Check out my BIG SMX East Preview. Then register & save!

Search Engine Land’s SMX East is every SEO and SEM’s dream: a tactic-packed agenda, more than 100 dynamic and authoritative speakers, keynotes, exceptional networking, and more. If you’re involved in SEO, SEM, PR, social media or any other customer-facing activity, you owe it to yourself (and your company or client’s bottom line) to attend.

The SMX East conference program is huge! It features multiple tracks filled with sessions that cover:

• All of the search marketing topics including search advertising, SEO, technical SEO, analytics and more.

• For all experience levels, from beginner to advanced.

There’s something for everyone… all the time.

You’ll learn proven tactics and techniques you’ll put to work immediately to harness the opportunities and cope with the challenges. It’s the ultimate survival guide to the dynamic and tumultuous world of search marketing.

If this sounds right up your alley, read my preview and then register by Saturday, August 27 to take advantage of Early Bird rates!

SEO is all about content marketing

With constant algorithm changes, the inexorable shift to mobile and tablet devices, and an ever-increasing number of competitive websites appearing every day, it’s challenging for SEOs to keep up. A further challenge is to justify your hard work and persuade bosses or clients why – and exactly how – your work is valuable. We’ve got SEO sessions designed for seasoned professionals to ensure their continued content marketing success:

• Enterprise SEOs, Unite!
• Getting AMPed: What You Need To Know About Accelerated Mobile Pages & Google
• Optimizing Content For Voice Search & Virtual Assistants
• How I Lost My Client’s #1 Ranking And Their Profits Exploded Overnight!
• Adaptable Content: The “New Organic” SEO

View all the SEO sessions here.

Ready for profound search advertising changes?

30-30-80 is the new 25-35-35. Don’t know what that means? SMX is definitely the conference for you!
The evolution of AdWords means it is time to rethink your creative and bid strategies, and SMX delivers SEM sessions designed to ensure you’re prepared. Our Paid Search Tracks are a combination of panel sessions, made up of a group of experts who share their knowledge and techniques on a broad range of topics, and solo sessions that dive deep into a specific topic by an industry thought leader. SEM-focused sessions include:

• Exploring The Upcoming AdWords & Bing Ads Changes

• Updating Your SEM Toolbox With New Shiny Tools

• Perfect Your SEM Testing: How & Why To Evaluate Everything

• Creating The Ideal Account Structure

• How To Find, Hack & Build Great AdWords Scripts

• Getting Images Right In Paid Search

• Paid Search Roundtable

View all the SEM sessions here.

SMX Boot Camp gives you the 411 in search marketing

If you’re new or need a refresher in search marketing, our SMX Boot Camp will get you up to speed. Attend SMX Boot Camp on September 27 and you’ll learn the fundamentals in:

• Keyword Research & Copywriting For Search Success

• Link Building Fundamentals

• Paid Search Fundamentals

• Search Engine Friendly Web Design

Register now for SMX Boot Camp and pay only $499, a $200 savings compared to on-site rates. That includes admission to the Expo Hall, networking lunch, Expo Hall reception, and the Evening Forum on September 27.

SMX Boot Camp is also open to All Access pass holders. Everyone who attends every Boot Camp session receives a Certificate of Completion.

Master local search

Do you run a small business? Or provide search marketing services for companies who serve predominantly local customers? Then you know local search is a unique beast in its own right, requiring different approaches for organic optimization, search advertising and social media marketing efforts.
At SMX East, you’ll get street-savvy tips from experts who are in the trenches. They’ll present case studies highlighting their successes and lessons learned from working in a constantly changing landscape where both competitors and even local search providers like Yelp and Google can derail even the most carefully implemented local search campaign.

SMX East offers sessions dedicated to addressing local search issues:

• Local Search Roundtable: Ask Us Anything About Local SEO & SEM

• The 2016 Quantitative Local SEO Ranking Factors Study

The roundtable is an open Q&A session with local search experts who can answer all of your questions; SEO Ranking Factors is packed with data gleaned from a rigorous study of over 100 factors on the rankings of 15,000 local businesses in a hundred different metros.

