Matt McGowan offers Searchcowboys readers discount at SES

Could you tell our readers who do not yet know you what you do and what your background is?
I am a marketing professional with 10+ years experience in digital - direct response to branding, search to display are all very familiar to me.  I have a MBA from the University of Oxford and was born and bread in New York City.  I am an avid skier and in my capacity as Vice President and Publisher for ClickZ, Search Engine Watch and the global SEM Conference Series Search Engine Strategies I spend a lot of time on the road – so please do say hi, I am always looking for a fellow industry professional to grab a coffee with. 

What do you think are the major differences in search in Europe compared to the US?
The differences have more to do with the players than anything else.  Yes, Google is still the 800 pound gorilla in the space however the many of the leading agencies are different.  One difference I have noticed however is the emphasis on multi-language SEO which makes sense given the numerous languages spoken throughout European Union.

Will the economic downfall have any effect on search marketing? What kind of effect?

The economy will most definitely have an impact on the Search Industry. First, we will see less consumption which will likely lead to less search traffic with commercial intent. Then, we will see less money flowing from the advertisers to the agencies (this has already begun) which will mean less PPC and SEO spending.  As I told Business Week last week however, I do believe more and more advertisers will be looking for proof that their spend is driving revenue and because of that search (and digital for that matter) will continue to get increased percentages of the overall marketing mix. The job will then be for the agencies and advertisers to find good sites to spend it on.  

100% Awesomeness! No seriously, for those who are looking to start, improve or master their search marketing skills this is the place to be.  No other UK event offers what SES London has to offer – more than a thousand attendees to network with, a handful of carefully selected SEO and PPC companies looking to showcase their mostly new offerings to the market and  about 100 expert search practitioners who are looking to share the strategies, tips and tricks that work best when looking to grow your footprint online!

You have quite an impressive lineup this year. Was it difficult to get the speakers you wanted?
It is a lot of work – remember SES speakers are not allowed to “pitch” the delegates only share best practices usually through case studies (much like Business or Law School) – so selecting the right ones is never an easy task.  That said, since we are the largest and most comprehensive event in town, we are lucky enough to get a lot of speaking requests, more than enough to fill out the panels with expert practitioners only. 

What are the main topics of this year's event?
We start off Day one with what I expect will be a fascinating keynote. Matt Mason author of the Pirate’s Dilemma, will speak about the trends that have emerged from within the youth culture underground and how they are blurring long-established boundaries about business, society and our collective future (thing pirating, copyright infringement sometimes called copy-left and social networking).  We then move onto Strategic Development Workshops which will bring everyone up to speed on what’s hot in search.  Day 2 has something for everyone as it kicks off with a Keynote Roundtable on where the SEO industry is headed (there should be some interesting insights coming out of this panel) and then we move onto sessions covering everything from Search Fundamentals to SEO and PPC (beginner, intermediate and advanced concepts). Day 3 we delve into even more specifics with topics such as Site Architecture, Brand/Reputation Management, Ad Copy, Landing Page Testing, Affiliate Marketing, Social Media Marketing and more.  Lastly for those looking for complete emersion we offer of our famed full day SEM training workshops – think classroom style, 20-30 attendees per session. 

What's your opinion on Searchcowboys?
Searchcowboys, and your sister site the Dutchcowboys, are fantastic reads – I wish you continued success and if there is anything we can do to help out please let me know. 

Have any last minute news you want to share with us?
Well if you read this far – you and I will be having a beer together at SES London.  More importantly use 20SCBS to get 20% off a SES London conference pass (SES London only)!

Be sure to read the second part of the interview tomorrow right here on Searchcowboys!