Since the manufacturing and industrial industries are very hands-on, it is important that website design for a business in these industries make a lasting impression on its visitors by telling the brand’s story. Some of the best manufacturing websites pay close attention to imagery to attract the attention of new customers, as well as present their business in a highly engaging and professional way to attract the most qualified individuals for potential applications with their company.
After evaluating some of the best manufacturing website designs, we’ve determined some of the features that should be prioritized to attract and engage new clients:
- A manufacturing website should be reliable through good performance, security, and simple navigation
- Industrial and manufacturing companies should always have responsive designs that allows visitors to view services from virtually anywhere through a desktop, mobile, or tablet device
- Some of the best manufacturing websites include various types of content that help showcase past projects such as project galleries, client case studies and testimonials
- Manufacturing websites should include engaging online content such as a blog or news section to create industry awareness
- The best manufacturing websites clearly outline services offered and types of clients they work with
- Manufacturing websites should contain “call to action” areas throughout the website, such as “contact us”, “click to learn more”, or “request a free quote” to help increase conversion rates
- The best manufacturing websites personalize their brand through professional photography, consistent branding, and use of video
- Industrial and manufacturing websites should include a detailed careers page to recruit top talent for your firm that includes executive bios and awards or recognition
- Industrial websites should always include value statements — such as competitive advantages, company mission and vision, description of company culture, and employee bios
Security and Trust
Let’s start with the basics of user experience. Having a manufacturing website that performs well and is secure is more important than you think. Both performance and security actually affect search engine optimization, with less secure and poor performing websites being ranked lower by search engines. A 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.
These elements also help create a sense of reliability, which has an overall impact on your brand image. In order to maintain a high level of security and performance, you will want to consider website maintenance services after the redesign of your new manufacturing website. You also want to make sure your website is easy to navigate so visitors can find information they are looking for fairly quickly.
Responsive Design
Having a manufacturing website that is responsive across all devices is also considered an important component for website design. 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. Any potential clients that might be accessing your company’s website from a mobile device will need to be able to view important details, like your service page, client reviews, or past projects, otherwise they will look elsewhere for other similar businesses. This can contribute to a high bounce rate due to frustration with the website. Responsive design is also a factor in search engine optimization, with well-optimized websites ranking higher in search results.
Clear Outline of Your Services and Industries Served
When someone comes to your manufacturing website, you want it to be extremely clear about what industries you serve and the products and services you can offer to showcase your industry expertise. Since every manufacturing business has their own levels of expertise and areas of specialization, this will help a new visitor determine if your services are relevant to what they are looking for, and prevent any wasted time searching your website for this information. You also will want to briefly summarize your services on the homepage to help visitors find key information they are looking for quickly.
Content Creation
Industrial and manufacturing websites no longer just serve as a place to find contact information or an office location. To compete with similar firms in terms of lead generation, your manufacturing website should engage visitors online with interesting content that is relative to your industry. Not only does new content help in telling your brand’s story, but it also helps them identify you as a leader in your industry. So what types of content should you include on your manufacturing website? Below are a few examples:
- Blog posts- could discuss innovations, news, or anything that relates to manufacturing and your field of expertise to show you are a leader in the industry
- Client testimonials or case studies- testimonials are an essential component of any great website, as they give real life examples of how your company has helped businesses with projects that might be similar to the needs of a prospective client. You may choose to include full case studies to showcase a project from start to finish, or just include a short testimonial statement from the viewpoint of a particular client.
- Resource section- could include different documents relating to your industry that clients or potential job applicants might find helpful
Call to Action Areas
To improve online conversion rates and lead generation for your industrial website, you should include “call to action” areas where visitors can further engage with your business. For a manufacturing company specifically, this could include buttons to “request a quote”or “contact a representative.” Inclusion of forms is another great way to improve conversion rates. These forms could have visitors enter contact information and any questions they may have for your manufacturing company. The more information you are able to collect from a visitor, the more opportunity your firm will have for further communication and follow ups with website visitors.
