SmallBusinessNewz

Continuing our coverage of the Small Business Marketing Unleashed conference, let's look at what was discussed in the workshop called "A Common Sense Approach to Online Marketing".

Common sense is something we like to stress here at SmallBusinessNewz, because often times, these are the things that get overlooked, particularly in marketing.

The SEO Pyramid

During this workshop, Marchex SEO Manager Matt McGee explained the details of his SEO Success Pyramid concept that he briefly discussed in the WebProNews video interview with reporter Abby Prince.

The pyramid, illustrated here, begins with a foundation of commitment, planning, product/service, education, and patience. This bottom level is all about getting yourself prepared.

The next level however, is about getting your site prepared. This level includes: design/usability, keyword research, analytics, and tools.

Next comes the "Nuts and Bolts" level, consisting of crawlability, content, and links.

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Above that is the "Reaching Out" level that has to do with other people's sites. Social/local findability and reputation management are the elements here.

"Go out and find them, don't wait for them to come to your site," says McGee.

Sitting at the top of the pyramid is trust. Trust from users and search engines is imperative for long-term success.

"The pyramid boils down to the human element. Small businesses depend on word-of-mouth," said McGee.

Truer words have never been spoken.

Getting Back to the Basics

Wendy Piersall of sparkplugging.com shared some further words on the importance of being found.

"Visibility is key...just going out and introducing yourself," said Piersall. "It's just building relationships through networking."

SiteLogic Marketing's Matt Bailey also spoke, stressing the importance of usability and keeping things at a basic level.

"Usability is as easy as getting your mom to sit down and use your site," said Bailey.

Common sense is the name of the game and what this workshop was all about. Fortunately, it's a game that just about anyone is capable of playing. Sometimes you just have to step back and look at things from a more basic perspective.

Stay tuned to SmallBusinessNewz for further coverage of the workshops that took place at Small Business Marketing Unleashed.

Video anchor Abby Prince contributed to this report.