In August 2014, Rosetta’s User Research Team completed a competitive assessment, ranking well-known tech brands’ websites against each other. This presentation contains key observations, highlights best practices and identifies opportunities for B2B brands to build a leading web presence to meet the needs of today’s enterprise technology buyers. Companies whose website we evaluated include: Brocade Cisco EMC Intel Juniper Oracle Qualcomm Salesforce SAP View our findings in this summary presentation.

2. Introduction
In August 2014, Rosetta’s User Research Team completed a competitive
assessment, ranking well-known tech brands’ websites against each other. This
presentation contains key observations, highlights best practices and identifies
opportunities for B2B brands to build a leading web presence to meet the needs
of today’s enterprise technology buyers.
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Rachel Thayer
Websites Assessed:
www.brocade.com
www.cisco.com
www.emc.com
www.intel.com
www.juniper.net
www.oracle.com
www.qualcomm.com
www.salesforce.com
www.sap.com
Danielle Best
Kyle Curley
User Research Team:

3. Rating Scale and Criteria
Each of our criteria below were scored on a 1 to 5 rating scale. There were up to
five questions asked in each category.
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BRAND
Does the site clearly and concisely communicate the brand offering, while differentiating itself in a way that is relevant
to the audience?
DESIGN
Does the design support the brand through a consistent layout and offer visually appealing elements?
NAVIGATION
Does the site reinforce product browsing and alternative navigation options? Is the nomenclature straight-forward?
PRODUCT PRESENTATION AND CONTENT
How well is the brand providing relevant and compelling content (white papers, videos, etc.) that pushes customers
through the research/purchase process? Are features such as reviews, comparisons and product categorization
prevalent to aid the user in their experience?
PARTNER CHANNEL EXPERIENCE
How well does the site enable potential or current partners to get the information they need at any stage in their
relationship with the technology brand? Can customers easily find a local partner to work with?
MOBILE
Does the mobile site match user expectations? Is it easy to navigate to the type of content that technology buyers would
expect to find in a mobile experience?

4. COMPETITIVE SUMMARY

5. Competitive Summary | Average Ratings Across All Criteria
5
2.3
3.4
3.3
4.3
3.3
2.3
4.3
5
3.2
0
1
2
3
4
5

6. Competitive Summary | Ratings Across All Criteria
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Brocade
Cisco
EMC
Intel
Juniper
Oracle
Qualcomm
Salesforce
SAP
Brand
2.5
3
3.5
5
4
3
4.5
5
3.5
Design
2.5
4
4
5
3
2
5
5
3
Navigation
3
4
2.5
4
3
2
3.5
5
3
Product
Presentation
and Content
2
2
4
4
3
3
4
5
3
Partner
Channel
Experience
2.5
3.5
3.5
4
2
3
3.5
5
4
Mobile
1
4
2
4
4.5
1
5
5
2.5
TOTAL
AVERAGE
2.3
3.4
3.3
4.3
3.3
2.3
4.3
5
3.2
1= Poor 2=Weak 3=Satisfactory 4=Excellent 5=Best-in-Class

7. KEY FINDINGS

8. BRAND

9. Brand | Summary
What did we find?
The brand personality is defined by site elements like design, imagery and user
experience. In the last 18 months there has been a substantial shift away from
branding tied to “legacy” product categories that each business may have
traditionally been associated with. Corporate websites for companies like EMC, Intel,
Qualcomm and Salesforce (where this trend is most evident) are placing greater
focus on the business value generated by their solutions and removing a lot of
product-centric imagery. We see more lofty statements about the business benefits
each company drives, big and bold imagery, less “clutter” on the home page, and an
effort to tie their business to spokespeople or customers who exemplify innovation.
Where are there opportunities for B2B brands to improve or differentiate?
There is a risk that in an effort to “out-simplify” the others in the category, the value
proposition will become completely ambiguous. The biggest opportunity we see is
for tech companies to offer a simple explanation of their value, while seamlessly
connecting that value to each product offering via clear calls to action, simple
navigation, great case studies and content that makes them the definitive category
leader (like third-party rankings or really insightful self-published materials).
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10. Brand | Salesforce
SALESFORCE HAS A CONSISTENT, CLEAR MESSAGE
Salesforce has a relatively small set of clearly integrated cloud solutions, but they should still be
applauded for their simple value proposition of delivering sales, service and marketing in the cloud.
Across product categories, their underlying value proposition of supporting customers anytime and
anywhere remains valid. Subtle things like the tab navigation between offerings and the consistent calls
to action that are specific to each product page help reinforce the integrated nature of their products.
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11. Brand | Salesforce (continued)
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SALESFORCE SEAMLESSLY CONNECTS VALUE STATEMENTS WITH PROOF
The story Salesforce is promoting on home page hero images and product pages is reinforced
everywhere on the site by a plethora of great customer examples. They avoid talking in nebulous
terms about innovation or the “future of marketing” and prove that they are leading the category.

