SES Chicago begins today, and as it’s the final SES show of the year, get ready to look back on the accomplishments of 2006 while preparing for 2007.
A premier event for search engine marketing and optimization, SES Chicago runs through Dec. 7 at the Hilton. Video search optimization, podcast optimization, local search, social search and mobile search are the hot topics. Jason McCabe Calacanis, general manager at Netscape, gives the Dec. 5 keynote.
“We hope to continue to make traction with advertisers as they move to spend more deeply than the first couple of choices,” said Dave Hills, president/CEO of search firm LookSmart, San Francisco. “Advertisers, faced with a high-demand medium, will spend as deeply into the medium as quality and quantity exist. LookSmart is now showing both attributes to advertising customers.”
Sessions this year will cover new and different aspects of search. However, the show still will focus on how various search engines work and how to profit from them.
“It’s a very interesting time for search,” said Marc Barach, chief marketing officer at Ingenio, San Francisco. “Mobile search is starting to take off, and from an advertising perspective the industry has just begun to scratch the surface of that opportunity.
“Helping to shape the evolution of the mobile search marketplace and educating advertisers on how they can participate are some of the areas Ingenio is focused on both at SES Chicago and in the coming year.”
Mr. Barach expects that the definition of “search” will continue to broaden next year beyond desktop search, as video search, mobile search and voice (or “audio”) search gain a lot of traction.
“There will be new developments around how search is monetized with regard to different formats, devices and platforms, all of which present new opportunities for both consumers and advertisers,” he said. “There’s no doubt that 2007 will mean even more innovation and upside for our industry.”
