B2B Website Tree Test Template
B2B marketing sites have a job: get the right person to the right page so they convert. If a prospect can't find pricing, an enterprise buyer can't find security docs, or a developer can't find API references, the site is leaking pipeline. This template validates whether your navigation gets each audience to what they need.
Why Tree Test a B2B Marketing Site
B2B sites serve multiple audiences with different goals: prospects evaluating fit, existing customers finding docs, enterprise buyers vetting security, developers integrating your API. Most navigation tries to serve all of them and ends up confusing everyone.
Tree testing reveals:
- Whether prospects find Pricing without scrolling the entire site
- Whether enterprise buyers find Security/Compliance docs (a dealbreaker if missing)
- Whether developers find API documentation
- Whether existing customers find support without going to Pricing first
- Whether your "Solutions by Industry" structure actually maps to how buyers think
Run a tree test:
- Before a marketing site redesign
- After consolidating product pages
- When sales reports prospects "couldn't find" key info
- Before adding a new product line or pricing tier
Template Overview
What's Included
- Sample B2B site tree (typical SaaS marketing structure)
- 8 task scenarios spanning prospect, buyer, customer, and developer flows
- Audience-specific success benchmarks
- Adaptation guides for different B2B models
Recommended study type: Tree test on your marketing site nav Suggested participants: 30-50 (mix of prospects and existing customers) Time to complete: 6-8 minutes per participant Analysis time: 1-2 hours
The Template: B2B Marketing Site Tree
Sample Tree Structure
Home
├── Product
│ ├── Overview
│ ├── Features
│ ├── Integrations
│ ├── Security
│ └── What's New
├── Solutions
│ ├── By Use Case
│ │ ├── For Sales Teams
│ │ ├── For Marketing Teams
│ │ ├── For Engineering Teams
│ │ └── For Operations
│ ├── By Industry
│ │ ├── Healthcare
│ │ ├── Financial Services
│ │ ├── Education
│ │ └── E-commerce
│ └── By Company Size
│ ├── Startups
│ ├── Mid-Market
│ └── Enterprise
├── Pricing
├── Customers
│ ├── Case Studies
│ ├── Customer Stories
│ └── Customer Wall of Love
├── Resources
│ ├── Blog
│ ├── Guides & eBooks
│ ├── Webinars
│ ├── ROI Calculator
│ └── State of the Industry Report
├── Developers
│ ├── API Documentation
│ ├── SDKs
│ ├── Changelog
│ └── Status Page
├── Company
│ ├── About
│ ├── Careers
│ ├── Press
│ └── Contact
└── [CTA] Get a Demo
The 8 Tasks
These cover the most common B2B site flows across all audiences.
Prospect Tasks
Task 1: Find Pricing
"You're evaluating this product and want to see how much it costs. Where would you go?"
Expected path: Pricing Success rate benchmark: 95-99% (this should be near-perfect)
Task 2: See If It Solves a Specific Problem
"You lead a sales team and want to see if this product is built for sales use cases. Where would you go?"
Expected path: Solutions → By Use Case → For Sales Teams Success rate benchmark: 70-85%
Enterprise Buyer Tasks
Task 3: Verify Security Compliance
"You're an IT buyer and need to confirm this product is SOC 2 compliant. Where would you go?"
Expected path: Product → Security Success rate benchmark: 65-80% (often buried)
Task 4: Find Enterprise Pricing or Contact Sales
"You work at a 10,000-person company and want to discuss enterprise pricing. Where would you go?"
Expected path: Pricing → contact sales link, OR Get a Demo Success rate benchmark: 75-90%
Customer Tasks
Task 5: Read About a Specific Customer
"Your CEO mentioned that [Big Brand] uses this product. You want to read their case study. Where would you go?"
Expected path: Customers → Case Studies Success rate benchmark: 75-85%
Task 6: Download a Buyer's Guide
"You want to send a guide on choosing the right tool to your manager. Where would you find it?"
