Anyone who’s ever run a paid search campaign knows that the rewards can be instant, huge and provide out-of-the-ballpark ROI when executed properly — and can just as suddenly become a massive money pit when your competitors respond or when a search engine changes policies or introduces new advertising formats and rules. In the fast-changing game of PPC advertising, it’s absolutely crucial to keep up with new developments and constantly modify, improve and enhance your campaigns.

We can help: at SMX London we’ve got two solid days of content devoted to paid search. All of our speakers are experienced veterans, who have agreed to bring their best strategies and tactics to the show and share them freely. Here’s an overview of what you can expect:

To start, we go extreme, with Amazing Paid Search Tactics & Tools. This session is a regular feature of our annual SMX Advanced conference. Our panel of experts will share their most powerful and effective ideas for pushing the envelope of PPC performance through real-life case studies and examples, leaving you with techniques you can put to work right away to enhance your own campaigns.

Landing page testing and tuning. Persona development. Search funnel and user navigation path sculpting. Attribution modeling. These and other tasks are becoming increasingly important for search marketers striving to achieve their ultimate goal: Customer conversion – getting website visitors to take action by buying, registering, downloading, calling – or whatever your desired outcome may be. The conversion scientists on the aptly named Conversion Science panel show you how to get inside your visitors’ brains and create an experience that satisfies their needs by leading them seamlessly from search to ultimate conversion.

Want to write the best ads the world has ever seen, and then prove you’ve done it? Our panelists on Creating, Testing and Optimizing Ads cover all of the important tactics and best practices, including keyword selection, topics, types of testing, demographics, ad formats and more.

Think you know paid search? Does quality score really matter for all advertisers? Is account history sacrosanct? Is it really better to send people to product specific landing pages than a brand’s homepage? And, how do Google’s new “enhanced campaigns” affect things? During Forget What You Know About AdWords & Paid Search, our panelists challenge commonly accepted best practices and provide evidence that what you “know” about paid search can actually work against you.

Mobile ads, including those displayed on tablet devices, are growing faster and are more popular than ever, with some estimates suggesting they make up as much as 30% of all paid search volume. But, mobile users have different needs and wants than desktop users; so, your campaigns must be designed accordingly. Paid Search Advertising in a Multi-Device World features a discussion of the issues, and strategies and tactics you’ll need to succeed in a multi-device, always-on world.

If that visitor from your search ad doesn’t convert, retargeting (also called remarketing) allows you to keep your message in front of them as they visit other sites across the Web. Ready, Aim, Fire… Then Retarget! looks at how the pros are making use of retargeting to extend their reach and boost conversions. Learn the right and wrong ways for advertisers to stay on target.

These are just a few of more than two-dozen info-packed sessions at SMX London on May 15-16 in Chelsea. Check out the agenda for SMX London and register now!

Looking forward to seeing you in London!

As many pundits predicted, the number of people accessing the internet via mobile devices has exploded. It’s not hope or hype any longer: Both both comScore and Nielsen released reports conclusively demonstrating that 2012 was the tipping-point year in which all doubts about the disruptive impact of mobile should have been brushed aside. Comparing PC vs. mobile engagement, they found that mobile now accounts for as much as 40 percent of time spent online.

But mobile users are either on the run (of course), or are using a tablet during non-work hours (most likely from the couch). How you engage with these potential customers through your landing pages and sites can mean the difference between consumer engagement or abandonment.

On the small screen, ranking high is critical. But do conventional desktop SEO techniques cut it? Some people advocate distinct mobile SEO tactics, while others question the very notion of “mobile SEO.” Google says it favors sites built on responsive design principles, but the debate rages whether mobile-centric or responsive design ranks better.

At SMX Advanced, we welcome you to join the discussion with our panel of experts as we explore the challenges of Getting Mobile SEO Right and get the fresh tactics you need to maximize the enormous mobile search opportunity.

But don’t delay – fewer than 100 tickets remain, and we expect a complete sellout within days. Check out the agenda for SMX Advanced and register now!

Looking forward to seeing you in Seattle!

As search marketers, we’re used to operating “behind the scenes,” crafting great content and engaging in one-on-one link building efforts and other subtleties to build out a comprehensive SEO strategy. Or, we spend hours with our AdWords editor or other paid search tools building and managing campaigns that will touch individual searchers briefly, without revealing the complexity of our online advertising effort.

And now, in the face of overwhelming evidence, we must recognize the power of social media, and can no longer ignore it. 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 the tides against you.

