This is it. The full agenda for MozCon Local 2017 and LocalU Advanced Workshop on February 27-28. If you’re a brand with a ton of locations or an agency with local clients, you’re going to want to come to MozCon Local 2017. We’ve got an amazing line-up of speakers from some of the top brains in Local Search to help you put together the perfect local marketing strategy and get the most out of local search.
Come visit us in Seattle and learn about local search, SEO, citations, reviews, enterprise-level strategy, and so much more. Interact directly with speakers both during Q&A sessions and mingle with other marketers at the after-party.
Buy your MozCon Local 2017 ticket!
Day One: LocalU Advanced Workshop
| Time | Title | Presenter |
|---|---|---|
| 8:00 – 8:30 | Registration, Snacks, and Coffee | |
| 8:30 – 9:10 | Keynote: 2017 Local Search Ranking Factors Survey Results | Darren Shaw, Whitespark |
| 9:10 – 9:40 | Link Brainstorming Panel | Mary Bowling, Mike Ramsey, Darren Shaw, Lauren Polinsky, Paula Keller French |
| 9:40 – 10:20 | Lessons Learned Over The 8 Years Running My Agency | Mike Ramsey, Nifty Marketing |
| 10:20 – 10:35 | Break | |
| 10:35 – 10:55 | On Page Optimization for Local Search – What You May Be Missing | Mary Bowling, Ignitor Digital |
| 10:55 – 11:25 | Reviews, The Ultimate Assist | Mike Blumenthal & Aaron Weiche, Get Five Stars |
| 11:25 – 11:55 | Beyond Keyword Research: Optimize Content for Relevancy with Proof Terms | Paula Keller French, Search Influence |
| 12:05 – 1:00 | Birds of a Feather Lunch | |
| 1:00 – 1:30 | Mobile First Tactics for Local | Cindy Krum, Mobile Moxie |
| 1:30 – 2:00 | Breakout Session 1: Operational Processes of Local Search: Business Issues – Panel and Q&A | Mary Bowling, Mike Ramsey, Darren Shaw, Lauren Polinsky, Paula Keller French |
| Breakout Session 2: Google My Business Problem Solving | Willys DeVoll, Google & Mike Blumenthal, Get Five Stars | |
| Breakout Session 3: KPIs That Really Matter for Local Businesses | Ed Reese, Sixth Man Marketing | |
| Breakout Session 4: Powerful Customer Content – Reviews, Testimonials, Case Studies | Aaron Weiche, Get Five Stars | |
| 2:00 – 2:30 | Breakout Session 1: Operational Processes of Local Search: Tools We Use – Panel and Q&A | Mary Bowling, Mike Ramsey, Darren Shaw, Lauren Polinsky, Paula Keller French |
| Breakout Session 2: Google My Business Problem Solving | Willys DeVoll, Google & Mike Blumenthal, Get Five Stars | |
| Breakout Session 3: KPIs That Really Matter for Local Businesses | Ed Reese, Sixth Man Marketing | |
| Breakout Session 4: Powerful Customer Content – Reviews, Testimonials, Case Studies | Aaron Weiche, Get Five Stars | |
| 2:30 – 3:00 | Breakout Session 1: Operational Processes of Local Search: Ask Us Anything – Panel and Q&A | Mary Bowling, Mike Ramsey, Darren Shaw, Lauren Polinsky, Paula Keller French |
| Breakout Session 2: Google My Business Problem Solving | Willys DeVoll, Google & Mike Blumenthal, Get Five Stars | |
| Breakout Session 3: KPIs That Really Matter for Local Businesses | Ed Reese, Sixth Man Marketing | |
| Breakout Session 4: Powerful Customer Content – Reviews, Testimonials, Case Studies | Aaron Weiche, Get Five Stars | |
| 3:00 – 3:15 | Break | |
| 3:15 – 4:30 | Competitive Analysis and Creating a Marketing Plan | Multiple Speakers |
| 4:30 – 5:00 | What We’re Watching Q&A | Multiple Speakers |
| 5:00 – 6:00 | Happy Hour! |
Day Two: MozCon Local Conference
| Time | Title | Presenter |
|---|---|---|
| 8:00 – 9:00 | Breakfast and Registration | |
| 9:00 – 9:45 | Future Proofing Your Local Strategy: A Panel with Google, Bing, and Yelp | Willys DeVoll, Google; Christi Olson, Bing; Nate Evans, Yelp |
| 9:45 – 10:15 | Are Words the New Links? | Mike Blumenthal, Get Five Stars |
| 10:15 – 10:45 | The New Local Search Ecosystems & Citation Sources That Matter in 2017 | Darren Shaw, Whitespark |
| 10:45 – 11:00 | Break | |
| 11:00 – 11:15 | Analytics Quick-Fire: Integrating Google Data for Local | Michael Wiegand, Portent |
| 11:15 – 11:30 | Analytics Quick-Fire: Implementing and Measuring the Local SEO Funnel | Anita Bhati, STAT |
| 11:30 – 12:00 | Optimizing for Location-Based Search | Ashley Berman Hale, Mobile Moxie |
| 12:00 – 1:00 | Networking Lunch | |
| 1:00 – 1:30 | Local Linkbuilding through PR and Outreach | Rhea Drysdale, Outspoken Media |
| 1:30 – 2:00 | Crafting a Local SEO Strategy | Greg Gifford, DealerOn |
| 2:00 – 2:30 | Think Locally, Act Globally: Local Strategy for Enterprise-Level Brands | Heather Physioc, VML |
| 2:30 – 2:45 | Break | |
| 2:45 – 3:15 | The Nitty Gritty of Getting Reviews | Kate Morris, Craftsy |
| 3:15 – 3:45 | The Driving Data of Local Search | George Freitag, Moz Local |
| 3:45 – 4:15 | Scaling Local with Google My Business | Willys DeVoll, Google |
| 4:15 – 4:45 | MozCon Local 2017 Keynote | Rand Fishkin, Moz |
| 6:00 – 10:00 | Mozcon Local Afterparty! |
Buy your MozCon Local 2017 ticket!
