SEO Guides, Tips & More!

UPDATED – March 21, 2020

Given the impact, the arrival of COVID-19, Coronavirus, has had on scheduled conferences we have identified those events which have been postponed, canceled or moved online below.

Check out:  Best SEO Conferences to Attend in 2019

The fourth quarter is typically a time for marketing departments to budget for the next year. When evaluating where marketing spends and return on investment, in 2020 consider the role of continuing education. We know it’s important and judging by the results of 2019 Marketing Budget Benchmark Study, marketing teams do, too. Networking Events, Trade Shows, and Conferences were among the top five marketing expenses across an average of all 100 accounting firms they surveyed. High-growth accounting firms, in particular, know that digital marketing and SEO are keys for future growth, so adding at least one SEO conference to the marketing budget is highly recommended.

Each of these conferences provides attendees with a deeper dive into SEO trends, issues, methods, and tactics. And they’re everywhere, so finding one within reasonable travel distance shouldn’t be too hard. Below, find the top SEO Conferences of 2020.

FEBRUARY 2020

2/16 PubCon Austin 2020 (Austin, TX)

$349+

PubCon, a bit of a traveling conference, features four educational tracks on SEO, PPC, social media, content, digital marketing strategies, and more.  The first conference of the year is in Austin, but there will be two others in the U.S.: one in Florida in March and again in Las Vegas in October.

2/19 – 2/21 SMX: Search Marketing Expo (San Jose, CA)

Price TBD

SMX West will cover SEO, SEM, and other white-hat SEO topics in a variety of formats ranging from traditional lectures to roundtables and clinics. Changes from previous conferences include “more intimate networking” at a lower cost, and with less time. Ideal for marketing teams that are crunched for time and money but still want a ton of great information.

A similar version of this conference will be held in March 2020 in Munich, Germany.

MARCH 2020

3/12 – 3/13 Engage Conference (Portland, OR)

$279

What sets this conference apart is that it includes other aspects of digital marketing that in-house teams don’t always have the time or expertise to delve into themselves. Topics like user experience and the role of creative would make this conference a good choice for marketers that either want to learn new skills OR teams that are large enough to have dedicated personnel in-house to handle these areas.

3/24 – 3/25 Digital Summit (Phoenix, AZ)

$245 – $995

One of the best ways to get ahead in accounting marketing is to look outside the industry. Digital Summit’s speaker list includes Nike, NPR, Cisco, Southwest Airlines, and other powerhouse marketing companies in other industries. Conference content will cover all areas of digital marketing so it’s a good opportunity to get innovative ideas about how to link all the different pieces together, including SEO.

3/24 – 3/27 PubCon Florida – POSTPONED

$299 – $1,299

Similar to other PubCon conferences, this one is in a good location for East Coast accounting firms, or anyone looking to combine Spring Break with education.

3/26 – 3/27 Searchlove Conference by Distilled (San Diego, CA) – POSTPONED

$999

Searchlove covers SEO and everything that interacts with it, like analytics, optimization, and paid promotions. The conference website markets itself to SEO professionals either in agencies or in-house, marketing managers, and business owners so expect the content to be intermediate to advanced.

APRIL 2020

4/5-4/7 – CXL Live 2020 (Austin,TX)

$1,799 (conference only includes 2 nights hotel)
$2,799 (includes above plus extra day of expert workshops)

This is a new addition to our list, but a conference that covers a lot of bases. The speaker roster features experts in the industry and provides the opportunity to learn from the “best” from those across a variety of industries. This conference is a good fit for those looking to sharpen their skills and take their organization to the next level.

4/11 – 4/12 SearchCon (Breckenridge, CO) – POSTPONED UNTIL LATE SUMMER

TBD

Marketers who love SEO and skiing will find both at SearchCon. In addition to beginner to intermediate sessions on SEO and digital marketing, expect plenty of networking options as well as downtime built into the agenda to enjoy the local winter sports.

4/22 – 4/24 Advanced Search Summit (Napa Valley, CA)

$299 – $1,249

This conference is ideal for seasoned SEO practitioners and digital marketers looking for advanced SEO strategies and tactics, like algorithms, optimization, and the intersecting role of SEO with social media, brand marketing, and digital. It also boasts substantial networking time and wine tasting events to meet and learn from peers, in both professional and relaxed settings.

May 2020

Dates TBD  C3 (New York City) – ONLINE ONLY

Cost TBD

2020 event details aren’t out as of this writing, so stay tuned. C3 is an event presented by enterprise SEO and content platform Conductor. It’s geared toward senior-level digital marketers and focuses on connecting the content and customer to SEO best practices. Three tracks are targeted – strategy, innovation, and tactics – with each featuring speakers from top B2B and industry leaders in digital marketing and search.

