Last Updated: May 16, 2024
Our team recently conducted a study on the best SEO speakers of 2024 using criteria such as Number of SEO Keynotes and Awards & Distinctions. We incorporated the criteria into an algorithm, weighting each one as shown below, in order to produce a ranked list. Here is an explanation of our criteria:
- # of SEO Keynotes (25%): An estimate of how many keynotes each speaker has given over the course of their career. A large number of speeches strongly correlates with speaker skill, though some speakers choose to accept fewer speeches due to other professional commitments.
- # Years SEO Experience (25%): How long each speaker has worked in the SEO industry. SEO has evolved many times over the past 20 years, and the more experienced speakers on this list are able to use their history to contextualize the current state of Google’s algorithm.
- Awards & Distinctions (20%): Recognition the speaker has received for their SEO-related communications, spoken or written. Awards tend to correlate with both speaking skill and an original perspective on SEO.
- Social Media Followers (15%): An estimate of how many followers each speaker has across major social media platforms. A strong social media following indicates that people are interested in what the speaker has to say, and can also draw a larger audience to events.
- SEO Books Authored (15%): How many books on SEO each speaker has written. Authoring a book requires synthesizing a great deal of information into a single published volume, and indicates a commitment to sharing knowledge with the general SEO community.
In addition to the above criteria, we also describe each speaker’s specialty within the field of SEO. Below the table, we offer summaries of each speaker’s career.
The Best SEO Speakers, Ranked
| Speaker | # of SEO Keynotes | # Years SEO Experience | SEO Books Authored | Social Media Followers | Awards & Distinctions | Specialty | ||
| 1 |  | Evan Bailyn | ~260 | 18 | 3 | ~149,000 | International Bestseller, Outsmarting GoogleTop New Speaker of the Year, Vistage International | Thought Leadership & SEO |
| 2 |  | Rand Fishkin | ~180 | 18 | 3 | ~465,000 | Most Giving Search Blogger, SEJ30 Under 30, BusinessWeek | Digital Marketing for Startups |
| 3 |  | Dana DiTomaso | ~200 | 20 | 0 | ~12,000 | Nominated for SEO Speaker of the Year, Search Engine Land | Audience Research and Brand Uniformity |
| 4 |  | AJ Ghergich | ~15 | 17 | 0 | ~102,000 | N/A | Technical SEO |
| 5 |  | Robert Rose | ~300 | 15 | 2 | ~40,000 | N/A | Marketing Storytelling |
| 6 |  | Barry Schwartz | ~60 | 17 | 0 | ~147,000 | US Search Personality, US Search Awards | Google Algorithm News |
| 7 |  | Cyrus Shepard | ~90 | 12 | 0 | ~76,500 | N/A | Site Architecture |
| 8 |  | Marie Haynes | ~30 | 11 | 2 | ~32,300 | N/A | Site Quality Assessments |
| 9 |  | Brian Dean | ~25 | 11 | 0 | ~125,100 | Most Successful Bloggers, Problogger | Backlinks |
| 10 |  | Aleyda Solis | ~120 | 12 | 1 | ~95,000 | European Search Personality of the Year, European Search Awards | International SEO |
Evan Bailyn
Evan Bailyn is the CEO of First Page Sage, which holds the distinction of being the largest SEO agency in the US. He has given over 200 speeches discussing SEO, and specializes in discussing the role of combining creative thought leadership content with SEO in order to generate leads. He has been profiled in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, and Forbes, and his expertise and ability to engage audiences earned him Vistage International’s Top Performing Speaker Award in 2022.
Blog: First Page Sage Blog
For More Info or to Contact: First Page Sage Website
| Summary of Online Reviews |
| Evan’s SEO speeches are “outstanding” and offer “specific take-aways of great value” to his audience. He is “a true expert“, providing attendees with “very valuable learnings on SEO”. |
Rand Fishkin
Rand Fishkin is founder of Moz, one of the first SEO companies and a major developer of tools for the SEO industry. He now acts as CEO for Sparktoro, another SEO tool developer. While his speaking has spanned a broad range of topics over the years, he has most recently focused on digital marketing for startups.
Blog: SparkToro Blog
For More Info or to Contact: Spark Toro’s Website
| Summary of Online Reviews |
| Rand is “fun and engaging” and gives “insightful” speeches. He is a “fantastic orator“, and his knowledge is “deep“. |
Dana DiTomaso
Dana DiTomaso’s career has focused on the importance of market research, and knowing exactly who your customers are. She is the president of the digital marketing Agency Kick Point, as well as a columnist for CBC Edmonton. Her speaking topics are practical, focusing on how to apply audience data to inform marketing decisions in real world contexts.
