Essential website technologies for manufacturing companies in 2026

Amy Culham
Digital Marketing Manager

Last updated
03/06/2026

Table of contents: Content Management Systems - Your Website Foundation; Product Finders; CRMs; E-Commerce Platforms; 3D Visualisation and Video; Chatbots/Live chat; Analytics; GPT/AI Tools; Summary; Ready to Make Your Website Work Harder?

Many manufacturing companies websites are good looking digital brochures that do nothing to improve business performance. After working with many manufacturers, we've identified the technologies that make a difference.

This is about choosing tools that solve real problems and deliver measurable results, not just the latest gimmicks.

Content Management Systems - Your Website Foundation

Your Content Management System (CMS) is like choosing the right machinery for your production line. Get it wrong, and your website becomes difficult to manage.

WordPress: The Popular Choice

WordPress is behind more manufacturing websites than any other platform, and for many reasons:

Your team can easily manage content without asking the dev team
It's good for search engines
Cost-effective without compromising on capability
Scales with your business
It's the tried and trusted option.

SilverStripe: User friendly and Powerful

For manufacturers handling sensitive data or operating in regulated industries, SilverStripe offers enterprise-grade security without the enterprise-grade headaches.

Marketing teams find it very easy to use to keep their websites up to date. Find out more about SilverStripe CMS.

Our advice: Choose a CMS that suits your business and is flexible to grow. However, the CMS will only be as good as the person building it. It pays to get a proven professional to do it.

silverstripe dashboard — Silverstripe CMS dashboard

Product Finders

A product finder tool is an easy search and find tool on your website that allows users to find the right product for their needs. By guiding users through a series of questions, filters, or categories, it narrows down the selection of available products to a tailored list of items that best match their requirements. This user-friendly tool not only enhances the overall browsing experience but also helps businesses showcase their offerings more effectively.

CRMs

A Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system is used to manage interactions and relationships with your customers, prospects and leads. It typically involves tracking customer interactions and gathering data to improve customer engagement and loyalty.

HubSpot, a popular CRM platform, offers an all-in-one solution that allows businesses to track and manage customer interactions across various channels, such as email, phone calls, and social media. Salesforce is another popular CRM platform that enables businesses to streamline their sales, marketing, and customer service processes. Both offering customisable and user-friendly interfaces, they help organisations build stronger customer relationships, manage leads, and drive overall business growth.

E-Commerce Platforms

E-Commerce platforms, such as Shopify, are great for manufacturers who want to enable customers to buy direct from their website. It's easy to set up and use, and it has a wide variety of features that allow you to customise your store. You can also choose from hundreds of third-party apps that will help you improve your store's functionality or add new features like payment processing or inventory management. Shopify isn't the only option out there; there are plenty of other e-commerce platforms available if Shopify doesn't work for you. Alternatively a distributor support portal can allow your customers to order online by logging in.

boxsite shop — Boxsite E-commerce website

3D Visualisation and Video

3D visualisations and video can help manufacturers showcase their products online in a more interactive way. A 3D visualization of a product allows the user to interact with it and see it from different angles. This can be used as a training tool for employees who need to know how the product works when the physical product isn’t available, or it can be used by customers who want to see what they're buying before they make their purchase.

Chatbots/Live chat

Chatbots and live chat are popular tools for businesses to interact with their customers. They can be used to answer basic questions, while live chat allows you to talk to your customers in real time.

Chatbots aren’t that new but have recently become more popular because they're easier than ever to create and manage. They are also able to handle much more complex questions without the need for human intervention, thanks to advances in artificial intelligence (AI) technology.

Analytics

Plugging in analytics software, such as GA4, into a website can help manufacturers gain insights into their website's performance, user behaviour, and marketing efforts. You can use it to track key metrics such as website traffic, bounce rates, and conversion rates, helping you to understand how users interact with your website and identify areas for improvement. Analytics can also provide information about where website traffic is coming from, which pages are most popular, and how users navigate through the website. By using this data, manufacturers can make better decisions when optimising their website to improve user experience, increase engagement, and drive more leads and conversions.

GPT/AI Tools

Not only can you use Artificial intelligence (AI) based chatbots to run your online customer service, but AI powered tools can enhance your online presence in a number of ways. From real-time personalisation - where AI can analyse user behaviour and serve targeted content, products, and recommendations based on individual preferences. To easily being able to create an accessible website for the deaf, hard of hearing, or visually impaired – by offering transcribed videos, closed captioning, and audio readings of your content, all created easily with AI tools.

Summary

As you can see, manufacturers can greatly benefit from embracing modern website technologies that enhance their online presence and provide a superior user experience for their audience. From helpful analytics tools that shed light on user behaviour and marketing success, to user experience improvements and smart e-commerce solutions, these technologies enable manufacturers to make their websites shine, attract new customers, and keep current clients happy.