SEO WEEK AGENDA
Secure Your Spot at SEO Week 2025
Reserve your single-day pass for $499 or grab a full-event pass for access to every session, networking event, and expert discussion.
Monday, April 28th
THE SCIENCE
From crawling and indexing to large language models and retrieval engines, this day dives into the technical foundations of search and AI—how they work, how they’re evolving, and how SEOs can stay ahead of the machines shaping discovery.
8:00 AM - 9:00 AM
REGISTRATION AND COFFEE
Start your day while enjoying a fresh cup of coffee. Registration opens bright and early to connect with fellow participants and ease into the day ahead. Whether you’re meeting new faces or catching up with familiar ones, this is the perfect time to get settled and energized before the event officially kicks off.
9:00 AM - 9:45 AM
The Brave New World of SEO
Mike kicks off the inaugural SEO Week and welcomes you with a clear-eyed look into the future of Search.
9:45 AM - 10:15 AM
Krishna Madhavan
Principal Product Manager, Microsoft AI, Bing Web Data Platform at Microsoft
From AI to Z: The Technical Evolution of Search Engines
This geeky (yet fun) talk will take you on a journey through the latest advancements in tech – from AI to quantum computing. It will explore how these cutting-edge technologies are revolutionizing the way we seek and use information online. Discover the fascinating technical leaps that are shaping the future of search, from AI-driven innovations to the mind-bending possibilities of latest advances in computing. Whether you’re a tech enthusiast or just curious about the future of search, this talk promises to be both informative and entertaining.
10:15 AM - 10:45 AM
MORNING BREAK
10:45 AM - 11:15 AM
Authoritative Intelligence: Evolving IR, NLP, and Topical Evaluation in the Age of Infinite Content
Search is no longer about keywords—it’s about deep semantic understanding. Jeff Coyle will show how modern information retrieval, NLP, and AI-enhanced ranking methods redefine what it means to create authoritative content.
- How vector search, passage ranking, and hybrid retrieval models work
- Why search engines have evolved how they evaluate content quality
- How to build content that aligns with AI-driven ranking signals
11:15 AM - 11:45 AM
NEGSEO - SEO, for the bad kids
Ever really wanted to get into the weeds about ways to mess up your competition, or find out how easy it is for them to mess up your websites in the SERPS? Well, buckle up, buttercup. Leave your scruples at the door, and come with an open mind because world renown hacker, RSnake, is going to teach you how to be naughty little SEOs.
11:45 AM - 1:15 PM
LUNCH BREAK
Step away from the event space and enjoy a change of scenery with an offsite lunch. Whether you choose to explore local dining options or join fellow attendees for a curated group experience, this break provides the perfect opportunity to refuel, recharge, and continue meaningful conversations in a relaxed setting.
1:45 PM - 2:15 PM
Hybrid Engine Optimization: A Crawler Driven Approach to Maximizing Search & AI Visibility
2:15 PM - 2:45 PM
How I Modeled Claude After My Fave Codementor Mentor
2:45 PM - 3:15 PM
AFTERNOON BREAK
3:15 PM - 3:45 PM
Benchmarking Brand Discoverability: LLMs vs. Traditional Search
3:45 PM - 4:15 PM
Connected Context: Leveraging llm classification and the model context protocol
David Sottimano will demonstrate how to use batch APIs from popular LLMs to classify content at scale, connecting search behavior, keyword patterns, and classification models for deeper analysis.
- How to use LLMs for classification with structure – at a lower cost than humans
- How segmenting data allows for granular precision in entity abstraction, analysis, and marketing strategy
- How to integrate AI-driven classification into reporting and strategic planning
4:15 PM - 4:45 PM
Introducing: AX (Agent Experience)
SEO isn’t just for search engines anymore—AI Answer Engines are rewriting the rules of content visibility. James Cadwallader will break down how brands need to optimize for AI Crawlers and AI retrieval agents in the next phase of search.
