Search Engine Land officially celebrated its 17th birthday yesterday.
This past year was unlike any we’ve seen in the world of search: 2023 was a year of seismic changes in SEO and PPC thanks in large part to generative AI. Also, we can’t forget Google Analytics 4.
But Search Engine Land’s mission remains the same as it has been since Day 1: to keep you updated on the latest changes in SEO and PPC through news, analysis and guides.
As for what’s coming next year in search? Many questions remain. Hopefully, we’ll have some answers sooner rather than later.
As I did last year, I want to reflect on the last year of Search Engine Land, thank those who helped make this year a success, and let you know what you can expect from us in the coming year .
Thanks for reading!
Thanks! Yes, you!
Every day, we always think about the needs of our audience and your perspective first. We always:
Try to cover only the most relevant stories we think you’ll care about, because we care about them. Aim for brevity with the news: we want to quickly give you the information you need. Provide you with unbiased information you can trust, adding necessary context and expertise. We hope you can trust Search Engine Land as you navigate the ever-changing search marketing landscape and understand where it’s headed.
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Thanks to the Search Engine Land team
Search Engine Land has a small team. But a small team can achieve great things, yes, even working 100% virtually.
Thanks to:
Barry Schwartz. Barry is an incredibly fast talker and prolific writer. Well, that’s how some tech rag described it earlier this year. And it’s true: he’s an incredibly fast talker. And he’s been writing for Search Engine Land since the beginning, covering the search for an amazing 20 years. It’s been amazing working with Barry these past two years and I look forward (hopefully) to many more! Nicola Agius: xxx
Angel Niñofranco: Angel has been instrumental in editing our SMB content, and was eager to take on an expansion of the program that took our schedule from two to three contributors per day. Thank you Angel for all the merciless editing, bio updates, scheduling, topic/deadline reminders, and all the many other things you do.
Kathy Bushman: Kathy continues to be one of the main reasons why our SMX events (advance and next) continue to be successful and highly rated by attendees. There are so many moving parts when putting these shows together, but we continue to provide top-notch content, speakers and networking opportunities for attendees. And planning for 2024 is not too far off.
Marc Sirkin: I was so excited to see Marc’s creation, SearchBot, come to life this year and then get a big update. He’s also been busy improving our site search, making SMX a subfolder on the Search Engine Land site where it belongs, and more.
Chris Elwell: Chris likes a quote from Chuck Noll: “Champions don’t do extraordinary things, they do ordinary things better than anyone else.” And that’s very much what Chris is: He expects us to be better storytellers and reporters, all to better serve our readers/audience. Thank you, Chris, for your leadership and all you do to make Third Door Media a great company!
There are many other great humans who are part of the Third Door Media team that I haven’t mentioned. I just know, even if I haven’t mentioned you, I appreciate you and everything you do to help us succeed.
Gone, but not forgotten
This year will be short, but we have to start the “In memoriam” track for a team member we’re saying goodbye to this year:
Nicole Farley, Former Paid Media Editor (June 2022 – June 2023).
The 3 most outstanding of 2023
Search Engine Land had a big year in 2023.
SMX Advanced and SMX Next
Both shows had the highest audience ratings in Third Door Media history, even surpassing our 2022 NPS scores, which were both records at the time.
The feedback we received from the 7,500+ search marketers who invested their time at our events is what really mattered to me. It was overwhelmingly positive for the speakers, the content and the experience.
Plus, the 2023 Search Engine Land Awards once again showcase great work, including our new AI category. I look forward to seeing more innovation and success, so be sure to check in next year.
Expansion of the SME program
One of my top priorities this year was expanding our subject matter expert (SME) program, which we relaunched last year. We’ve added several new contributors and now typically post three a day.
A big thank you to all our great SMEs for all the great content and ideas you shared in 2023. I look forward to reading even more great tips and ideas from you in 2024!
We’ll be highlighting the 10 most popular SEO and PPC columns of the year, so check back the week of December 25th when they’ll be revealed.
Traffic and audience growth
It has been an exciting year. Traffic and audience growth are trending in the right direction and our traffic is at its highest level since September 2019:
Sessions: 25% more Pageviews: 44% more Users: 25% more Organic Search Sessions: 40% more Direct Traffic: 34% more
What’s Next for Search Engine Land?
We’re already looking ahead to 2024. You can expect us to continue to provide breaking news coverage and information on all things search.
Still on our to-do list: some long overdue updates to our popular SEO and PPC periodic tables and accompanying guides.
And save the dates for our SMX events:
Advanced SMX: June 11-12.
Next SMX: November 13-14.
And there are many more to come.
On behalf of everyone at Search Engine Land and Third Door Media, I wish you a great 2023 and a healthy and successful 2024.
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