Challenge · We want a new website

We want a new website. But where do you start?

In short: A new B2B website doesn't start with the design, but with the story: who you're there for, which problem you solve and why customers choose you. Without those choices you get a prettier site that says the same as the old one. STOF to Grow translates the positioning first and then builds the site in sprints.

The website is a few years old and it shows. Not just in the design, but mostly in what it says. The offer has changed, the customers have changed, and perhaps there's a new positioning or brand book. The site still tells the old story.

The temptation is to call an agency straight away. But the most important question about a new website isn't a design question. It's what the site needs to say, to whom, and what a visitor should do next. If you don't answer that first, you get a prettier site that says the same as the old one.

How do you know it's time?

The website describes the company of a few years ago.
Sales would rather send a presentation than a link to the site.
The site says what competitors say too: quality, tailored service, personal contact.
Visitors come, but few enquiries follow, or mostly the wrong ones.
Changing one text takes weeks, because everything goes through an agency or one colleague.
There's a new positioning or visual identity, but the website hasn't caught up.

Why many new websites say the same as the old one

A website project usually starts with a design and a sitemap. The copy comes last, often under time pressure, written by someone who has known the company for a few weeks. The agency guesses the story, or reuses the old copy. The result looks new, but says nothing new.

It works better the other way round. First the choices: for whom, which problem, why you. Then the structure: which page does what. Only then the design. That makes the website a translation of your positioning, rather than a replacement for it.

Five questions before you start

Who is the site for? Which customer should recognise themselves on the homepage within a few seconds?
What question does that customer arrive with? Not what you do, but which problem the visitor wants to solve.
Why you? What's the difference from the alternative, and how do you prove it?
What should a visitor do next? Book a call, download a guide, request a proposal?
Who will manage the site? And how do you keep the story right when the company changes again?

If you can't answer the first three in one sentence each, it isn't a website question but a positioning question. Also read ‘Our story no longer fits our company’.

What a good B2B website does

It says within a few seconds who you're there for.
It uses your customers' words, not the words from your org chart.
It shows proof: cases, customers and what changed.
It leads to a next step, and that step lands in your CRM.
It can be found, in Google and in AI search.
It can be managed by someone in-house, without an agency.

The STOF rhythm for a new website

Look and listen — we read the current site and the numbers, look at what customers search for, and talk to the people who tell the story every day.
Make a sharp choice — we answer the five questions and decide what each page has to do. Whatever has no purpose goes.
Align — copy from the core message and a site in your visual identity, built in sprints with a working version after every sprint.
Follow through — launch, measurement and a handover with a guide and training, so you manage the site yourselves.

A sensible place to start

If the story is in place, the Brand & website programme is the logical step: eight to twelve weeks, in sprints, to a site you manage yourselves.

If you doubt whether the story holds, start with a Positioning sprint.

When is STOF a good fit for this challenge?

STOF fits growing B2B organisations of roughly 15 to 250 people who want a website that tells their story, and want to manage it themselves afterwards. We build the site ourselves and work with a trusted partner where needed. If you're mainly looking for a quick template-based site, or someone to manage the site forever, we're not the right partner.

Cases

What that looked like for others

Beweeg Wijs

A strong method, but a dated brand and one story for every sector. We sharpened the positioning per sector, renewed the brand and built the website ourselves, in sprints, with measurement from day one and a team that now runs the site itself.

Antonis Wijnkoperij

A wine merchant easily gets lost in countries, grapes and labels. We made one choice: good wine starts with choosing well. The brand story and a website with Emiel's selection at its heart followed from that.

Frequently asked questions

How long does a new website take?

With us, eight to twelve weeks, in sprints. If the story isn't in place yet, there's a first step to make the choices. After every sprint there's a working version, so you see what's taking shape along the way.

What does a new website cost?

We work on a project basis, not by the hour. After the free introductory call, if it's a fit, you'll receive a proposal with a fixed price, the sprints and what you'll have at the end.

Do we need a new logo first?

Not always. If the visual identity still fits the story, we build with it. If it doesn't, a brand book can come first. We'll discuss that in the introductory call.

Can we manage the site ourselves afterwards?

Yes, that's the goal. You get an editorial guide and a training session, and the site is in your name.

How do we start?

With a free 45-minute introductory call with Nona or Carlijn. We look at whether the story is in place, what the site needs to do and what a sensible first step would be.

Start with the story, not the design.

In a free 45-minute introductory call, we go through the five questions and see what your new website needs to do.

Bring your challenge to the table