Attending conferences will help keep you up to date on the latest SEO strategies, trends, tips, and tools.

Plus, SEO conferences are a fantastic way to grow your professional network and connect with potential clients. All of this can happen between sessions, during official networking events, or sometimes even at a pub or restaurant after hours.

Whether you want to seek out help or inspiration from SEO experts, exchange ideas with peers, or discover some new tactics that you can implement once you’re back in the office, there are plenty of SEO conferences to choose from.

Here are the best conferences to learn more about SEO (and digital marketing) in 2018.


2018


PeepCon 3.0

Date: February 17

Location: Marco Polo Hotel Ortigas / Manila, Philippines

Topics: SEO, content marketing, link building, local SEO, paid search, content strategy, penalty removal, on-page SEO, web analytics

Speakers: Cyrus Shepard, Rob Ousbey, Jason Acidre, Eric Van Buskirk, and more.

About: PeepCon is a nonprofit, Philippine-based conference that launched in 2015, produced by Glen Dimaandal of GDI. PeepCon (which stands for “The People’s Conference”) seeks to teach actionable SEO and digital marketing lessons.

Cost: $60


Pubcon Austin

Date: February 21

Location: AT&T Conference Center, University of Texas campus / Austin, Texas

Topics: SEO, content marketing, local search, and more.

Tracks: 4

Speakers: Michael Bonfils; Mary Bowling; Eric Enge; Bill Hartzer; Bill Hunt; Gary Illyes (keynote); Rob Woods; Tony Wright; Joe Youngblood, and more.

About: Pubcon Austin is a regional conference that launched in 2013, produced by Brett Tabke and the team behind Pubcon, the longest running search marketing conference.

Cost: $299 – $449


Digital Summit Series

Date: February 21-22

Location: Phoenix Convention Center / Phoenix, Arizona

Topics: SEO and search, content marketing, mobile, social media

Tracks: 6

Speakers: Lauren Polinsky, Grant Simmons, Mindy Weinstein, and more.

About: Digital Summit was founded in 2012. This series also will run shows in Los Angeles, California (April); Seattle, Washington (April); Salt Lake City, Utah (May); Kansas City, Missouri (May); Atlanta, Georgia (May); Portland, Oregon (June); Denver, Colorado (July); Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (August); Tampa, Florida (August); Boston, Massachusetts (August); Minneapolis, Minnesota (August); Washington, D.C. (August); Detroit, Michigan (September); Chicago, Illinois (September); Charlotte, North Carolina (October); Raleigh, North Carolina (November); and Dallas, Texas (December).

Cost: $275 – $995


C3

Date: March 7-8

Location: New World Stages / New York City

Topics: SEO, content marketing

Tracks: 3

Speakers: Eric Enge, Erin Everhart, Duane Forrester, Mike Grehan, Garth O’Brien, Joe Pulizzi, Wil Reynolds, Purna Virji, and more.

About: C3 is an event presented by enterprise SEO and content platform Conductor.

Price: $599 – $1,199


Engage Conference

Date: March 8

Location: Sentinel Hotel / Portland, Oregon

Topics: SEO, paid media, social media, content, UX/design.

Tracks: 4

Speakers: Matthew Gardner (keynote), Bill Hartzer, Jon Henshaw, Ross Hudgens, AJ Kohn, Cindy Krum (keynote), Ian Lurie, David Mihm, Marty Weintraub, and many more.

About: Engage is put on by nonprofit organization SEMpdx (Search Engine Marketing Professionals of Portland).

Cost: $229 – $649


SMX West

Date: March 13-15

Location: San Jose McEnery Convention Center / San Jose, California

Topics: SEO, SEM, analytics and conversion, retail and e-commerce

Tracks: 4

Speakers: Olga Andrienko, Christine Churchill, Glenn Gabe, Marie Haynes, Cindy Krum, Debra Mastaler, Shari Thurow, Marcus Tober, and more.

About: The Search Marketing Expo (SMX) conference series was founded in 2007 and put on by Third Door Media, publisher of Search Engine Land.

