Before buyers ever call you, they have usually spent some time on your website. A US survey of engineers (2026) found that 3 out of 4 engineers (74%) check a supplier's website. In other words, buyers interview you through your website before you've said a word.
The 4 numbers below show what buyers look up, and how early the shortlist gets set.
3 out of 4 engineers check your website first
Your website is still one of the main places engineers look up suppliers, but it's not the only one. In the same survey, 74% of engineers visit supplier websites and 76% use online technical publications. The gap is small.
In the 2024 edition of the same survey series, supplier websites ranked first among research channels at 41%. By 2026, online technical publications edged ahead, 76% to 74%.
That means buyers often meet you first in a third-party publication, then come to your site to check. The respondents in this survey skew senior. The details are in "About these numbers" at the end.
Start by comparing the models, specs, and certifications on your site with what appears in outside publications and at trade shows. Make sure they say the same thing.
Hardware buyers want your datasheet most
What hardware buyers most want to see is the datasheet. In the 2024 engineer survey, datasheets were wanted by 40% of all respondents and by 56% of hardware buyers.
Among those same hardware buyers, 37% want technical articles and 31% want CAD files. For all respondents, the other items were technical publication articles at 29%, product reviews and customer testimonials at 26%, and product demo videos at 24%.
If your products have model numbers and buyers choose by spec, put the datasheet and spec table in a more visible spot than the brand video.
Buyers often reach out because your site didn't answer them
A buyer's first contact with sales is often because the website didn't answer their question directly. The 2026 engineer survey asked why buyers first contact sales: 26% asked about price or availability, 23% wanted to verify what they found online, and 21% said the solution was technically complex.
Your website can answer part of all three:
- How you quote, plus lead times and how to check stock
- Certifications, test data, and other proof buyers can verify
- Spec tables and application notes
If the site can't answer, the buyer has to send an inquiry, and that adds a round of back-and-forth. Put these three kinds of information up front and save the buyer one question.
The shortlist is mostly set before they meet sales
By the time a buyer meets you, most of the homework is done. A B2B buyer survey (2025, about 4,000 people) found that buyers build a shortlist of 3.6 vendors on average from Day One, 95% of purchases come from that list, and 94% of buying teams have ranked their preferred vendors before they meet sales.
So your website's job is to get you onto the buyer's shortlist, not to wait for the buyer to show up and then persuade them slowly. Ask yourself this: before buyers contact you, can they find enough to put you on their list?
What to check on your site, based on the 4 numbers
Your site should let buyers finish checking specs and proof on their own, before they contact you. Run through this list:
- Every model has a web spec table and a downloadable datasheet PDF.
- Buyers can see how you quote, your lead times, and your minimum order quantity.
- Certifications and test data name the issuing body, the number, and the scope.
- What appears in outside publications and at trade shows matches what your site says.
If you can tick all four, you pass this round of interviews. Whatever is missing, fix that first.
To see how these items fit on a website, take a look at our catalog website service, or just send us a message.
About these numbers
- The survey behind the 74% figure states that 72% of its respondents are over 56, only 6% are 35 or younger, and 69% are engineers. So it reflects the habits of senior engineers.
- The 6sense report is a general B2B buyer survey, not specific to industrial hardware, but the direction is consistent.
- We did not find a single survey that ranks how important each kind of website information is to buyers. The 4 numbers above come from different surveys and are pieced together. They are not a ranking from one questionnaire.
Sources
- TREW Marketing × GlobalSpec, 2026 State of Marketing to Engineers, 2026, n=783 (research channels), n=708 (reasons for contacting sales). Report PDF
- GlobalSpec, 2024 State of Marketing to Engineers, 2024, overall n=927, hardware buyers n=448, supplier website as a research channel n=925. Report PDF
- 6sense, 2025 B2B Buyer Experience Report, 2025, n=approx. 4,000. Report page