The world of search engine marketing is always changing, largely because search engines, especially Google, are constantly tweaking their algorithms to make them more able to weed out poor sites and reward excellent ones. No single person could possibly keep up with all the latest developments of the major search engines, marketing strategies and consumer trends, so it’s important for industry professionals to get together to network, discuss the latest developments and take more focused looks at emerging strategies. SES Chicago, the Search Engine Strategies conference and expo being held in Chicago November 14-18, will be a prime opportunity for industry professionals to get together and share insights. Whether attendees are staying at the official venue or choose to try out one of the other nearby Chicago hotels, networking and socializing opportunities will abound.
Networking
It’s always helpful for industry professionals to get to know one another, whether for potential career opportunities, mentorship or even friendly rivalries. Even marketing professionals who work for companies operating in entirely different market sectors can benefit from developing new connections. People outside of the company might see certain issues more clearly or know of methods or tools not currently being used elsewhere. Developing connections with others in the industry will hasten the spread of new information, which will help everyone involved. Those who share the most insightful, relevant information will emerge as thought leaders while those who received the information will benefit from the shared knowledge.
Keep up with Trends
It’s impossible to keep up with every single development in SEO or SEM due to the rapid speed of change. Those in the know realize that conferences like SES, whether they’re held in London or Chicago, are fantastic places to catch up on anything they might have missed in the search engine landscape. The presentations aren’t the only place to learn these things, either. Going out for a meal with new acquaintances or getting into discussions with people on the conference floor can yield promising new information and ideas.
The Sessions
Every session at SES is designed to give attendees a ton of highly informative, actionable information. Some of the advanced sessions available at SES Chicago will include:
SEO 2.0: Less is More
Many SEO professionals become so enveloped with the granular details of optimization that they ignore their primary purpose: to provide valuable content to users. This session will focus on getting online marketers back on track with their SEO campaigns, giving them the information needed to prevent future over optimization, recognize warning signs for future major search engine algorithm updates and how to balance providing valuable SEO and keep from going overboard.
PPC Beyond Search
This session will cover the wealth of new offerings in ad formats and help marketers contextualize that information so they can decide how best to organize their campaigns and where they should target their efforts. Other topics will include the tools and skills required to manage campaigns across multiple ad networks, and whether or not search campaigns and contextual ads should be considered distinct targeting methods.