Cost: Free – $2,495


Advanced Search Summit

Date: March 22-23

Location: Napa Valley, California

Topics: SEO, content, social, analytics

Tracks: 1

Speakers: Jim Christian, Gianluca Fiorelli, Christi Olson, William Sears, Adam Singer, Krista Seiden, Marty Weintraub, and many more.

About: Advanced Search Summit is designed for advanced SEO professionals, digital marketers, and analysts at enterprise and mid-market sized companies who want advanced tactics and techniques.

Cost: $225 – $695


SearchLove

Date: March 26-27

Location: Paradise Point / San Diego, California

Topics: SEO, mobile search, analytics, content, PPC.

Tracks: 1

Speakers: Rand Fishkin, Wil Reynolds, Aleyda Solis, Ashley Ward, and more.

About: The SearchLove conference is put on by online marketing agency Distilled.

Cost: $999 – $1,299


Pubcon Florida

Date: April 10-12

Location: Fort Lauderdale Convention Center / Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Topics: SEO, link building, content marketing, social media marketing and advertising, analytics, and more.

Tracks: 6

Speakers: To be announced.

About: Pubcon Florida is a regional conference that launched in 2013, produced by Brett Tabke and the team behind Pubcon, the longest running search marketing conference.

Cost: $25 – $849


Zenith Conference

Date: April 26, 2018

Location: Duluth, Minnesota

Topics: Organic and SEO, paid and social

More Info: Coming soon.

Tracks: 3

Speakers: Lisa Buyer, Kevin Gibbons, Adam Proehl, Angie Schottmuller, Matt Siltala, Adam Singer (keynote), Marty Weintraub

About: Zenith conference is designed for marketing pros of all levels (including DIY, SMB, startups, and nonprofits). It is hosted by marketing agency Aimclear and the Duluth Area Chamber of Commerce.

Cost: $99 – $299


BrightonSEO

Date: April 26-27

Location: Brighton Centre / Brighton, England

Topics: To be announced

Tracks: Unknown

Speakers: Rob Bucci, Arianne Donoghue, Greg Gifford, Bastian Grimm, Stephen Kenwright, Anna Lewis, Steve Rayson, Nichola Stott, Fili Wiese, and more.

About: Brighton SEO consists of training courses and a one-day search marketing conference.

Cost: £0 – £600


Next10x: Mastering the Changing Digital Marketing Landscape

Date: May 9

Location: The Colonnade Hotel / Boston, Massachusetts

Topics: SEO, mobile search, content marketing, social media, AMP, AI, personal assistants

Number of tracks: 1

Notable speakers: Eric Enge, Rand Fishkin, Ann Handley, Greg Jarboe, Larry Kim, and more

About: Next10x, presented by Stone Temple, will explore the changes happening in the digital marketing industry with a focus on helping marketers take advantage of the new opportunities presented by those changes.

Cost: $395 – $595


Search Marketing Summit

Date: May 28 – June 1

Location: SMC Conference Centre / Sydney, Australia

Topics: SEO, local search, link building, content marketing, social media marketing and advertising, analytics, and more.

Tracks: 2

Speakers: To be announced

About: Founded in 2006, Search Marketing Summit is the longest-running and largest search marketing conference in Australia for search marketing practitioners in Australia, New Zealand, and Asia Pacific. Also offers two pre- and post-conference advanced SEO & PPC workshops.

Cost: $1,300 – $5,700


SearchLove

Date: June 7-8

Location: Boston, Massachusetts

Topics: Search, analytics, content, website optimization, and more.

More Info: Coming soon.

About: The SearchLove conference is put on by online marketing agency Distilled.

Cost: $999 – $1,299


SMX Advanced

Date: June 11-13

Location: Bell Harbor International Conference Center / Seattle, Washington

Topics: SEO, SEM.

Tracks: Coming soon.

Speakers: To be announced

About: The Search Marketing Expo (SMX) conference series was founded in 2007 and put on by Third Door Media, publisher of Search Engine Land. You won’t find any beginner-level content here – this agenda is designed for experienced search marketers.

