Website Design for Manufacturing Companies
Most B2B buyers research vendor websites before reaching out, so if your manufacturing site is confusing, slow, or lacks detailed product information, they'll simply move on to a competitor without ever contacting you. So, if you still think that website design for manufacturing companies is not something worth investing in… Think again.
Today, we’ll explore why website design matters for manufacturing companies. From navigation, layout, product pages and catalogs, to SEO strategy, responsive design, and CMS, we’ll examine how each choice affects RFQs, customer engagement, and long-term growth for any manufacturing business out there.
Why Is Web Design Now a Critical Part of Running a Manufacturing Company?
To put it simply, your website is where most potential customers first see your operation. It is the public surface of your production capability, quality systems, and service levels.
It’s How Your Manufacturing Capabilities Are Evaluated Before Sales Calls
Modern B2B buyers prefer to self-educate, and most of them say they would rather do their own research than talk to a sales rep early.In manufacturing, that research usually means:
Scanning capabilities and industries served
Checking technical information on product pages
Looking for certifications, lead times, and tolerances
Reviewing case studies and application notes
How you design your website controls how quickly and clearly that information appears.
If your site lacks detailed specs, pricing context, or application information, they move on.
So, make sure your site anticipates their needs by making:
Technical specification tables the center of the product page
Datasheets and manuals easy to download
Case studies and proof points a single click away
It’s How Perspective Buyers Decide If You’re Better Than the Competition
Perspective buyers compare you to other manufacturing companies, whether you like it or not.
Any friction on your site is compared to the best website design they see that day.
Clear layout, strong user experience, and fast performance have become competitive weapons.
On the other hand, if your site looks like a dated template while a competitor shows a clean custom design with clear product specification blocks and strong visuals, you look less capable, even if your plant is better in reality.
How Should a Manufacturing Website Be Structured to Support RFQs and Lead Generation?
Site structure determines whether you get the sales calls or not, so here’s what you should do.
Homepage Should Route Buyers Quickly Into Relevant Paths
The homepage is a routing layer. Web design should make it obvious where the three key groups go:
Buyers who know what process they need (Capabilities / Services)
Buyers who think in finished products (Product Catalog / Product Lines)
Buyers who care about market context (Industries Served / Applications)
Use clear cards or sections with descriptive headings and supporting visuals. Put “Contact us” and “Request a quote” in the header so high-intent visitors never have to hunt.
Core Page Types Must Be Defined and Consistent
A solid manufacturing website design usually has:
Capabilities pages
Product page templates
Industry or application pages
Resources (articles, guides, case studies)
About and facilities
Contact / RFQ
Each type should have a consistent layout: where specs live, where visuals go, where CTAs sit. That consistency cuts cognitive load for repeat site visitors and makes navigation easier for first-timers.
The Site Architecture Should Create Clear Journeys Toward RFQ or Contact
Every major entry point should have a visible next step. From a product page that might be:
Request a quote
Talk to an engineer about this product
Download full technical specification
Architect the site so that the customer journey is always the same four-step process:
Homepage
Capability, Industry, or Product page
Specific product information
RFQ or contact.
How Should Navigation and Information Architecture Be Designed for Manufacturing Buyers?
Navigation is where many industrial businesses lose people because they don’t understand basic web design principles. So, remember these.
Top-level Navigation Must Follow How Buyers Categorize Their Needs
Good manufacturing web design organizes top-level nav like this:
Capabilities / Services
Products / Product Catalog
Industries / Applications
Resources
About
Contact
This matches how engineers and buyers think. They arrive with either a process in mind (“CNC machining,” “robotic welding”), a product type, or an industry-specific problem, so all of those things need to be a click away.
Labels and Grouping Must Be Concrete and Self-explanatory
Avoid vague labels like Solutions or Innovation. Use concrete terms that clearly spell out what it is that you’re offering (or what your visitors are looking for), like:
CNC Machining
Injection Molding
Sheet Metal Fabrication
Automation & Robotics Integration
But don’t get too specific.
Group related items under clear headings in mega-menus where needed. The goal is for a first-time website visitor to know where to click without guessing, and then lead them down the funnel.
