Identifying upgrades and additions to your web site is a critical part of 2010 planning. Perhaps you are considering a complete re-design, or you’ve been told you need a “Web 2.0” version of your web site. If you’ve already added engagement and sharing elements to your b2b site and are participating in social media, you may be wondering what the rumblings about Web 3.0 (a highly debated term) mean to b2b marketers.

I don’t believe in web site “versioning,” but if you are uncertain as to which tools, technologies, and buzzwords fall under each label, here’s a brief overview of a huge topic with a range of opinions and theories.

Web 1.0 - One way information flow
Web 1.0 was the Web as an information portal. Content was owned. Everyone had their own little personal corner in cyberspace.
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Facing limited budgets, and audiences with even more limited attention spans, more marketers are turning to social media. While sites like Facebook and MySpace are obvious choices for reaching young consumers, b2b marketers have been slower to embrace---or see the proven value in---social networking sites for reaching business-to-business audiences. Purely social sites might not be right, but community sites that provide valuable content are a viable vehicle for reaching btob targets--if approached with discipline.

The prospect of adding social media to your marketing mix may seem daunting. For some companies, it’s difficult to accept the loss of control, relinquishing the ability to manage how information is disseminated. But the control is already gone. In the blogsphere, in forums and communities, your business users are already talking. It’s just a matter of whether or not you want to listen and talk back.

By participating in social media, the
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More sophisticated sites offer product comparisons and tools that enable customers to better choose their own solutions. But even something as simple as a brochure, offered as a free downloadable pdf, can go a long way towards deepening the relationship between you and potential customers.

As you provide customers with tools and information, remember to instill a level of confidence. Customer testimonials are helpful, but only if they are genuine and presented well.

Validation from outside sources, like trade organizations and government agencies, also goes a long way toward instilling confidence in your company. Consider including their logos on your Web site where visitors will see them.
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In a web 2.0 world, it is becoming a continuous struggle to stay on top of SEO best practices. Staying at the basics, companies need to understand that SEO is moving more to quality as opposed to quantity.

In the past many companies got on the SEO bandwagon by focusing primarily on Meta data. Between meta tags and meta keywords, companies spent more time and effort on the meta information than on the web content itself.

Businesses need to understand that the SEO landscape is constantly evolving. No longer are web spiders just looking at meta data. They’re looking at more important information about a site to determine how high it should rank. Here are some basics for business to business marketers.

Consider focusing your meta descriptions and keywords around solutions and not just hardware. Traditionally, customers are looking to solve problems, not just to look at equipment.
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