- How AI retrieval models process and rank information differently from search engines
- What “Agent Experience” (AX) means and why it matters for content strategy
- New methods for optimizing content to be surfaced by AI Agents
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
WELCOME SOIREE
Tuesday, April 29th
THE PSYCHOLOGY
Search isn’t just changing for users—it’s changing for marketers too. This day explores how AI, evolving consumer expectations, and new search experiences are reshaping both how people find information and how brands need to think, create, and adapt their content strategies.
Secure Your Spot at SEO Week 2025
Reserve your single-day pass for $499 or grab a full-event pass for access to every session, networking event, and expert discussion.
8:00 AM - 9:00 AM
COFFEE AND CONVERSATION
9:00 AM - 9:45 AM
Special Surprise Guest
TBD
9:45 AM - 10:15 AM
The "Other" AI That is Hurting Your Organic Traffic
SEO isn’t the only game in town—social platforms are reshaping discovery in ways search can’t keep up with. Wil Reynolds will show how focusing on Authentic Intelligence (real human engagement) has driven long-term growth, and why social traffic might be a more sustainable bet than AI-powered search.
- How Wil’s team scaled social traffic from 200 to 5,000 visits in three months
- Why AI-generated search results can’t compete with real audience engagement
- A playbook for balancing SEO with social-driven discovery for long-term success
10:15 AM - 10:45 AM
MORNING BREAK
10:45 AM - 11:15 AM
The Evolving Content Marketing Playbook
Content marketing never stays the same. Ross Hudgens will show what’s working now, what’s failing, and how to build a content strategy that holds up long-term.
- How to create content that ranks and drives meaningful results
- Why audience intent should shape every content decision you make
- The formats and strategies that will keep working—no matter what Google does
11:15 AM - 11:45 AM
AI is Rewiring Your Search Behavior
Search isn’t about keywords anymore—it’s about conversations. Garrett Sussman will break down how AI search engines like Google, Gemini, Perplexity, and ChatGPT Search are reshaping how people interact with information, moving from keyword-based queries to dynamic, context-driven exchanges.
- How AI models might interpret intent, context, and nuance differently from traditional search
- How to prioritize natural language, contextual depth, and conversational relevance-focused content strategies
- What brands must do to stay visible in an AI-first search environment
11:45 AM - 1:15 PM
LUNCH BREAK
1:15 PM - 1:45 PM
F$%@ Traffic: Prioritizing Conversions Over Vanity Metrics
Bianca Anderson will challenge your old-school SEO KPIs and introduce a new framework for measuring success based on revenue, engagement, and business impact.
- Why traffic alone is a misleading metric for SEO success
- How to identify and protect high-converting content
- The “Heavy Hitter Process” for shifting focus from clicks to conversions
1:45 PM - 2:15 PM
Stop Doing Marketing
Most marketing plans are just lists of activities—not actual strategies. Devin Bramhall will show why “doing marketing” isn’t the same as growing a business—and how to build a strategy that actually drives results.
- Why more marketing activity doesn’t guarantee more impact
- How to align marketing efforts with business growth goals
- The mindset shift needed to stop chasing tactics and start making real progress
2:15 PM - 2:45 PM
The Lessons I Haven't Shared on LinkedIn from Offsite SEO - Earning Over 50K Links Through Content Marketing
If you like what she shares on Linkedin, imagine what she hasn’t shared. Carrie Rose has run onsite and offsite content marketing campaigns for enterprise brands globally, including Bumble, SIXT, Amazon, Hubspot, and more, and in this talk, she opens up about 10 lessons she hasn’t told anyone about earning links through digital PR and content-led SEO.
- The content formats that consistently attract links at scale
- How to structure campaigns to maximize link acquisition
- What most SEOs get wrong about earning links through digital PR
2:45 PM - 3:15 PM
AFTERNOON BREAK
3:15 PM - 3:45 PM
Your Most Valuable Asset: Why You’re Not Using It (And How to Fix That)
Brie Anderson will expose the most common reasons businesses fail to leverage their data and show how to turn insights into action—without needing an analytics degree.
