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Digital Marketing Best Practice in the UK Built Environment – The 2024 Benchmarking Report

By Jennifer Esty  |  January 12, 2024

Our recent analysis of the Built Environment reveals that nearly all organisations could significantly improve business outcomes simply by following digital marketing best practice.

A few of our headline findings:

  • 91% of organisations are missing two or more digital marketing best practices
  • Only 28% were meeting search experience best practice
  • Only 22% were compliant with cookie legislation
  • Only 21% were using online chat
  • Only 9% met Google’s core web vitals standards

More about the Report

The overall results

9% Leaders: enjoying competitive advantage by using nearly all of the digital marketing best practices.

36% Contenders: employing some best practices, working towards digital marketing success.

37 % Laggards: following only some best practices, making them vulnerable to more ambitious competitors.

18% Spectators: using very few best practices, losing potential prospects, and leaving the door wide open to competitors.

What is a digital footprint?

It’s the imprint your business leaves on the digital world, everything from your website and social channels to what happens when someone Googles your business name. It’s important because 90% of B2B buyers turn to online channels as their primary method for identifying new suppliers.*

And if prospects can’t find you, find a competitor first, or have a poor experience, your business will miss out.

The organisations we analysed

Our sample included main contractors, specialist contractors, product manufacturers, builders’ merchants, hire companies, architects, recruitment agencies and organisations from the emerging construction technology sector.

The methodology

For each of the 100 organisations, we analysed 40 digital indicators and grouped them into 4 key areas:

  • Search Experience: a prospect’s experience when searching for your business online.
  • Content Experience: the quality and relevance of your digital content.
  • Website Experience: the experience of using your organisation’s website.
  • Marketing Technology: how your martech stack stacks up.

And we scored them on digital marketing best practice.

For the full results—and top tips on how you can improve your own B2B digital marketing, download the full report!

The companies featured

The 100 organisations that we analysed include: 

  • Balfour Beatty
  • Kier
  • Bowmer & Kirkland
  • IS
  • Royal BAM
  • Wates
  • Morgan Sindall
  • Galliford Try
  • Tarmac Trading
  • Laing O’Rourke
  • Skanska UK
  • Mace
  • Tclarke Contracting
  • Jarvale Construction
  • Amey
  • Bouygues
  • Atlas Con Tech
  • Alasco
  • HyperTunnel
  • Nodes & Links
  • Plinx
  • YardLink
  • MachineMax
  • Procore
  • Autodesk Construction Cloud
  • Contractor Foreman
  • Fonn
  • Xpedeon
  • Trimble Construction
  • Construct Connect
  • Kingspan
  • Rehau
  • London Steel Fabrication
  • OE
  • Cemex
  • Forterra
  • Victorian Plumbing
  • Thomas Armstrong Group
  • Yewdale Corporation Limited
  • Waverley Contract & Supply Limited
  • Newfield Fabrications
  • Sika UK
  • Ardex
  • Fosroc
  • Travis Perkins
  • Jewson
  • Selco Builders Warehouse
  • Builders Merchant Direct
  • IBB
  • Fairalls
  • Wolseley UK
  • JTD Building Supplies
  • Bradfords Building Supplies Limited
  • Myers Building Supplies
  • Wickes
  • NG Bailey
  • McAllister Group
  • Specialist Construction Services
  • Clay Construction
  • Newton Waterproofing
  • Specialist Joinery
  • Speedy Hire
  • HSS Hire
  • Nixon Hire
  • National Tool Hire Shops
  • Ben Burgess
  • AE Faulks
  • Aska Attachments
  • Chippindale Plant
  • Brandon Hire Station
  • Ace Plant
  • Stevens Equipment Rental
  • TS Plant
  • CSC Recruitment
  • Time Recruitment
  • PSR Solutions
  • MCG Construction
  • Rise Technical
  • Fawkes & Reece
  • Alexander Associates
  • King Contract Services
  • Frontline Construction Recruitment
  • Edge Careers
  • Professional Construction Recruitment
  • Duffy Group
  • Summit Search Group
  • Goodwin Recruiting
  • UK Recruiting Limited
  • Peak Architects
  • Wilson Architectural Building Designs
  • SJC Architechture
  • Transform Architects
  • DMS Architechture
  • Brewster Bye Architects
  • Coffey Architects
  • Minale and Mann
  • Steve Jackson Design
  • Formed Architects
  • Mata Architects
  • Michael Jones Architects

Download our 2024 benchmarking report

For top tips on how you can improve your own B2B digital marketing, download the full report.

    Want to find out how your digital footprint performs against our key best practices? Get in touch today for a free 30-minute consultation and find out where you’re seeing success and where there are opportunities for improvement.

    Download our 2024 benchmarking report

    For top tips on how you can improve your own B2B digital marketing, download the full report.

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