Export website design: 8 decisions that matter to overseas buyers

Key takeaways

• Design for the check. CBI calls your website the first source buyers will check [1].
• Your phone view is your real site. Google uses the mobile version for indexing and ranking [2].
• Plain beats clever. Sliders, pop-ups and stock photos get in the way of what a buyer came for.
• Design comes second. For what must be on the site, start with our export website checklist.

What is an export website design for?

A buyer is usually checking you, not browsing. They have your email, or your name from a fair, and they want to know whether to reply. So every design decision has one test: does this help them decide in a few minutes?

You have probably seen the alternative. A big banner, a slogan about quality, a slider of stock spice photos and no specs. It looks finished, but it answers nothing.

Decision 1: What goes on the first screen?

Say what you export, from where, and to whom. The first screen should answer those three in one line, in plain words. A buyer should know they are in the right place before they scroll.

Decision 2: Design for a phone first

Check every page on your own phone before you approve it. Google uses the mobile version of a site's content for indexing and ranking, and it advises keeping the same content on desktop and mobile [2]. So a table or spec that disappears on a phone may as well not exist.

Three things to test on a phone: can you read a spec table without zooming, can you tap the contact button with your thumb, and does the page make sense without a menu?

Decision 3: Give each product its own page

One page per product family beats one long list. Use the same layout on each page, so buyers can compare and you can add products easily:

• the product name, form and grades;
• a table of key specs;
• packing, minimum order and shipping port;
• a spec sheet to download;
• a contact button that names the product.

Don't hide specs in a PDF alone. Keep them on the page too, because a PDF is harder to read on a phone. Our spec sheet library shows the parameters buyers compare.

Decision 4: Use your own photos

Real photos do more than a good layout. Show your facility, your product and your packing, with your bags and labels visible. Phone photos in good light are fine, and a stock photo of a spice bowl proves nothing.

Decision 5: Put proof beside the claim

Show proof where the claim appears. If you say you are registered, give the number:

• list only the certificates you currently hold, with their numbers and expiry dates;
• give your Spices Board registration number if you have one;
• use your full legal name and real address, the same as on your documents;
• show customer names and logos only with their permission.

Decision 6: Make contact easy

Name a person, and offer two ways to write. A short form and a WhatsApp button cover most buyers. Use a company email address, not a free one, and ask only for what you need: name, company, product and market.

Keep the promise you make. A form is only useful if someone replies. Our guide on replying to an export enquiry covers what to send.

Decision 7: Keep it fast

Aim for the main content in 2.5 seconds or less. Google's guidance sets that as the good-experience mark, and adds targets for how quickly a page responds and how steady it stays while loading [3]. Buyers abroad may also be on slow connections.

Most slow export sites have the same causes: very large photos, sliders, autoplay video and too many plug-ins. Compress your photos and remove anything that doesn't help the check.

Decision 8: Keep the look plain

Choose clear type and a few colours, and leave it there. Use dark text on a light background, and make headings easy to scan. Your logo colours are enough. Leave these out:

• sliders and pop-ups;
• music and autoplay video;
• visitor counters and "under construction" pages;
• long company history above your products.

How do you brief a designer?

Give them content first, and ask these questions before you pay:

• Can you show me this page on a phone before it goes live?
• Can we edit products ourselves, or does every change cost us?
• Will the domain, hosting and logins be in our company's name?
• What will this cost each year after launch?

Our guide on what an export website costs covers the numbers.

Want it done for you? Our Buyer-Ready Pack includes an export page built around these decisions, with your Google listing, spec sheets and a reply kit.

Next step. See how your current site does first. Our free Buyer Check is a 1-page report on your Google listing, website and spec gaps, with the 3 fixes that matter most, within 24 hours.