- The biggest data mistakes companies make and how to fix them
- How to set up simple data workflows for smarter decision-making
- Practical ways to turn analytics into meaningful business impact
3:45 PM - 4:15 PM
Stop chasing conversions: Win more customers with an emotion-first CRO strategy that actually works
It’s time to say goodbye to best practices and guesswork. Talia Wolf will break down why most tests are doomed to fail and how an emotion-based approach to CRO delivers consistent results.
- The biggest CRO mistakes that are killing your conversions
- How to create experiences that connect with real customer motivations
- A repeatable framework for turning browsers into buyers
4:15 PM - 4:45 PM
From Villains to Heroes
Wednesday, April 30th
THE ECOSYSTEM
SEO isn’t one-size-fits-all. This day focuses on the nuances of enterprise search, vertical-specific strategies like video, local, and ecommerce, and how businesses can build scalable, future-proof search strategies.
Secure Your Spot at SEO Week 2025
Reserve your single-day pass for $499 or grab a full-event pass for access to every session, networking event, and expert discussion.
8:00 AM - 9:00 AM
COFFEE AND CONVERSATION
9:00 AM - 9:45 AM
Special Surprise Guest
TBD
10:15 AM - 10:45 AM
MORNING BREAK
10:45 AM - 11:15 AM
The State of eCommerce SEO: How to Win in Today's Products SERPs
In this session, Aleyda will cover the current state of eCommerce SERPs and the latest SEO strategies driving online stores worldwide, based on survey insights and research across thousands of product queries in various verticals.
- Learn what’s generating actual clicks and conversions,
- What to avoid, and
- How to continue winning in an era where Google is evolving into a marketplace with AI-driven, personalized results
11:15 AM - 11:45 AM
YouTube Keyword Research 2.0
Most YouTube keyword research is broken—trying to force Google SEO methods onto a completely different platform. Phil Nottingham will introduce a smarter, data-backed way to identify video topics that actually generate views.
- Why most third-party “YouTube search volume” data is misleading
- How to research video ideas based on format, competition, and audience intent
- A practical framework for planning videos that drive real engagement
11:45 AM - 1:15 PM
LUNCH BREAK
1:15 PM - 1:45 PM
Unlocking Google Discover Code - Analyzing 200+ Million Articles
Google Discover isn’t a mystery—it just plays by different rules than traditional search. John Shehata has analyzed over 200 million articles to break down exactly what works, what doesn’t, and how to tap into Discover’s traffic potential.
- How Google Discover selects and surfaces content (and what that means for you)
- The key factors that drive visibility in Discover’s AI-curated feed
- The top mistakes that cause sites to lose Discover traffic—and how to fix them
1:45 PM - 2:15 PM
Diving into Deepseek 🐳 Generative Search Optimization
Deepseek is quickly emerging as a major player in generative search. Crystal Carter will break down how this new model works and what it means for search optimization.
- How Deepseek’s generative model differs from traditional search engines
- New optimization strategies for surfacing content in LLM-driven search results
- What brands need to do to stay visible in an evolving search ecosystem
2:15 PM - 2:45 PM
Enterprise-scale Ecommerce and Retail SEO Lessons From Thousands of Experiments
2:45 PM - 3:15 PM
AFTERNOON BREAK
3:45 PM - 4:15 PM
Cultivating Momentum for Large SEO Projects
4:15 PM - 4:45 PM
Search, AI & UGC: Navigating the Future of Google & Reddit’s Influence
Google’s partnership with Reddit has changed the way search surfaces user-generated content. Ross Simmonds will break down how brands can leverage this shift to their advantage.
- Why Reddit threads are influencing search rankings more than ever
- How Google’s AI Overviews prioritize UGC in search results
- Tactical ways to integrate Reddit into your SEO and content strategy
7:00 PM - 10:00 PM
SEO WEEK SIGNATURE PARTY
Thursday, May 1st
THE FUTURE
Search is being rewritten in real time. This day looks at where things are headed—from AI-driven search platforms and the evolution of Google to the rise of alternative engines—so SEOs and brands can prepare for what’s next.
Secure Your Spot at SEO Week 2025
Reserve your single-day pass for $499 or grab a full-event pass for access to every session, networking event, and expert discussion.