Photography and Video
A great manufacturing website should include great imagery and other media to showcase past projects in an engaging and memorable way. Stock photography can look outdated and give less of a personal feel to your company’s website, which may hurt your brand’s image. Video can also be a great way to tell your brand’s story, and you may want to consider including one on your homepage to provide a snapshot of your projects and executive team.
To better engage qualified applicants to your manufacturing website, you will also want to include an executive section that includes a short bio and headshot of any top players in your company. This will help applicants understand the company’s visions and values, as well as the overall expertise that your company provides its clients.
Consistent Branding
You want to keep your manufacturing companies online branding consistent throughout your website design. Keep your firm’s logo, website color choices, and content presentation professional and consistent for the best impression online.
A Full Careers Page
Since manufacturing companies are looking to recruit qualified talent, you want to make sure your website includes a detailed careers page within your industrial website. This will help improve lead generation rates for your manufacturing website. Instead of just listing open positions, make sure to include some information about your company culture and values. This could include photos from corporate events, or even a short statement or video from one of your company’s executives outlining your firm’s mission, vision, and values for the future. You also will want to include benefits of working with your company. Including these types of elements will help you attract applicants that better align with the individual needs of your firm.
Inclusion of Value Statements
Some of the best manufacturing website designs will also include value statements within the home page of their industrial website. Value statements help visitors understand your specialities and lines of service, as well as explain why to choose you over a competitor or similar organization. Below are a few examples of value statements you could include in your website design:
- Competitive Advantages
- Including Badges of Any Awards Received
- Employee Bios (Including educational background and experience)
- Statistics (That support your company’s success such as overall projects completed, industries served, or years in business)
- Company culture (What does it look like to work for your business? This can be great for potential applicants for your organization)
- Company mission and vision statement (What does your manufacturing company hope to accomplish or expand upon in the future? How are you working towards these goals?)
Below are some examples of some of the best manufacturing website designs and the features they embody:
Pelican
Features:
- Inclusion of landing page for product discount helps improve online conversions
- Creation of image gallery on homepage helps showcase different products
- Content featured includes survival stories as an impactful way to present client case studies
Seagate
Features:
- Inclusion of Service Overview right on the homepage
- Section on industry innovations to diversify from competition
- Full blog on website
FCX
Features:
- Inclusion of Service Overview right on the homepage
- Lots of content on homepage for engagement including news releases, presentations and key documents
- Full careers page
Protolabs
Features:
- Inclusion of Call to Action on homepage to “request a quote”
- Inclusion of client testimonials and logos of notable brands they have worked with
- Full resources section
Beechcraft
Features:
- Inclusion of Call to Action on homepage to “contact a sales rep”
- Great use of product imagery
- Inclusion of recent twitter social media posts to keep visitors engaged
T-L
Features:
- Video on homepage showcasing their products fully made in the USA
- Full resources section including news and testimonials from clients
- Inclusion of social media profile links at the bottom of homepage
Xometry
Features:
- Call to action area to “Get Your Instant Quote”
- Impact statement on homepage noting that they have over 5,000 suppliers
- Full resources section available including a blog, case studies and design guides
Stora Enso
Features:
- Full solutions overview right on homepage
- Inclusion of recent news and notable press releases
- Links to all social media profiles at the bottom of the homepage
UVify
Features:
- Call to action to “Request a Quote”
- Inclusion of chat functionality for visitors to have questions answered immediately
- PR/Newsroom section includes a press kit, videos and company newsletter
Sypris Electronics
Features:
- Section on Markets they serve such as defense, space, medical etc to help visitors find relevant information quickly
- Full careers page for new applicants
- Full list of certifications to show their companies experience and credentials
Trinity Rail
Features:
- Great use of video on homepage to tell their brand’s story
- Full innovation section to showcase their industry positioning
- Use of statistics to showcase company impact (such as 125,000 total rail cars built)
Lear
Features:
