Attending an SEO conference is an excellent way to gain new ideas if you’re looking to take your strategy to the next level. Conferences are not only filled with great content from experts in the industry, but they give you the opportunity to ask questions and most important, to network with others. Unfortunately SEO conferences oftentimes fall by the wayside for companies, and you usually have to register early to get a spot. For this reason, it’s important to map out your conference attendance ahead of time before the New Year starts.
Below is a full list of some of the great conferences happening in 2016. In the past we’ve covered pricing, but pricing varies so much based on which days you want to attend, if you want to stick around for a workshop, if you get an early early bird special, an early bird special, etc. If you’re interested in a conference, simply click on the links below—we’ve linked them to the pricing pages of the events!
The Staple SEO Conferences
Below are some of the most popular conferences on SEO and online marketing. Many of which have been running for years, and they always draw the biggest crowd and the most impressive panel of expert speakers.
Search Marketing Expo (SMX). Various Dates and Locations.
The SMX Conference is arguably the largest conference in the SEO industry, mainly because it happens around the world throughout the year. This includes Silicon Valley and Munich in March, London in May, Seattle and Paris in June, New York in September, and others that have yet to be announced. Here you’ll have a huge variety of search topics (not just SEO), so it’s one not to miss if you’re up for spending a little bit extra.
MozCon. September 12-14 in Seattle, WA.
This is a three day conference, and according to the official website it covers SEO, social media, community building, content marketing, brand development, CRO, the mobile landscape, analytics, and more. Aside from the conference, they also organize a pub crawl in Seattle, networking event, a tour of the Moz headquarters (registration only) and a Moz party with pool and drinks, so it may be worth the trip if you’re not from the area and want more than just a conference experience.
PubCon. October 10-13 in Las Vegas, NV.
Las Vegas is the largest and most popular conference, but if you check out the PubCon website there are other locations if you’re not up for a vacation. Regardless, PubCon is one not to miss. According to their website, this was named a Forbes must-attend conference and an Inc. top conference for growing your business. It’s great for startups as well as more established businesses. Some past Keynote speakers include SEO voices such as Jay Baer, Duane Forrester, and Matt Cutts, with major business owners such as the CEO of Microsoft, the Obama for America Chief Innovation Officer, and the Craigslist Founder.
ClickZ Live. Various Dates and Locations.
From New York to San Francisco, to Hong Kong, Singapore, and Toronto, you should be able to find an event near you. This conference series was formerly SES Conference & Expo and has been one of the top conferences since the SEO industry began. This is a conference that focuses on SEO probably the most of the staple options, and I have actually attended this one myself and highly recommend it.
The Newbie SEO Conferences
The conferences below aren’t necessarily new, they just aren’t as large or popular as the ones mentioned above; however a lot of them will be more local, and they still have great reviews.
MozCon Local. February 18-19 in Seattle, WA.
Moz is definitely not a newbie on the conference scene, but this particular conference is. The conference will have an all-day conference and a half-day workshop, and everything will be focused on local topics. This includes local link building, local marketing, mobile optimization, and more. According to Moz, this is similar to the former LocalUp Advanced conference that happened last year.
SearchLove. May, September, and October in Boston, San Diego, and London.
This is a great conference that offers single-room settings, meaning you can see more than you would at a typical conference. There is personal website advice if you need it, and is another one of those conferences that offers a wide variety of search topics. It’s put on by Distilled, so you know it’s going to have some great speakers.
Digital Marketing Innovation Summit. March 10-11 in New York City.
This conference has been gaining speed over the last few years. They do a great job of making sure all presentations are available for you after the conference is over if you attended, so you can really spend your time there listening and asking questions (this is actually becoming the norm for most conferences, but it’s still worth mentioning nonetheless). They market it as a place full of Fortune 500 companies and startups alike. Some speakers include the Chief Digital Officer of the Met Museum, the Chief Strategy Officer of Odyssey, and speakers from Buzzfeed, Vox Media, and more.
Inbound. November 8-1 in Boston, MA.
This one could maybe be considered a staple, but nonetheless it’s a great option full of some of the top experts in the industry. If you’re in the Boston area I would say this is a must-attend, but if you’re going to travel far you’re probably better off trying PubCon because the content is similar. Still, it’s less expensive and has excellent reviews, so you can’t go wrong.
Again, above are just a few of the more established and popular conference options. Are there any conferences we missed? Let us know what you would add to the list and why you like it in the comment section below.