Chemical company website design: what it needs and who builds it

Who builds websites for chemical companies?

Chemical companies are best served by a web design agency that is comfortable with technical B2B content, structured product data and document libraries, not only attractive brochure sites. The agency has to understand that a formulator looking for a grade, a buyer comparing suppliers and a safety officer looking for a current SDS all arrive with different jobs to do.

PJW Partners is a website design and AI agency that builds this kind of site for manufacturers and distributors worldwide. One example is ADiNO Asia, a modern website for an international adhesives brand. Custom websites start from $1,500 USD and most launch in 3 to 6 weeks; a large catalogue or several languages will need a tailored quote.

Whoever you choose, ask these questions before you sign:

• Have they built a product catalogue with filters and per-product documents before?
• How will SDS and TDS files be uploaded, replaced and dated after launch, and by whom?
• Can the site run in several languages, with separate, indexable pages for each?
• Will product information be readable text that search engines and AI assistants can understand, or only PDFs?
• Who owns the domain, the content and the code when the project ends?

Who visits a chemical company website, and what do they search for?

A chemical website serves several professional audiences at once, and each one arrives with a different question. Designing for all of them starts with naming them.

Their searches are precise. Technical buyers type CAS numbers, chemical names with grades, trade names and applications, such as “epoxy resin for flooring” or “food-grade citric acid supplier”, often followed by a country. Many now also ask AI assistants which suppliers make a certain product for a certain market. A site that states its products, grades, applications and markets in plain text gives both Google and AI tools something specific to match. Our guide to getting recommended by ChatGPT explains why that matters.

How should a chemical product catalogue be structured?

A chemical catalogue should let visitors reach the same product by more than one route: by chemistry, by application and by industry. A formulator thinks in chemistries, a plant manager thinks in problems and a distributor thinks in markets, so a single alphabetical list serves none of them well.

• By chemistry or product family, for example solvents, resins, surfactants or pigments.
• By application, for example coatings, water treatment, cleaning or bonding.
• By industry, for example automotive, food and beverage, construction or textiles.

Each product then needs its own page, built from one template so buyers can compare like with like. A useful chemical product page includes:

1. Product name, any trade name and one sentence on what it does.
2. Identifiers such as the CAS number, plus the grades or purities available.
3. Typical properties in a short table, with units and test methods stated.
4. Main applications and industries, linked to the matching application pages.
5. Pack sizes and supply formats, such as bags, drums, IBCs or bulk.
6. Document downloads: SDS, TDS and certificates, each with language and revision date.
7. One clear next step: request a sample, request a quote or speak to a specialist.

Filters by application, industry and certification become useful once a catalogue passes a few dozen products. For the wider picture on industrial sites, see our B2B manufacturer website guide.

How should SDS and TDS documents be managed on the website?

SDS and TDS documents should sit in one searchable library, linked from every relevant product page, with each file labelled by product, language, region and revision date. These are the documents customers return for, so finding the right version should take seconds, not an email to your sales team.

A safety data sheet (SDS) describes the hazards of a substance or mixture and how to handle, store, transport and dispose of it safely; under the Globally Harmonized System (GHS) it follows a standard 16-section format. A technical data sheet (TDS) describes performance: properties, recommended uses, application methods and shelf life. Customers often need both, and often in their own language.

A workable document setup looks like this:

1. Agree a naming convention, such as product code, document type, language and revision date, before anything is uploaded.
2. Store each document once and link it to every page that needs it, so one replacement updates the whole site.
3. Show the revision date beside every download so customers can see at a glance that it is current.
4. Keep SDS downloads open. Putting safety information behind a login or form frustrates the people who most need it.
5. Name an owner in your regulatory or technical team who uploads new versions and removes superseded ones.

Formulation guides or detailed application notes can reasonably sit behind a short form if you want leads from them. Safety information should not.

What regulatory and safety information should a chemical website include?

A chemical website should state the compliance facts buyers need to approve you as a supplier, consistently with your SDS and labels, and leave detailed legal interpretation to the documents themselves. Treat this as general guidance rather than legal advice: your regulatory team or adviser should approve the final wording.

• Hazard information that matches the SDS. If a product page shows GHS pictograms or signal words, they must match the current SDS exactly. If they cannot be kept in step, link to the SDS instead of repeating it.
• Certifications you actually hold, such as ISO 9001 or ISO 14001, or food-contact, kosher or halal certificates, with downloadable copies and expiry dates where relevant.
• Market-specific status, for example whether a product is registered under REACH for the European Union, stated only where your team has confirmed it.
• Accurate claims. Avoid words such as “non-toxic”, “eco-friendly” or “completely safe” unless you can support them and they are permitted in the markets you sell to.
• A short disclaimer that web content is a guide and the SDS and TDS are the reference documents.

Enquiry and sample forms also collect personal data, so publish a privacy notice that explains how it is used, in line with laws such as Thailand’s PDPA B.E. 2562 and, where you have European customers, the GDPR.

How should sample, quote and distributor requests work?

Each type of request should have its own short form that asks only what your team needs to respond, and that goes straight to the right person. One generic contact form mixes urgent orders with sales pitches and job applications, and slows everything down.

Chemical buyers are often international, so plan languages early. If your customers buy in Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese or English, the product pages, forms and confirmation messages should exist in those languages, with identical product names and codes in each. Our guide to bilingual website SEO explains how to set up language versions that search engines index properly.

What mistakes should chemical companies avoid with their websites?

The most common mistake is treating the website as a company brochure when buyers use it as a reference tool. Most of the others follow from that one:

• Catalogues that exist only as PDFs. A downloadable brochure cannot be filtered by buyers, is hard to read on a phone and tells search engines little. Put the key data on the page.
• Out-of-date documents. An old SDS online undermines trust and can cause real problems for customers. Date every file and give someone ownership.
• Vague product names. “Industrial cleaner 5” tells nobody anything. Include the chemistry, grade and use.
• One form for everything. Separate sample, quote and distributor routes so each reaches the right team quickly.
• Stock photos of beakers. Real photos of your plant, laboratory, warehouse and packaging show buyers you are a genuine, capable supplier.
• Slow pages. Aim for Google’s “good” Core Web Vitals thresholds, such as a Largest Contentful Paint of 2.5 seconds or less, even on large catalogue pages.

If you make or distribute chemicals and your website is not doing this work yet, tell us about your products and markets and we’ll reply within one business day.

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