Do you know the way to Search Engine Land?
At Search Engine Strategies 2007 (SES) I caught up with Danny Sullivan twice to talk about his new direction with Third Door Media’s new ventures: Search Marketing Now, Search Engine Land, Search Marketing Expo and Sphinn. Danny told me I needed to visit the site to find out why it is called Sphinn. First he shared with me how he started Search Engine Strategies 2007 (SES) in 1995 after he had attended Spring Internet World and found that they had not given enough attention to search engine optimization. I was also at Spring Internet World 1995 and find it amazing that Danny Sullivan had the vision to create a conference dedicated to such a critical part of the Internet as search engine optimization. Danny Sullivan’s creation of this cornerstone of the industry means that millions of people have learned how to properly identify what the content of a web page is and put it in the proper format for a search engine to understand.
Without search engine optimization, which is really an offshoot of library science, search engines would be unable to produce nearly as relevant and useful results as they do today. By training all those who have gone to these conferences and making that information available to so many more online Danny Sullivan has done more toward organizing the world's information and making it universally accessible and useful than any single individual today. He has also made many of them independently wealthy.
My first interview with Danny was at lunch while he was joking around with what I can only call his entourage. Rusty Brick, Rand Fishkin and a whole group of his friends were kicking back and joking during the sponsored lunch break. They were even having download races to see which portable device was fastest. During our talk he briefly told me that he was leaving Search Engine Strategies and starting Search Marketing Expo. Later I learned a little more from some of his friends and from Danny what had caused the split. Rand Fishkin told me that it was all a little controversial but Danny seemed to take it in his usual laid back style as just the next inevitable phase in his life. Danny went on to explain that with the new owners of Search Engine Strategies he found himself explaining a lot and not being appreciated.
Whatever the reason I think it is good that Danny will bring us hopefully a new approach to search marketing conferences. Even his choice of the name of the new conference, Search Marketing Expo, seems to leave open a more inclusive set of topics other than just search engines. Today search marketing includes a lot more including directories, social marketing, and other ways to find content.
I spoke to a number of people who seemed to feel that Search Engine Strategies had grown tired and lacked innovative and new products in the expo. The talks contained relevant and fresh content due to the professional level of those who donate their time and knowledge to educate those who attend. Of course many of these are Danny Sullivan friends and followers.
Danny Sullivan is going to be all right in his next venture. He will be more than all right if his friends, followers and entourage follow him to Search Engine Land.
