OptimWise - Web Design & Development Simpsonville/Greenville SC

I led a WordPress for Small Business Websites Q&A panel at WordCamp Grand Rapids 2013. We discussed goals, strategy, content, analytics, speed and performance, social media, SEO, and generally making sites effective.

Below is a video of the panel discussion, followed by paraphrased versions of the questions asked by the audience. I'm so thankful for the panelists who volunteered their time to give expert advice: Nick, Paul, Jeremy, and Cathy.

WordCamp Grand Rapids 2013 was an energetic, educational, and inspirational gathering of WordPress enthusiasts from near and far. I learned a lot about web strategy and optimization, and about business topics such as pricing and project management.

At 12:40 I suggest looking for a content brief or discovery document on Docracy, but that site is actually only for legal documents. Also, the site I called "Get Content" is actually GatherContent.com. Please rate this video on WordPress.tv.

Questions (paraphrased)

1. What do small businesses overlook when creating their websites?
2. What should you do with content if you have too much?
3. What’s the best way to collect content from clients? Where can one find a content brief?
4. What’s a beneficial solution you’ve recently provided a client?
5. Tell a client success story.
6. What plugins can help with expires headers and minifying CSS and JavaScript?
7. How can you boost local SEO?
8. Do you believe that Google+ +1s don’t influence rankings? Do you put social sharing buttons near content? What about Facebook Graph Search?
9. Do you do SEM or PPC for clients? If so, how do you decide if it’s worthwhile for a client?
10. How do you ensure that websites meet their goals?

What do you think about this panel discussion? What could I do better for future panels?