Advanced SEO/SEM Conferences

A number of large search marketing conferences have been organized in the US and across the world over the past two decades. They’ve passed without much fanfare, but some were memorable events.

How to Love Googlebot

SEO conferences are popular.  What drives attendance is how fast Google has changed the rules of search engine rankings — their ranking algorithm and indexing rules and updates. Given they don’t divulge much and speak in riddles, millions of marketers hope to obtain deeper clarity via the conference sessions and experts speaking at these events.

I’ve attended a number of them beginning way back in 1998. I’m still excited to attend any of them. They’re very expensive however and perhaps not something you can attend too many times since they’re hosted in far off cities. After you’ve been to a few, the value add fades off quick. After three or four years of industry change, it’s not a bad idea to attend another one and network while you’re there.

Can You Learn Advanced SEO at these Conferences?

Yet what exactly is advanced SEO and are the popular items discussed at SMX really high level?  Based on my experience, real advanced search engine optimization at the professional level is much deeper.  After all, we must compete with Google’s own complicated search algorithm and conduct this over time to appear natural. It’s not easy.

Discussing these deep details can be done but usually aren’t because attendee’s eyes glaze over.  Today, people search online for advanced SEO expert’s blogs where they might get a glimpse of these deep tactics and strategies. I explored many of them in my last SEO book.

Similar defunct conventions such as Search Engine Strategies is where I met many of the best search engine optimization pros of the era. The industry has evolved and millions of new marketers are practicing SEO and advanced SEO techniques. It’s very competitive now.

It’s the spirit of these events that helps drive interest in search engine marketing and SEO, as well content marketing and copywriting for the web. Hundreds of top experts and professional SEOs have offered insights and networking opportunities.


A big SMX conference is being held later this year in Berlin, Germany if you’re adventurous. You might even hire some of them to consult with on your own marketing strategies.  Then again, you can just hire me.

A sampling of the SMX conference in 2017. Advanced SEO – what is new, what is important? – SMX Munich 2017 where some notables talk about the big Google updates and other issues. Each conference brings new topics and as you can see, they try to make it entertaining too.

Advanced Topics

The sessions at SMX Advanced this year are interesting. The event was on June 14th and 15th. If you’re about to make major investments in SEO or search marketing, attending an event is wise. Might be too late for this year, but there are other advanced SEO conferences coming along.

For your training convenience, all keynotes, sessions, and overtime live Q&As from the SMX Conference are being recorded and made available for on-demand replay until August 31, 2022.

I’ve taken clients to some of the conferences and trade shows and it was a great way to share the experience and discuss implications for their companies. I’ve been able to explain and refine the material and insights from the sessions. It’s difficult for beginners or novices to appreciate the insights and info provided from the experienced speakers. And sometimes techno babble and hype buzzwords frequently used can get in the way of understanding.

Many business owners lack confidence in their knowledge of SEO. Many say wisely “I know just enough to mess it all up.” Perhaps true, but if you’re speaking to and learning from experienced, talented people, you can get a good grasp of how they’re achieving success. Of course, there’s lots of snake oil being sold everywhere including the big conferences.

What is SMX Advanced?

The event is held by Marketing Land, a popular magazine for professional search engine industry people They describe SMX Advanced this way:

The SMX Conference: It is an annual conference designed by advanced search marketers for search marketers. Content and speakers allow attendees to learn sophisticated, brand-safe, actionable tactics to help deliver more qualified traffic, drive revenue, and stay a cut above the competition.

Of course the new emphasis today is rightly on brand improvement, higher conversion rates, better engagement, and other aspects that normally weren’t related to search engine optimization. Of course, for SEO and SEM to be effective now, you must have a solid brand and a good content funnel, otherwise engagement is low and no one promotes your business. Even advanced SEO can’t do it all by itself.

The event draws speakers and attendees from big brands, who get to know experts and companies they might access to improve their search marketing performance.

This year’s SMX Advanced conference is completely virtual. You’ll hear from credible authorities on SEO including Barry Schwartz, SEO Editor of Search Engine Land, Danny Goodwin, Managing Editor of Search Engine Land & SMX, Dr. Marie Haynes, CEO of Marie Haynes Consulting Inc., Vanessa Fox CEO of Keylime Toolbox, Glenn Gabe SEO Consultant at G-Squared Interactive, Bruce Clay President at Bruce Clay, Inc., Eric Enge President of Pilot Holding, Detlef Johnson of SearchReturn, and Patrick Stox Product Advisor, Technical SEO, & Brand Ambassador at Ahrefs.

Interesting Speaker Sessions for SEO include:

  • 91 page one rankings in 6 weeks: How pillar-based marketing is changing SEO, with Ryan Brock, Chief Content Officer, DemandJump
  • Test web performance tweaks to boost Core Web Vitals rankings with Detlef Johnson of SearchReturn
  • How AI and entities impact content strategy with Eric Enge of Pilot Holding
  • Overtime live Q&A – Major Google algorithm updates in 2022: How to prepare, assess, and take action with Glenn Gabe of G-Squared Interactive
  • Coffee Talk: Google Organic Search with Barry Shwartz of Search Engine Land and Lily Ray of Amsive Digital
  • Breakout discussion: SEO challenges and opportunities with Kathy Bushman of Third Door Media
  • Overtime live Q&A – The future of content creation for SEO with Carlos Meza of Crowd Content
  • Modern romance: Building links and authentic connections in 2022 with Norm Vogele of Page One Power
  • Leveraging semantic search knowledge to improve E-A-T with Marie Haynes of Marie Haynes Consulting
  • Developing authoritative content that Google ranks and searchers need with Jaimie Clark of Centerfield.

Eric Enge, Detlef Johnson, and Bruce Clay are 3 of the few SEO pros who predate myself in the biz. They run successful SEO agencies in the US.

You can learn about the sessions offered on the Marketing Land Website and get access to recorded sessions.

— marketinglandevents.com/smx/advanced/agenda/

Other advanced search engine optimization related conferences to check out include:

  • ADVANCED SEARCH SUMMIT held in NAPA last week
  • DigiMarCon California 2022 – Digital Marketing Conference & Exhibition June 16th, 2022

Additional, further reading on advanced SEO topics:

Advanced SEO Strategy | Wine SEO | Hotel SEO | Advanced SEO and Lead Generation | Advanced Ranking Tactics | Creating Impact | Google High Quality Content Requirement | Algorithm Update | Core Metrics | Professional SEO

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