Last week Chris and I went to Search Engine Strategies San Jose. This was my second conference and my second SES. The first was a bit of culture shock. I had no clue what to expect. This time around it was great to meet new people, get to know people better that I had met briefly last time, and really start to feel like a part of this SEO community.

We arrived on Sunday and on our plane were Michael Gray & Family, and Danny Funk and Kevin Newcomb. It kind of felt like we were kids on a class trip.

San Jose is a beautiful city. Any where you look you can see the mountains and the first thing that struck me was the lack of humidity. One of the great things about San Jose is that you don’t seem to need a car to get around. Whatever we did that was local we were able to walk to which just makes everything easier. It was almost like we were on a huge college campus because every few minutes we would run into someone we knew.

Sunday evening we met up with some SEO people for dinner at Gordon Biersch. I have to hand it to Li Evans of Search Marketing Gurus. She is a natural organizer. What started as an informal get together with a few people turned into 35 people out to dinner with no reservation! The restaurant was really accommodating. I had a great time and really enjoyed myself. I got to meet some really awesome peeps including the group from Top Rank Blog, Simon Heseltine, Robert Frost, and Irma and David Wallace. I love seeing other couples that work together in SEO. I also got to meet Bill Slawski which was great for me because I am a big fan.

We bought a new camera to bring with us on the trip and somewhere between here and leaving San Jose – we lost it! We realized that all the pics being taken were about 15 megs so we had it out and were playing with it to change the settings. (Note to self: ALWAYS read the manual). Somewhere in San Jose there is a 15 meg picture on our camera of me in a bathing suit. If I see it on a poster or a billboard somewhere I am going to be seriously annoyed.

After dinner we went back to the Marriott for some drinks. I got to talk to Scott Orth and see Tamar again. I hadn’t seen her since the previous SES in NY. Kudos to Tamar on her exciting new gig at lifehacker.com. We also met up with Matt McGee and Patrick Schaber – two excellent business bloggers and fun guys.

Day 1 The next day was Monday, the first day of the conference. It was a busy day. We wound up missing the morning sessions because we were launching our new site! (Any comments or feedback you have is appreciated: drwinfield [at] 10e20.com)

The day really got started for me at the Women of Internet Marketing lunch that Li so selflessly organized. The lunch was sponsored by Third Door Media and Danny Sullivan came to speak to us and say hello. I had a great time. It was so much fun to sit with women who are involved in all aspects of Search and Internet Marketing. Some were within the SEO departments of well established companies, others worked for SEO firms, and there were some that were totally new to the SEO Industry. There were even a couple of men that made their way over to the event including Kevin Heisler who was on his first day as the new editor of Search Engine Watch, and my husband Chris at the end. This event really evolved out of Li’s passion to highlight the women that are making a name for themselves in Internet Marketing. I hope to be a part of it for a long time to come. During the luncheon Kim Krause Berg made it in from the airport. She’d been stuck in Chicago overnight and I’ve never seen someone look so good after endless traveling and an overnight delay with no luggage! You go girl!

After the luncheon Chris did an interview with Joe Whyte for Search Marketing Standard. Keep an eye out for that, it’s about using press the right way to build your brand and your business (something Chris is really good at)

We then attended the session highlighting Searcher Behavior and how people interact with Search Engines. There is a great recap of this session over at Top Rank Blog.

Next up was the Vintage Tub & Bath party co-sponsored by Epiar and Pepperjam. The event was held at the Hakone Gardens about 30 minutes away from the Convention Center. The views were incredible and the party was a great time. I met Danny for the first time and he was the nicest guy! Sitting at dinner it was fascinating to hear how other companies approach their on-line marketing strategy and we got some great insight.

There was a Chinese Auction and Chris won the X-Box 360. You could say I spammed the auction bowls or you could say that I launched a strategic campaign to attain our goal. Tomayto, tomahto. ;)

Day 2 we went to some sessions. The most exciting was the the one everybody is talking about. Are paid links evil. On the panel were Matt Cutts of Google, Michael Gray, Todd Malicoat, Greg Boser, Todd Freisen, and Andy Baio. There are some great recaps of this session on the web right now, and they are definitely worth taking a look at. This was the most anticipated session of the conference and it did not disappoint. When it starts with “Google is not the government” you know it’s going to be good. There were points made on both sides that made sense, but as Michael so aptly said, unless you are one of the two people involved, there is no way to know whether or not a link has been paid for.

We went to the exhibition hall for a while and the party is always at the BOTW booth where we found Shimon, Brent, Dave, and Jill.

That evening was the Google Dance. I was excited because it was my first time at the Googleplex. We took a limo there (because that’s how we roll – just kidding we were invited by some very nice people) and when we pulled up there were strobe lights in all the Google colors and the stairs were lined with Google employees that were clapping and telling us how happy they were that we were there. It kind of, just for a second, reminded me of The Stand when the characters are walking up to Las Vegas. We hung out with some great people at the Google Dance including Avi, Loren, Frank, Jon, Li, Scott, and Neil. I owe Li and Scott a karaoke. ;) . One of the highlights of the Google Dance for me was getting to meet Barbara Boser. I am a fan of her site, and she also let me know that Janet Jackson loves Shar Peis like our little Charlie. Sweet. I am looking forward to seeing her at other conferences. After the Google Dance it was back to the bar at the Fairmont where Natasha Robinson complimented me on working my power heels all night.

Day 3 -Wednesday started off with some sessions. Two that I gained a lot from were LinkBaiting and Viral Success where our friend Cameron Olthuis gave a great presentation which included a case study on a piece he did for a client. We also went to SEM Pricing Models where it was interesting to hear members of different types of companies discuss their approach.

That evening was the Search Bash by Webmaster Radio. It was a fun time and a great way to wind down from the conference. We had a chance to spend some time with Amy and Cameron Olthuis who are a great couple. It was my first time meeting Amy and I know that if we lived closer we would be regularly getting together. Oh well, I guess we’ll have to wait till Vegas. :) At the Search Bash we also got to hang out with Jarrod and Eleni from Text Link Brokers, Everett, Adam (who is expecting a baby at any moment!), Eddie from Webmaster Radio, our buddy Graywolf who was quite the celebrity after his paid links presentation, Shoemoney, and I got to meet Brett from Webmaster World.

The next day was the flight home and after a delay of several hours where we waited in the airport with Emilio, Brian, Frank, and DannyFunk, it was great to be home.

You can check out Li’s, Tamar’s, and Lee’s pics of the event. As you know, our camera is floating around San Jose with about 5 enourmous pictures on it. :(

As a newbie to conferences, I am really in awe of the closeness of the SEO community. There are few industries where you have such a sense of togetherness, whether you work for the same company (I used to be a fashion designer), or even companies where you are “technically” competing against each other. I’m looking forward to being a part of it as it grows. Also I am sure I left out so many great people that I spent time with so if I did – please let me know and I’ll add you in!

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Posted by Danielle Winfield at 1:17 pm
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