That doesn’t mean you can’t prepare yourself, leveraging your hard-won skills as a search marketer into winning tactics in the social media environment. Top Social Tactics For The Search Marketer at SMX Advanced is designed to help you take the plunge and not look back. Speakers in this “speed-round” session will share their favorite authority-building social tips for search, including using Facebook, Open Graph technology, Google+, Twitter and more.

Top Social Tactics For The Search Marketer is one of more than two-dozen info-packed sessions on June 11 and 12 at our always sold-out SMX Advanced conference and exhibition in Seattle. Check out the agenda for SMX Advanced and register now!

Looking forward to seeing you in Seattle!

As SEO grows more complex and the size of the sites you work on continue to grow, it’s more important than ever to have a set of high-quality tools that both give you a competitive edge and save you time. Tools can help with all of the vital aspects of SEO, including content creation, distribution and outreach; site analysis and data analysis, back link analysis and competitive intelligence and much more.

During Hardcore SEO Power Tools at SMX London our experts discuss and share their favorites, including both free and high-end tools that cover the spectrum of all your SEO needs. They’ll also help you understand the situations when you need to build your own custom-tailored tools, and decide whether to build them in-house or outsource the job to professional coders.

Some of the tools you’ll see discussed and demonstrated include:

• Ahrefs
• Builtwith.com
• Clicktale
• Easel.ly
• Gliffy
• Google Analytics
• Google Docs and APIs
• Infogr.am
• Majestic SEO
• Mozscape
• Omniture
• Piktogr.am
• Raven Tools
• Screaming Frog
• Searchmetrics
• Xenu

And many others you’ve probably never heard of!

Hardcore SEO Power Tools is just one of more than two-dozen info-packed sessions at SMX London on May 15-16 in Chelsea. Check out the agenda for SMX London and register now!

Looking forward to seeing you in London!

If that visitor from your search ad doesn’t convert, retargeting (also called remarketing) allows you to keep your message in front of potential customers as they visit other sites across the web, minutes, hours or even weeks after they’ve done that initial search. Retargeting attempts to understand user intent, and provide additional or more useful information, typically via display ads that complement your terse text ad originally displayed in search results.

Retargeting can be an exceptionally effective way to guide a potential customer through their purchase consideration funnel. It can also be exceptionally annoying, bordering on creepy (not to mention a huge waste of money) if it’s not done properly. Ready, Aim, Fire… Then Retarget! at SMX London examines retargeting capabilities like Google remarketing lists, FBX, and new interactive ad formats. We now have more tools at our disposal to lure site visitors deeper into the sales funnel, upsell current customers with site retargeting and to reach new audiences searching for similar products and services with search retargeting. And these campaigns are expected to deliver. In this session speakers will share tactics and strategies for executing winning retargeting campaigns.

Ready, Aim, Fire… Then Retarget! is just one of more than two-dozen info-packed sessions on May 15-16 in Chelsea – check out the agenda for SMX London and register now!

Looking forward to seeing you in London!

Originally published in July 2012, the newly updated version for 2013 is an objective evaluation of tools available for those doing industrial-strength SEO. With editorial oversight from The Art of SEO co-authors and regular Search Engine Land contributors Stephan Spencer and Eric Enge, as well Marshall Simmonds, founder and CEO of Define Media Group, the 56-page report draws from primary and secondary research sources, including interviews with SEO industry leaders.

The report answers some of the key questions you may be asking, including:

• What trends are driving the adoption of enterprise SEO software?
• Who are the leading players in enterprise SEO software?
• What capabilities does enterprise SEO software provide?
• Does my company need SEO software?
• How much does SEO software cost?

Here’s a look at the top-level table of contents. Each section is packed with data, analysis and charts exploring each topic in depth:

• SEO Tools Market Overview
• SEO Tools Market Trends
• Enterprise SEO Tool Capabilities
• Choosing an Enterprise SEO Solution
• Vendor Profiles
• Resources

The guide is free – you just need to fill out a quick form to access the download link.

And while you’re at it, be sure to check out these other two free Digital Marketing Depot Guides:

• B2B Marketing Automation Tools 2013: The Marketer’s Guide
• Digital Advertising Agencies 2013: A Buyer’s Guide

Anyone who’s ever run a paid search campaign knows that the rewards can be instant, huge and provide out-of-the-ballpark ROI when executed properly – and can just as suddenly become a massive money pit when your competitors respond or when a search engine changes policies or introduces new advertising formats and rules. In the fast-changing game of PPC advertising, it’s absolutely crucial to keep up with new developments and constantly modify, improve and enhance your campaigns.