Speakers
Aaron Weiche
Get Five Stars
@AaronWeiche
Session: Powerful Customer Content – Reviews, Testimonials, Case Studies
Aaron Weiche is the CMO for GetFiveStars.com, a customer feedback and online review platform. Aaron is a digital marketing veteran of over 18 years growing agencies small and large in executive and partner roles. Aaron has built and optimized hundreds of websites for companies and organizations of all sizes. He helped found the MnSearch Association, is a faculty partner at Local University, Google Analytics Certified, and speaks nationally on search marketing, social media, reviews, web design and mobile. Aaron also blogs on local digital marketing at AaronWeiche.com.
Anita Bhatti
STAT
@anitabhatti
Session: Implementing and Measuring the Local SEO Funnel
Anita is the Director of Marketing at STAT where she leads a team of super talented folks obsessed with bringing valuable SERP insights to SEO experts. Prior to STAT, she took on the marketing challenges of a local yoga startup and a global SaaS company.
Ashley Berman Hale
Mobile Moxie
@bermanhale
Session: Optimizing for Location Based Search
Ashley has been doing technical SEO for over 12 years and has a knack for figuring out what holds sites (large & small) back. She’s a longtime Google Webmaster Top Contributor and started one of the most successful SEO meetups in the country.
Britney Muller
Moz
@BritneyMuller
Emcee, MozCon Local
Originally from MN, Britney resides in Denver, CO where she does SEO & Content Architecture for Moz. Britney has been doing digital marketing for over 10 years and founded Pryde Marketing, a strategic Medical Marketing Agency, in 2013.
Christi Olson
Bing
@ChristiJOlson
Session: Future Proofing Your Local Strategy: A Panel with Google, Bing, and Yelp
Christi is a Search Evangelist at Microsoft in Seattle, Washington. Prior to joining the team at Bing Ads at Microsoft, Christi has worked at Point It, Expedia, Harry & David, Pointmarc, Microsoft (MSN, Bing, Windows), and the Altria Corporation. For over a decade Christi has been a student and practitioner of SEM; living and breathing through the evolution of search updates (both organic and paid) that have kept us constantly adjusting our digital strategies. Christi is passionate about digital and has spent her career helping businesses solve their marketing challenges and goals through studying and analyzing data to develop actionable insights and strategies.
Cindy Krum
Mobile Moxie
@Suzzicks
Session: Mobile First Tactics for Local
Cindy Krum is the CEO and Founder of MobileMoxie, and author of Mobile Marketing: Finding Your Customers No Matter Where They Are, which gets 4.5 out of 5 stars on Amazon. She is the leading Mobile SEO consultant, and is thought leader in the search industry. Cindy works with many top-notch, internationally recognized clients, assisting with mobile SEO, Responsive Design, mobile site migrations and site-speed optimization.
Darren Shaw
Whitespark
@DarrenShaw_
Sessions: 2017 Local Search Ranking Factors Survey Results, The New Local Search Ecosystems & Citation Sources That Matter in 2017
Darren Shaw is the president and founder of Whitespark, a company that builds software and provides services to help businesses with local search. He’s widely regarded in the local SEO community as an innovator, one whose years of experience working with massive local data sets have given him uncommon insights into the inner workings of the world of citation-building and local search marketing. Darren has been working on the web for over 16 years and loves everything about local SEO.
Ed Reese
Sixth Man Marketing
@ed_reese
Sessions: KPIs That Really Matter for Local Businesses
Ed has been helping companies improve their online marketing efforts through his agency, Sixth Man Marketing since 2008. In January of 2016 Sixth Man was acquired by J.E.B. Commerce and is operating as their analytics and optimization division. He’s a Faculty Member at LocalU and an Adjunct Professor of Digital Marketing at Gonzaga University. He’s also an aspiring disc golfer with one tournament win under his belt and and active family (with two young sons) that keep him busy.
George Freitag
Moz
@georgefreitag
Session: The Driving Data of Local Search
George is the Local Search Evangelist and SEO Strategist for Moz Local where he helps brands, practitioners, and business owners alike get the most out of local search. Prior to Moz, George was the head of SEO at Portent, a digital marketing agency in Seattle.
