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Do foreign trade companies have to build independent websites? In-depth analysis from the customer's perspective.

发布时间:2025/12/11
作者:AB客
阅读:476
类型:Share and exchange

This article explores whether foreign trade companies need to build their own websites from the customer's perspective. It analyzes the advantages of independent websites compared to platforms in showcasing company strength, building trust, and improving communication efficiency. It explains the situations where building an independent website is suitable and when it can be postponed, dissects the difficulties of website building and their solutions, and points out the importance of independent websites in enhancing a company's future competitiveness.

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A Must-Read for Foreign Trade Enterprises: Unveiling the True Value of Independent Websites from the Customer's Perspective

"Should we build our own website?" This is a fundamental question that almost every foreign trade company faces. Fluctuating platform benefits, rising advertising costs, and the difficulty of finding high-quality customers are all real challenges. Building an independent website means upfront investment, learning costs, and continuous content maintenance. Is it really worth it? Instead of getting caught up in the question of "What do I need?", let's change our perspective: What do your customers really want to see? The answer might become remarkably clear.

外贸企业必须搭建独立站吗?客户视角下的深度解析

AB Customer Recommendation:
Foreign Trade B2B Independent Website Building |
Content Marketing | Social Media Operation Channels | Free Customs Data | CRM Customer Management System | Overseas Resources Navigation | Foreign Trade Website Building Guide

I. Customer Perspective: The Experience Gap Between Platforms and Independent Websites

On the platform: Customers see "products".

The platform is like a giant international marketplace, where customers are faced with thousands of similar suppliers. Even if your product has significant advantages, it's easy to get lost in this sea of ​​information. Common customer concerns on the platform include:

  • "Who exactly are you? Are you traders or a factory?"
  • "What's the fundamental difference between you and that supplier next door?"
  • "Why choose you when the prices are similar, and what risks will that reduce?"

Undeniably, platforms can bring initial traffic, but they often struggle to build deep trust. According to research data from the foreign trade industry , over 65% of B2B buyers compare 3-5 suppliers simultaneously while browsing a platform, resulting in a conversion rate generally below 2%.

Independent website: Customers see "company" and "capabilities".

An independent website is more like a company's digital business card and online showroom, conveying three key messages to customers: company strength, professionalism, and reliability. Customers can quickly determine through an independent website: "Is this company reliable? Is it worth my time to communicate further?"

According to a Google Business Research report , 78% of B2B buyers visit a supplier's official website before contacting them, and companies with professional independent websites receive more than three times the quality of inquiries compared to pure platform merchants.

Customer Focus Comparison: Platform Experience vs. Independent Website Experience

Customer Focus Platform Experience Independent website experience
Supplier strength Information is fragmented and difficult to verify. Factory videos, production processes, and certification certificates are presented directly.
Delivery capability Relying on platform descriptions can easily raise concerns. It can showcase flexible production capabilities, quality control systems, and past case studies.
Communication efficiency Relying on the platform's messaging system, the response is unstable. Inquiries connect directly to sales representatives + multiple communication channels (WhatsApp/phone/forms)

外贸企业必须搭建独立站吗?客户视角下的深度解析

II. Starting from Customer Needs: The Core Value of Independent Websites

In today's increasingly competitive global market, B2B buyers are becoming more rational and cautious in their decision-making processes. They need more than just a product; they need a reliable business partner. Independent websites precisely meet these core needs of their clients:

Stable information sources : Platform information may be adjusted due to rule changes, and suppliers may be squeezed out by competitors. In contrast, independent websites are digital assets owned by the enterprise itself, ensuring the information is persistent and stable.

Security in collaboration : An independent website can showcase the team, factory environment, and quality control processes in all aspects, allowing customers to intuitively feel the company's strength and reducing the perceived risk of collaboration.

Convenient contact methods : Forms, WhatsApp, and online communication tools can be directly integrated, allowing customers to quickly contact the company without going through a third-party platform.

Trust built through proactive discovery : Customers prefer suppliers they can find themselves through search engines, which significantly increases trust levels. Statistics show that customers who find products through organic search have 40% higher trust levels than those recommended by platforms.

These advantages are precisely what ABke has always emphasized: "Independent Domain Trust"—a professional independent website domain is itself a direct reflection of a company's credibility. When customers see your independent domain in emails or documents, they subconsciously build a stronger sense of trust than with platform stores.