We can help: At SMX Advanced we’ve got two solid days of content devoted exclusively to paid search. All of our speakers are experienced veterans, who have agreed to bring their best strategies and tactics to the show and share them freely. Here’s an overview of what you can expect:

To start, we go extreme, with The Mad Scientists Of Paid Search. If they awarded Nobel prizes for paid search, our mad scientists would be the recipients. They emerge from their PPC labs, where they’ve been assembling keywords, bidding strategies and other assorted parts into monster PPC campaigns. Learn what paid search experiments worked, which failed, and prepare to conduct your own ground-breaking PPC plans.

Leave it to Google to continue to innovate – and potentially confuse and frustrate advertisers with new paid search offerings. Here’s how to leave your frustration behind and take advantage of the most recent new introduction: New PPC Best Practices In An Enhanced Campaign World explores how Google’s Enhanced Campaigns forced all advertisers to reshape their AdWords accounts, specifically with huge changes to mobile and desktop device targeting. In this session, hear from early adopters about their results and experiences with Enhanced Campaigns and look at the new generation of optimization strategies and best practices for account structures, reporting, bidding, budgeting and ad testing.

The lines continue to blur between search and social, and it’s now imperative that online advertisers pay attention to Twitter, Facebook and the other social networks. If you are running paid social campaigns now or are considering doing so, you need to attend What’s Hot With Paid Social, which covers evolving Facebook ad units, API driven Twitter ad opportunities, paid social news visibility and many other cutting-edge social advertising opportunities. Panelists will get granular on the networks, ad types, tactics and strategies for buying social media ads and extracting measurable ROI.

Retargeting can be an exceptionally effective way to guide a potential customer through their purchase consideration funnel. It can also be exceptionally annoying, bordering on creepy (not to mention a huge waste of money) if it’s not done properly. Pro-level Tips To Succeeding At Retargeting examines retargeting capabilities like Google remarketing lists, FBX, and new interactive ad formats. We now have more tools at our disposal to lure site visitors deeper into the sales funnel, upsell current customers with site retargeting and to reach new audiences searching for similar products and services with search retargeting. And these campaigns are expected to deliver. In this session speakers will share tactics and strategies for executing winning retargeting campaigns.

We know that at SMX Advanced in June, much of your top-of-mind thinking will be focused on planning that all-important fourth quarter. Learn techniques to maximize your investment in Product Listing Ads, both on Google and on Bing (coming soon!) What have we learned about this new product and implementation so far? Where should you focus your efforts? Our panelists on the Rocking It With PLAs session will share both case studies and aggregated data that will help you rock it in Q4.

And to wrap things up, what would SMX Advanced be without our regular Amazing Paid Search Tactics & Tools panel? Back by popular demand, this panel of experts will share their most powerful and effective ideas for pushing the envelope of PPC performance through real-life case studies and examples.

Don’t delay – fewer than 200 tickets are available for SMX Advanced, and the show is likely to sell out once again for its seventh straight year. Register now to secure your spot.

Have more questions? Some useful SMX links:

• Take a look at the full SMX Advanced 2013 agenda of 20+ sessions
• Who’s behind SMX Advanced? Check out the SMX Advanced programming team
• Incredible networking opportunities to learn from your peers
• 98% of past attendees would recommend SMX Advanced – see what they said
• Extend the learning, attend one of six post-conference workshops
• Where to stay in Seattle

Looking forward to seeing you in Seattle!

Google’s singular innovation, the one that catapulted it to its dominating position as the world’s favorite search engine, was PageRank – looking at the links on the Web and using them as “votes” to determine high-quality or popular content.

Today, of course, Google goes far beyond assessing links, using hundreds of “signals” to determine relevance and rankings. Depending on the type of search, these factors can be more or less important in determining results than the nature and quality of the links pointing to a particular bit of Web content. So, the relevant question for all SEOs today should be, “just how important is a link building strategy to the success of my search marketing campaigns?”

During Is Link Building Still Crucial, Or A Waste Of Time & Money? at SMX London 2013, our panel of experts will offer their viewpoints on whether link building really is the foundation of search optimization, or whether it’s a strategy that’s grown old in the tooth and isn’t as crucial as it once was. They’ll also engage in healthy debate about the best way to currently gain the most link love, and where else you should be focusing attention for maximum impact.

Is Link Building Still Crucial, Or A Waste Of Time & Money? is just one of more than 20 lively sessions at SMX London, and one you won’t want to miss if you still spend a majority of your time working hard to improve your organic search rankings. Don’t delay – register now!

Looking forward to seeing you in London!

Anyone who’s tried to stay on the cutting edge of SEO knows that from time-to-time, you end up on the “bleeding edge,” thanks to things like unexpected algorithm changes, or from experimenting with seemingly benign tactics that go wrong, or even doing nothing and yet watching your hard-earned traffic slip away for no apparent reason.