12. Brand | Juniper
JUNIPER SHOWS THE BUSINESS VALUE
These sample hero images from Juniper are a unique approach at hitting an emotional chord with
site visitors. The threat of cyber attacks and the risk of becoming an irrelevant business are clearly
reasons an IT executive would invest in new technology. While these concepts help reinforce Juniper’s
brand promise, clicking on the buttons continues the very “story-oriented” site experience, and it is
difficult to tie these initial statements to the solutions Juniper offers to thwart these threats.
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13. Brand | Intel
INTEL CONNECTS THEIR PRODUCTS TO INNOVATION
Intel has long been a leader in their ability to connect their core chipset technologies to product
innovations. Their home page contains a mix of content related to the broader business value and
focus on innovation, along with product-specific content. One product page (image to the right)
features illustrator Bob Staake using a 2-in-1 device to create digital content.
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14. Brand | SAP
SAP COMBINES BUSINESS VALUE MESSAGING WITH IN-DEPTH PRODUCT INFORMATION
Large enterprises will inherently have a more challenging time connecting a simple message that
shows their business value to their broad array of products and solutions. SAP addresses this challenge
by rotating a mix of hero content that features big customer stories with bold imagery, major product
updates, recent third-party research or rankings and featured solutions. Each of these aligns with
whatever stage in the journey a visitor might be in, while combining to reinforce a single brand position.
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15. DESIGN

16. Design | Summary
What did we find?
There are a few notable design changes occurring, including:
1. The popularity of responsive web design is influencing the look-and-feel of
corporate sites. Intel and Qualcomm are two examples where the .com design
feels like a smartphone experience.
2. Tech companies are notorious for inconsistent page layouts as the user switches
between product categories or sections of the site. They seem to be improving in
this area.
3. Brands are increasingly using more of the page. There was a period of time
when half the screen was left white on the margins, but we now see many
companies using big imagery and experiences across the page.
4. In rare instances we saw the product page design changing in a meaningful way
– primarily the addition of better product imagery and a streamlined layout.
Where are there opportunities for B2B brands to improve or differentiate?
The site visitor’s experience is not defined by the hero image on the home page.
There needs to be great content that is contextually relevant as they dive deeper into
the site, and good design/content strategy is going to separate sites where the user
accomplishes what they wanted to from ones where they did not.
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17. Design | Intel & Qualcomm
INTEL AND QUALCOMM USE THE FULL PAGE WITH “SMARTPHONE-LIKE” SITE DESIGNS
Both of these sites use the full screen, big imagery, minimal text and subtle design factors (like bouncing
arrows) to push site visitors to further explore. These experiences are clearly influenced by mobile web
designs, particularly in how they reduce the content paths and choices for visitors, relying on them to
launch the home nav button if they have something they are searching for.
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18. Design | Salesforce & EMC
SALESFORCE AND EMC KEEP THE LAYOUT CONSISTENT
Many enterprise companies have separate sites for partner channels, support communities and
developer networks. Both EMC and Salesforce do a good job with consistent design elements across
all of these properties, and they avoid having too many disconnected properties.
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19. NAVIGATION

