“Hi, do you build websites for manufacturing companies? Can you quote a website for the manufacturer of Bug Soother?” It was the spring of 2013 and our good friend Julie at the Entrepreneurial Development Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa reached out to see if we could help their client.
It was the very beginning of the gnat season and Bug Soother’s old website was getting hammered with traffic. The stores were sold out of the magical stuff. The website wasn’t holding up to the traffic load. People weren’t getting through the clunky checkout process. A new website had been started but the process hadn’t been going well.
We stepped in and polished off the new website, just as the crush of people seeking relief from the terrible gnats reached its peak. This website processed a huge number of orders that year. And now, five years later, the site has seen one redesign and is in the process of another fresh one as we speak.
This is just one of many stories of how we’ve been able to help build/fix/maintain websites for manufacturing companies in Iowa and around the country.
Today, in addition to our other website offerings, we’re announcing a fresh emphasis on websites for manufacturing companies.
See our websites for manufacturing companies →
We already have a strong roster of manufacturing companies in our client list. But before we launched this initiative, we wanted more information from people who lead these companies. We sat down with several manufacturers in the surrounding area — not to sell them anything, but to listen to their concerns and their needs. This led to several interesting revelations.
Out of all the reasons for a manufacturer to have a good website, three rose to the top:
- Credibility — showing that you’re professional and capable
- “Findability” — being found in Google by potential buyers
- Hiring — attracting quality employees to work for you
These are things that a high-quality website–backed by an experienced agency–can readily solve.
Take a look at our work. Request our manufacturing website pricing. Send your friends. We’re here to help.
Quick Facts About Manufacturing in Iowa
- Iowa is home to approximately 6,080 manufacturing firms.
- Manufacturing contributed $34.0 billion to Iowa’s economy in 2016, representing 18.4 percent of the state’s total gross domestic product (GDP).
- Iowa ranks seventh among all states in its percentage of GDP from manufacturing.
- The manufacturing sector’s 220,989 jobs accounted for 10.6 percent of Iowa’s total employment in 2016.
- The average manufacturing job in Iowa paid $56,080 in wages and salaries in 2016.
- Iowa exported $10.35 billion worth of manufactured goods to other countries in 2016.
Source: CIRAS–Manufacturing in Iowa [PDF]
Note: Does this mean we don’t do other kinds of websites anymore? No, of course not! We work in lots of other circles as well, from local businesses to non-profits to startups and everything in between.
