I was having a conversation with a prospective client the other day who posed the question, “How do I measure the ROI of a website redesign?” Now, if you think that’s a tough one, consider her follow-up question: “How do I justify the cost-effectiveness of that redesign to my superiors who pay the bills?”

Obviously, those answers are going to be highly individual for your company, situation, and goals. Because my prospect’s website is B2B in a fairly pricey field (offering professional services), it is much more of a soft sell than buying products — prospects aren’t clicking on a one-click-buy link as if they’re on Amazon.

What follows is my basic ROI bullet point list that I shared with her, but measuring return on investment really starts with one thing: Establishing expectations on results and budget. Ahead of making the investment and targeting the brand’s market with the right message, you need to determine what it is that you want to get out of the site. You can’t figure out what the “R” is in ROI unless you know what the measurement is.

• Hard numbers. Realistically, a website that is focused on selling widgets to consumers is going to have an easier time measuring ROI with sales numbers than a site selling services. But don’t use that as an excuse: Use a baseline of your sales now, and what you want them to be. If you’re capturing leads, measure them against the ones you’ve been paying for, including conversion rates.
• SEO and Analytics Performance. B2B companies need sophisticated measurement that goes far beyond basic traffic metrics to track complex, multi-touch customer journeys. 84% of B2B businesses already use advanced analytics tools to manage content, focusing on lead quality and account-level engagement rather than individual page views. Modern B2B analytics platforms track how entire organizations interact with your content over extended sales cycles, measuring pipeline contribution and deal influence. SEO leads deliver a remarkable 748% ROI in B2B contexts, but success requires tracking attribution across months or years of touch points to understand which design elements actually drive qualified leads and closed deals.
• Social Media ROI and Lead Generation. In the B2B world, social media measurement centers on professional platforms and lead quality metrics instead of viral engagement. Approximately 80% of B2B leads generated on social media come from LinkedIn, making it the primary platform for ROI measurement. 85% of marketers name LinkedIn their top platform for organic results, with success measured through pipeline contribution rather than likes or shares. Over half (53%) of B2B marketers use LinkedIn to identify prospects and source contact details, and 89% of users in B2B sales consider LinkedIn essential for closing deals. The key is connecting social engagement directly to lead quality scores, sales pipeline velocity, and account penetration metrics that demonstrate real business impact.
• Client and prospect feedback and networking. This is more important than meets the eye — maybe the most important ROI of all when it comes to a business-to-business sales process. As I mentioned in a previous post, the positive feedback and visibility from a well-executed website offers myriad dividends that you might not be able to put on a spreadsheet. When you’ve responded to an RFP and the prospect kicks the tires on your website, what do they see? If it’s a $20,000 or $100,000 or $1 million potential project, what’s the ROI on that experience?

Now, back to my prospect’s second question: How do you justify the cost to your superiors? Just as I was about to post this, I came across an article that may assist you in conveying the calculation to the Type As in your organization: “Website ROI: The Return on Investment for a Website Redesign.” Of course, in the vast majority of B2B websites with expensive products or services, the website isn’t going to be doing the selling; your salespeople are. But an excellent website — one with an engaging and interactive online experience, optimized for SEO, social media connections, and all the rest — is going to serve as a sales funnel to generate and capture leads. A lousy website will turn people off in an instant, and you’ve likely lost their trust (and business) forever. You don’t have to win the lottery to afford an effective website; you just have to invest it with the right strategic mindset.

Find out how Eileen and her team at Burick Communication Design can help savvy B2B companies like yours implement integrated campaigns with stunning digital design that connects your marketing and branding with business results — Email Eileen Burick or schedule a no-stings-attached, half-hour call for your complimentary, brand-focused review session.