By Michael Dorausch, D.C.
It doesn’t matter what kind of business you’re in, chances are there is a conference (or conferences) designed to help you do what you do better than you now do it. Chiropractors attend chiropractic conferences to learn more specifically about chiropractic, orthopedic doctors attend orthopedic conferences to learn more about orthopedic practices, weight loss surgeons attend bariatric surgery education programs to learn about weight loss surgical procedures, and the list goes on. When it comes to search engine optimization (SEO), businesses and individuals alike, attend webmaster conferences like PubCon, to learn about search engine optimization and Webmastery.
I don’t attend surgical conferences, but I do attend chiropractic events and I do attend search engine optimization events. I don’t try and learn one at the other. Here’s why it’s important to make the distinction. Imagine going to a search engine conference where there was a speaker teaching chiropractic procedure. Not a licensed board certified chiropractor, but someone that’s been to a chiropractor many times. The topic is a presentation on how to crack someones neck. Are you feeling confident?
(photo: @chiropractic w/ Reem Abeidoh at PubCon Las Vegas 2008)
Want to learn about SEO at your industry trade show? Fine, go ahead and do that. Personally, I think you’d be taking a great risk. Don’t mind me though, I’ll be at an SEO conference, probably in the bar with your competitors (or the folks they hire), listening to how your business was buried (or self destructed) under their dominating results.
Trust me, there are those in your own field that will tell you they’ve got everything you need to learn about search engine optimization. Are you willing to bet the success of your business on that? I may sound negative, but I believe I’m being realistic.
Here’s the good news, most people won’t make the effort to go outside their industry and learn something new. They will buy into the “social media experts” and “search engine gurus” in their field and make the likely false assumption that the information taught is accurate. Few individuals will take the time to research whether the information is true or not. I’d say that’s universal for all businesses, not just the one I’m in. I say dare to investigate and find out for yourself.
What is this PubCon? PubCon South is a three track executive educational conference focused on search, Web 2.0, marketing on the Web, affiliate programs, domain purchasing and domain management, video, multimedia, and nearly everything related to web mastering. It’s a scaled event, with topics from novice (light content) to advanced experience levels (heavy content). PubCon South is in Austin TX on March 11-13, 2009. PubCon West is in Las Vegas on November 10 – 13, 2009 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
Attending PubCon you’re going to hear keynotes from people like Guy Kawasaki and Matt Cutts. If I wanted to learn something about search engines or social media, I’d be listening very closely to folks like Lee Odden, Reem Abeidoh, Michael Gray, and Chris Winfield. They are all presenting in Texas, and there are many more exceptionally talented speakers.
Where do you think you’re better off getting your SEO information? From telemarketers, from the guy in your industry that’s figured it all out, from an advertisement seen online? I don’t know about you, but I’ll continue to put my money on PubCon and other SEO events. Hope I see you there.
planetc1.com-news @ 1:49 pm | Article ID: 1236203421
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