Ever get an inquiry where everything the buyer asks is something your website should have said already? A B2B catalog website needs at least 10 features: product pages, spec filtering, datasheet downloads, a multi-item quote list, pre-inquiry information, certifications, lead times, application notes, outside proof, and smooth navigation. Each one comes with its basis, marked as survey data, consultant opinion, or design suggestion, so you can check your own site item by item.
Read the basis labels first, so you know what to trust
Each item in the list has one of three kinds of basis. The label tells you how far to trust it.
- Survey: data with a report name, year, and sample size.
- Opinion: what a consultant or vendor article says. There is no survey behind it, so it is written as "an article from so-and-so notes."
- Design suggestion: we found no survey to support it. It is a feature designed around buyer needs.
Start with the items labeled "survey," and treat "opinion" and "design suggestion" as directions to consider.
Product information: where buyers check specs
Product information is the first thing buyers look at. Without it, your site can't bring in quote requests.
| Item | What to check | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Product page | One page per model or series, with specs as a web table, not just a PDF | Survey: 56% of hardware buyers want datasheets |
| 2. Spec filtering and site search | Buyers can filter models by spec value and search by model number | Opinion: an article from Bootstrap Creative notes that poor site search is one of the things that frustrate buyers |
| 3. Datasheet and CAD downloads | The original PDF downloads directly; CAD files or drawings are posted wherever you can share them publicly | Survey: CAD files wanted by 31%; 34% would share their details in exchange for CAD |
| 4. Multi-item quote list | Buyers can add several models to a list and send one inquiry | Design suggestion, no survey |
Check these 4 items one by one and put whatever is missing on your to-do list.
Inquiry and delivery: the questions buyers will ask you
If you write on your site what buyers want to know before they inquire, you save a round of back-and-forth.
| Item | What to check | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| 5. Pre-inquiry information | How you quote, minimum order quantity, warranty and after-sales, customization, shipping and payment terms | Survey: among reasons for first contacting sales, 26% asked about price or availability |
| 6. Lead times and capacity | Lead times, capacity, and quality inspection process are stated | Opinion: an article from nexrena notes that procurement wants to know whether you can deliver |
| 7. Certifications and compliance | Issuing body, number, scope, and expiry date; certificates available to download | Opinion: articles from nexrena and ISM; Survey: 23% want to verify what they found online |
List the missing information for these three items, collect it from inside the company, and add it to the site.
Trust and experience: put buyers at ease and keep them moving
Buyers want proof they can verify, not adjectives.
| Item | What to check | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| 8. Application notes | What environments the product is used in and what problems it solves, written up where you can make them public | Survey: in the RH Blake × ISA manufacturing buyer survey (2026), "real-world use and case studies" scored 4.41 on a 5-point scale, the highest of all items |
| 9. Outside proof | Press coverage, trade shows, association memberships, consistent with your site | Survey: online technical publications are a research channel for 76% of engineers |
| 10. Navigation and access to information | Fast loading; manuals and specs viewable without registration; the top of the page says who you are, what you sell, and who it's for | Survey: 51% say there are too many steps to get content; Opinion: an article from RefractROI notes that when navigation doesn't match, buyers leave in about 6 seconds |
Write up the application notes you're able to make public first, then check whether manuals and specs still require registration.
How to use this checklist
Tick the items one by one. The ones you can't tick are where buyers get stuck.
- If any of items 1 to 3 is missing, fix it first. This is where buyers check specs.
- For items 5 to 7, list what's missing and collect the information from inside the company.
- Item 4 has no survey support, so decide based on how your buyers inquire. If many of them ask about several models at once, it's worth building.
To find out how many items your website is missing, take a look at our catalog website service, or send us a message.
About these numbers
- We did not find a single survey that ranks how important each website feature is. This checklist is pieced together from several surveys and articles. It is not the result of one questionnaire.
- Item 4 has no survey data. It is a design suggestion based on buyer needs.
- Opinion articles are not surveys. The sample size of the Demand Gen Report survey is not disclosed in the report.
Sources
- GlobalSpec, 2024 State of Marketing to Engineers, 2024, hardware buyers n=448. Report PDF
- TREW Marketing × GlobalSpec, 2026 State of Marketing to Engineers, 2026, n=708, n=783, n=787. Report PDF
- RH Blake × ISA/Automation.com, 2026 survey of manufacturing buyers, 2026, n=121. Survey page
- Demand Gen Report, 2024 Content Preferences Benchmark Survey, 2024, sample size not disclosed. Report PDF
- Consultant or vendor opinion articles (not surveys): Bootstrap Creative, RefractROI, nexrena, ISM