- Use of video to help tell their brands story
- Full careers section defining company culture and brand’s mission and values
- Inclusion of newsroom content
Electrical Heat
Features:
- Company bio on homepage stating industries they serve, years of experience and worldwide impact
- Full product overview
- List of upcoming events on homepage
Carpenter technology
Features:
- Full innovation section showcasing their results driven manufacturing technology
- Resource section includes full blog, technical information, videos and case studies
- Full careers section describes company culture and employee benefits
Text Tech Industries
Features:
- Statement of brand positioning on homepage as the leader in high performance materials
- Overview of industries served
- Full resources section available including case studies and a document library
NTS Unitek
Features:
- Includes client testimonial accessible right from the homepage
- Badges included for business certifications and registrations
- Full service page breaks down key features and provides links to additional information
Autel Drones
Features:
- Great use of relevant drone imagery to capture visitors attention
- Summary of notable products and features on homepage
- Section for technical support and warranty information creates brand reliability and trust in their products
Aero Space
Features:
- Who We Are section provides company insight on mission, vision and values
- Full blog and client success stories included on website
- Call to action area to ‘Launch Your Custom Quote”
CAM
Features:
- Value proposition on homepage helps give visitors a sense of the brands mission and values
- Use of statistics showcases company size, total employees and company divisions
- Full careers section lists employee benefits and advancement opportunities
Caterpillar
Features:
- Includes links to important business news and updates
- Features lots of relevant content such as downloadable reports, news and social media updates
- Great use of relevant imagery to better tell the brand’s story
Velodyne Lidar Solutions
Features:
- Lists most recent news updates right on the homepage
- Includes logos of notable partners right on the homepage to create trust in their solutions
- Includes badges of awards received on homepage with call to action to learn more about each award
Tesla Solar Panels
Features:
- Includes full savings calculator feature on website to show value of their solar panel products
- Includes video showing uses of solar panels and short snippet on installation processes
- Call to action to buy their solar panels right on the homepage to increase online conversions
Evco
Features:
- Includes interactive map to show all manufacturing locations
- Includes imagery and outline of industries served with links to learn more
- Includes call to action area to subscribe to their online newsletter
American Woodmark
Features:
- Inclusion of video on the homepage to demonstrate business processes
- Full blog includes organization tips and design strategies for homeowners
- Inclusion of a community service section showcases brand involvement and how they give back to others
Shaklee
Features:
- Inclusion of mission statement right on the homepage helps tell brand’s story
- Links to product promotions and discounts helps improve online conversions
- Full blog for tips on healthy living
Willbur- Ellis
Features:
- Includes recent news and updates right on the homepage
- Full careers section showcases brand mission and values, key hiring areas and employee benefits
- 100th anniversary section showcases brand impact through a timeline, lessons learned through the years and thoughts for the future
As you can see from the above manufacturing website design examples, they prioritize more than just the look and feel of the design itself. Instead, these manufacturing websites also serve as tools that will improve online lead generation, search engine optimization, increased site visitation and user experience. Before hiring an agency for your next industrial design project, you can consider the list of questions below to ask when evaluating which agency might best suit your needs.
- What types of manufacturing companies has your business worked with previously for website design projects?
- How do your website designs seek to improve other important metrics susch as increased website visitation, lead generation, online conversions and search engine rankings?
- Is your company a full service agency? Do you assist with marketing and website maintenance after the project is completed?
- What types of communication does your agency use throughout the design process for my manufacturing website? What is your estimated response time?
- Does your agency offer unlimited creative revisions with your website design projects?
- What types of research and analysis do you do on my industry before getting started on my website design project?
- Are your website designs mobile friendly?
Need help with your manufacturing website design? Alliance Interactive is a full-service Washington, DC based digital agency and a leader in custom website design that helps attract new visitors and improve online conversions.
To get started with us, just give us a call at 888-222-9056 or contact us online today!