20. Navigation | Summary
What did we find?
Most enterprise technology firms have a large number of product categories, making
navigation challenging. We were surprised to see several innovative solutions to help
users streamline the process of getting to the right content:
1. The use of imagery in the main navigation
2. Search fields within the main navigation drop down
3. Tab navigation throughout product pages
4. Shortcuts or promotions for featured content within the main navigation
Where are there opportunities for B2B brands to improve or differentiate?
There are subtle things brands can do to improve the site experience. For example, if a
particular category in the main navigation is going to take the user to a different site,
an icon that notifies them that it’s a different site sets their expectation. Other ways to
improve the experience include using language that a first-time visitor would
understand (as opposed to internal product jargon), finding more intuitive ways to
group content categories under the most appropriate navigation title, and adding an
advanced filtering function to the search bar to help visitors refine their search.
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21. Navigation | EMC
EMC USES ICONOGRAPHY TO ENHANCE THE NAVIGATION EXPERIENCE
When a user hovers over the main navigation drop-down menu they see icons. The iconography
established in the navigation is used elsewhere on the site, establishing some visual recognition and
context for what section the user is in. It also makes the experience more engaging. This only works
because the number of site sections and product offerings is limited.
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22. Navigation | Cisco
CISCO EMBEDS PRODUCT SEARCH FUNCTIONALITY INTO THE DROP DOWN
This particular feature is under the “Support” tab. This is a nice touch, as many people looking for
support are likely looking for details for a specific product. This functionality reduces an additional
step by letting the user get straight to the specific product information they need.
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23. Navigation | Salesforce
SALESFORCE USES TAB NAVIGATION THAT “MOVES” DOWN THE PAGE
Salesforce tab navigation is set just above the fold on both the home page and product pages. Many
usability studies have proven that the area above the fold is the most navigated area, even over the
main navigation. In addition, when users select a tab, they remain on the same page and are
anchored to that particular section. As they scroll down the page, the navigation tabs remain visible.
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24. Navigation | Oracle & Salesforce
ORACLE AND SALESFORCE PROMOTE FEATURED CONTENT IN THE DROP DOWN
On Oracle.com, as the user hovers over each section of the main navigation drop down, they see
featured content like “Popular Downloads” on the Downloads section or a quick link to “My Oracle
Support” on the Support section. Done right, this strategy can simplify the user experience.
Salesforce promotes featured case study content on the drop down.
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25. PRODUCT PRESENTATION/CONTENT

26. Product Presentation/Content | Summary
What did we find?
The quality and relevance of content at the product page level is perhaps the most important
part of a site. We observed a few noteworthy attempts to streamline the product research
experience, including:
1. Content organized based on the user’s role in their organization (eg. CFO, Controller)
2. Contextually-relevant case studies, videos, social content and supporting materials that
closely relate to the product on the page
3. Visual or interactive content that brings a hardware or software product to life
4. A section dedicated to learning how to buy products or solutions
Where are there opportunities for B2B brands to improve or differentiate?
With lots of products, lots of potential buyers (or influencers in the buying process) and
various stages a buyer can be in when they are visiting the site, the best way to stand out is to:
1. Learn which content pieces are actually useful and get rid of all the rest
2. Help the user match their current need to the right content
3. Allow visitors to get the desired product content without pushing them three levels
deeper into the site and taking them off the product page
4. Have a clear next action for users in any stage of the buying process on the product page
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27. Product Presentation/Content | Oracle
ORACLE PRESENTS ROLE-BASED CONTENT
In addition to the Overview section with baseline product details, Oracle does a nice job organizing
content to meet the needs of different levels of buyers under a Roles tab. Once users click on the
questions that are top issues for their role, they are taken to a page with all the contextually-relevant
information (demo, white paper, case studio, overview video) to address that particular issue.
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28. Product Presentation/Content | SAP & Intel
SAP AND INTEL PULL IN SOCIAL, VIDEO AND CASE STUDY DATA ON PRODUCT PAGES
Both of these companies do a nice job of simplifying the amount of content and focusing on things
that are very relevant to the particular product page. For example, a company looking at SAP retail
solutions can drill down into different categories of retail (softlines, hardlines or food retailing) and
see content that is very specific to the distinct category needs.
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29. Product Presentation/Content | Qualcomm
QUALCOMM BRINGS CHIP TECHNOLOGY TO LIFE WITH REAL DEVICE EXAMPLES
Qualcomm promotes their Snapdragon processors by allowing users to search for devices that are
using the technology by OEM or by carrier, then view product details or click through to buy the
product on the carrier site.
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30. Product Presentation/Content | EMC
EMC HIGHLIGHTS BUYING OPTIONS
While this is not on the actual product page, having a top navigation section titled How to Buy helps
EMC simplify the buying options for site visitors. They have a simple video explaining options and a
clear path for returning site visitors that are ready to move forward in engaging with a sales rep or
other form of purchase dialogue.
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31. Product Presentation/Content | Intel
INTEL SIMPLIFIES PRODUCT SELECTION WITH ADVANCED COMPARISON TOOLS
Product selection tools are common on technology sites (including Cisco, EMC, Oracle and Juniper), but Intel
has some nice features that go above and beyond the rest. For example, when users select different products
for comparison, the Compare call to action changes from blue to green and the product image is displayed in
the comparison box to the right of the page. In some instances, once the user selects the options and is taken
to a comparison page, the differences between products are highlighted in yellow.
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32. PARTNER CHANNEL EXPERIENCE

