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5 Steps to get your Website SCO-ready! (Nope...not a typo)

  

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Savvy companies are keenly aware that without quality Search Engine Optimization (SEO), their websites are about as effective for generating leads as an unlit billboard on a dark and stormy night. If you aren't generating high page rankings on the right keywords then you are alone in the wilderness, preaching to the cacti, which rarely have a budget and are notoriously bad at buying things.

If you're not quite there yet - or if you haven't even started, resolve to make 2012 the year that you do! Because if you don't, you'll be watching your competition pull ahead by attracting your potential clients. Studies show that over 70 percent of B2B purchasers begin their buying process by searching the web, and that percentage is even higher for B2C.

But after getting SEO-ready, it's time to get "SCO-ready". SCO = Sales Cycle Optimization.

SCO is the active process of providing content on your site (and beyond) that speaks to each of the key phases your prospects go through as they progress from curious informational researcher to active evaluator, and ultimately, hopefully, to buyer. SCO also addresses the reality that your buyer is often more than one person.

The process of Sales Cycle Optimization is more complicated and time consuming for bigger, more complex sales but products of even modest value and complexity benefit from SCO.

To get SCO-ready, here are 5 essential steps:

1. Map your sales process. If you have multiple products or services, start with the top priority ones for your company in 2012. Even if your cycle is pretty quick, it's useful to put it in writing (better yet, in a diagram).
2. Involve your sales department. They know best the key milestones of the sales process and the typical time frames to move through the cycle. They also know the decision influencers and their informational needs/biases.
3. Review the content of your website. Assess how much of your content is targeted to each phase of your sales cycle and how much content actively speaks to the needs of each decision maker/influencer. This will highlight where to focus new content development.
4. Review your lead conversion offers (i.e. Free White Papers, Webinars, etc.) to see if your offers cover all the steps in the sales cycle, and where you are getting the most conversions. If it's lopsided, adjust.
5. Look beyond your website. Does your extended web presence support your lead generation campaigns? Evaluate how well you're getting seen and heard at the industry level. From industry articles to blogs; social media sites to webinars and conference speaking engagements. All roads should lead to your website and ultimately, your sales force.

With these data points, you are armed to get Sales Cycle Optimized. You're better prepared to create new content and offers that will create conversions at each stage of the sales cycle. And you're able to see when visits move from curiosity to interest, and you're ready to turn those leads into sales.