Domain investing has always been a “misplaced education” for online marketers, which includes anyone who has a website. Just because “PubCon” doesn’t have a large turnout for their domaining sessions doesn’t mean SEMPDX has to cower in telling their clients, fans, and SEO experts the truth. You stated twice publicly that you know this “truth”.

Domains don’t take anything away from SEO services. In fact, SEO experts should be working with domainers to broker relevant domains for their clients. (Yes, a brokering is a value added service for SEO experts).

I would be happy to head up a solid crew of 4- 5 very successful domainers and host a session at the next Searchfest to bring the simple education of domain investments to your attendees. I think they would get it, because they’re pretty smart people. Just turn their focus to a different path that moves their clients to the same destination — website success.

Agreeing to the power of a successful marketing path for SEO clients (domain investing), but failing to explain it to your attendees, regardless of what you think your attendees “want to hear”, is not a great utilization of Searchfest, or any website marketing conference’s opportunity to educate their attendees fairly.

Tell me I’m wrong, but be gentle. 😉

Stephen, you won’t get an argument from me about the importance of domaining. However, (speaking for myself only) I don’t believe the great majority of attendees would attend such a session (even though perhaps they should). At Pubcon, a much bigger & diverse conference that I attend, the domaining session has never drawn much of a crowd…though I offer kudos to Brett Tabke for keeping it on the roster every year.

That’s the reason why you don’t see domaining at SearchFest.

Call me a “whiner”, but of anyone at SEMPDX, you’re experienced in domain investing and why. Your bio says “you know domaining”, yet I didn’t find ANY Searchfest sessions on this most important part of MARKETING and positioning of a company’s website, either through their initial brand labeling of their company, or backbranding their company name with generic descriptive domains.

Did I miss something on Searchfest promotions? Domains are clearly one of the top three strategies (I’ll be nice and not place domaining within those top three strategies numerically) of successfully promoting, marketing, and investing in your own company’s website.

One fact is clear: Buy a domain, it’s an “appreciable marketing asset” that never loses value and works for you nonstop. There is no “ad fade” or SEO requirement costs for monthly “updates” and “reviews”. All other website investments into marketing and advertising your website require continued expenditures, and these will definitely “fade” within just a few weeks to a few months, unless an injection of more cash is utilized to extend the process. Domains don’t need that.

If you have a session on domain investing already, I missed it on your site, and I apologize. If Searchfest failed to include domain advice as a session — they should apologize to their attendees!

Domains are the easiest to understand for ROI and how they bolster, even increase substantially a website’s brand. Seems like a no-brainer to me to have a clear domain investing session at Searchfest.

The most successful campaigns are those that include analysis of prior time frames, current performance & a thorough understanding of what’s driving ROI.

Now let me go stuff a sandwich down my throat.