33. Partner Channel Experience | Summary
What did we find?
While there are still some immature partner channel web experiences, we observed
several areas where they are improving, including:
1. Greater focus on the benefits of a partnership
2. More integrated, single experience across partnership stages
3. Streamlined online application experiences during the new partner sign-up stage
4. Simpler ways for site visitors to filter and find partners
5. Comprehensive support
6. Communities
Where are there opportunities for B2B brands to improve or differentiate?
There are very few vendors who have done a full content audit and fully integrated the
relevant partner experiences into the actual corporate site. In many cases, they have built
what looks like an integrated home page for partner content, but it ends up linking out to
other sites, PDFs, separate sign-up form pop-ups or other types of content. Partners
want to work with the business that creates the greatest potential revenue opportunity for
them, but are also going to invest in companies that make it easy to do business. The
process of researching partner benefits and applying to be a partner is the first chance to
show how a brand values its partners.
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34. Partner Channel Experience | SAP
SAP FOCUSES ON THE BUSINESS VALUE AND USES VIDEO TO TELL THE STORY
The video, text and case studies on SAP’s partner section do a nice job emphasizing benefits like the
total addressable market of SAP’s solutions and the revenue potential that creates for partners. They
also talk about their product strategy and the potential for long-term success and commitment,
which wasn’t referenced by many of the others we analyzed.
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35. Partner Channel Experience | SAP (continued)
SAP CUSTOMIZES THE PARTNER APPLICATION PROCESS
As part of the application process, many companies have one standard page with a huge amount of
contact email addresses. A potential partner is likely going to want to feel at least a little special and at
the very least is going to want to be able to confirm their application was received. SAP has two basic sets
of questions to help indicate which application process they should submit. The simple form then shows
users how many steps they have to complete.
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36. Partner Channel Experience | Oracle
ORACLE HAS WELL INTEGRATED PRODUCT RESOURCES FOR PARTNERS
The Oracle partner site has very well organized product materials. Users can identify their objective
on the site and see a segmented view of content that is really relevant and specific.
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37. Partner Channel Experience | Cisco
CISCO CREATES A SIMPLE AND UNIFIED EXPERIENCE FOR SOLUTION PARTNERS
Using tab navigation, Cisco does a nice job unifying many of the key pieces of content that a partner might
look for during the research process – from basic details, to membership requirements and the steps
necessary to join.
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38. Partner Channel Experience | Salesforce
SALESFORCE PROMOTES PARTNERS IN AN EASY-TO-USE EXPERIENCE
The Partner section on sites typically includes an area where users can see who are certified partners in their
region or who has a particular solution. Salesforce does a nice job placing all partner types on one single
experience that can easily be filtered by users. This is a benefit to those visitors looking for a partner, and is a
good selling point for potential partners who want to have their company listed.
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39. Partner Channel Experience | Salesforce (continued)
SALESFORCE ALSO HAS A ROBUST COMMUNITY FOR PARTNERS
The separate partner community site is the only example we found where a technology brand has turned the
partnership experience from a “necessary evil” type of interaction, to a valuable resource and community that
people may really get a lot of value from. Within this experience, partners can access comprehensive support
materials based off of the stage they are in.
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40. MOBILE

