A daily tip for building a website for foreign trade: What do customers really want to see when they first click on your website?

Many foreign trade business owners and managers share a common concern:

The website is built, the products are comprehensive, and there are quite a few pages.

But after customers come in, they either close the window quickly or look at a few pages but never make an inquiry.

The problem is often not that "your website isn't visually appealing enough."

The problem lies in the fact that you misjudged what the customer really wanted to see when they first entered the site.

This article will systematically analyze the actual browsing habits of overseas B2B buyers in 2025 , combined with my more than ten years of practical experience in foreign trade and numerous website case studies:

• The true psychological sequence of customers when they first click on a foreign trade website

• Why are most foreign trade websites eliminated at first glance?

• The correct content structure of the homepage and core pages of a foreign trade B2B website

• A checklist that can be implemented immediately.

First, the conclusion: When a customer visits your website for the first time, they are not there to "learn about your company."

This is a very counterintuitive, but extremely important fact.

In 2025, when foreign trade customers visit your website for the first time:

• ❌ I don't care how many years you've been established

• ❌ Don't rush to see your company profile.

• ❌ Will not patiently read through your "About Us" section.

• ❌ I don't want to be bombarded with sales pitches first.

They only really care about three things:

Are you "the right person"?

Can you solve my problem?

Is it worth continuing to spend time looking at you?

If these three points are not answered within 30–60 seconds ,

The customer will simply leave, and there's a high probability they'll never come back .

II. The actual browsing path of foreign trade customers when they first entered the website in 2025 (very important)

Based on extensive analysis of heatmaps, visit patterns, and inquiry conversions, we have identified a highly consistent behavioral pattern.

Step 1: Confirm "Are you the type of supplier I'm looking for?" (5–10 seconds)

The first thing a customer does upon entering the station is:

Quickly determine: Is this suitable for my industry/scenario/product?

They will scan the area with particular focus:

• The one-sentence positioning on the first screen of the homepage

• Do specific product/industry keywords appear?

• Are there any vague and empty corporate promotional slogans?

Typical expressions of being instantly blocked:

• “Professional Manufacturer Since 2008”

• “High Quality, Best Service, Competitive Price”

• Welcome to Our Website

To a customer, these words mean, "I don't know what you actually do."

Step 2: Confirm whether you are professional, reliable, and experienced (20–40 seconds)

If the client is not eliminated in the first round, they will continue to verify:

• Have you been working in this field for a long time ?

• Do you have any real-world projects or application scenarios?

• Do you understand my usage environment, or are you just someone who only knows how to sell products?

They will actively seek out:

• Application Scenario Description

• Are the technical parameters complete?

• Are there any project-based case studies (instead of a logo wall)?

• Does it contain professional-grade content, rather than marketing copy?

Step 3: Determine whether it's worth contacting you next (final decision)

Only after the first two steps are passed will the customer consider:

• Should we send an inquiry?

• Do you want to bookmark your website?

• Should we forward this internally to a colleague/superior?

Notice:

In B2B foreign trade, it's extremely rare for an inquiry to be placed directly on the first visit.

But if this round of "cognition building" fails, there will be no chance at all later.

III. Why do 80% of foreign trade websites fail from the very beginning?

While diagnosing the websites of foreign trade companies, I discovered a highly recurring error pattern.

Mistake 1: Treating "Company Introduction" as the customer's primary concern.

Many website homepages have the following structure:

• Giant carousel image

• A long company introduction

• Factory photos

• Boss's Speech

But what the customer was thinking was:

What problem are you solving?

Are you a good fit for a client like me?

But you keep answering:

"Who we are, how amazing we are, and how hard we work."

In B2B procurement decisions, the order is completely reversed .

Error 2: The product page only shows parameters, not "usage context".

Many export product pages look like this:

• Model + Parameter Table

• picture

• Brief description

But what the customer really wants to know is:

• In what scenarios is this product used?

• What kind of customers are they suitable for?

• Are there any similar projects?

• What are the common questions?

Parameters are necessary conditions, but they are by no means decision conditions.

Error 3: All pages are labeled "for sale," but there's no "explanation."

B2B customers are not persuaded.

