First look! Here’s what you can expect at SMX Advanced

SMX Advanced is unique in so many ways. It’s the premier experts-only conference programmed by the team at Search Engine Land, the publication of record for search marketers. It attracts the biggest group of the world’s most sophisticated marketers for three days of learning and sharing. And it celebrates search marketers with the largest and most prestigious search marketing awards program in the world.

Won’t you join us June 11-13 in Seattle? Register here.

Need to know more? Buckle up! Here’s my 10,000+ word description of everything SMX Advanced has to offer. Then, register before all of the tickets are sold, as they have every year since SMX Advanced redefined the search marketing conference experience in 2007.

2018: Emerging opportunities and new challenges

Change is constant in search marketing. Opportunities emerge quickly — sometimes quicker than they can be absorbed. New channels. New technologies like machine learning. New ad options and formats. Even veterans struggle to keep pace.

SMX Advanced delivers cutting-edge marketing tips and tactics you’ll put to work immediately to drive more revenue, leads and traffic. It’s your survival guide to the dynamic and tumultuous world of search marketing.

SEO in the age of machine learning

For SEOs, we’ll dive deep into algorithm changes driven by “black box” machine learning techniques, the impact of the mobile-first index and an ever-increasing number of competitive websites appearing each day. Need to demonstrate the value of your efforts to management? We’ll show you how to document your accomplishments and get more resources from your boss or clients.

Sessions focused on organic search include:

• SEO Ranking Factors In 2018: What’s Important, What’s Not.
• Mobile-First & AMP For The Advanced SEO.
• Advanced Technical SEO: Page Speed, Site Migrations, Crawling.
• Advanced Technical SEO: Schema & Structured Data, JavaScript.
• Solving Complex SEO Problems When Standard Fixes Don’t Apply.

View the SEO track.

Maximizing ROI with SEM

Keeping up with all of the enhancements Google makes to AdWords is a full-time job. You’ll learn their capabilities and the tactics that will deliver ROI from these new options.

SMX Advanced features SEM tracks running on both days of the show, leading off the first day with the perennial favorite Mad Scientists Of Paid Search session. Other SEM sessions include:

• Turning Your Data Into Compelling Stories.
• Machines & Humans: A SWOT Analysis.
• The Latest & Greatest In Online Ads.
• Conversion Optimization: Turning Quick Wins Into Winning Streaks.
• Audience Targeting In A Privacy-Centric World.
• Storytelling With Social Ads That Sell.

View the SEM track.

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Your SEO needs a voice

Voice search is now the fastest-growing way users interact with Google, Bing, Apple and Amazon. If you’re not optimizing content to take advantage of these channels, you’re missing out on a lot of valuable traffic. Is getting the most from voice-enabled devices your responsibility? You’ll want to participate in:

• Optimizing For Voice Search & Virtual Assistants.
• A Discussion with Cortana and Google Assistant, in Their Own Voices.

Advanced tactics for e-tailers

Calling all e-tailers out there! We get that you face unique SEM challenges. That’s why SMX Advanced features sessions focused on tactics for getting the most from paid search campaigns. Don’t miss:

• Taking Shopping Campaigns to the Next Level.
• Amazon: How to Optimize, Compete & Win On The World’s Biggest Marketplace.

Broaden your vertical horizons

We’ll be putting the spotlight on a number of important types of online marketing that don’t fit neatly into an SEO or SEM “bucket” but nonetheless are areas that are crucial for success. Sessions on our Vertical and Spotlight Tracks include:

• Maximizing The Impact Of Online Video Ads.
• Local Search: Significant Changes On The Horizon.
• Deep Dive: Google’s New Search Console.
• Making Your Analytics Work Harder & Smarter.

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Keynotes for you… really

We share the love equally between SEO and SEM at SMX Advanced. And the keynotes are no exception.

SEOs have issues they’re just itching to discuss with Google. And the Google Webmaster Outreach team is up for the challenge. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to help shape the future of search at our SEO keynote, led by Search Engine Land Editor-in-Chief Michelle Robbins.

Bing and Google will share the stage for our SEM keynote, hosted by Search Engine Land’s Ginny Marvin. Ginny will be joined by Google Head of Product, Shopping Surojit Chatterjee and Microsoft General Manager, Global Search Ads Business Steve Sirich.

Ask the experts

SMX Advanced 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 — about the conference, about specific tactics or techniques, about industry trends — it’s entirely up to you.

