As an industry in a constant state of flux – thanks to changing algorithms, user needs, and competitor content – search engine optimization is a field that demands professionals to stay up to date on the latest trends and best practices.
And while you could spend hours scouring the internet for useful articles, forum discussions, and the like, there’s a better way to gain new knowledge and grow your network simultaneously: SEO conferences.
In just a few hours or days, you can gain a wealth of new information from peers and industry leaders, including information on what’s working and what isn’t and various search engine ranking success strategies.
They allow you to share strategies, brainstorm solutions, and build relationships with current and future SEO leaders.
Of course, in the aftermath of a global pandemic that put the kibosh on in-person events for over a year, many of the top events in SEO went virtual.
Thankfully, as things have started to return to some sense of normalcy, the physical events have often returned.
But don’t worry if you’re still not comfortable going to crowded events with a bunch of strangers; there are plenty of online conferences, summits, and workshops too.
Here’s a look at some of the best online and in-person SEO conferences for the rest of 2022 and heading into 2023.
Coming Up In 2022
There have already been several excellent SEO and digital marketing events held this year, but if you missed them, don’t fret. There are still plenty of good ones on the docket.
You may not even have to travel; with concerns over COVID-19 still high, many events have added virtual components to their in-person events, so you can get all the benefits of attending – without risking your health.
Inbound 2022
Date: September 6-9, 2022
Format: In-person or online
Location: Boston, MA
Speakers: Barack Obama, TJ Adeshola, Brian Halligan, and others
Cost: In-person – $1,199; Virtual – free
About: This annual event is powered by HubSpot, bringing together global thought leaders for a hybrid conference discussing marketing, sales, and customer success operations.
It covers a wide range of topics, including an SEO meetup hosted by Dale Bertrand and strategies for uncovering data-driven insights.
Ad Age Next: Social & Influencer Marketing
Date: September 13, 2022
Format: TBD
Location: TBD
Speakers: TBD
Cost: TBD
About: Ad Age’s Next event will focus on the growing importance of influencer marketing in an age of ubiquitous social media.
Creators, brands, and agencies will be on hand to discuss how they are approaching this new economy.
Content Marketing World
Date: September 13-16, 2022
Format: In-person or online
Location: Cleveland, OH
Speakers: Kim Olson, Alison Jarris, Justin Ethington
Cost: In-person starting from $1,499; Virtual from $699
About: Over four days, attendees will learn strategies for building winning SEO teams, systems, and processes.
With more than 100 sessions, workshops, and industry forums, you can choose the topics and sessions that are relevant to you. Thousands of marketers and representatives from numerous global brands will be in attendance.
Benchmark Search & Digital Conference
Date: September 20, 2022
Format: In-person
Location: Manchester, UK
Speakers: Christian Guerreiro, Omi Sido, Roxana Stingu, among others
Cost: Apply for tickets
About: This search marketing event offers engaging sessions with world-class digital marketing professionals.
A diverse range of topics will be covered, including SEO, PPC, content marketing, and social media.
The eCommerce & Omnichannel Retail Conference – Canada
Date: September 28-29, 2022
Format: In-person
Location: Toronto, ON
Speakers: Andrew Go, Bahm Booth, and Martin Gendron, among others
Cost: From $1,799
About: A two-day retreat designed to help online retailers maximize profits, it includes talks by some of the leading minds in Canadian ecommerce who will provide actionable strategies and answer questions.
MarTech
Date: September 28-29, 2022
Format: Online
Location: Virtual
Speakers: TBD
Cost: Free
About: The MarTech Conference explores marketing technology’s complex and ever-changing landscape.
To help attendees learn to leverage the latest technology to generate better results, it attracts senior-level marketers interested in technology-driven business transformation.
Brighton SEO
Date: October 6-7, 2022, in-person, October 20 & 22, 2022 online
Format: In-person and online
Location: Brighton, UK
Speakers: Parth Suba, Rumble Romagnoli, Izabela Wisniewska, and others
Cost: In-person starts at £240 + VAT; Virtual – free
About: This twice-yearly conference is attended by thousands of digital marketers worldwide.
It features training workshops, sessions on niche topics, social networking events, and talks from experts.
Save the Date for 2023: April 20-21 and September 14-15, 2023
Ad World Experience
Date: October 6-7, 2022
Format: In-person and online
Location: Bologna, Italy
Speakers: Lisa Raehsler, Anu Adegbola, and Marco Battaglia, among others
Cost: Starting at €249 for a single day
About: Bringing together PPC experts from across the globe for the largest paid ad and conversion rate optimization event in Europe and the largest real PPC-based conference in the world.
Ad World
Date: October 11-12, 2022
Format: Online
Location: Virtual
Speakers: Seth Godin, Jorie Waterman, and Ryan Deiss, among others
Cost: $119-$799
About: This virtual event, which bills itself as “the world’s largest online advertising event,” features 12+ digital advertising tracks.
Each has focused speeches, panels, and live Q&A sessions to help attendees gain valuable knowledge.
State Of Search 2022
Date: October 24-25, 2022
Format: In-person and online
Location: Dallas, TX
Speakers: Jeremy Vest, Bill Hartzer, and Casey Markee, among others
Cost: In-person – $397; Online – $197
About: The State of Search brings together top speakers from the digital marketing field to cover a range of topics from search engine optimization to emerging technology and lead generation to display advertising.
DMO Mastermind
Date: November 1 – 4, 2022
Format: Live
Location: Scottsdale, AZ
Speakers: Jim Christian,
Cost: $2,199
About: DMO Mastermind allows attendees to participate in an immersive experience with collaborative and cooperative learning methods to help you unlock your potential as a digital marketer.