Blog: Kickpoint Blog
For More Info or to Contact: Dana DiTomaso’s Website
| Summary of Online Reviews |
| Dana’s speaking is “engaging, funny, and informative“, and she is a “consummate professional“. Her presentations are “top quality, thorough, and grounded in immense experience“. |
AJ Ghergich
AJ Ghergich is currently the VP of Consulting Services at Botify, an SEO platform that combines SEO analytics with machine learning to help enterprises better optimize large websites. Ghergich himself has worked in SEO for nearly two decades, allowing him to speak on complex topics like data science, ABM, and marketing automation with both clarity and authority.
Blog: N/A
For More Info or to Contact: AJ Ghergich’s LinkedIn
| Summary of Online Reviews |
| AJ “consistently goes the extra mile“, delivering speeches that are “consistently top-rated” and giving attendees “actionable advice“. |
Robert Rose
Robert Rose is the founder of The Content Advisory, which forms the educational and consulting wing of The Content Marketing Institute. He is constantly on the road, delivering between 30-40 speaking engagements a year; these engagements include everything from keynote speeches to workshops and virtual events, all of which explain his unique storytelling approach to SEO and marketing.
Blog: N/A
For More Info or to Contact: Robert Rose’s Website
| Summary of Online Reviews |
| Robert’s speeches are a “transformational experience” that guide attendees to “think differently“. His delivery style is “effective” and he has “deep marketing expertise“. |
Barry Schwartz
Barry Shwartz is the President of Rusty Brick, an SEO firm that focuses on technical website optimization and development, and a contributing editor to Search Engine Land. Having charted the developments of Google SERPs his entire career, Schwartz speaks with great authority on the latest developments to Google’s algorithm and best practices for analytics.
Blog: Search Engine Land Author Page
For More Info or to Contact: Barry Schwartz’ LinkedIn
| Summary of Online Reviews |
| Barry is “on top of the latest and best in the industry“, and offers “unique insight” into SEO and SEM. As a speaker he is “easy-going” and “on-the-ball“. |
Cyrus Shepard
Before founding Zyppy, an SEO company working primarily in technical optimization, Cyrus Shepard was the SEO lead at Moz, one of the foundational SEO companies. As a result, his public speaking career is well earned; Shepard is commonly found at various SEO-related events speaking on technical SEO, internal linking, and site architecture.
Blog: Zyppy Blog
For More Info or to Contact: Zyppy Contact Page
| Summary of Online Reviews |
| Cyrus communicates SEO concepts and strategies in a “succinct and understandable” manner, and his speeches reflect his “positive and hard-working” approach. |
Marie Haynes
Marie Haynes is a prolific content creator: in addition to her two books, “Unnatural Links: A Guide to Removal” and “Dr. Marie Haynes’ Google’s Quality Raters Guidelines”, she regularly updates an online blog, hosts a podcast discussing the latest updates to Google’s SERPs, and contributes articles to Search Engine Land. Her work, including her public speaking, takes deep dives into more niche topics like traffic drop assessments, website quality, and backlink audits.
Blog: Marie Hyne’s Blog
For More Info or to Contact: Marie Haynes Website
| Summary of Online Reviews |
| Marie’s speeches are “exceptional“, and she “organizes complex information into simple chunks“. She is “obsessed” with Google’s algorithm, and understanding how it works. |
Brian Dean
Brian Dean is one of the foremost experts in backlinking. He has used this expertise to build his company, Backlinko, into a common name within the SEO industry. He also regularly updates his Youtube channel with helpful insights for marketers new to the practices of SEO. While Dean’s public speaking career is by no means limited to this practice, it is clearly his greatest passion.
Blog: Backlinko Blog
For More Info or to Contact: Backlinko Website
| Summary of Online Reviews |
| Brian brings “positive energy” to events, and “transforms” the way attendees approach SEO. His speeches are “exceptional“. |
Aleyda Solis
Aleyda Solis is the founder of Orainti, a marketing agency specializing in the niche field of international SEO and ecommerce. The intersection of these specializations has earned her several notable accolades in her career; most notably, 2018 Personality of the Year at the European Search Awards. She speaks regularly on topics pertaining to international SEO, including cross-border marketing, multilingual SEO, and web migrations.
Blog: Aleyda Solis’s Blog
For More Info or to Contact: Aleyda Solis’ Website
| Summary of Online Reviews |
| Aleyda is “an excellent presenter” in multiple languages. Her SEO knowledge is “in-depth” and her speeches are “inspirational“. |
