Field note, Information architecture

Service or industry? Why the best B2B sites offer two ways in

Some buyers know the job they need done. Others only know their product. Good navigation serves both in one click.

Key takeaways

  • Buyers arrive knowing either the service they need or the industry they are in, rarely both.
  • Offer both routes from the main navigation, each to its own page.
  • Every service and industry page becomes its own search entry point.

Two buyers, one site

A procurement manager might search for “contract manufacturing partner Europe”. A product founder might search for “manufacturer for cosmetic packaging”. The first knows the job; the second knows only the product. A site organised around one of these leaves the other guessing.

What we built for a European sourcing company

The client offered seven services across six product industries. We gave each its own page and put both lists in the navigation, so a buyer can confirm fit in one click whichever way they think. That created 13 dedicated pages and 13 entry points from search.

  • Service pages explain the job, the process and the risk it removes.
  • Industry pages speak to the product, its materials and typical requirements.
  • Both link to each other and end in the same clear next step.

Explain the process to lower the risk

Cautious buyers want to know what happens after they say yes. A six-step process, from understanding the brief to delivery, answered that question on every page.

Questions people ask

Won’t two navigation routes confuse people?

Not if both are short and labelled in customer language. Most people simply pick the one that matches how they think and ignore the other.

Put it into practice. Get a second pair of eyes.

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