Search for SEM conference and find SES New York 2009

Search for SEM conference and find SES New York 2009

When I conducted a search yesterday on Google for “SEM conference“, the top sponsored listing was for Search Engine Strategies New York. However, the top organic listing was for the Society for Experimental Mechanics.

Welcome to the real world. The organic search engine results don’t always reflect the way we’d define a three-letter acronym (TLA).

And that’s why the SES New York 2009 agenda overview features a ton of conference sessions and training workshops devoted to search engine marketing (SEM) and pay-per-click (PPC) advertising. Sometimes, PPC ads are the only way you can get found for a TLA.

If you are wrestling with similar, real-world challenges, then you have two options. First, you can read Andrew Goodman’s book, Winning Results with Google Adwords. (The photo on the left is Andrew signing his book at SES London 2009.) Second, you can get over to the Hilton New York next week and register for what should be the leading SEM conference by anyone’s definition. (Of course, you can do both.)

If you select the first option, here are the sessions and workshops that you should attend:

Monday, March 23

8:00am-12:00pm — Making Pay Per Click Pay - Best Practices in Pay Per Click Advertising

1:00pm-5:00pm — Landing Page Testing Crash Course

Tuesday, March 24

10:30am-11:30am — First Timer’s Guide to SES and SEM

11:45am-12:45pm — Introduction to Search Engine Marketing

1:45pm-2:45pm — Pay Per Conversation

3:00pm-4:00pm — Publishers & Agencies: New Business Models for Changing Times

4:30pm-5:30pm — The Dozen Most Common Search Marketing Mistakes That CMOs Make

6:15pm — SEMPO Networking Event

Wednesday, March 25

9:00am-10:15am — Search Advertising 101

10:45am-12:00pm — Google Workshop: Preview the new AdWords interface

1:00pm-2:00pm — The State of Search - A Maturing Marketplace or Poised for More Growth?

2:15pm-3:30pm — Slash Your Search Budget: What Are Your Alternatives?

4:00pm-5:15pm — Wpromote Workshop: 8 Things You Aren’t Doing That Will Boost Your SEM Results

Thursday, March 26

9:00am-10:00am — Morning Keynote by John Gerzema, Author of The Brand Bubble

10:30am-11:45am — Advanced Keyword Research

12:45pm-2:00pm — Advanced Paid Search Techniques

2:15pm-3:30pm — Ads in a Quality Score World

3:45pm-5:00pm — Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark: Black Hat PPC Tactics

Of course, search engine marketing means more than just pay-per-click advertising, even if it commands the lion’s share of most SEM budgets. And SEM needs to be integrated into the rest of a company’s marketing mix. Last month, I interviewed Bill Hunt, the CEO of Global Strategies Inc. and Director of Global Search Strategy at Neo@Ogilvy, about this topic at SES London 2009. Listen to his insights below.

Bill Hunt, Global Strategies Int., on collaborative marketing at SES London 2009

Bill is just one of the many SEM experts who will be speaking at the SEM conference that our industry calls SES New York. How do I know that he’s also a top thought leader on Search Engine Marketing? Bill is the co-author of the best selling book “Search Engine Marketing, Inc.: Driving Traffic to Your Companies Web Site” from IBM Press. And Bill, you magnificent SEM, I read your book!