Greg Gifford
DealerOn
@GregGifford
Session: TBD
Greg Gifford is the Director of Search and Social at DealerOn, a software company that provides websites and online marketing to new car dealers all over the country. Check out their awesome blog for more of Greg’s local search posts and videos.
Heather Physioc
VML
@HeatherPhysioc
Session: Think Locally, Act Globally
Heather Physioc is Director of Organic Search at global digital ad agency VML, which performs search engine optimization services for multinational brands like Wendy’s, Bridgestone, Ford and Hill’s Pet Nutrition.
Kate Morris
Craftsy
@katemorris
Session: The Nitty Gritty of Getting Reviews
Kate Morris is the Director of SEO at Craftsy and an Associate for Moz. She has been in search for 14 years with a soft spot for branding and user experience.
Lauren Polinsky
@laurenpolinsky
Session: Link Brainstorming Panel
Lauren is an experienced marketer who pursues holistic, innovative changes for digital brands by providing content strategy recommendations rooted in SEO best practices. She’s focused on SEO optimization strategies with have a background in both print and digital marketing.
Mary Bowling
Ignitor Digital
@MaryBowling
Session: On-Page Optimization for Local Search – What You May Be Missing
Mary has been involved in all aspects of SEO since 2003 and has always been intrigued by Local Search. With a background as a serial entrepreneur, she always tries to approach Local Search and internet marketing in a practical way and from a small business owner’s perspective. Mary is an SEO practitioner and consultant, speaks frequently on Local Search at industry conferences and trains other individuals and groups in successful Local Search strategy and tactics.
Michael Wiegand
Portent
@mwiegand
Session: Integrating Google Data for Local
Michael Wiegand is an experienced digital marketer of 14 years who specializes in analytics and conversion rate optimization for Portent – a Seattle-based Internet marketing agency. After attending Cal Baptist University, Michael began his career in direct marketing in 2002, in the healthcare and real estate verticals. In 2007, he joined Portent’s growing team of marketers and subsequently founded the company’s analytics division.
Mike Blumenthal
Get Five Stars
@mblumenthal
Sessions: Reviews, The Ultimate Assist, Google My Business Problem Solving, Are Words the New Links?
Mike grew up sweeping floors in his family retail business at age 7 and saw the challenges of local marketing up close from an early age. Before co-founding GetFiveStars.com and LocalU.org he had been doing what we now know as Local SEO since 2005 and writing at his blog Understanding Google Local since 2006. He loves researching and understanding the issues that confront bricks and mortar storefronts and helping owners, agencies and franchises tackle the challenges of the ever changing local marketing world.
Mike Ramsey
Nifty Marketing
@MikeRamsey
Session: Lessons Learned Over The 8 Years Running My Agency
Mike Ramsey is the President of Nifty Marketing and NiftyLaw. He is the author of Winning At Local Search, an international speaker, and a partner at LocalU. Mike founded the Nifty Ventures in 2009 which has been recognized by Inc. as one of the fastest growing companies in America.
Nate Evans
Yelp
@nateevans84
Session: Future Proofing Your Local Strategy: A Panel with Google, Bing, and Yelp
Nate Evans, Sr. Manager of Business Development, focuses on growing Yelp‘s advertising partners program. Nate joined Yelp in 2008 and previously held prior leadership roles in local and enterprise sales. Prior to Yelp, he worked at Allison & Partners public relations, where he worked in the tech division with clients such as YouTube, Zinio & Parallels. Nate holds a B.A. in Mass Communications from the University of California, Berkeley.
Paula Keller French
Search Influence
@paulakfrench
Session: Beyond Keyword Research: Optimize Content for Relevancy with Proof Terms
Paula Keller French has worked to establish strategic digital marketing solutions for clients since 2009, when she joined Search Influence on the then 9-person team. Paula contributed to the company’s rapid growth by building and training a team of 30+ effective account strategists. Today, Paula plays online marketing matchmaker by identifying the right marketing solutions to match business goals to help companies in almost any industry optimize their potential, with a heavy hand in medical, legal, tourism, and home services.
Rand Fishkin
Moz
@randfish
Session: MozCon Local 2017 Keynote
Rand Fishkin uses the ludicrous title, Wizard of Moz. He’s founder and former CEO of Moz, co-author of a pair of books on SEO, and co-founder of Inbound.org.
Rhea Drysdale
Outspoken Media
@Rhea
Session: Local Linkbuilding through PR and Outreach
Rhea Drysdale is Chief Executive Officer of Outspoken Media where she oversees the strategic vision and growth of the company, its clients, and team.
Willys DeVoll
Google
@willysdevoll
Sessions: Google My Business Problem Solving, Future Proofing Your Local Strategy: A Panel with Google, Bing, and Yelp, Scaling Local with Google My Business
Willys Devoll is a content strategist for Google My Business and a member of the AdWords Content Strategy and Development team. He has also worked as a technical writer and content developer on Google for Work. In the past, DeVoll worked for Major League Baseball Advanced Media in communications, and at the Center for Spatial and Textual Analysis, where he contributed to research in the Literary Lab.
