#SEJSummit 2016 Chicago Hits on Key Actions for Search Marketers

SEJ Summit_A Day of KeynotesOne of the best things about working in search marketing is having the opportunity to connect with other SEOs in person and share best practices, challenges faced, and lessons learned.

It’s a chance to hear, first-hand, how our peers are evolving with the industry and keep a pulse on all the latest changes and developments in search.

Last Thursday, in Chicago, IL, several members of the KoMarketing team attended the SEJ Summit, a unique conference experience tailored specifically for search marketers.

Featuring a single track of vetted, keynote-style presentations given by industry experts and several networking opportunities, the event left us excited about the future of search and eager to put all the expert tips we’d heard into practice at our organization.

Plus, we got to spend the entire day on historic Navy Pier with views overlooking Lake Michigan (a special treat for this native of the mitten state)!

Here’s a look at some of our key takeaways from the SEJ Summit in Chicago this past week:

Matt Diehl, Director of Online Marketing

Pay Attention to AMP

Search marketers need to “make mobile web great again” – and AMP is the way to do it.  AMP pages are designed to create fast pages that are easy to implement and create a better experience for the end user.

Of the four building blocks of AMP – HTML 5 (AMP HTML), JavaScript, Custom Styling (CSS 3), and Global Proxy Cache – the AMP Cache network is the most important part of the AMP implementation.  In the future, AMP is going to keep growing and will likely roll out to product pages.

With thanks to Gary Illyes

Make Your Site Lean, Mean & Efficient

Streamline your code for speed!  Cut the bloat by reviewing plugins, tracking codes, and customizations; are they really needed?

With thanks to Carolyn Shelby

Bring Your Website’s SEO Visibility to New Heights

Breaking out of an SEO plateau takes innovation, creativity, and great targeted content.

With thanks to Jordan Koene

Phoebe Fasulo, Online Marketing Strategist

Make the Most of Reddit

In today’s digital landscape, social media increasingly has to prove ROI.  Leveraging Reddit not only helps you find content ideas, but it also drives brand awareness, direct customer engagement, focus group feedback, articles/links, etc.

With thanks to Brent Csutoras

Remember: We’re in a Multichannel World

Today, multichannel rules the consumer landscape – there is no longer a linear sales cycle.  Digital natives switch platforms every minute.  However, it’s important to stop thinking in terms of channels/silos, and instead focus on searcher intent.

With thanks to Erin Everhart

Justina Logozzo, Search Engine Marketing Manager

Tune Up Your SEO

Site speed can make or break a site. When looking at a site (clients or your own) utilize the plug-ins and applications you only NEED, not the ones you want. Keep your site simple, as complexity can cost you visitors, sales, and revenue.

With thanks to Carolyn Shelby

Break the SEO Plateau

When faced with an SEO plateau, remixing your content strategy while recycling simple SEO tactics can help break the flatline. Remove or no index the “dead” content that isn’t driving traffic or conversions to your site; this will help give your good content a boost.

Go outside of the content norm and provide your visitors with something they will actually find useful. And of course, refresh your internal links every 6 months. It’s like giving your site an SEO caffeine shot.

With thanks to Jordan Koene

Stacy Thompson, Content Marketing Manager

Keep in Mind That Your Content Strategy Needs to Evolve

In the past, online articles were created by people who made the most number of requests – nowadays, they’re created based on what customers are searching on.  This means that you need to continually evolve you content strategy and show how you can listen to your customers.

With thanks to Akin Tosyali

Don’t React to Change – Leverage It

While the customer journey continues to evolve, so too does the way you search.  The key is to focus on searcher intent – instead of asking “How do I?” instead ask “What do they?”

Don’t simply react to change – use it to your advantage.  Give your customers a solution to what they’re asking for.

With thanks to Ryan Jones

Final Thoughts

Thanks goes out to all of the great speakers, organizers, and one pretty great emcee for the event! Here is to hoping the members of our KoMarketing team and yours get to catch this show when it arrives in another city near you sometime in the future.

For a complete look conference presentations, visit SlideShare and check out more of the tweets using hashtag #SEJSummit.

“The KoMarketing team took our PPC and SEM marketing efforts to the next level. They are a team of thoughtful, creative, and smart people, and they get downright scientific when it comes to measurement and attribution. A true pleasure to work with.”

Will Bernholz — Will Bernholz, Vice President, Marketing, Dropsource

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