Cost: Coming soon.


MnSearch Summit

Date: June 22

Location: St. Paul RiverCentre / St. Paul, Minnesota

Topics: SEO, social, content, video, analytics, and more

Speakers: To be announced

More Info: MnSearch is a regional one-day marketing conference put on by the Minnesota Search Engine Marketing Association, a nonprofit organization.

Cost: $289 – $579


MozCon

Date: July 9-11

Location: Seattle, Washington

Topics: SEO, branding, CRO, mobile, analytics, social, content marketing

Tracks: 1

Speakers: To be announced

About: MozCon has been a yearly conference since 2011, produced by the team behind SEO software provider Moz.

More Info: Coming soon.


Confluence Conference

Dates: September 20-21

Location: The Tower Theatre / Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Topics: SEO, PPC, content marketing, social media marketing, analytics

Number of tracks: 1

Notable speakers: Coming soon.

About: Confluence Conference started in 2012 and has become one of the biggest digital marketing conferences in the region – designed for everyone from specialists, to marketing managers, digital entrepreneurs, and small business owners.

Cost: $175-$250


ohgmcon

Date: The day before BrightonSEO

Location: Secret.

Topics: Technical SEO.

Tracks: 1

Notable speakers: Secret (but you can read about the previous event here at which Google’s Gary Illyes gave a Q&A.)

About: All attendees give talks they have never given before to an audience of peers. Strict time and slide limits. Maximum ONE attendee per agency. No sponsor talks. No clients to impress. In a dark basement with no wifi, air conditioning, or connection to the outside world. Pub and train to #BrightonSEO afterwards.

Cost: Free


Inbound

Date: September 4-7

More Info: Coming soon.

About: Inbound is a massive annual event put on by SEO software provider HubSpot. The focus is on inbound marketing, which includes everything from SEO to social media. The agenda boasts tons of sessions, networking events, certification courses – as well as keynotes by well-known authors, celebrities, and athletes.


State of Search

Date: October

More Info: Coming soon

Topics: SEO, content marketing, analytics, social media, PPC.

About: State of Search is presented by the Dallas/Fort Worth Search Engine Marketing Association.


SearchLove

Date: Fall

Location: London, England

More Info: Coming soon.

About: The SearchLove conference is put on by online marketing agency Distilled. It is geared toward SEO professionals (in-house and agency), marketing managers, and business owners.


Pubcon

Date: October 15-19

Location: Las Vegas Convention Center / Las Vegas, Nevada

More Info: Coming soon.

About: Pubcon was founded in 2000 by Brett Tabke. It the longest running search industry conference. Pubcon bills itself a “super conference” (as in super-sized), and rightly so – excellent speakers, in-depth educational sessions, great keynotes, and amazing networking events and opportunities (both official and unofficial). The 5th Annual U.S. Search Awards will take place during the week of Pubcon.


UnGagged

Date: Fall

Location: Las Vegas, Nevada

More Info: Coming soon.

About: The team behind UnGagged promises an unconventional conference with uncensored and unrecorded sessions.


MediaPost’s Search Insider Summit

Date: December

About: The Search Insider Summit is put together by the team behind MediaPost’s Search Marketing Daily and Search Insider. These events combine awesome locations, great presenters, and thought-provoking topics centered on search and digital marketing. Sessions are over by lunch, followed by afternoon fun activities like skiing, snowmobiling, and snowboarding.

More Info: TBA


SEJ Summit

Date: Returning in 2019

More Info: Coming soon.

About: Search Engine Journal’s flagship conference, SEJ Summit, is dedicated to giving SEOs what they need, with an agenda of original, first-run presentations covering the latest SEO and PPC tactics from renowned experts, plus excellent networking opportunities.


Want to Add Your SEO Conference?

Email editorial@digitalfuturetimes.com with the following details:

  • Conference Name
  • URL
  • Date(s)
  • Location(s)
  • Topics
  • Number of tracks
  • Notable speakers
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  • Cost/range

Featured Image Credit: Paulo Bobita