Most manufacturer websites we audit in the Pearl River Delta have the same problem: they describe the company, but they do not answer the questions a buyer asks before making contact.

The four things buyers check

Before an overseas buyer sends an enquiry, they usually try to establish four things:

  • Can this factory actually make the product? They look for specifications, tolerances, materials and production capacity.
  • Is it safe to buy from them? Certifications, test reports, export experience and a traceable company identity.
  • What will it cost to get the goods? Unit, carton size, loading quantity, minimum order quantity and lead time.
  • Can I reach a human? A name, a phone number, an email address and a response expectation.

If a website answers these four questions, it will generate enquiries even with modest traffic. If it does not, no amount of advertising will fix it.

What to put on the site

Start with a product structure that works for both buyers. Distributors browse by category; project buyers search by application. Build both paths.

Then add the technical layer:

  1. Specification tables in English, including units
  2. Certification pages with scan or number, not just a logo
  3. Packing and container loading information
  4. A dealer or project-partner policy page
  5. Real photographs of the factory, not stock imagery

What to leave off

Two things actively damage credibility. The first is the phrase "we are the leading manufacturer" — it appears on thousands of sites and tells a buyer nothing. The second is a phone number in the page description; it was a useful trick in 2010 and now only signals that the site was written for search engines rather than for people.

A website that states specific, checkable facts outperforms one that claims excellence. Buyers, and increasingly AI assistants, verify what they read.

The part most exporters skip

After launch, someone has to maintain the site. That means publishing new product specifications, application notes and answers to questions customers actually ask. A website that has not changed in three years signals a company that may not respond either.