Your website should reflect the kind of relationship you want to build with your customers, something that is often overlooked in distribution, according to Lindsay Konzak, president of 3 Aspens Media and the former editor of MDM, in How Distributors Can Differentiate Online.

"When I hear distributors speak, frequently they are most concerned about the e-commerce functionality they are or are not offering," Konzak says. "Some are spending hundreds of thousands (or even millions) of dollars on that, and for many, that investment is justified."

But that investment often leaves the front end of your website neglected, including your homepage, the “about us” page, a blog or resource center, or even the top product pages in your e-store. These are the first things customers see when they come to you and they should demonstrate your value.

"If you want to be the place your customers turn to with technical questions, make your expertise clear as day; don’t make prospects and customers dig for that," Konzak says.

Expanding the ways you present information on your site can also help you demonstrate that you are an expert. Konzak recommends using videos, blogs, case studies and downloads to keep customers engaged.

"Differentiate your company from the hundreds out there that are still featuring a picture of their headquarters and a static list of their products or services," she says. "Not only will fresh, original, expert content get your website noticed by Google, it will get your website noticed and remembered by customers."

Read more about how to utilize your web presence in How Distributors Can Differentiate Online.