5/19 – 5/20 Search Marketing Expo [SMX] (London, England)

$440 – $1,442 (£395 – £1,295) Denotes early bird pricing that expires 2/7/20

It’s not exactly down the street, but SMX is one of the world’s largest and longest running SEO conferences – meaning it’s a destination by itself. The founders of Search Engine Land started the SMX conference series in 2007 and attendees can choose from a SEO bootcamp, advanced Google Ads workshop, or an international search summit in addition to the whole conference. Don’t forget the fish and chips!

JUNE 2020

6/8 – 6/10 SMX Advanced (Seattle, WA)

Cost TBD

Cost and agenda information for the 2020 conference isn’t out yet, so stay tuned! Advanced SEO and SEM is on the agenda for this state-side version of SMX. This conference doesn’t cover the basics and the sessions are fast-paced, so anyone who attends should already have a solid understanding of search tactics. The conference describes itself as fast-paced with a concentration on session Q&A.

Dates TBD SearchLove (Boston, MA)

Cost TBD

Missed searchlove in March in San Diego? This one should work well for Eastern U.S.-based accounting firms. Topics include search, analytics, content creation, website optimization, paid promotions, and more. In-house SEO managers and marketers will be joined by agency professionals and business owners. It’s a general search conference but the courses are designed for the intermediate to advanced professional.

JULY 2020

7/6 – 7/8 MozCon (Seattle, WA)

$349 – $799 Denotes early bird pricing that expires on 10/31/19

This is one that’s not to be missed. A single track will cover SEO, local search, mobile search, analytics, content, and social. It’s general enough that anyone can get value, but high-level enough that even the more SEO-savvy CMOs will learn something.

AUGUST 2020

8/18 – 8/21 Inbound (Boston, MA)

$49 – $1,299 Denotes early bird pricing that expires 1/15/20

This is another conference hosted by a renowned industry leader: HubSpot. Similar to “Learn Inbound” in London, this conference considers all aspect of the inbound marketing process, including SEO. It’s big – as in, 20,000+ attendees – and sessions will cover everything from SEO to social media.

OCTOBER 2020

10/12 – 10/15 Pubcon (Las Vegas, NV)

$299 – $1,299

Similar to other PubCon conferences, this one is in a good location for West Coast accounting firms, or anyone looking to combine the revels of the Las Vegas Strip with education.

2019 SEO CONFERENCES TO WATCH FOR UPDATES

These conferences don’t have any information yet on their plans for 2020 but keep an eye on these events. And if there is still room in the marketing budget for a last-minute conference in November or December 2019, be sure to check these out.

June 2019 – MN Search Summit

A one-day search summit held in St. Paul Minnesota and hosted by MN Search. Attendees consist of marketers of all stripes and experience levels. There are several sessions and track options to choose from and appears to be a good conference for those local to the area and seeking to expand their knowledge.

August 2019 Learn Inbound (Dublin, Ireland)

Learn Inbound covers all aspects of, you guessed it, inbound marketing. That means SEO but also PPC, content creation, Google AdWords (and Bing), copywriting, product marketing, analytics, conversation rate optimization, and digital PR. It’s a one-track conference plus an optional, one-day intensive technical SEO training course.

September 2019 – Challenger Summit 2019 (Los Angeles, CA)

This SEO conference was hosted at WP Promote headquarters in Los Angeles, CA. This 3-day conference tackles a variety of topics of interest to the digital marketer. Session topics include Facebook’s Vision of the Future, Optimizing the Customer Experience in the Age of AI and more. The conference goes beyond just SEO trends to cover the entire customer buying journey and offers something for everyone with the three dedicated tracks (based on professional focus).

November 2019 State of Search (Dallas, TX)

The agenda featured topics like PPC, SEO, local SEO, paid media, SEM, the role of social media, link building, and more.

November 2020 UnGagged (Los Angeles, CA)

What makes this conference unique is that it prohibits recordings to enable honest, open sessions and discussions among attendees. General sessions can be combined with a full-day, in-depth master class. Last year, these were technical SEO, local SEO, or Facebook classes to choose from. There are lots of opportunities to network and share ideas.

December 2019 Search Insider Summit (Deer Valley, UT)

This conference is hosted by the folks who are behind the publications Search Marketing Daily and Search Insider. Expect sessions to cover SEO best practices, case studies, and tactics plus roundtables and plenty of networking opportunities.

NOTEWORTHY CONTENT MARKETING CONFERENCES

Great content helps drive effective SEO campaigns, and these online marketing conferences will help any marketing team up its content marketing game.

3/1 – 3/3 Social Media Marketing World (San Diego, CA)

4/21 – 4/23 Content Marketing Conference (Boston, MA) – ONLINE ONLY

10/13 – 10/16 Content Marketing World (Cleveland, OH)

Which SEO conference is a team favorite? What takeaways have helped improve marketing plans and knowledge of SEO? Tell us in the comments.