Louisville-based digital marketing agency DBS Interactive has released the results of its analysis on the performance of company websites in a range of B2B manufacturing-related markets, revealing some alarming statistics. According to the analysis, 60% of websites scored poorly on SEO and accessibility, and only 50% scored in the top tier for Best Practices.

The good news is that about 50 sites achieve perfect scores for the Best Practices or Accessibility categories. A low accessibility score means the business is at risk of a lawsuit based on the Americans With Disabilities Act.

A mere 1% of the 200 business websites analyzed scored 90 or above for Performance in Google’s Lighthouse evaluation tool. Half of the sites included in the study tested at or below the median score of 41.

These findings impact manufacturers because search giants like Google want their websites to perform well for users. Improving performance to meet best practices makes business sense because high-performance websites offer a better user experience and improve search rankings, leading to increased traffic and lead generation that drive business growth. 

Businesses have traditionally focused on keywords in content when they optimize content for search engine performance, yet often fail to consider the negative impact of poor website performance on their efforts.

While high-quality user experience has always been a best practice, Technical SEO has only become a focus for search engines in recent years.  It improves what’s “under the hood” of the website, including URL architecture, servers, content delivery systems, redirects, accessibility, and more.

“A website needs much more than great design. Without Technical SEO, it’s no better than an attractive sports car with a weak motor and shaky transmission,” says Cyndi Master, president and founder of the agency. “It may look good, but it will lose to competitors with high-performing race cars.”

B2B businesses have distinct incentives to improve their visibility in search engines. That’s because the majority of B2B customer acquisition begins when qualified prospects search for products or services on Google or Bing. These prospects most often click only the top three organic links in search results – they rarely click ads.

“Once your site slips to the second page of search results, the click rate to your site falls below 1%,” Masters adds. “There is virtually no benefit to simply being present in search results unless you’re in top positions and featured in snippets on the first page.”

The analysis of the 200 B2B manufacturing websites included companies with revenues from $500,000 to about $5 million in locations across the U.S.

“It’s unfortunate so many sites scored so poorly because many were visually appealing,” Masters says. “They are missing a big opportunity to elevate their brand and have new customers banging down their digital front door. In an uncertain time when manufacturers are faced with shrinking markets, they need every available tool to drive growth and success.”