It is through gradual understanding and the gradual building of trust .

If your website:

• No explanation of industry issues

• No breakdown and selection logic

• No response to genuine objections

The customer can only go to "the one that understands him better".

IV. The "Correct Structure" of the First Visit Content on a Foreign Trade B2B Website

If you only remember this one section, it's already worth the time.

1️⃣ First screen on the homepage: Clearly state in one sentence "Who are you suitable for + What problem do you solve?"

Standard formula:

We cater to a specific type of customer.

Provide [a specific type of product/solution]

Used for [specific application scenarios/results]

Example (illustrative):

• “Industrial valves for chemical processing plants”

• “Custom metal fabrication for OEM machinery manufacturers”

• “Packaging solutions for food-grade export markets”

There is only one principle:

Let the right people stay at first glance, and let the wrong people leave immediately.

2️⃣ Core Section: Focusing on "Procurement Decision-Making Logic" rather than "Company Structure"

Recommended content modules to prioritize:

• Products/Solutions (organized by application scenario)

• Industry/Application Page

• Technical and parameter support

• Project Cases

• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Instead of:

• Company News

• Corporate Culture

• Team spirit

3️⃣ Content layer: Answer the customer's questions, rather than repeating your selling points.

A good B2B website for international trade will definitely cover these issues:

• Who is this product suitable for/unsuitable for?

• Common usage mistakes

• The most common pitfalls when choosing a model

• Differences from other solutions

• Project delivery process

Whoever explains these issues clearly is more likely to be trusted.

V. Real-world case study: A single change alters the quality of inquiries.

I once served a client who exported industrial parts.

Original website:

• The homepage features a large section about the company.

• The product page only shows parameters.

• Many inquiries, but low quality

Adjustments to key points:

• The first screen of the homepage has been changed to clearly define the industry positioning.

• The product page now includes "Application Scenarios + Typical Customer Problems".

• Added "Selection Guide" content page

result:

• The total number of inquiries remained relatively unchanged.

• However, the percentage of valid inquiries has increased significantly.

• Shortened customer communication cycle

• Increased quotation success rate

There is only one reason:

The website completed the "screening and education" process ahead of schedule.

VI. Implementation Checklist (can be followed directly)

You can use this checklist to quickly self-check your website right now:

Homepage check:

• Can you understand what I do within 10 seconds of seeing the first screen?

• Have the industry/application/customer type been clearly defined?

• Has it avoided empty slogans?

Product page check:

• Are there any application scenarios described?

• Should we answer the question "Who is suitable/Who is not suitable?"

• Are there any real answers to your questions?

Content structure check:

• Does it cover selection, comparison, and FAQs?

• Is there project or case logic?

• Is the perspective being taken from a purchasing rather than a sales perspective?

If one of these three categories is significantly missing,

Then your website will basically lose points when a customer visits for the first time.

VII. Incidentally: Why are "one-off delivery websites" becoming increasingly unsuitable for foreign trade B2B?

By 2025, the role of official websites for foreign trade had changed:

• Not just for people to see

• It also needs to be understandable by search engines.

• Furthermore, it should be able to be cited and recommended by AI (such as ChatGPT and Gemini).

This is why more and more foreign trade companies are beginning to realize:

An official website should not be a one-off project.

It is a continuously growing digital asset .

Systems like AB-Customer Intelligent Website Builder are not essentially about "helping you build a website".

Instead, it focuses on the official website as the core, helping foreign trade B2B companies:

• Building a unified enterprise knowledge base

• Continuously produce high-quality content

• Simultaneously adapting to the understanding methods of search engines and AI.

• This allows the official website to continuously accumulate authority and inquiry capabilities over time.

This is precisely what traditional website building methods struggle to achieve.

In conclusion, when a customer visits your website for the first time, they are actually "screening" the site.

They're not trying to understand you properly.

Instead, it's about making a quick judgment:

Are you worth my continued time?

The primary goal of an official B2B website for foreign trade is...

It's never about "giving a full introduction to us".

Instead:

Let the right people stay.

Let trust develop gradually.

If you can restructure the website around this point

Changes in inquiry quality

It will definitely appear sooner than you think.