Expected path: Resources → Guides & eBooks Success rate benchmark: 65-80%
Developer Tasks
Task 7: Find API Documentation
"You're a developer who needs to integrate this product's API. Where would you go?"
Expected path: Developers → API Documentation Success rate benchmark: 80-95% (developers expect a Developers section)
Task 8: Check System Status
"Your team thinks the API is down. Where would you check?"
Expected path: Developers → Status Page Success rate benchmark: 70-85%
How to Run This Template
- Sign up free at validatethat.io
- Create a tree test from your dashboard
- Paste the tree above (the tool accepts indented text)
- Add the 8 tasks as task scenarios
- Recruit participants that match your buyer personas — this matters more for B2B than for consumer sites
- Share the participant link with your prospect list, customer base, or paid panel
- Segment results by audience type if you tag participants
A B2B site tree test typically reaches significance with 30-50 participants and finishes in 3-7 days (B2B participants are slower to respond than B2C).
Interpreting Your Results
The Pricing Test Is the Sanity Check
If "find pricing" has under 90% success rate, your top-level navigation is broken. There's no excuse for prospects not finding pricing in B2B SaaS.
Watch the Solutions Maze
The Solutions section is where most B2B sites overcomplicate. If "find sales-team use case" has under 60% success, you have one of two problems:
- The Solutions section is too deep (3+ levels)
- Users want to skip Solutions and go directly to Product
If first-click data shows clicks on Product instead of Solutions, consider promoting key use cases to top-level nav.
Security and Compliance Are Dealbreakers
If enterprise buyers can't find SOC 2, ISO 27001, or HIPAA info, deals stall. This task should be ~80%+ for any product targeting enterprise. Many sites bury this in /trust or /legal — make it findable.
Developer Findability Matters Even If You're Not a Dev Tool
Many B2B products have an API. Developers are often involved in evaluation. If they can't find docs, they recommend against your product internally. Add a top-level Developers link if you have an API.
Common B2B Marketing Site Pitfalls
1. Too Many Solutions Categories
By Use Case, By Industry, By Company Size — if you have all three, you're forcing prospects to identify themselves three different ways before reaching content. Pick one primary axis and demote the others.
2. "Resources" as a Dumping Ground
Blog, eBooks, webinars, ROI calculator, customer reports, glossary — when "Resources" contains 8+ sub-items, users give up. Sub-categorize or promote the top-performing assets to dedicated nav items.
3. Hiding Security Pages
Many B2B sites have security/trust pages but link them only from the footer. Enterprise buyers shouldn't need to scroll to footer to find SOC 2 status. Promote to Product → Security.
4. Generic "Customers" Section
"Customers" with no breakdown forces users to scan all logos. If they want to see fintech customers specifically, they bounce. Sub-categorize by industry, use case, or company size to match Solutions.
5. No Self-Serve Path for Existing Customers
B2B sites sometimes treat existing customers as an afterthought. If a customer has a question and lands on your marketing site, they need a clear path to support, docs, or the app login. Test "find help" tasks.
Adapting for Your B2B Model
Product-Led Growth (PLG)
- Promote "Get Started Free" instead of "Get a Demo"
- Reduce Solutions depth — PLG buyers often skip it
- Make Pricing prominent (PLG users self-evaluate)
Sales-Led Enterprise
- Promote "Get a Demo" as the primary CTA
- Bury or omit self-serve pricing
- Add enterprise-specific resources (whitepapers, ROI calculators)
Developer-First
- Promote Developers section to top-level nav
- Add a "Quick Start" or "Try the API" link in nav
- Move case studies and customers down the priority order
Vertical-Specific (e.g., HealthTech)
- Compliance-specific nav items (HIPAA, FDA)
- Specialty resources (clinical studies, regulatory docs)
- Industry-specific solutions take primacy over use cases
Get Started
Run this tree test on your B2B site today. Start free on ValidateThat — no credit card, no Enterprise contract.
For more navigation validation, see our tree testing guide or card sorting templates to design the structure first.