Website Design FAQ
Does Alliance Interactive offer custom website design?
Yes! Alliance Interactive is a full service digital agency offering fully custom manufacturing website design. Our team works closely with key stakeholders at your manufacturing company to develop an interactive design that aligns with your brand image and is optimized for improved online conversions and better search engine results. Each project of ours includes a discovery and information gathering phase, where we work to fully understand each of our clients goals and explore the current competitive landscape before planning the website design structure. We will then develop a brand new website with an impressive visual design, fully custom content and backend structure that makes updates easier than ever for website administrators.
Does Alliance Interactive offer website maintenance services as well?
Yes! Alliance Interactive not only offers fully custom web design services, but will also take care of any website maintenance after a project is completed. Our website maintenance experts will handle all necessary updates and monitoring for your current website, as well as provide ongoing feedback for new improvements that could be made to help improve your online lead generation and inbound marketing strategy.
How does Alliance Interactive differ from other agencies offering manufacturing website design services?
Alliance Interactive is not just a website design company, we have our clients best interests when developing each project. We include the following in each of our website design projects:
- Over 17 years of industry experience working with other industrial and manufacturing companies on website design projects
- Full collaboration with key stakeholders throughout each project
- Unlimited creative revisions
- Full research and information gathering phase to fully understand the current manufacturing and industrial competitive landscape
- Planning and development phase for an improved organizational structure and better user experience
- Development of custom content and photography for your new manufacturing website
- Creation of new online branding and marketing materials
- Development of a brand new website and custom backend for easier website administration
- Testing and quality assurance
- Improved online lead generation efforts through inclusion of call to action areas throughout the website design
- Website maintenance and digital marketing services are also available after the project is completed
How long will it take to create my new manufacturing website?
On average, website design projects with Alliance Interactive take anywhere from three to nine months to complete. The pace of each project depends on the complexity of the website and the amount of content that will need to be created for the new web design. Since we also offer unlimited creative revisions, feedback will also play a role in the total time required to create the new design.
Does Alliance Interactive only work with local manufacturing companies?
No, Alliance Interactive offers fully remote custom website design projects. We offer an extensive online toolset for better online collaboration and communication of design needs and updates to ensure the project best reflects the needs of your brand.
How much input is allowed throughout the web design process?
Alliance Interactive wants its clients to have as much creative input as possible to ensure our projects best align with our clients needs. We do this through frequent communication throughout each step of the design process including:
- Research and planning phases
- Analytics review
- Website design structure
- Website development and functionality requirements
- Content planning
- Branding and photography
- Website design revisions
- Lead generation and digital marketing strategy
Do you offer website hosting and maintenance services?
Yep, Alliance Interactive is a full service digital agency. We believe that websites should always be evolving and growing as business needs change over time, and we will provide you with the tools to help make that happen. We offer monthly website maintenance, hosting and support services to keep your new website functioning optimally, while also providing ongoing feedback for any new updates that can help improve your businesses user experience and lead generation strategy.
Will I be able to update the website once the project is finished?
Yes! Alliance Interactive provides all of the necessary tools and training to set you up for success. We will develop a brand new backend for your website to make content administration and updates easier than ever. We also include a full employee training phase during the website design project to make sure administrators have the skills they need to make any necessary updates to their manufacturing website’s current content.
What CMS platforms does Alliance Interactive use for its manufacturing website design projects?
Alliance Interactive specializes in design and development of Drupal and WordPress websites. These CMS platforms offer a high level of functionality and content presentation flexibility, making them a great choice when creating a custom website design. These platforms are also very user friendly, perform well and offer a high level of security for visitors online.
Will my new manufacturing website be mobile friendly?
Yes! Alliance Interactive understands the need for a mobile friendly website for improved search rankings and a better user experience. Each of the designs we create will be optimized for responsiveness across all desktop, mobile and tablet devices so visitors can access your website from virtually anywhere.