Use search marketing for brand building

Brands face unique challenges, ranging from sites in many countries to managing a wide array of stakeholder interests – all the while protecting the integrity of the brand and trying to keep it relevant in the minds of users. The Brands track offers a diverse array of content to help you tackle these challenges:

• Brands Talk Search Marketing

• Searching for Searchers Outside The Search Box

• The Art Of Engaging Customers In A Multi-Channel World

• Conquering Google Display & Gmail Ad Targeting

• The New 1+1=3: Using Search Marketing to Amplify TV Buys

Get exclusive insights in mobile, retargeting and more

Most sessions at SMX East consist of panels of three or four speakers, each offering their own distinct viewpoint, tactics and tips to the discussion. But sometimes you want to hear a single speaker take a deep dive into a topic. On the SEM front, you’ll hear in-depth discussions of:

• Your Mobile PPC Sucks (But It Doesn’t Have To!)

• Your Retargeting Sucks (But It Doesn’t Have To!)

• Location Targeting: The Benefits Of Thoughtful Segmentation

• RLSA Will Save the Day!

• The Lowdown On Google Customer Match One Year Later

Untangle yourself from crazy-complicated technical SEO issues

Even SEO veterans can run into serious challenges when they dive into web site infrastructure, and find that things get a lot more complicated. URL parameter facets + pagination + canonicalization? Mobile + hreflang + international versions? AJAX multiget calls? And if you don’t solve these issues, the fantastic content you’ve created may never be indexed.

Need a life-preserver, anyone? Our deep dive sessions into technical SEO include:

• What’s New With Markup & Structured Data

• What To Do When Google Can’t Understand Your JavaScript

• Internationalizing Your SEO

• Everything You Need To Know About Redirects

• The Power of Google Featured Snippets in 2016 – Analysis, Case Studies, and Recommendations

• Better Safe Than Sorry With HTTPS

• What You Need To Know About Google App Indexing

• What You Need To Know About Apple iOS App Search & Universal Links

• Eye Tracking Update: How Users View & Interact With Mobile Search Results

• 20 Link Building Stories That Will Save your Site

• Adaptable Content: The “New Organic” SEO

Better Together: Search & Social

As search marketers, we’re faced with the constant task of crafting great content, developing a successful link building strategy,  or improving our PPC efforts that will touch individual searchers briefly, without revealing the complexity of our online advertising effort.
Social is an equally important factor that needs to fit into your search marketing efforts. But social is different, by its very definition. You’re exposed, you’re directly engaged, and it’s thrilling when it works and you’ve directly connected with your customers and prospects – but there’s nowhere to hide if something misfires and communities or memes turn against you.

We have three sessions covering the marriage of search and social:

• SEO & Social: Let’s Dance!

• Using Paid Search & Social Together To Deliver The Ultimate Knock-Out Punch

• Social Media Clinic

Keynote: What’s New & Cool At Google

In this highly anticipated keynote conversation, come hear Google’s Jerry Dischler, Vice President, Product Management, AdWords, and Babak Pahlavan, Senior Director, Measurement and Analytics discuss the recent changes to AdWords & Analytics, including new “mobile-first” bidding support, “promoted pins” to put advertisers on Google Maps, longer text ads, as well as the roadmap for attribution for Google as a whole.

You’ll also be the first to hear about a new free product that Google will announce during this can’t-miss keynote conversation.

Advanced Tactics For Online Retailers

Retailers face unique challenges, such as maintaining complex sites with hundreds, thousands or even millions of products that constantly change based on inventory, new items or models and consumer demand. Beyond optimizing their own sites, retailers also must deal with issues like providing structured product listings to shopping and comparison search engines. And new technologies like beacons make the picture even more complex. If you’re involved with online retail, you won’t want to miss these sessions:

• Beacons & Beyond: Offline Conversions And Online Retargeting

• Retail Search Beyond Google: Get Found More, Sell More

• Shopping Campaign Tips & Tricks You’ll Want To Own

Make smarter, informed decisions with analytics and conversion tools

Forget about better than average click and conversion rates. Our experts in Analytics & Conversion track will show you new approaches to gain the maximum return from your campaigns. Sessions include:

• Conversion Rates & The Law of Diminishing Astonishment

• Google Analytics Power-Reporting For SEO And SEM

• Art Meets Insight: Eye Catching Visualizations For Better Analytics

• Rethinking Conversion Optimization

• Smarter SEM Attribution

Ask the experts obsessed with SEO & SEM
SMX East wraps up with two perpetual favorites: Ask The SEOs and Ask The SEMs. Both sessions are open-ended forums where you can ask panelists anything you want – about the conference, specific tactics or techniques, or industry trends.