Navigation Components Must Work Cleanly on Desktop and Mobile
Navigation design must cover both modes:
For desktop, it’s a sticky header with logo, main nav, and a primary CTA. Mega-menus for large catalogs.
For mobile, it’s a hamburger menu that expands into a clear list with nested items. No tiny tap targets or hidden submenus.
This is basic responsive design, yet many industrial websites still fail here and lose potential customers on phones and tablets.
How Should Product Pages and Technical Information Be Designed for Engineers and Procurement?
Product pages are where buyers decide whether to seriously consider you.
Product Pages Must Have a Predictable Layout That Prioritizes Core Specs
A strong manufacturing website example for product layout would be something like:
Top: product name, short description, key benefit line
Left: product imagery or diagram
Right: key specs and a primary CTA (“Request a quote,” “Download datasheet”)
Below: full technical specification table, materials, tolerances, operating conditions
Footer: related products, application notes, and supporting resources
Of course, other layouts work, too. However, the above has proven to be a gold standard time and again.
Using this pattern across the entire catalog creates a familiar and predictable experience for site visitors, which matters because you want to know their text move and use that to lead them to give you a call or request a quote.
Technical Specification Tables Must Be Readable and Scannable
Visitors should be able to answer “Does this meet my minimum requirements?” with little to no effort. That said, technical specification tables should:
Group related fields (dimensions, performance, environmental, compliance)
Use clear column headings and units
Keep line lengths short for scanning
Avoid cryptic abbreviations without a legend
Downloadable Files Must Sit Where People Expect to Find Them
Datasheets, manuals, CAD models, and safety sheets should be:
Presented as buttons, not buried text links
Labeled simply
Located near the product specification area, above the fold, where possible
How Should Product Catalogs and Search Work for Large Manufacturing Portfolios?
Catalog UX is where industrial website design either scales or collapses.
Category Pages Must Present a Clear, Logical Overview of Product Families
Category pages should:
Use grid or card layouts grouped by clear product families
Present one or two key specs and an image per card
Include short intros that define the family and typical use
From there, users should be one click from an individual product page.
Filtering and Faceted Search Must Match How Buyers Narrow Options
Filters should reflect real selection criteria:
Size or capacity
Material
Voltage, pressure, load ratings
Certification class
Industry-specific tags
Also, implement faceted navigation with live updates so users see filtered results instantly.
Part-number and Keyword Search Must Be Fast and Forgiving
Many engineers will go straight to search because they know exactly what they’re looking for. Good search bar design:
Accepts partial part numbers and common variations
Handles misspellings gracefully
Surfaces the most relevant product pages first
Auto-suggest (if done correctly) is a major plus, too. It can help by showing product names, codes, and categories as the user types.
How Should Layout and Visual Hierarchy Support Fast Decision-making on a Manufacturing Website?
Layout and hierarchy decide whether people find what they need or give up.
Above-the-fold Layouts Must Answer the Key Queries
On every key page (home, capabilities, product page, industry page), the first screen should show:
What this page is about (clear H1)
Who it is for (industries or use cases)
What to do next (CTA or clear navigation options)
Avoid hero sliders and vague taglines.
Static, direct, and focused hero sections with one core message are proven to work better.
Content Blocks Must Prioritize Critical Information
For manufacturing companies, priority goes to:
Capabilities
Technical information
Lead times and tolerances
Certifications
Company history and narrative can wait.
Structure pages so critical information appears in the first two or three content blocks, with supporting story afterward.
As for company history, that’s what the About Us page is for.
Typography, Spacing, and Grouping Must Be Skimmable
Chances are, some of your pages will be filled with technical information. To ensure you don’t scare the visitors away, make strategic, but practical decisions, and go for:
Larger headings for key sections, clear H2/H3 hierarchy
14–18px body text with comfortable line height for readability
Short paragraphs, frequent use of bullets for technical details
Consistent spacing between sections so patterns are predictable
How Should Visual Elements Build Trust in Your Manufacturing Business?
Visuals give buyers evidence that you are real and competent.
