Search Marketing Expo (SMX) Advanced, a premier event for search marketing professionals, has announced a significant shift for its 2022 iteration: the conference will be held virtually and, in a move aimed at wider accessibility, completely free of charge. This decision marks a departure from previous years, which typically involved in-person gatherings and associated registration fees. The virtual format is scheduled to commence with sessions and discussions throughout the year, culminating in a comprehensive agenda accessible to a global audience.
Brad Geddes, a recognized authority in search engine marketing and a key contributor to the event, will play a multifaceted role in the SMX Advanced 2022 program. His involvement underscores the event’s commitment to delivering practical, actionable insights for search marketers navigating an increasingly complex digital landscape. Geddes’ contributions span a keynote address, a specialized session on Google Ads auditing, moderation of a crucial roundtable discussion, and hosting a focused "Coffee Talk" segment.
Keynote Address: Navigating the Nexus of Creativity and Automation
Geddes is slated to deliver the Day 2 Keynote, titled "Finding the Balance Between Creativity and Automation." This presentation will delve into the strategic integration of machine learning and artificial intelligence within search marketing campaigns. The core of his discussion will focus on how marketers can leverage the power of AI-driven tools while simultaneously preserving and enhancing the essential human elements of strategic thinking, creative ideation, and the nuanced oversight required to guide automated systems effectively.
The increasing sophistication of AI in advertising platforms, such as Google’s Performance Max and Microsoft Advertising’s Smart Campaigns, presents both opportunities and challenges. While these tools can automate bidding, targeting, and ad creation to a degree, the strategic direction and creative flair that distinguish successful campaigns often remain within the purview of human marketers. Geddes’ keynote is expected to provide a framework for understanding this dynamic interplay, offering practical advice on how to harness AI’s efficiency without sacrificing the innovation and strategic foresight that drive significant ROI. This theme is particularly relevant given industry reports indicating a significant increase in AI-powered advertising spend. For instance, projections by Statista suggest that global ad spending on AI-driven technologies in advertising could reach hundreds of billions of dollars in the coming years, highlighting the imperative for marketers to master this evolving synergy.
Deep Dive: Mastering Google Ads Account Audits
Further solidifying his practical contributions, Geddes will lead a session dedicated to "How to Audit Your Google Ads Account Like a Pro." This session, presented on behalf of his PPC software company, Adalysis, aims to equip attendees with a systematic approach to evaluating and optimizing their Google Ads accounts. The objective of such an audit is to move beyond the day-to-day execution of tasks and adopt a broader, more analytical perspective.
Account audits are critical for identifying inefficiencies, uncovering missed opportunities, and ensuring alignment with overarching business objectives. A comprehensive audit typically involves examining key performance indicators (KPIs) such as click-through rates (CTR), conversion rates, cost per acquisition (CPA), and return on ad spend (ROAS) across various campaign structures, ad groups, keywords, and ad creatives. Furthermore, it scrutinizes audience targeting, ad scheduling, geographic performance, and the effectiveness of ad extensions. Geddes’ session is expected to provide a structured methodology for performing these audits, enabling marketers to identify potential issues like budget waste, suboptimal keyword performance, or underperforming ad copy. The availability of free two-week trials for Adalysis, as mentioned, suggests a focus on providing tools that facilitate this crucial auditing process. Industry benchmarks consistently show that regular, in-depth account audits can lead to significant improvements in campaign performance, with some studies indicating potential cost savings of 10-20% through optimization.
Roundtable Discussion: Evolving Campaign Organization Strategies
A significant segment of SMX Advanced 2022 will feature a roundtable discussion on "Revisiting Campaign Organization: A Roundtable Discussion." Geddes will moderate this panel, bringing together three distinguished PPC specialists: Melissa Mackey, Aaron Levy, and Duane Brown. The discussion will address the seismic shifts in campaign organization necessitated by recent changes in the search advertising landscape.
Key topics slated for exploration include the impact of modified match type behaviors, the advent and rapid adoption of automated campaign types like Google’s Performance Max and Discovery campaigns, and the evolution of Responsive Search Ads (RSAs). These changes have fundamentally altered how advertisers structure their accounts. For example, the deprecation of broad match modifier (BMM) and the increasing reliance on automated bidding strategies have pushed advertisers to rethink their keyword management and campaign segmentation. Performance Max, in particular, consolidates campaign management across multiple Google channels, requiring a different approach to organization and performance tracking. The roundtable aims to provide insights into current best practices for campaign organization across a spectrum of account types and sizes, offering attendees guidance on adapting their strategies to these evolving platform dynamics. The collective expertise of the panelists, each with a unique perspective on PPC management, promises a rich exchange of ideas on how to build and maintain efficient, high-performing campaign structures in the modern era of search advertising.
Coffee Talk: Decoding Responsive Search Ads
Adding another layer to the event’s comprehensive agenda, Geddes will host a "Coffee Talk" session focused on "All-Things RSAs." This informal, discussion-based segment is designed as an information-gathering and knowledge-sharing opportunity. Attendees will have the chance to engage in a group discussion about the current performance of Responsive Search Ads, share best practices for their management and creation, and explore any emerging trends or challenges associated with this dynamic ad format.
RSAs represent a significant departure from traditional ad formats, allowing advertisers to provide multiple headlines and descriptions, which Google’s algorithms then dynamically assemble to create the most relevant ad for each search query. While RSAs offer the potential for increased ad relevance and improved performance, effectively managing them requires a different skillset than crafting static ads. This includes understanding how to provide diverse and compelling ad components, how to interpret performance data to identify effective combinations, and how to troubleshoot underperforming RSAs. The "Coffee Talk" format encourages open dialogue, allowing participants to learn from each other’s experiences and gain practical insights into optimizing their RSA campaigns. This is particularly timely, as Google has mandated the transition to RSAs for all expanded text ad campaigns, making mastery of this format a necessity for all search marketers.
Broader Context and Future Outlook
The decision by SMX Advanced to transition to a virtual and free format for 2022 reflects a broader trend in the digital marketing industry towards greater accessibility and adaptability. Virtual events have proven their capacity to reach a wider audience, transcending geographical limitations and offering a more cost-effective alternative for professionals seeking to stay abreast of industry developments.
This shift also aligns with the ongoing evolution of search marketing itself. The increasing dominance of automation and AI, coupled with platform changes that emphasize dynamic ad creation and holistic campaign management, necessitates continuous learning and adaptation. Events like SMX Advanced play a crucial role in facilitating this learning by bringing together experts and practitioners to share knowledge and discuss emerging trends.
While the 2022 event embraces a virtual model, there is an expressed hope from organizers and participants for a return to in-person events and workshops in 2023. This sentiment suggests a recognition of the unique value that face-to-face interaction, networking, and hands-on workshops can provide. The mention of a potential in-person Munich workshop indicates a phased approach to resuming physical gatherings, contingent on evolving circumstances and attendee preferences.
The SMX Advanced 2022 agenda, accessible via the provided link, promises a comprehensive overview of the most critical topics in advanced search marketing. Registration for the free virtual event is also open, inviting all interested professionals to participate in this significant gathering. The event’s focus on AI, automation, and strategic account management positions it as an essential resource for anyone looking to thrive in the current search marketing landscape. The implications of these discussions are far-reaching, influencing how businesses allocate their digital advertising budgets, how agencies develop their service offerings, and how individual marketers hone their skill sets to remain competitive. The commitment to providing this valuable content free of charge underscores SMX’s dedication to fostering the growth and development of the entire search marketing community.