Pre-conference workshops & training

Looking for even more advice in a smaller group setting? Come a day early and enjoy your choice of six in-depth workshops:

• Advanced SEO Training with Bruce Clay
• Certified Knowledge Advanced AdWords Training with Brad Geddes
• Mastering Social Media Advertising with Ginny Marvin
• Maximizing Mobile Potential with Cindy Krum
• Hardcore Technical SEO Tactics & Techniques with Eric Enge
• Advanced Conversion Rate Optimization & A/B Testing with Ayat Shukairy

You can save big by registering for both the SMX Advanced pre-conference workshops and All Access pass combo.

An SMX hallmark: Quality programming & speakers

All the SMX sessions I’ve described above are what we call “editorial sessions.” Each editorial session is developed by a session coordinator who reviews speaking pitches and reaches out to recognized industry experts to assemble a panel. The session coordinator works with the speakers to create a session where presentations support each other, rather than overlap. In most cases, the session coordinator is also the session moderator.

Formats also vary. Sometimes we have panels with multiple people. Sometimes we have only one or two speakers. Some panels are all Q&A. Some feature formal presentations. We don’t lock ourselves into one particular format because different topics require different approaches. Instead, we focus on creating an exceptional overall experience.

People are invited to speak at these sessions because we feel they have useful information to share with our audience. No one pays to participate on an editorial panel. View the complete agenda.

The Expo Hall, Learn With Google, Excel With Bing, & Solutions Track

Vendors and exhibitors also have stories to tell. We give them the opportunity and you the option to engage with them.

Connect with nearly 40 leading vendors in the Expo Hall for demonstrations of new products and services that will make your company more profitable and you more productive. Swing by during session breaks or spend some focused hours combing through all it has to offer. See all of the companies exhibiting.

Want to go deep on AdWords and Bing Ads? This is your chance! Both brands will present full days of educational sessions focused on their advertising platforms. Step inside for best practices around search, display and analytics, one-on-one support and a chance to meet the teams.

And there’s more: Solutions Track sessions are full-length presentations from participating companies. These sessions compete with high-quality editorial sessions, so the presenting brands make sure that plenty of great information is offered.

At SMX Advanced, Quora will reveal the Secret Weapon To Unlocking Mid-Funnel ROI, and the one and only Bruce Clay will share his team’s tips for Mastering SEO Silos. We’re also looking forward to presentations from Perform Media, Invoca, Brightedge and more. Stay tuned for finalized Solution Track sessions! Get the complete agenda here.

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Invaluable, organized networking

SMX Advanced brings together the most accomplished search marketers in the world, and we provide plenty of thoughtfully sequenced networking opportunities for you to engage with your peers.

Once you’re registered, request an invitation to our private SMX Facebook Group. This will allow you to connect with other attendees and speakers before, during and after the show.

As always, we kick off the conference Monday, June 11, with the SMX Meet & Greet Reception, sponsored by Bruce Clay, Inc. This informal gathering is held on top of the Bell Harbor Conference Center and offers spectacular views of both downtown Seattle and Elliott Bay. Join us for complimentary drinks and appetizers, plus plenty of engaging conversations with your fellow attendees and speakers.

The SMX Expo Hall Reception takes place on Tuesday, June 12. This event offers another chance to mingle with attendees and check out the best-of-breed marketing solutions from our exhibitors and sponsors.

Each day during lunch, we offer unique “Obsessed with…” networking tables, where attendees enjoy a delicious lunch and topic-driven conversations. Being grouped with people who share a common interest is a great way to break the ice and forge meaningful connections.

Lastly, you won’t want to miss the 4th annual Search Engine Land Awards on Tuesday, June 12, sponsored by Google. Join us from 8:00 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. at Seattle’s famed Museum of Pop Culture for a fabulous evening celebrating the power of search. Enjoy cocktails and hors-d’oeuvres while you honor the finalists and winners in this year’s competition, then dance the night away with the largest gathering of your search marketing community! You won’t want to miss this unique celebration!

All of these options can be found on our SMX Advanced networking page. We keep SMX Advanced intentionally intimate, so you are guaranteed to meet plenty of amazing people!

You’ve read, now register!

I hope you’ve found this preview useful and that you’ll be joining us in Seattle this June! Register by May 12 to take advantage of Early Bird rates. Pay only $1,895 for an All Access pass, a $400 savings compared to on-site rates. We guarantee that your time and investment at SMX will be worth every penny. And remember… SMX Advanced has sold out every year for the past 11 years, so don’t delay!