Usually for structural reasons: visitors cannot tell quickly who the site serves, claims carry no proof, the only next step is a contact form, prices are hidden, and pages describe the company instead of the buyer's problem. Fix those in order, then measure which pages produce enquiries.
A B2B website fails to generate leads when a qualified visitor cannot quickly answer three questions: is this for a business like mine, can they really do it, and what happens if I get in touch. The fixes are structural: say who you serve, put proof beside every claim, offer a low-commitment first step, signal your price range and write about the buyer's problem. Then measure which pages produce enquiries.
The stakes are higher than they look. LinkedIn's B2B Institute, drawing on research with the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute, estimates that about 95% of potential buyers are not ready to buy at any given time. That figure describes the whole market, not your website traffic, but the lesson carries over: many visitors will be researching, comparing or filing you away for later, and a site that only works for someone ready to sign today has nothing to offer them.
- how quickly visitors often leave a web page (Nielsen, 2011)
- 10 to 20 s
- how quickly visitors often leave a web page (Nielsen, 2011)
- of potential B2B buyers are in the market at any given time (LinkedIn B2B Institute)
- 5%
- of potential B2B buyers are in the market at any given time (LinkedIn B2B Institute)
01
Say who you serve in the first ten seconds
Jakob Nielsen's 2011 analysis of Microsoft Research data, covering 205,873 web pages and more than two billion page visits, found that people often leave a page within 10 to 20 seconds, and that a page has to communicate its value within about 10 seconds to earn a longer look. A slogan does not do that.
Replace it with one plain sentence that names the customer, the service and the result. A hypothetical example: 'Industrial valves for process plants across Kerala, supplied and serviced within 48 hours.' Then let visitors sort themselves, with separate paths for each buyer type or industry. Nielsen Norman Group's B2B research recommends customer segments that are clearly defined and mutually exclusive, so nobody has to guess which path is theirs.
Test it on someone outside the business. Show them the homepage on a phone for ten seconds, close it, and ask who the company serves and what it would do for them. If they cannot say, neither can a buyer.
02
Put proof beside every claim
Claims without evidence read as decoration. Proof means named clients where you have their permission, specific numbers, before-and-after results and short case studies that set out the situation, the work and the outcome. Place each piece next to the claim it supports rather than collecting everything on one testimonials page. Our guide to case studies that sell covers the structure.
Proof also has to agree with itself. Check that your service pages, brochures, proposals and LinkedIn profiles describe the same offer, capacity and terms. A buyer who finds two different answers to the same question has no reason to trust either, and in a B2B purchase more than one person is usually checking.
03
Offer a first step smaller than a sales call
If only about one buyer in twenty is in the market, a site whose only option is 'Contact us' asks the other nineteen for a commitment they are not ready to make. Offer steps that match where they are: a free assessment, a 20-minute scoping call, a price estimator, a spec sheet, a sample report or a WhatsApp button for quick questions.
Keep every form short. Nielsen Norman Group's first form guideline is to remove any field whose answer you could work out another way, collect later or simply do without, since every field you cut can raise the share of people who finish. Present fields in a single column, put labels close to the fields they describe, and mark the optional ones.
B2B purchases are rarely impulsive; most commonly, they are the result of a long, complex decision-making process
04
Signal your price band
Hidden prices mostly make good-fit buyers work harder. Nielsen Norman Group advises B2B sites to show exact prices where they can and, where they cannot, sample prices for common scenarios or simple calculators, because early-stage buyers need a range before they can seek budget approval. It also notes that published prices act as a filter, so your sales team spends less time on leads who cannot afford you.
You do not need a rate card. A starting-from figure, a typical range with the factors that move it, or one worked example is enough. We made the full case in should a service business publish its prices.
05
Write about the buyer's problem, not your company
Many service pages open with the company's history and a list of capabilities. Buyers arrive with a problem: an audit deadline, a supplier who let them down, a production line that keeps stopping. Start from that problem, explain how you solve it, and say what it typically costs and how long it takes. A hypothetical before and after: 'Founded in 1998, we are a leading valve supplier' becomes 'Valves failing inspection? We assess your line within a week and tell you what to replace first.'
Write for both audiences in the purchase. Nielsen Norman Group separates the choosers, who weigh cost, reliability, integration effort and return, from the users, who care about specifications, daily use and support after the sale, and a page has to speak to both. Google applies a similar test to content: it says its systems aim to prioritise helpful, reliable information created to benefit people, and it treats pages made mainly to attract search visits as a warning sign.
06
Measure which pages produce enquiries
If you cannot see which pages lead to enquiries, you cannot improve any of them. In Google Analytics 4, mark the actions that matter as key events: form submissions, taps on your phone number, WhatsApp clicks and brochure downloads. A standard property allows up to 30 key events, more than a small business needs. Our guide to privacy-first analytics covers the rest of a lean setup.
Then add the step that is easiest to skip: ask every new lead how they found you and record the answer in your CRM. Review both every month. Pages that draw visitors but no key events are where the five fixes should start.
What to do this quarter
| Fix | What the visitor should see | Quick test |
|---|---|---|
| Who you serve | One sentence naming customer, service and result | Can a stranger repeat it after ten seconds? |
| Proof | Evidence beside each claim | Does every service page show a result? |
| First step | An option smaller than a sales call | Is there more than one way to start? |
| Price signal | A range, a starting figure or a worked example | Could a buyer budget before calling? |
| Buyer's problem | Pages that open with the customer's situation | Does the first line mention them or you? |
- Rewrite the first sentence of your homepage to name the customer, the service and the result.
- Add one piece of proof to every service page.
- Add a low-commitment first step beside the contact form.
- Publish a starting price, a typical range or a worked example.
- Rewrite the opening of your three busiest service pages around the buyer's problem.
- Set up key events in Google Analytics 4, and ask every lead where they found you.
Sources
Facts current as of 30 January 2026.