Manufacturing Company Websites: Homepage Design Best Practices (With Examples!)

If you’re a marketer in the manufacturing sector and you’ve arrived at this article, chances are you’re in good company: working for a company that is driving innovation on the cutting edge with a website that looks like it was built in 2004. Heck, maybe it was built in 2004. 

You might be working on convincing your C-suite that it’s time to invest in a new website. Or, maybe you’re looking for tips to implement some best practices on your own. No matter what your situation, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we’ll cover the top best website design best practices for manufacturing companies and show you examples.

Use Storytelling Principles to Guide Homepage Structure

Many manufacturing company websites we see were designed and written with an outdated guiding principle: a website is an online brochure that should be all about your business.

It’s probably true that buyers’ expectations have evolved past this old standard, but I’m even more convinced that the old standard never met their needs all that well in the first place. Why? Because the human brain is wired for story. Before the dawn of the internet, before the age of advertising, before the printing press, people were passing down oral tradition from generation to generation following the same basic framework: there are heroes, villains, guides, and endings.

In Donald Miller’s book Building a StoryBrand, he outlines how marketers living circa now can use this idea to build trust and captivate buyers. It’s a great read for any marketer, but you’re looking for quick website design tips here, so I better get to the point. Your homepage structure should cover the following critical elements.

The Hero Section: The Transformation

The very top section of your homepage is called the “hero section” for a reason: it’s all about the transformation that the user (the hero of the story) wants to make. The copy and imagery of the hero section of your homepage should help the user see a better tomorrow by painting the picture of what they are trying to achieve. In the example below from Sodick (a leading manufacturer of cutting-edge EDM and additive manufacturing machine tools), the future-focused copy and sleek visuals help the user visualize how Sodick can help elevate their business.

The Prospect’s Challenges

This isn’t the time to simply list your services and call it a day. If you’re in manufacturing, your customer is probably already getting the product or service you provide from someone else. You need to show them that you’re built to solve their problems, not just sell them a thing. The pain of switching suppliers needs to exceed the pain of switching, and many buyers of manufacturing equipment or services are willing to undergo a whole lot of pain before they consider switching. Showing them you understand that pain is the first step in convincing them that there’s a better way (partnering with you).

It can be a fine line to walk, however, because you don’t want to make the prospect work too hard to see that you do or make the thing that they need. This example from LMC Industries includes a listing of services and acknowledges the prospect’s challenges: rising standards for quality and safety and supply chain headaches.

How You Solve the Prospect’s Problems

This is where you introduce your capabilities and methodology so they can decide whether you’re qualified to solve their problems. You could include a list of your services with descriptions, the industries you serve, or a high-level introduction to the product or equipment you offer. The way you present this information can vary, from a minimal listing to additional education about your offerings.

This ultra-minimal listing of offerings from Ipsen makes it easy for prospects to take the next step in their journey.

This section consolidates Paulo’s complex thermal processing offerings for different markets and methods of manufacturing into a tight experience that can serve its wide range of users.

Sodick’s solutions section gives more context with a hover state over each service offering, giving the user the information needed to move forward while maintaining the brand’s minimal, dramatic, and future-focused aesthetic.

LMC Industries demonstrates expertise in its main service areas with text descriptions of how they help customers.

Easing the Journey: Your Process or Plan

Remember that pain of switching? You need to assuage those fears by showing that striking up a partnership with you will be as painless as possible. Describe your process of collaboration in 3-5 steps so the prospect gets an idea of what to expect. In this example, PCI Manufacturing demonstrates how they guide customers from onboarding to full production for liquid product formulation, blending, and packaging.

Prove Your Authority to Solve Their Problems

Talk is cheap, but data speaks. Include any relevant certifications, such as ISO 9001:2015, that qualify you to serve particular customers. You can also include statistics that demonstrate your capacity, such as square footage of production space, types of equipment, number of highly skilled employees (such as engineers), and years in business. Customer testimonials can also be used in this section to build trust with the audience. Here are a few examples:

Call the Prospect to Action

Now it’s time for your prospect to move forward. Call them to action by encouraging them to fill out a form on the site, whether it’s to request a quote, connect with an expert, or whatever next step makes sense for your business. I like how this example from Ipsen paints a picture of collaboration and imparts urgency with the copy.

Hearts, Minds, and Your Pipeline

There are two things to remember when working to convince your organization to invest in its online experience: The first has always been true: people do business with those they know, like, and trust. The second is that as of 2024 data, 90% of B2B buyers turn to online channels as their primary method for identifying new suppliers, and two-thirds of B2B buyers start the purchasing journey online. Millennials and Gen Z grew up with the internet and are claiming an increasing share of corporate buying power with each passing year. They need to see innovation and quality reflected in the online experience to be convinced that your manufacturing company can deliver it in its products and services.

If you don’t have the budget for a whole new website yet, don’t give up. You can use this advice to iterate on what you currently have to make the online experience better for your prospects and increase the likelihood of conversion. Follow us on LinkedIn to get more tips you can act on yourself to improve the results of your marketing efforts.

If you are looking for support with your manufacturing company’s website, then what are you waiting for? Let’s chat to see how we can help you win hearts, minds, and more pipeline!