There’s a lot of attention given these days to the SEO and navigation aspects of B2B websites…and most marketers are aware that sites should have gobs of helpful content, news and links. But what about the initial messaging and information presented on the home page? It either quickly makes a connection with people who don’t know your company or what you do, or it doesn’t.
So here it is… my rating system for B2B marketing-oriented website home pages. Completely subjective and yet somehow slightly scientific. I call it Core Score. It’s not about the look or the navigation…it’s about value propositions and specifics. There are 12 potential points in the basic tally. I’m also, however, going to add bonus points and some subtractions (more on this later).
Links to home pages that demonstrate each of the six home page attributes are included below.
Three points each for:
==Home page succinctly states what the company actually does (3 points)
Examples: see Truecar, First Solar
==Quantifies benefits in terms of cost reduction, time, ease, efficiency, and/or productivity (3 points)
See Freight Center, Riverbed, or Johnson Controls
==States two or more customer challenges that can be solved by product/service (3 points)
See Telogis, Cybersource, Sourcefire
One point each for:
==Text links to specific problem-solving ideas (1 point)
==Links to testimonials/examples (in addition to access from main nav bar) (1 point)
Many examples: one is Johnson Controls
==News headline and link (1 point)
Many examples; see Autodesk
In upcoming posts, I’ll calculate total Core Scores for individual home pages for companies in the tech sector and other industries. Your input on selections and scoring-weight are welcome.
Strategic Outreach 
This is really interesting, Dave. This sort of prioritization is greatly needed in the B2B world.
I can think of exceptions for a few of your metrics, but this is a great way to evaluate a site. I look forward to seeing your rating system in action!