41. Mobile | Summary
What did we find?
Each of the tech brands we evaluated is at a different place in the maturity of their mobile
presence. Companies like Salesforce have a fully-optimized and very focused mobile site
with just a handful of pages and many specific calls to action (Free Trial Sign-Up, Watch
Demo Video, etc.). Other brands that have huge product portfolios, like SAP and EMC, have
mobile-optimized home pages and secondary pages, but eventually send visitors to non-
optimized product pages. Companies like Brocade and Oracle have no mobile optimization.
Where are there opportunities for B2B brands to improve or differentiate?
While there is a massive amount of potential tasks someone could be trying to accomplish
on a technology company website, there is a much smaller number of tasks that they would
turn to a mobile site for. The biggest opportunities we see are for brands to:
1. Find the right balance between “exploratory” content that doesn’t have a lot of
functional use for the visitor and very specific product details.
2. Connect mobile experiences to specific calls to action. What is the clear next step for
visitors if they want more product info or are having trouble and are looking for support?
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42. Mobile | Salesforce
SALESFORCE CREATES CLEAR CALLS TO ACTION FOR EACH PRODUCT CATEGORY
Salesforce makes it incredibly simple for users to navigate between their four main product categories and has
very specific calls to action like “Watch Sales Cloud Demo.” The bottom of the screen persistently has a call to
action to call Salesforce, which is a natural and easy process from the phone. The other persistent call to action
is “Free Trial” which slides the screen to a form where users can select which trial they want to sign up for.
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43. Mobile | Qualcomm
QUALCOMM ENCOURAGES USERS TO EXPLORE
The responsive Qualcomm site uses arrow visual cues to push users to explore different sections of the site. The
main navigation bar creates a direct path to all the main product pages, where users get educational content and
the ability to dive deeper into specific product selling points (like Snapdragon technology). The site does a good
job of balancing a moderate amount of content with a very easy-to-navigate mobile experience.
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44. Mobile | Cisco
CISCO PROVIDES EASY ACCESS TO A WIDE RANGE OF PRODUCT DETAILS
Of the larger companies with a significant number of product categories, Cisco does the best job allowing
users to easily search for any product. On the product pages, users can get access to details about different
models, data sheets and other information that might be useful when researching products or looking for
support information.
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45. Key Takeaways
In our analysis we observed several ways for enterprise technology brands to improve
how they engage with prospects or customers via their corporate website:
1. Think beyond the home page. The entire site experience needs to help the user find
and access the most contextually-relevant information, then take whatever step is
next in the buyer journey. We saw many home pages and a few product pages that
were highly optimized, but most companies have disconnected experiences as you
get any deeper into the site.
2. Build more substantial calls to action into the flow of the site. Most brands had a
plethora of video or case study content to view, but very few had offers for demos or
really compelling content to entice a potential customer to fill out a form and “raise
their hand” as being interested.
3. Prioritize content strategy. To convey a simple brand message on the home page and
reinforce that throughout the site, it is critical to have a well defined content plan.
This effort should include the removal of content and offers that make the
experience overwhelming and do not offer significant value.
You can find more B2B engagement best practices on Slideshare.com/RosettaMktg and
our blog, Currents.Rosetta.com.
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46. How to Learn More
Want to learn more about our analysis?
Reach out at www.Rosetta.com/contact and we would be
happy to tell you more about our analysis and key findings.
About Rosetta
Rosetta is a customer engagement agency.
We combine human insights, technology and next-
generation storytelling to craft meaningful connections that
drive tangible results.
Visit www.Rosetta.com for more details.
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47. Thank You
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