Top Five Manufacturing Websites in 2022 and Why

The manufacturing sector is a crucial part of the global economy. It’s undergone a digital transformation in recent years. As the average customer becomes more tech savvy, manufacturing websites become more essential. Here, we look at the top 5 favourite manufacturing websites of 2022 and what makes them stand out.

Before we begin, let’s take a look at features that make for a great manufacturing website:

• It’s optimized for user conversion. Websites must do work. A good website offers clear calls-to-action and a simple path to get in touch.
• There’s a strategy. The website is built with the target audience in mind and serves the business goals.
• The website’s load time is fast to avoid losing bored users.
• Great design both on desktop and mobile. Interesting imagery and graphics, powerful messaging and valuable content for the intended audience.
• Creativity and innovation. Industrial websites don’t need to be boring. Great industrial websites engage their audience with exciting design elements.

Why is straightforward website navigation important for good user experience (UX)?

Customers shouldn’t need to solve a puzzle to find what they need. While creative design is essential, there is a time and place to be boring. Logical, consistent, and expected navigation structure supports lead generation.

Navigation built with the customer in mind delivers them the content they want as quickly as possible. Use expected conventions and design cues to lead your users toward taking action.

Websites that neglect user experience research and planning frustrate their users. After a few seconds of confusion, web customers look elsewhere for a solution. Just like that, you’ve lost a customer!

Making the complex simple: EMC Canada

Ah, the power of an efficient search bar.

For websites with many pages and topics, the best navigation may be a powerful site search tool.

Canadian-based Excellence in Manufacturing Consortium is just that kind of site. It combines a powerful mega-menu with robust search tools. Users may browse program offerings, or use search to get what they need directly.

EMC’s website is attractive but simple. The design incorporates the brand well. With a focus on simplicity and usability, EMC’s website is one of our favourites.

For example, the WILWorks program page does a great job. It uses contextual header tabs that change depending on the user. The program is thus able to exist on one page, rather than several.

Bonus point: The website doesn’t rely on image headers and other design elements that require frequent changes to stay relevant. This reduces maintenance and overhead for site managers.

Enticing manufacturing: Makers Bolt

Who knew black-coated fasteners could look this cool?

Manufacturing is often unsexy. It can be tricky to market products in a field where function matters over form.

Makers Bolt tried something different. They made manufacturing sexy. Built with a less-is-more approach, this website emphasizes the simplicity of its products.

This is what we mean by innovative design with efficient navigation. The design captures your attention, but the navigation is sensible and unobtrusive.

The catalogue is easy to use, with essential filters for finding the right product. Each product page features at-a-glance information without needing to click or scroll. This ensures that the user gets what they need as simply as possible.

By selling their products through Amazon, Makers Bolt ensures purchasing is easy for businesses and consumers alike.

Bonus point: The fun and no-fuss brand permeates every page and graphic. The visual consistency is powerful.

Video and robots, a match made in heaven: Rapid Robotics

What’s cooler than robots? Nothing. That’s a fact.

One of our predicted marketing trends for 2023 is the advent of affordable and omnipresent video.

The Rapid Robotics website combines robots (cool) with video (also cool) to great effect. Combining playful animations with real-world video pop-outs communicates the product benefits in a simple but visual way. We immediately learn that their product is easy, quick to install, and a powerful tool for any assembly line.

Site navigation is straightforward, leveraging video demos when appropriate. What I really like is how clear the message is. Too many manufacturing brands get caught up in buzzwords and big concepts. Rapid Robotics boils it down. The problem? Labour shortages. The solution? Robots.

Bonus point: One thing at a time. Rapid Robotics does a great job of breaking down its messaging. It uses lots of screen space to communicate one idea before moving on to the next. This “Apple-like” approach to design communicates thoughtfulness and quality to prospective customers.

Built with the users in mind: Soucy

Strategy is essential for top manufacturing websites. Strategic design considers the needs of customers rather than only focusing on looks.

The Soucy website was built with a target audience in mind. It’s attractively designed while serving the group’s business goals.

By immediately showcasing products across various sectors, the homepage boasts of Soucy’s diverse offering.

A well-designed slider helps users navigate directly to the product category most relevant to them. Interested in agriculture? Right this way!

At Blackbean, we love a good dark mode website. It’s easy on the eyes while reducing carbon footprint. The dark design emphasizes red brand accents. It’s a luxurious velvet box to display Soucy’s stunning product imagery.

Bonus point: the “About” is the fourth top-level menu item because Soucy understands that their expertise, applications and processes were their target audiences’ priorities.

A breath of fresh air: Scott Construction Group

Ok, fine. This isn’t quite a manufacturing website, but it’s manufacturing-adjacent.

Scott Construction Group centers its messaging around people. Their slogan (“the construction company with a human touch”) permeates every aspect of the website strategy.

Like most success stories, Scott begins with the end in mind. Everything on the website emphasizes “people-first”. Real photos of real employees. Fun hand-drawn animations. A friendly but professional tone of voice. This website screams “human”.

We all know of the skilled trades labour shortage. Scott Group designed their website to tackle this challenge. Their Careers page is a powerful talent marketing tool to attract skilled labour to their company. Each of their core values is expressed simply and effectively.

Bonus point: Like BlackBean’s longtime client Skills Center, Scott invested in professional images shot on-site with their team. The investment pays off. Every aspect of the brand reinforces its slogan.