Use Real Photos of Facilities, People, and Equipment
Invest in photography of:
Exterior and interior facility shots
Production lines, robots, cells, and workstations
Quality control labs and testing rigs
People doing real work, not posed stock models
Use these visuals on the homepage, capabilities pages, and key product pages. That is how an industrial company shows scale and seriousness.
Stock images can work, but they’re not a better option here.
Imagery and Color Must Clarify, Not Distract
Colors aren’t just a choice when building a website. While we delve into color theory, it is advisable to choose a restrained color palette that keeps text legible and CTAs visible.
As for images, they need to be there to support and enhance the content on the page, not to fill space.
Videos Must Be Embedded Where They Add Clarity
Video is an interactive element that can deepen customer engagement if it is directly tied to a decision the buyer needs to make. However, it can also be distracting or even useless if used incorrectly.
Videos generally work best when:
Placed alongside the relevant capability or product
Focused on showing how a process works or what a system does
Kept under a couple of minutes so they don’t slow page load excessively
How Should Case Studies Be Presented to Reduce Buyer Risk?
Trust signals need deliberate placement and design.
Case Studies Must Be Structured Around Problem, Solution, and Measurable Results
Effective industrial case study pages use a consistent structure:
Problem: what the customer could not do before
Solution: what you built or delivered
Results: numbers on throughput, scrap, downtime, cost, or lead time
Design these pages like product pages. Elaborate on the problem, offer a visible summary of the process, and end with a clear, measurable result.
Of course, visual elements, testimonials, and direct quotes are always welcome.
How Do Technical Performance and SEO-friendly Structure Help Buyers Find Your Manufacturing Website?
SEO and performance exist to get the right site visitors to the right content with minimal friction.
Site Architecture and Page Structure Must Be Clear and Organized
SEO strategy starts with architecture:
Clean URL structure
Logical internal linking between related products, capabilities, and industries
Sitemaps that reflect your actual offer, not a random page list
This makes it easier for a search engine to crawl and for users to navigate.
Speaking of navigation, we said earlier that some of your visitors (mainly engineers) will search with precision. You need to allow them to do so by:
Being precise, correct, and consistent with H1s
Be technical in product specification and capabilities blocks
Keep the copy clear enough for non-technical decision-makers
Remember, you are not stuffing keywords trying to sway the search engine.
You are aligning the site language with how your buyers talk.
Page Load Times Must Remain Low Across the Whole Catalog
Studies continue to show that slow pages convert worse. Even a one-second delay can reduce conversion rates by a significant margin, and pages loading in 5+ seconds can see conversion rates fall to roughly half of fast pages.
With that in mind, focusing on the design and website development decisions that matter is be a good idea:
Use compressed imagery and modern formats
Lazy-load non-critical media
Minimize blocking scripts and third-party tags
Use caching and a CDN where appropriate
Also, performance must be consistent across all product pages, not just the homepage.
Your product page is the bottom of your funnel, and if you don’t deliver at the finish line, everything else might’ve been in vain.
Responsive behavior must be built into templates, not bolted on
Responsive design is a foundation for good user experience, whether the visits are coming from a phone or a laptop. In fact, mobile search accounts for around 60% of global web traffic, and your buyers are part of that.
So, build responsive templates that:
Reflow spec tables into stacked formats on small screens
Keep CTAs visible without overwhelming the viewport
Maintain clear typography and spacing across devices
How Should RFQ Forms and CTAs Be Designed for Maximum Conversion?
Conversion mechanics are where website design directly touches revenue.
RFQ Forms Must Collect Essential Information With Minimal Friction
Design RFQ forms to be simple and concise. You can always gather more details later. Its job is to capture serious intent, not outline the entire plan.
Focus on core fields only:
Contact info
Company
Project description
Key technical requirements (if necessary)
Also, make sure the design is well-thought-out.
The fields should be logically grouped across general and technical info. They must include clear validation and error messages so there’s no confusion on the buyer’s end. And yes, RFQ forms need to be mobile-friendly.
Also, RFQ forms triggered from a product page should carry context:
Hidden field with product ID or URL
Optional dropdown for related configurations
That lets your sales or applications team respond faster with relevant questions instead of starting from scratch.