Quality Programming & Speakers

All of the 60+ sessions I’ve described above are editorial sessions. People are speaking on them because we feel they have great information to offer. Note: noone bought their way onto a panel.

Each session is developed by a session coordinator who reviews speaking pitches and reaches out to knowledgeable people to assemble a panel. The session coordinator works with speakers to create a session where presentations support each other, rather than overlap. Formats also vary. Sometimes we have panels with multiple people or only one or two speakers. Some panels are all Q&A. Some feature presentations. We use several formats because different topics require different presentation approaches. That makes for the optimal SMX experience.

The entire editorial portion of the show is overseen by me and my co-chair Danny Sullivan. We’ve been organizing search conferences longer than anyone in the industry – more than 18 years and counting!

Expo Hall & Plus Sessions

Our many SMX East sponsors & exhibitors also have great solutions and demos to share. That’s why we provide several ways for attendees to hear from them.

Plus Sessions are part of the agenda; they are produced by sponsoring companies. These companies know they are competing for your attention with our educational sessions, so they’re highly motivated to deliver great information and value.

Bing and Google will each conduct full days of programming on their search advertising offerings Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively. On Tuesday you’ll hear from Catalyst (part of mega-agency GroupM) and Stone Temple Consulting.

The Expo Hall is open Tuesday September 27 and Wednesday the 28th. In it, you can get information from exhibitors and sponsors about the many products and services to accelerate your business and performance.

Looking to network and visit the Expo Hall? An Expo+ Pass might be the right fit for you. Learn more.

Hands-on workshops

Looking for intensive training in a smaller group setting on a particular search marketing topic? SMX East offers a number of in-depth workshops to choose from:

• Local Search Advantage

• Bruce Clay SEO Training

• Advanced AdWords Training

• In-House SEO Exchange

You’ll save $400 off on-site rates by registering for an All Access + Workshop combo pass.

Networking with like-minded peers

SMX East brings together the most accomplished search marketers in the world, and we provide plenty of organized and social networking activities for you to connect with them:

• Our SMX East Facebook group page will allow you to connect with other attendees and speakers before, during and after the conference.

• We’ll kick off the conference with the SMX Meet & Greet reception, sponsored by Bruce Clay, Inc. The informal reception at the spectacular Iguana Mexican Restaurant in Manhattan’s theater district offers great food and drink and plenty of time for engaging conversations with your fellow attendees and speakers.

• If you’re new to SMX, be sure to attend the SMX Orientation, where we’ll show you how to optimize your conference experience. The orientation is from 8:30 – 8:50 AM on Tuesday, Sept. 27, just before the conference officially kicks off.

• During lunch, sign up for an “Obsessed With…” networking table, where you’ll network with other attendees and discuss specific topics. Being grouped with people who share a common interest is a great icebreaker.

• The SMX Expo Hall Reception, on Tuesday, September 27, offers another chance to mingle and check out the best-of-breed marketing solutions from our exhibitors and sponsors.

• The Expo Hall Reception is followed by the popular Janes Of Digital evening panel and group discussion event, covering topics in equity, diversity and inclusion. Join us for small bites, drinks, connecting and engaging discussion between industry leaders and the audience. Janes is sponsored by Bing and SMX.

And you won’t want to miss Search Engine Land’s Landy Awards Gala on Wednesday, September 28, from 8pm to 11pm. Join search industry leaders and fellow colleagues as we “Celebrate the Power of Search” and honor the winners of the second annual Landy Awards!
Tickets to the Landy’s are sold separately and admission is $150, which gives you access to an evening cocktail party packed with flowing libations, passed hors d’ouevres and gourmet food stations, entertainment and dancing. Plan to celebrate with search marketing industry peers and colleagues in style!

The Landy Awards Gala will take place at the elegant Edison Ballroom, 240 W 47th Street (between 7th and 8th Avenue), New York, NY 10036.

Space is limited, so secure your spot today!

Need more details? You’ll find them on the SMX East networking page. You’ll be sure to meet plenty of amazing people!

I hope you’ve found my preview useful, and that you’ll be joining us in New York City next month. Register now and get the complete SMX experience for the low “early bird” rate of $1795 — that’s $200 off on-site rates! But hurry, rates increase next week. Register today!