8:00 AM - 9:00 AM
COFFEE AND CONVERSATION
9:00 AM - 9:45 AM
You Are Bigger than SEO
For years, search was the main way people found things online—but that’s not the case anymore. Rand Fishkin will break down how discovery has changed and what marketers need to do beyond SEO to stay relevant.
- What the data actually says about how people find and buy today
- Why SEO alone won’t cut it anymore (and what to do instead)
- How to build a marketing strategy that survives in a Zero-Click world
9:45 AM - 10:15 AM
Executive Presence: How To Get Buy In and Budget For SEO
Getting SEO buy-in isn’t about tactics—it’s about selling the right story to the right people. Tom Critchlow will teach you how to talk to executives in a way that gets results.
- The language executives understand (and what they ignore)
- How to tie SEO to business goals to secure more budget
- The key to positioning yourself as a strategic leader, not just an SEO
10:15 AM - 10:45 AM
MORNING BREAK
10:45 AM - 11:15 AM
Beyond Rank Tracking: Analyzing Brand Perceptions Through Language Model Association Networks
Rank tracking is outdated. Search engines don’t just rank pages anymore—they build complex maps of how brands and concepts connect. Dan Petrovic will show you how to tap into the same technology Google uses to understand brand positioning in a way that traditional SEO tools can’t.
- Why rankings alone don’t tell the full story of your brand’s visibility
- How to use language models to uncover hidden brand associations
- A step-by-step look at the DEJAN methodology for mapping brand perception
11:15 AM - 11:45 AM
Word to Your MUM
MUM (Multitask Unified Model) changed how Google processes and understands queries, but most SEOs are still optimizing like it’s 2017. Cindy Krum will unpack how MUM is shaping search results, AI Overviews, and content classification, and what brands need to do to keep up.
- How MUM processes multimedia, multi-step queries, and cross-language content
- Why traditional keyword strategies don’t align with how MUM structures information
- What changes brands should make to optimize for AI-driven, contextual search
11:45 AM - 1:15 PM
LUNCH BREAK
1:15 PM - 1:45 PM
Special Surprise Guest
TBD
1:45 PM - 2:15 PM
Special Surprise Guest
TBD
2:15 PM - 2:45 PM
From Clicks to Connections: How Content Strategy is Redefining Engagement
Clicks don’t equal connection. Fajr Muhammad will show why engagement isn’t about surface-level metrics anymore and how brands can build real, lasting relationships through content that’s interactive, personal, and designed for long-term impact.
- Why traditional engagement metrics fail to capture audience intent
- How user expectations are shifting toward immersive and interactive content
- A framework for crafting content experiences that drive both conversions and loyalty
2:45 PM - 3:15 PM
AFTERNOON BREAK
3:15 PM - 3:45 PM
Navigating a $14 Million Domain Migration
Migrating a domain is risky enough—doing it for a $14 million acquisition raises the stakes even higher. Andrew Prince will walk through how Rocket Homes successfully transitioned to a new domain while protecting rankings, traffic, and brand identity.
- The technical SEO playbook for high-stakes domain migrations
- How to secure executive buy-in for SEO priorities during rebrands
- Lessons learned from handling millions of indexed pages in a migration
3:45 PM - 4:15 PM
When You Can't Beat 'em, Buy 'em : Growing Your Audience Through Strategic Acquisition
Ranking in position one is great, but what if you could dominate the entire first page? Nick Eubanks will show how strategic acquisitions can help brands expand their search footprint far beyond traditional SEO. You could build incrementally or buy exponentially. Feels more efficient if you’ve got the capital.
- How to identify and acquire high-affinity websites for organic dominance
- Why owning multiple top-ranking assets beats trying to outrank competitors
- The playbook for expanding audience reach through acquisitions
4:15 PM - 4:45 PM
The Vicious Cycle of SEO: How We Got Here & Where We’re Going
Secure Your Spot at SEO Week 2025
Reserve your single-day pass for $499 or grab a full-event pass for access to every session, networking event, and expert discussion.
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