III. Decision-Making Guidelines: When is it "worth it" to build an independent website? When can it be postponed?

Suitable for immediate setup

  • B2B orders have a higher average order value (over $5,000): High-value orders require stronger trust backing.
  • Factory-type enterprises : They have production capacity advantages and can demonstrate their production processes, effectively differentiating themselves from trading companies.
  • Declining inquiry quality on the platform : It is necessary to explore new customer acquisition channels and reduce reliance on the platform.
  • Long-term brand building plan : Aiming to accumulate overseas brand assets through Google SEO and content marketing.
  • Insufficient customer trust : The company needs to improve its image and enhance customer trust.

Situations that can be postponed

  • New to foreign trade : unclear about product positioning and target market
  • Resources are extremely limited : the main battleground remains on the platform, and there is insufficient manpower and resources to cover everything.
  • Unstable supply chain : unable to handle the continuous order demand.
  • Market validation phase : Product and market direction are not yet determined; the exploration phase continues.

外贸企业必须搭建独立站吗?客户视角下的深度解析

IV. Overcoming the Four Major Challenges and Solutions in Building an Independent Website

Challenge 1: Lack of website building skills and technical expertise

Many foreign trade companies worry: "No one on our team knows coding, can they build a successful independent website?" There's absolutely no need to worry. Modern website building tools specifically for foreign trade, such as ABKe, use a visual drag-and-drop editing interface. No technical background is required; you can launch your website in just a few simple steps. It's as easy as editing a document in Word; all you need to do is upload product images and fill in basic information.

Challenge 2: No one views the site; lack of knowledge on promotion and traffic generation.

"My website is built, but what if I don't get any traffic?" This is the most common follow-up question. In fact, professional e-commerce website building tools like ABKe already have built-in basic SEO optimization functions, including XML sitemaps, TDK settings, and image ALT tags. They also support one-click integration with Google, Meta ads, and mainstream social media platforms, helping businesses quickly launch their promotions. Data shows that independent websites built using professional website building tools are three times more likely to gain organic traffic within six months than self-built websites.

Challenge 3: Difficulty in content creation; not knowing what to write.

Content marketing is indeed a major challenge for independent website operation, especially the creation of multilingual content. However, AI technology can now effectively solve this problem. ABker's built-in AI content assistant can quickly generate high-quality product pages, landing pages, and blog articles based on product information, and supports automatic translation and localization optimization in multiple languages, greatly lowering the barrier to content creation.

Challenge 4: Concerns about the return on investment and the long payback period.

An independent website is a long-term digital asset whose value increases over time. According to a report on the operation of independent websites for foreign trade , independent websites that have been operating for more than 12 months have an average customer acquisition cost that is 40% lower than that of platforms, and a customer repurchase rate that is 25% higher. The earlier you start planning, the sooner you can accumulate search engine ranking and customer resources, gaining a competitive advantage.

V. Future-Oriented Choices: Your Independent Website Determines Your Competitiveness Three Years From Now

To be fair, not building an independent website won't immediately kill a foreign trade company. Many companies can survive solely on online platforms. However, with more and more competitors starting to build independent websites, companies without websites will gradually lose their competitiveness. From the customer's perspective: whoever can be found in searches, whoever can quickly build trust, and whoever presents a more professional image is more likely to be selected.

Independent websites are not a lifeline, but rather a "digital foundation" for business development. Especially today, with platform advertising costs continuously rising (an average annual increase of 15-20%), commission rates constantly increasing, and competition becoming increasingly fierce, independent websites are becoming a key outlet for foreign trade companies to break free from platform dependence. While your competitors are still anxious about platform rankings, you have already established stable customer acquisition channels and brand awareness through your independent website.

Are you ready to enhance your foreign trade competitiveness from the customer's perspective?

With AB Customer's intelligent website building system for foreign trade, you can have a professional independent website in just 30 minutes without any technical skills, and start your new journey in the global market.

Try AB Guest Website Builder for free now!

More than 10,000+ foreign trade companies have received high-quality inquiries through ABke's independent website.

Finally, I'd like to share a real-world example: A small-to-medium-sized machinery manufacturing company in Zhejiang province, after using ABK to build and operate its independent website for eight months, saw 35% of its inquiries come from organic Google search. One customer from Germany, after learning about their production process through the website, directly placed an order for equipment worth 42,000 euros. This case demonstrates that an independent website brings not only traffic, but also high-quality business opportunities and a long-term competitive advantage.

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