Engineering websites are often complex, and can be busy with information, difficult to navigate, and outdated. When working in a technical field, you can get a leg up on your competitors by having a great engineering website design. Some of the best engineering websites will help attract new visitors and showcase your brand’s services in a modern and professional way to help you stand out online among thousands of other engineering companies. In this article, we will discuss what features make some of the best engineering websites, and showcase some of our favorite design examples to give you some inspiration.
What makes a great engineering website design?
- An engineering website design should be well organized and easy to navigate to quickly find information. Including additional communication options online can be helpful for new visitors
- A great engineering website will have a CMS system that allows content administrators to easily update website content and add any necessary integrations
- An engineering website should always perform well and be secure
- Engineering websites should be responsive across all desktop, mobile, or tablet devices
- Engineering websites should have different types of informative content to engage their audience online through a blog, news section, or resource area
- Engineering website designs should clearly outline the company’s services
- Engineering websites should contain “call to action” areas throughout the website, such as “request a demo” or “contact a representative”
- Engineering website designs must include value statements — such as competitive advantages, company mission and vision, description of company culture, and employee bios
- Engineering website designs should have a great careers page to attract top talent
A website that is simple and easy to navigate
Many engineering website designs are over cluttered with information, which makes them extremely difficult to navigate for visitors that have non-technical backgrounds but are in need of an engineer’s services. Therefore, companies should have an engineering website that is easy to navigate. You will want to break up the navigation menu into clear, easy-to-understand sections and utilize dropdown menus to house additional content. Another feature you might want to consider including within your engineering website is an online chat function that is integrated into your engineering website. An online chat will allow new visitors to ask questions regarding location of technical or service information they might be looking for, which will save them time especially if the engineering website is highly complex and has a lot of content.
A great CMS system that allows content administrators to easily update the engineering website, add new content regularly, or add any new integrations or features
An engineering website should have a great CMS system integrated into it to allow content administrators to easily update or add new content to the website regularly. You also may want to consider adding in new features and integrations as your engineering firm grows, so you want to consider a content management system that will allow for updates or new features to easily be added. Template website designs can be limiting in terms of new features and updates, so you will want to avoid these whenever possible.
Security and trust
User experience also plays a key role in both search engine rankings and online engagement for engineering websites. Both performance and security affect search engine rankings, with less secure and poor performing websites being ranked lower by search engines as they are seen as providing a poor user experience. An engineering website that loads around two seconds is considered well performing in search engine standards. In terms of security, make sure HTTPS is installed on your website for data protection purposes. Security is also of high importance for engineering websites, as many of them contain important resources and documents critical to their business. You may want to consider adding a password protected area of your engineering website to protect client information. Good performance will also help visitors find information quickly and efficiently, leading to a better user experience and longer periods of online engagement.
Responsive design
Having an engineering website design that is responsive across all devices is also considered an important component for an engineering website design as it will allow new visitors to access the website from virtually anywhere. This will allow new visitors and current clients to access the resource and service information on your engineering website from any type of device. Now more than ever, people rely on smartphones for browsing the web, and it can be frustrating if you have to zoom in and out to view website content if it is not optimized for smartphone use. This can contribute to a high bounce rate due to frustration with the current user experience. Responsive design also is a factor in search engine rankings, with well-optimized websites ranking higher in search results.
Clear outline of your engineering services
When someone comes to your engineering website, you want it to be extremely clear as to what services your engineering firm provides for its clients within your website design. This will help a new visitor determine if your services meet their requirements, and will avoid any frustration searching your website for this information. You will want to have a dedicated service page that provides these important details, but it is also a great idea to consider outlining your services on the homepage of your website to give visitors the information they need as soon as they access your website.
Content creation
Engineering websites should also offer engaging content as a way to attract new visitors and keep current clients engaged online. Not only does new content help in telling your brand’s story, but it will also serve as education on your industry and work, which can help increase your outreach online. So what types of content should you include in an engineering website? Below are a few examples:
- Blog posts: Could discuss industry information, highlight specific projects, or recap recent events
- Newsletter: Keeps clients or new visitors up to date on the current happenings in your space
- Resource section: Could include different documents relating to your industry that clients and visitors might find helpful
Call to action areas
To improve online conversion rates, you should include “call to action” areas where visitors can further engage with your organization for your engineering website design. Inclusion of call to action areas will allow your organization to determine which of your visitors are potentially interested in your services, and allow you to further communicate with them to lead them through the sales process. Since engineering firms don’t necessarily sell their products directly through their website, these call to action areas are critical if you want to increase business and generate more revenue online. Some examples of call to action statements for your engineering company might include:
- Request a demo
- Contact a representative
- Discuss service options
- Subscribe to our newsletter
- Request services
Inclusion of forms is another great way to improve conversion rates. These forms could have visitors enter contact information to, for example, subscribe to an online newsletter as a way to keep them engaged with new online content and resources available through your engineering website.
Photography and video
Great imagery and other media should be included within an engineering website design to capture the attention of your visitors. Stock photography can look outdated and give less of a personal feel to your engineering website, which may give it a mainstream feel and lack the professionalism required for your firm. Instead, consider including imagery that will better personalize your engineering website, such as photos showcasing recent projects, services, your executive team, or business location.
Consistent branding
You want to keep your engineering company’s online branding consistent throughout your website design. Keep your engineering firm’s logo, website color choices, and content presentation professional and consistent for the best impression online.
Inclusion of value statements and statistics
It is also important to consider including value statements within your engineering website design. Value statements help visitors understand your organization’s current impact and competitive advantages that set your business apart from others. Another piece of information you might want to include are statistics that serve as real time impact statements for your engineering firm. These statistics could be included right on your website’s homepage to make a great first impression on new visitors. Below are a few examples of value statements you could include in your website design:
- Badges of any awards received
- Employee bios (including industry experience and education)
- Statistics (regarding clients served, countries served, # of projects completed etc)
- Company culture (what does it look like to work for your firm in terms of office life? This can be great for potential applicants for your organization)
- Company mission and vision statement (What has your organization accomplished in terms of industry impact or innovations?)
A detailed careers page
If your firm is looking to recruit top talent, you want to make sure your engineering website includes a detailed careers page. Instead of just listing open positions, make sure to include some information about your company culture, values, and benefits. This could include photos from corporate events and employee get-togethers, or even a short statement or video from one of your firm’s executives outlining your firm’s mission, vision, and values for the future. You also will want to include any unique benefits of working with your company such as PTO, remote work, health care, 401K or retirement savings, etc. Including these types of elements will help you attract applicants that better align with the individual needs of your firm.
Great examples
Including these features in your engineering website design will help your website stand out from other similar organizations and attract visitors to your site. Below are a few examples of some of the best engineering website designs that embody these features:
