Attending SEO conferences is one of the best ways for digital marketing professionals to stay on top of the latest trends, innovations, and best practices in organic search optimization and search marketing. 

I’ll highlight the top 6 SEO events and conferences digital marketers should consider attending in 2024. From major events like Spotlight by Semrush and Content Marketing World to more niche gatherings, I’ll provide an overview of what to expect at each one (and give you the details on when and where they’re happening).

Whether you want to learn SEO basics or advanced skills, gain insights into the latest search landscape, or network with like-minded peers, you’ll find significant professional development opportunities at these upcoming SEO conferences.

Here’s our quick list of the best upcoming SEO conferences:

Conference	Date	Location	Price
brightonSEO	Oct. 3-4, 2024 (Brighton, UK), Nov. 19-20, 2024 (San Diego)	Brighton and San Diego (both in-person only)	£475 – £1060 (Brighton), $760 – $1380 (San Diego)
B2B Marketing Expo	Oct. 9-10, 2024	Los Angeles (in-person only)	Free
ADworld	Oct. 17-18, 2024	Bologna (Italy) + live streaming	€449
Content Marketing World	Oct. 21-23, 2024	San Diego (in-person and virtual)	$899 (digital), $1,199+ (in-person)
Spotlight by Semrush	Oct. 30, 2024	Amsterdam, NL (in-person only)	£390 – £990
International Search Summit (ISS)	Nov. 14, 2024	Barcelona	From €145

What Is an SEO Conference?

An SEO conference is a professional event focused on search engine optimization and search marketing. SEO events like these typically span 2–3 days, and bring together industry experts, speakers, panelists, and attendees from across the SEO ecosphere.

Unlike general digital marketing conferences, SEO conferences dig deep into the latest ranking algorithms and techniques for optimizing websites. They can help you learn how to track SEO progress and keep an eye on evolving trends with platforms like Google and Bing.

Through presentations, workshops, keynotes, and informal networking, SEO conferences accelerate the professional development of digital marketers looking to sharpen their skills. 

Attendees return to their organizations and SEO communities with actionable advice and strategies from world-class practitioners and trainers. The relationships you form with fellow SEO professionals at these events can also blossom into future collaborations.

SEO Trends and Topics

Experts at this year’s top conferences will dig into SEO trends and topics shaping search optimization this year. Key highlights at SEO seminars include:

• Automation and process optimization: With AI and machine learning integration, smart tools that enhance productivity will be a focus of these events. You’ll learn a variety of ways to supercharge your SEO automation.
• Local SEO tactics: Capturing local searchers continues to increase in importance. Sessions will uncover local pack strategies, GMB optimization, maps, and spatial data tactics.
• E-commerce growth hacks: E-commerce SEO is still one of the hottest digital marketing topics. Experts in these sessions will reveal strategies for optimizing product detail pages, creating valuable content, and more.
• Ranking factors: Stay ahead of Google and Bing algorithm shakeups. Conferences offer exclusive peeks behind the curtain of core ranking factors (which might come up as a topic during an SEO job interview).
• Link building and outreach: Get the latest trust-building and link acquisition tactics. Expect explorations of link building tools, competitor gaps, and link prospecting methods.
• Semantic search: Natural language relevancy and topic clustering are crucial in search right now. Conferences will equip you with semantic SEO tactics that help you boost your ranking.

Premier SEO Conferences You Can’t Afford to Miss

Based on past experience, inside knowledge, and conference speaker lineups, these are my top recommendations for SEO conferences that expand your network and skill set.

1. brightonSEO

Date: October 3-4, 2024 (Brighton, UK), November 19-20, 2024 (San Diego) 

Location: Brighton and San Diego (both are in-person only)

Price: £475 – £1060 before 20% VAT (Brighton), $760 – $1380 (San Diego)

This biannual conference is well-loved by SEOs and marketers of all levels. The training on the main stages is top-notch, and there are fringe conferences focused on PPC, social ads, and data analytics.

The event in Brighton, UK, features standout topics like thriving in competitive niches without backlinks, search engine guidelines for publishers, and rendering. Speakers include Emilio Takas, Kapwom Dingis, and Mark Stanford-Janes.

There’s also a second U.S. edition of brightonSEO in November 2024, in San Diego. Speakers include Rand Fishkin, Julian Hooks, and Ian Helms.

2. B2B Marketing Expo

Date: October 9-10, 2024

Location: Los Angeles (in-person only)

Price: Free

B2B Marketing Expo is a free two-day event in conjunction with Sales Innovation Expo and The Business Show.

Master classes, panel discussions, and world-class exhibitors are part of this jam-packed conference that inspires you to get out of the office for fresh perspectives on your current marketing challenges. Networking events help you connect with colleagues and form new connections.

Keynote speakers include:

• Winston T. Marshall from Netflix and Genius Air Entertainment
• David Jarvis from Google
• Anthony Pu from Amazon Music
• Jennifer Smith from Everything Podcasts
• Raphael Jose from Sonos

3. ADworld

Date: October 17-18, 2024

Location: Bologna (Italy) + live streaming

Price: €449

The ADworld Experience stakes its claim as the largest European event focused on pay-per-click (PPC) marketing and conversion rate optimization — not to mention one of the largest globally for real-world PPC campaign case studies.