Save The Date For 2023
There’s nothing quite like booking a trip for the future, especially if it’s to a fun location like Southern California or the Pacific Northwest.
Here are some SEO conferences and events coming up next year. Mark your calendar now so you don’t miss them.
The eCommerce & Omnichannel Retail Conference
Date: February 27-March 2, 2023
Format: In-person and on-demand
Location: Palm Springs, CA
Speakers: TBD
Cost: In-person starting at $797; streaming – $597
About: With a focus on digital commerce, this event is a four-day retreat designed to help ecommerce and omnichannel stores uncover new ways to maximize profits from some of America’s most successful retailers.
Social Media Marketing World
Date: March 13-15, 2023
Format: In-person and on-demand
Location: San Diego, CA
Speakers: Michael Stelzner, Joe Pulizzi, Mari Smith, and others
Cost: In-person starting at $797; streaming – $597
About: Bringing together top social media marketing pros, this conference is not directly focused on SEO but features sessions on organic social marketing, content marketing, and paid social.
It strives to immediately provide attendees with ideas they can implement for their clients or business.
B2B Marketing Expo 2023
Date: March 21-22, 2023
Format: In-person
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Speakers: Roland Cloutier, Don Batsford, Neel Mehta, among others
Cost: Free
About: Featuring education masterclasses for marketing professionals, this annual conference covers a variety of tracks, including advertising and promotion, content and experience, and commerce and sales.
Hundreds of suppliers and speakers will be on hand to discuss the state of the industry and recent happenings.
Hero Conf Austin 2023
Date: April 13-14, 2023
Format: In-person
Location: Austin, TX
Speakers: To be announced later this year
Cost: From $900
About: Produced by Brainlabs, Hero Conf features 44 sessions with 44 paid media experts. The 10th annual U.S. event, this conference will cover PPC alongside new developments in digital marketing.
Attendees can expect to gain relevant, actional, and original content for better managing accounts, staying up to date on the industry, and extending their knowledge of paid media.
Confab
Date: April 30-May 3, 2023
Format: In-person
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Cost: Last year’s recordings – $595
About: The Content Strategy Conference is an annual event covering everything from UX to content and accessibility to structure.
It brings together industry experts and thought leaders to help digital marketers upgrade their skills. Last year’s conference recordings are available for sale on Confab’s website.
DMO Advanced 2023
Date: Spring 2023, exact dates TBD
Format: In-person
Location: Napa Valley, CA
Speakers: TBD
Cost: TBD
About: Digital Marketers Organization will again host their advanced digital marketing event, blending interactive and educational sessions with networking opportunities.
There will be numerous sessions specifically designed for SEO, including information on technical debt, localization, and internationalization.
MnSearch Summit
Date: June 15-16, 2023
Format: In-person
Location: St. Paul, MN
Speakers: TBD
Cost: TBD
About: MnSearch Summit is two days of learning and networking with thought leaders from the digital marketing industry.
It includes workshops, sessions, and events focused on SEO, PPC, social media, and analytics, among other topics.
Growth Marketing Summit 2023
Date: June 22, 2023
Format: In-person
Location: Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Speakers: Marianne Stjernvall, Colin McFarland, Steve Van Belleghem
Cost: From €499
About: Assembling growth marketers and digital professionals worldwide, this single-day event features world-class speakers sharing their expertise on flexible and data-driven marketing solutions.
MozCon 2023
Date: August 4-9, 2023
Format: In-person or live streaming
Location: Seattle, WA
Speakers: TBD
Cost: 2022 tickets began at $299
About: The annual digital marketing conference hosted by Moz, this conference features networking and expert sessions from SEO industry leaders, as well as experts in mobile search, conversion optimization, and search marketing.
Searchlove 2023
Date: Summer 2023, exact dates TBD
Format: In-person
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Speakers: TBD
Cost: TBD
About: Searchlove brings together some of the foremost experts in digital marketing. Topics ranging from analytics to optimization and content to paid advertising are all covered at this education and networking event.
On-Demand & On-Going
Don’t have a specific date you can get away? Don’t worry.
Adobe offers its full Summit sessions online for free, while DigiMarCon offers a range of events throughout the year, both virtual and in-person conferences in various global locations.
Adobe Summit
Date: On-demand
Format: Online
Location: Virtual
Speakers: Anil Chakravarthy, Deena Bahri, and Sebastien Deguy, among others
Cost: Free
About: Hosted by Adobe, every session from the 2022 Adobe Summit is now available online, free.
Roughly 30 minutes in length, each session covers a topic relevant to digital marketing, including customer journey analytics, content personalization, and marketing trends for 2022.
DigiMarCon
Date: On-going throughout 2022 and 2023
Format: In-person and online
Location: Various global locations
Cost: In-person starting at $497
About: Digital Marketing Conferences is a global series of events bringing together thought leaders from the digital marketing, media, and advertising industries.
These conferences focus on emerging strategies, the latest technology, recent best practices, networking, and collaboration.
Great SEOs Never Stop Learning
For an SEO professional, experience is important but not nearly as vital as staying up to date.
And while you can keep an eye on what’s going on in the world of search engines, paid advertising, and digital marketing by reading expert publications (like this one, for example), it’s also great to meet with other people who are performing the same job.
This gives you a chance not just to interact with them but to ask questions and develop relationships that could reap rewards far down the line. And SEO conferences are a great place to do this.
So, whether you’re trying to brush up on the basics, identify the latest techniques, or just take a trip on the company dime, the above events are a great place to start.
Include Your SEO Conference
If you’re hosting an upcoming SEO event and want it listed, please email our editor with the following information:
- Conference name.
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Featured Image: Paulo Bobita/Search Engine Journal