3 Reasons SEO Training and Conferences Belong Together
Search Marketing Expo West is now just a week away. Susan’s got all the liveblogging duties for this one, and from a look at the line up for SMX West 2009, I’ll be missing out.
The crew at SMX has perfected the art of SEM conference programming. And with Bruce Clay’s SEOToolSet Training packaged into an intense one-day course following the conference, next week is sure to be one of the standout SEM educational events on the West Coast this year.
There’s an exponential effect that happens when you combine SEO training with conference attendance. Each offers different pieces of the puzzle, but when you add the two together something magical happens. Like chocolate and peanut butter, training and conferences are both good on their own but impeccable as a pair.
Establish a Strong Foundation + Focus on High-Level Strategy
From beginners to advanced professionals, the success of every SEO tactic you perform depends on the strength of your SEO foundation. Ongoing training strengthens your understanding of SEO methodology and best practices, including search engine guidelines, keyword research techniques, site architecture SEO solutions like siloing, server configuration best practices, and creative link building techniques.
Upon that solid groundwork you can begin to build your knowledge base at conferences, where advanced techniques and sophisticated niche strategies — such as mobile or international marketing — are shared. In fact, SMX West has a number specialty tracks like In House Day and Developer Day plus strings of sessions dedicated to areas like vertical search, online-offline integration, social media and many more.
One-on-One Opportunities + A Group of Great Minds
One of the greatest benefits of a quality training course is the one-on-one guidance you get with an expert. Students who attend SEOToolSet training get to ask Bruce site-specific questions during Q&A time. You can even begin testing things you’ve learned with the ready-to-go diagnostic tools during breaks. You’ll feel extra safe knowing that everything you’ve learned is in strictest accordance with search engine guidelines.
At conferences, knowledge transfer comes from all around you. Listening to a panel of experts gives you insight into different viewpoints. Speakers will sometimes debate the effectiveness of certain techniques or, better yet, share the light-bulb moment they just had as another speaker mentioned an effective technique or interesting test result.
Take Tasks and Tools Home with You + Take Relationships Home with You
After SEO training you’ll probably want to crawl in bed and let all the new info floating around your brain gelatinize. But you’ll be coming home with more than just memories. Every slide that’s presented and every tool that was demoed will remain at your fingertips since you get to take the SEOToolSet Training guide and a subscription to the SEOToolSet with you. That’s all-in-one access to a keyword traffic checker, a server checker, a keyword research tool, a search engine submission tool, a ranking monitor, an indexed page report generator, a competitive link analysis tool, and a link target finder!
Of course, the relationships that you take away from a conference like SMX are just as exciting. Conferences have got to be among the top ways to grow your network. When you know the right people you will never be at a loss when looking for job opportunities, references, and recommendations — not to mention lifelong friends. And in my experience, search marketers are a group who know how to have a good time.
The yin and yang of SMX West’s killer agenda and top-of-the-line SEO training is right up there with cookies and milk. It’s not too late to take advantage of preregistration deals: save $300 on an all access pass and SEOToolSet Training, $200 on an all access pass by itself, or $100 on a one-day conference pass when you pre-register compared to on-site registration. Tack on the 15 percent discount on your all access pass when you use the code smx15bruceclay and it’s clear that SMX West + SEOToolSet Training = an opportunity not to be missed.