While still finalizing the lineup of PPC experts for 2024, last year’s speaker roster included Michele Arena, Silvia Balejčíková, and Luca Bontempi. The 2023 SEO event also featured actual campaign case studies and advanced courses diving into Google Ads, Facebook and Instagram Ads, TikTok, and tactics for boosting conversion performance.

If you’re an SEO, PPC, or CRO specialist looking to expand your expertise with the latest platforms, techniques, and optimization best practices, ADworld delivers. Rub shoulders with the sharpest minds in paid search and walk away with tangible improvements for your SEO clients or company.

4. Content Marketing World

Date: October 21-23, 2024

Location: San Diego (in-person and virtual)

Price: Digital passes start at $899, in-person options are $1,199 and up

While Content Marketing World covers the broader landscape of content creation, it offers tremendous value for focused SEO professionals. Given how vital high-quality, optimized content has become for driving rankings and traffic, learning next-level creative strategies and production workflows at this event will strengthen your SEO skill set.

Spread over four days, the agenda features more than 150 sessions, workshops, keynotes, and forums focused on building winning content teams, systems, and workflows.

Here’s a sampling of some of the search-related tracks this year:

• AI in Marketing
• Analytics and Data
• Content Creation and Development
• Content Development and Writing
• Content Management and Optimization
• Content Planning/Operations
• Content ROI
• Search Engine Optimization

5. Spotlight by Semrush

Date: October 30, 2024

Location: Amsterdam, NL (in-person only)

Price: £390 – £990

Spotlight, Semrush’s global marketing conference, is your chance to meet the experts who are shaping the industry. It’s a full-day experience all about transforming ideas into methods that improve your work and the results you produce.

Highlights include:

• 60+ best-in-class speakers
• 10 keynote presentations
• 50+ mastermind sessions
• 500+ fellow marketers

Interactive roundtables and networking opportunities make it easy for you to connect with your peers.

If you arrive in Amsterdam the day before the main event, pre-conference workshops with limited seating allow you to connect with instructors like:

• Fabrizio Ballarini from Wise
• Sophie Miller from Pretty Little Marketer
• Kyle Byers from Semrush

6. International Search Summit (ISS)

Date: November 14, 2024

Location: Barcelona

Price: From €145

This November, digital marketers and SEO professionals focused on worldwide audiences should block off their calendars for the International Search Summit (ISS) in Barcelona, Spain. The ISS is reportedly the only conference completely dedicated to international search marketing challenges.

While the 2024 agenda and speakers are still taking shape, last year’s event featured experts like Semrush’s Olga Andrienko, Crystal Carter of Wix, and Kayleigh Dibble from Hotjar across tracks on international SEO, content strategies, and paid acquisition.

With presentations tailored specifically to improving online visibility and effectively engaging international target markets, the ISS offers invaluable expertise for brands that are scaling globally. And you’ll have ample Q&A time to address your follow-up questions.

6 Ways to Make the Most of Your SEO Convention Experience

Attending an SEO-focused conference or seminar event is a valuable professional development investment. But like any investment, what you get back is proportional to what you put in. 

Try these six tips for optimizing your conference participation.

1. Connect in person with your social media network. Put faces to names by meeting your X, LinkedIn, and Facebook contacts. Strengthen relationships and turn online connections into conference buddies.
2. Come prepared with business cards, sample reports, or client success data to exchange. These professional talking points can help you break the ice with new contacts.
3. Take meticulous notes. Jot standout quotes, data to follow up on, technique checklists, and names of solution providers during the SEO seminars, so those “a-ha” moments don’t get lost in the shuffle.
4. Attend the after-hours mixers and auxiliary events. Informal gatherings in more intimate settings give you great opportunities for one-on-one conversations that might help you get a job in SEO.
5. Follow up promptly with your new connections through email or social media. You can even schedule virtual coffee meetings with your most promising contacts.
6. Create your personalized post-conference action plan immediately. Compile session notes and translate your takeaways into tactical next steps you can execute for clients in the coming weeks.

By putting these tips to work, you’ll guarantee your professional development investment pays dividends. You’ll also return home re-energized and ready to implement your plans.

Get Ready for SEO Conference Season with TTT Academy

Attending conferences is an invaluable way to expand your skill set. But if you want to get the most value from your investment, you need to put in the work before and after the SEO event.

We created TTT Academy to help digital marketers approach conferences strategically — minimizing information overload and maximizing real-world impact for your business or clients.

Interested in joining TTT ahead of your 2024 SEO convention schedule?

With TTT Academy, you get:

• In-depth SEO training tailored to your skill level so you can better absorb advanced topics at events.
• Live Q&As with industry veterans, so that you can clarify anything confusing from conference sessions.
• Checklists, templates, and proven frameworks to make applying insights a breeze.
• A massive community of companies, agencies, and consultants, so that you can find collaborators and opportunities before and after your events.

Plus, consider joining a Slack community like TTT to get access to a year-round community, including exclusive events and live meet-ups.