaaS companies thus need to ensure their homepage is optimized to 

• Give a really good first impression - think ‘risk reduction’

• Encourage visitors to visit another page on the site

• Engage with the primary or secondary calls to action on the page

• Deliver concise messaging that anchors your solution in a SaaS category 

• Signal how you are different from the other providers likely to be on the short list

In short, your homepage has a lot to do.

The good news is that long-form pages are back in vogue, so you are not trying to squeeze everything in, as page depths have increased significantly in recent years enabling visitors to skim main sections. That all said, countless Crazy Egg [an analytics platform that tracks and optimizes website visitor behavior] tests I’ve run over the years have all illustrated how profound drop-off rates are once you start scrolling.Hence, your “above the fold” section needs to nail it by delivering:

• A strong hero image (potentially animated) and showcasing the UI/UX

• A clear primary CTA

• A concise message that anchors the category you belong to

• Heading and subheading messaging that resonate

• Evidence of social proof incl G2 / Capterra stars positioned around the primary CTA and Client Logo strips just above the fold

When it comes to the rest of the homepage, you’ll need to try and answer as many questions a target prospect is likely to have so they “add you to their consideration set” for a more thorough follow up visit. 

So what are some of the key constituent elements of a B2B SaaS homepage?

We outline these in detail in our blog - Create a Winning B2B SaaS Homepage where we describe the following topics in some depth:

• The Content Management System (CMS)

• The Visual Identity

• The Page Structure

• The Messaging and Copy

• Positioning

• SEO

• Social Proof etc

This blog can thus be read in parallel with the earlier one, whereby this one focuses more on some specialist B2B SaaS providers who can help you deliver on your requirements, whereas the accompanying blog describes what you need to do.

Leading B2B SaaS Freelancers to Help You Nail Your Homepage

So what are some of the skills you’ll need and who can provide them?

1- Copy 

Writing copy for your website is a fairly basic task right for the marketing team? Well, no actually. In recent years, a number of highly-skilled B2B SaaS freelance specialists have taken homepage copy to a whole new level. Every word counts. 

Who?: In this more detailed article on the importance of B2B SaaS Copywriting I list some of the best known freelancers working in this space including:

• Kerry Campion - God Save the Serp - SEO power-up for SaaS companies

• Josh Garofalo - Sway Copy - SaaS Copywriter and Consultant

• Alex Napier Holland - Gorilla Flow - SaaS Copywriter

• Victor Ijidola - Premium Content Shop - Content Marketing Services For SaaS & B2B Brands

• Annie Maguire - Conversion Copywriter

• Helen Peatfield - B2B Tech & SaaS Copywriter

• Rachael Pilcher - Mighty Fine Copy - B2B SaaS Copywriter & Growth Strategist

• Harry Lawson – Elements Copy - B2B SaaS Copywriter & Messaging Strategist

2- Design (incl animation)

The visual design of your website will help ensure you are taken seriously. Afterall, if the design is not ‘enterprise grade’ people may fear your software is not. Again there are a lot of great B2B SaaS website designers out there. 

Who?: I’ve worked with Rob Turlinckx on numerous B2B SaaS websites and highly recommend the work he does.

3- Messaging Validation

Does your messaging resonate with your target personas? How do you even know if it is working? 

Who?: Wynter is a B2B SaaS message testing platform you can use to test your messaging with verified target B2B customers. 

4- Illustration

Adding some illustrations can add a hint of personalization to your site and helps you stand out from the crowd - especially compared to those reliant on basic stock imagery.

Who?: Ena Sadikovic is an excellent illustrator who works with B2B SaaS startups from all over the world. 

5- Funnel Optimisation

Funnel optimization relates to the process of optimizing your Primary Call to Action [CTA] on your homepage and the subsequent steps that a visitor needs to take to sign-up or to Get Started. A forensic analysis of the steps (including messaging, number of steps and optimizing the ‘blank slate’) can all lead to improved conversion rates. 

Who: Pedro Cortes - B2B SaaS Conversion Expert, ​​helps companies rewrite 3-4 key pages in a short sprint so they can get a quick boost. 

Mark Colgan, from The Product Onboarders helps B2B SaaS companies increase visitor to free trial conversion rates and convert more trial users to customers through product onboarding optimizations.

Finally, a word about the underlying infrastructure - the Content Management System (CMS). While traditional CMS like WordPress are by far the most popular CMS, a growing list of issues with WordPress means many fast-growing B2B SaaS and technology companies are migrating off WordPress to modern approaches like Headless CMS (What is a Headless CMS?). A Headless CMS represents a more modern approach to website development and helps ensure that your underlying tech stack is built for scalability, flexibility, and performance. 

Contento is a Headless CMS built specifically with B2B SaaS and technology companies in mind. Benefits include:

• Blazingly quick websites - a Headless CMS configuration is hard to beat when it comes to speed

• Scalable and flexible system - With headless CMSs being API-based, the process of incorporating new applications is effortless. It allows for seamless integration with various technologies and channels, providing the flexibility to add or remove them whenever needed.

• Intuitive UI/UX even marketing can navigate - while all providers claim this we have doubled down on our efforts to ensure this is the case

• Baked in B2B SaaS features like SEO - a CMS designed with a specific use case - that of managing a B2B SaaS Website

• Enhanced security - By utilizing APIs, each application is inherently isolated, preventing the propagation of security risks from one area to another.

• Omnichannel capability - Omnichannel experiences are not well-suited for monolithic systems like WordPress due to the tight coupling between the backend and a single, inflexible frontend. As a result, it becomes exceptionally challenging to distribute content across multiple platforms. This is not the case with a Headless CMS.

In short, there is little point optimizing your homepage if the underlying tech stack is built on a poorly performing monolithic CMS like WordPress.

When it comes to most B2B SaaS companies a significant % of traffic is concentrated on the homepage. While the marketing function may often focus on adding more pages, or publishing blogs, it is easy to overlook the return from optimizing the homepage.