CTAs Must Be Placed at Specific Decision Points on Key Page Types
Strong manufacturing website design will rely on consistent and tested CTA patterns:
Header: Contact us or Request a quote on every page
Product page: CTA near product specifications and at the bottom
Resources and case studies: CTA after the content, tied to the topic
Text should also be direct. Avoid vague CTAs like Learn more where the real action is a quote request.
How Should Analytics and Testing Drive Ongoing Improvements to Your Manufacturing Website?
Analytics are not just reporting tools. Analytics are your best friend when it comes to website design, because they identify areas for improvement. They just need to be set up properly.
Baseline Analytics Must Reveal How Different Buyer Types Move Through the Site
Configure Google Analytics or similar tools to show:
Entry pages by channel (organic search, direct, Google Ads, referrals)
Paths from landing pages to RFQs or exits
Behavior on key templates: product pages, capabilities, industries
Segment where possible between audiences like “engineering content visitors” and “general visitors” based on the pages they view.
Make sure to track:
RFQ submissions
Contact us form submissions
Datasheet and technical download clicks
Use that to see which layouts, page types, and content clusters produce the most qualified leads. When (or if) you change a product page layout, watch how those metrics respond.
Design Experiments Must Be Driven by Hard Data, Not Intuition
Use behavior data (scroll depth, click maps, form drop-offs) to decide:
When to simplify navigation
Where to move CTAs
How to restructure product information blocks
Treat your manufacturing website as a live system. Adjust web design based on how real site visitors use it, not just on internal preferences.
What Should a CMS Make Easy for Your Business?
A CMS either supports your web design or fights it, so choose yours wisely.
Editing and Publishing Must Be Kept Simple
Manufacturing companies change capabilities, add SKUs, and update certifications regularly. Now, that’s not a problem. That’s a reality.
However, if every change needs a developer, your technical information will always lag behind.
That’s where CMS comes in. The one you choose must make it easy for you or your team to:
Edit product pages and spec tables through structured fields
Add new products without breaking the layout
Update capabilities and industries pages as offers evolve
Modular Blocks Must Support Repeatable Layouts
Good CMS design for industrial businesses includes reusable blocks for:
Spec tables
Product highlights
Case study layouts
Industry and application sections
RFQ forms and contact blocks
This keeps the custom website design consistent and reduces build time for new pages.
SEO and URL Management Must Be Handled Inside the CMS
Your team should be able to:
Edit page titles and meta descriptions
Manage redirects when URLs change
Set canonical URLs for duplicate content
Edit alt text on imagery
Caboose, the CMS built by The Nine, exposes these controls in an admin interface and was developed specifically to support custom website projects. It gives manufacturing companies:
Drag-and-drop layout tools tied to predefined components
Structured content types for product pages, resources, and marketing pages
User permissions so marketing can edit content while development controls templates and complex website development work
That makes continuous SEO optimization and structural tweaks feasible without custom development every time.
For a manufacturing website design agency like The Nine, that combination lets the design system and CMS work together instead of against each other.
How Does Nine Approach Website Design for Manufacturing Companies?
Nine builds custom websites for industrial businesses on top of Caboose, with a tight focus on structure, UX, and performance. The work revolves around:
Designing navigation and information architecture around real buyer mental models
Creating clear, repeatable product page and product catalog templates
Implementing responsive design and performance best practices from day one
Wiring RFQ flows, CTAs, and analytics into the layout so results are measurable
The result is not just “web design,” but a manufacturing website that behaves like a serious sales and information system.
What to Do If You Want Your Manufacturing Website to Perform Better?
If you run a manufacturing company, treat this article as a checklist. Look at your current website design and ask:
Can buyers find the right product page in two clicks?
Do product pages show clean technical specifications and downloads?
Is the product catalog usable, filterable, and searchable?
Are RFQ forms simple, contextual, and mobile-ready?
Can your team update product information and SEO without a developer?
If the answer to several (or just one) of those is no, the next move is simple. Talk with us about your goals, constraints, and current site, and we’ll redesign or rebuild your manufacturing website to match your capabilities and provide potential customers a clear, fast, and credible way to choose you.