How to make B2B websites feel human without dumbing things down

Somewhere along the way on this particular journey, professionalism became mistaken for formality. Many B2B companies worry that sounding human means sounding less intelligent. The result? Websites that communicate facts but fail to connect to those they’re created for.

As a B2B web agency, we see this constantly across our client base. The truth is, being human isn’t unprofessional; it’s persuasive. When your website speaks like a person, not a brochure, it makes your expertise easier to trust and your brand easier to remember.

What does a “human” website really mean?

When we talk about a “human” website, we’re not talking about the use of casual slang or chatty text in the content. We’re actually talking about the type of content that sounds like it was written by real people, that is designed for real people to consume.

Human websites tend to include characteristics such as:

• Being completely clear: They explain the most complex of ideas in a language anyone can understand.
• Delivering empathy: They display and show awareness of the user’s challenges and how their solution would potentially support the user, not just their company profile.
• Being conversational: They reach out and talk with people, so they can find a point of relevance; they don’t talk at them.
• Being honest: They avoid filler content, content that contains jargon and speak directly to the user.

It’s the difference between saying “Our platform facilitates process optimisation” and “We help you work faster and smarter.” Both deliver the aspect of expertise, however, although simple, one feels like a conversation, the other, a phrase right out of a pitch deck.

The danger of oversimplifying complex ideas

One of the biggest fears B2B companies have when trying to sound more human is the worry that they’ll lose credibility. They assume that if they simplify their language or soften their tone, they’ll somehow weaken the intelligence behind what they do.

What we find is that fear leads too many websites to swing too far in the other direction. They hide behind complicated wording, technical jargon and long paragraphs, not because their ideas are complex, but because they think complexity automatically signals expertise and what we’ve learnt over the years is that it simply doesn’t. It only makes the content harder to trust and even harder to remember.

A humanised website isn’t one that removes detail. It’s one that removes distance. It keeps the substance, the nuance and the expertise, but expresses them in a way that feels clear, confident and approachable to users.

Simplifying means breaking big ideas into language people can actually engage with. Dumbing down means stripping away meaning until there’s nothing worth saying. These are not the same thing.

The best B2B websites deliver clarity without compromise. They talk about technical subjects in a way that respects the reader’s intelligence while still sounding like a real person wrote it. That balance is what makes a website feel human, not less professional, but more accessible.

Think of it like a good expert. They don’t use complicated words to sound impressive. They make complex ideas understandable because they are impressive. Your website should do the same.

The goal isn’t to oversimplify. The goal is to make sophisticated ideas feel human enough that your audience actually connects with them.

How tone and language shape emotional connection

Tone is where trust lives. And on a B2B website, tone does most of the heavy lifting long before a salesperson gets involved.

When your language feels cold or overly formal, it creates a barrier between you and the reader. It makes your brand feel distant, detached and harder to relate to. But when your tone sounds natural, warm and confident, it pulls people in. It signals that there are real humans behind the screens who understand real-world problems.

A human B2B website doesn’t simplify expertise, it humanises it. It speaks like an expert who listens, not a lecturer who broadcasts. That shift alone can change how trustworthy your business feels.

Using everyday words, shorter sentences, and an active voice doesn’t “dumb things down.” It removes friction. It makes your ideas easier to absorb and your personality easier to sense. Instead of writing “solutions that leverage innovative methodologies,” saying “tools that help you do your job better” doesn’t weaken your authority; it strengthens the connection.

The clarity makes you believable. The warmth makes you approachable. And the combination makes your expertise feel human, not mechanical, exactly what modern B2B buyers want.

Can storytelling make technical content more relatable?

Without question. Storytelling is one of the easiest ways to make a B2B website feel human because it grounds technical expertise in real human context.

Technical facts explain what you do. Stories explain why it matters. And B2B buyers respond far more strongly to the latter.

When you tell a story about how your product prevented downtime for a customer or how your team helped a client solve a painful problem, you’re not just presenting information; you’re creating an emotional anchor. You’re showing the real-world impact of your expertise in a way that resonates on a human level.

A power solutions provider saying “we ensure uninterrupted energy” is informative. Showing how they kept a hospital running during a blackout is human.

A software company saying “we streamline workflows” is clear. Showing how a finance team saved hours each week and reduced stress is relatable.

Storytelling turns technical capability into human value. It transforms “features and functions” into something people can picture, understand and care about.

And that’s the real goal, not to simplify the content, but to humanise the meaning behind it, so even the most complex solution feels grounded in everyday human experience.

Designing for empathy - Putting people before process

Design plays a bigger role in humanity than most brands realise.

A human-centred B2B website considers how visitors feel as they browse, not just what they see. That means intuitive navigation, readable typography and imagery that reflects people, not just products.

Approachable design isn’t about bright colours or stock photos of handshakes. It’s about creating flow. It guides people naturally through content, with space to breathe and visuals that support rather than shout.

When visitors feel comfortable, they stay longer, read deeper and remember more. That’s what empathy in design looks like.

Real example of a B2B brand that sounds human and credible

Teledyne FLIR

Teledyne FLIR is a highly technical business. They design and manufacture advanced thermal imaging cameras and AI powered traffic management systems. Their work lives in complex spaces like security, defence and road safety, areas where precision and engineering accuracy matter. But when they came to Tiga to launch a new range of AI powered traffic cameras across the EMEA region, the challenge wasn’t just explaining the technology. It was helping the market understand it.

The adoption of AI in traffic management was still in its early stages, and many of the audiences they needed to influence, including traffic authorities, integrators, and trade media, had varying levels of technical knowledge. The campaign had to educate, reassure and excite, all at the same time. If the messaging relied purely on technical detail, the audience would switch off. If it became too high-level, the substance would be lost.

To keep that balance, we ran discovery workshops across Europe to understand the product from every angle, industry, hardware and AI. From there, we developed a messaging framework designed to humanise the technology without oversimplifying it. Instead of leaning on long technical descriptions, the content focused on what the cameras enabled in real life: safer junctions, faster detection, smarter decision making. We showed the technology in action, not as a function.

This shift made the campaign clearer, warmer and more approachable, without compromising the credibility Teledyne FLIR is known for. The content still spoke to engineers, but it also spoke to the people responsible for public safety, operational efficiency and day to day traffic flow. The AI became less intimidating and more relevant, something buyers could understand, not something they had to decode.

The results reflected that human approach. Engagement increased, MQLs rose, and exhibition attendance grew compared to previous years. The work was so effective that the US team later requested the assets for rollout across their own regions.

Teledyne FLIR proved that even the most advanced technology can feel accessible and human when the story focuses on real world impact instead of raw circuitry. That’s exactly what modern B2B websites need: expertise expressed in a way people can actually relate to.

Find out more about this case study here

Speak like a human, be trusted like an expert

The best B2B websites don’t hide behind corporate language. They use clarity and empathy to connect. They teach without preaching. They simplify without dumbing down.

When your content sounds like it was written by a person who understands the reader, trust grows and so does conversion.

So next time you review your website, ask yourself, does this sound like something I’d actually say?

If the answer is no, it’s time to rewrite, not to sound less professional, but to sound more human.

Because when your brand speaks like a human, people listen like humans too.

Tiga UK is a B2B creative agency based in Kent, helping brands bring humanity back into digital marketing. We create websites, campaigns and brand stories that make complex ideas simple and approachable, without losing their edge.

Want your brand to sound more human without losing credibility? Let’s talk.