This is why all world-class SEOs are on constant alert for solid, proven information and tactics that keep them on the cutting rather than bleeding edge of search engine optimization. And that’s why we designed SMX Advanced to offer both full-scale preventative advice as well as state of the art triage techniques for experienced search marketers.

So just what are the critical SEO topics that our world-class speakers will be discussing at SMX Advanced? Here’s a rundown:

We’re starting out the SEO track with The Periodic Table Of SEO: 2012 Edition, a deep dive into what’s new and different in terms of ranking factors. Many people think of the periodic table as a basic organizational map of the elements. It is, but it’s also much more powerful than that. By definition, a periodic table incorporates recurring trends, allowing you to make connections and deduce relationships that might not be obvious at first glance. It can also be used to predict new or undiscovered properties and trends that others may not be aware of, and that can be hugely influential in the highly competitive environment of search marketing.

While “content is king,” many marketers overlook the all-important factor of authority, and the process required to establish and maintain it. Authorship: The Deep Dive is a comprehensive session that delves into the steps to claim your identity; brainstorming sessions between SEO, social and content development teams, content promotion tactics for gaining authority links and more. Both enterprise SEO teams as well as outside consultants will benefit from strategies shared in this session.

And then there are the “behind the scenes” optimization factors that have increasingly fulfilled the promise of the semantic web – but only for those who know how to master their technical details and implement them properly. From Microdata & Schema To Rich Snippets: Markup For The Advanced SEO focuses on hardcore code implementations of Schema protocol, RDFa, GoodRelations, Facebook Open Graph markup used by leading Internet retailers and content publishers in a variety of competitive industries. Panelists will demonstrate how rich snippets appearing in search results have impacted traffic, conversions and driven real ROI for example sites.

Those of you who have sites that have been slammed into a world of search visibility pain and don’t know why can take solace and come away with powerful actionable techniques from The Crazy, Complicated Technical Issues That Completely Sabotage The Best SEO Efforts session. Here, our panelists will get into the thick of issues like URL parameter facets + pagination + canonicalization, Mobile + international versions, AJAX multiget calls, and other sublime SEO geekiness. They’ll jump directly into the most complex and advanced technical issues you might face and give you real, detailed answers with step-by-step implementation options.

You’ll also be able to ask your own questions and challenge a panel of search engine optimization experts – an SMX Advanced tradition – where battle-scarred veterans explore the big issues and take audience questions. There will be a conversation among panelists on some of the biggest issues – along with some debate – plus plenty of time for the audience to ask questions and come away with innovative solutions.

Finally, don’t miss the industry’s must-attend keynote of the year, You&A With Matt Cutts. Put your questions directly to the head of Google’s web spam team for a dialog driven session that is buzzworthy year after year.

But don’t delay – fewer than 200 tickets are available for SMX Advanced, and the show is likely to sell out once again for its seventh straight year. Register now to secure your spot.

Have more questions? Some useful SMX links:

• Take a look at the full SMX Advanced 2013 agenda of 20+ sessions
• Who’s behind SMX Advanced? Check out the SMX Advanced programming team
• Incredible networking opportunities to learn from your peers
• 98% of past attendees would recommend SMX Advanced – see what they said
• Extend the learning, attend one of six post-conference workshops
• Where to stay in Seattle

Looking forward to seeing you in Seattle!

Think you know everything about Google AdWords or Bing Ads? Have all the best practices nailed, are a master of match types, and have encyclopedic knowledge about gaining the upper hand when sparring with the quirky idiosyncrasies of bidding, scheduling and conversion optimization?

Think again. As kung fu masters remind us, “the wise always remain humble, grasshopper.”

During Forget What You Know About Paid Search at SMX London 2013, our panel of experts will skewer accepted wisdom, asking unconventional questions few dare to consider. Such as: does quality score really matter for all advertisers? Is account history sacrosanct? Is it really better to send people to product specific landing pages than a brand’s homepage?

Obvious answers? Maybe not. And maybe by adopting a contrarian approach you might find yourself gaining a competitive advantage, and in the process, probably driving your competitors nuts as you “act crazy like a fox.”

Deftly led by paid search impresario and CEO of Find Me Faster Matt Van Wagner, Forget What You Know About Paid Search will be a no-holds-barred debate about best practices, myths and unconventional realities that will be sure to contribute to your bottom line of knowledge of paid search. If you’re involved with PPC campaigns in any capacity, this is a must-attend session at agenda for SMX London and register now!

Looking forward to seeing you in London!