Keynote speaker · Author · Co-founder, SmartSites # Search is being rewritten by AI. *Alex explains what to do about it.* Alex Melen is the co-founder of SmartSites, a 400+ person digital marketing agency, and the author of Automotive Search Marketing: A Car Dealer's Guide to Google & AI Search. He has given more than 100 talks across 12 countries on where search, advertising, and AI are heading. [Book Alex to speak](https://www.alexmelen.com/contact/) [Watch a talk](#watch) **Recently:** Advertising Inside the Answer: Preparing for ChatGPT Ads and the AI Search Ad Economy @ Technology for Marketing / eCommerce Expo London 2026 · London, UK [The book Automotive Search Marketing Second Edition, 2026 · now covers AI search About the book →](https://www.alexmelen.com/book/) [Recognized by](https://www.alexmelen.com/awards/) Signature talks ## Five talks organizers keep asking for. [All topics & formats](https://www.alexmelen.com/speaking/) AI search ### Ranking in AI Search: A Marketer's Playbook for Generative Engine Optimization How ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google's AI Overviews decide which brands to recommend, and what to change on your site, your content, and your ads so you show up when buyers ask AI what to buy. **For:** Marketers, brands, agencies, e-commerce **Format:** Keynote · Breakout · Workshop AI search advertising ### Advertising Inside the Answer: Preparing for ChatGPT Ads and the AI Search Ad Economy How ads work inside ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews and Perplexity, where early adopters are winning and where brands are wasting spend, and a practical testing and measurement framework for a channel with no traditional SERP. **For:** Heads of marketing, paid media leaders, agency teams **Format:** Keynote · Breakout · Executive briefing Generative AI ### 10x Your Marketing Efficiency with Generative AI A practical tour of how a 400-person agency actually uses AI day to day: where it saves real hours, where it fails, and how to roll it out without wrecking quality or brand voice. **For:** Marketing leaders, agency owners, in-house teams **Format:** Keynote · Workshop Automotive ### Stop the Junk Leads: SEO, PPC & AI Search for Dealers Drawn from the book. Where dealership marketing budgets leak, how to win the searches that actually produce buyers, and how vehicle listing ads and AI search are rewriting the playbook for franchise and independent dealers. **For:** Dealers, dealer groups, OEM regional teams, 20 Groups **Format:** Keynote · Dealer meeting · 20 Group session Entrepreneurship ### From 0 to $35M: Scaling an Agency Without Outside Capital The unglamorous decisions behind growing SmartSites from two brothers to 400+ people: hiring, pricing, retention, reputation, and what still works when everyone else is chasing the next channel. **For:** Founders, agency owners, business conferences **Format:** Keynote · Fireside chat · Podcast Watch ## See him in the room. [87 recorded talks](https://www.alexmelen.com/videos/) Video: [Advertising Inside the Answer: Preparing for ChatGPT Ads and the AI Search Ad Economy @ Technology for Marketing / eCommerce Expo London 2026 London, UK · Sep 23, 2026](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjQWBx4Q5g8) Video: [Search Marketing for WordPress in the Age of AI @ WordCamp Canada 2025 Ottawa, Canada · Oct 16, 2025](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDBRn5mZi_s) Video: [Mastering SEO in the World of SGE & ChatGPT Prague, Czech Republic · Sep 19, 2023](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=418AKoI9RNs) Video: [Mastering SEO for Affiliates @ TES Affiliate Conference 2023 Lisbon, Portugal · Feb 23, 2023](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9-WAq3om8s) **100+** talks, keynotes & podcasts **12** countries, 3 continents **400+** person agency co-founded **2** editions of Automotive Search Marketing The book ## Automotive Search Marketing A Car Dealer's Guide to Google & AI Search The only book written for dealers about how buyers actually find cars online, updated for a world where the first place many shoppers ask is ChatGPT. A must-have for car dealers looking to increase the effectiveness of their digital marketing. Alex Melen uses his nearly three decades of digital marketing expertise to provide car dealers with the knowledge they need to get found in both traditional and AI-powered search—and sell more cars in a highly competitive market. [Buy on Amazon](https://amzn.to/4hbt9VI) [About the book](https://www.alexmelen.com/book/) Dealer groups and conferences: [ask about bulk orders](https://www.alexmelen.com/contact/) and signed copies for attendees. Insights ## The data and the explainers, free. [All insights](https://www.alexmelen.com/insights/) [Original research AI search data from SmartSites' client base +66% year-over-year jump in "Direct" sessions across ~1,500 GA4 properties, 92% of the year-over-year organic click decline came from one content type, and nine more first-party datasets.](https://www.alexmelen.com/insights/ai-search-data/) [Explainer What is generative engine optimization (GEO)? Generative engine optimization (GEO) is the practice of optimizing your website and your broader web presence so that generative AI engines such as Google AI Overviews, AI Mode, ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot and Perplexity include and cite your business in their answers.](https://www.alexmelen.com/insights/what-is-generative-engine-optimization/)[Explainer AEO vs GEO vs SEO: what's the difference? SEO (search engine optimization) is the work of getting your pages to rank in traditional search results.](https://www.alexmelen.com/insights/aeo-vs-geo-vs-seo/) Recent engagements ## Where Alex has been speaking. [Full archive (117)](https://www.alexmelen.com/speaking/#archive) - Oct 6, 2026 [Why Ecommerce Teams Need to Prepare for AI Shopping Now @ The FODcast by Simply Commerce](https://www.alexmelen.com/speaking-engagements/why-ecommerce-teams-need-to-prepare-for-ai-shopping-now-fodcast/) Podcast Video Online - Sep 23, 2026 [Advertising Inside the Answer: Preparing for ChatGPT Ads and the AI Search Ad Economy @ Technology for Marketing / eCommerce Expo London 2026](https://www.alexmelen.com/speaking-engagements/advertising-inside-the-answer-chatgpt-ads-ai-search-ad-economy-technology-for-marketing-2026/) Video London, UK - Jul 21, 2026 [Get Your Brand Recommended by AI: A Marketer's Playbook for Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) @ ANA (Association of National Advertisers) Virtual 2026](https://www.alexmelen.com/speaking-engagements/get-your-brand-recommended-by-ai-geo-playbook-alex-melen-ana-2026/) Virtual (ANA) - Jun 25, 2026 [How Data and AI Are Shaping PPC and SEO](https://www.alexmelen.com/speaking-engagements/how-data-and-ai-are-shaping-ppc-and-seo/) Podcast Video Paramus, NJ - May 20, 2026 [Turning Next-Gen Ad Formats into Marketplace Advantage @ AutosBuzz 2026](https://www.alexmelen.com/speaking-engagements/turning-next-gen-ad-formats-into-marketplace-advantage-autosbuzz-2026/) Sitges, Spain - Apr 16, 2026 [Scaling Agencies: What Still Works, What Doesn’t, and What’s Next @ Digital Marketing Europe Lisbon 2026](https://www.alexmelen.com/speaking-engagements/scaling-agencies-what-still-works-what-doesnt-and-whats-next-digital-marketing-europe-lisbon-2026/) Video Lisbon, Portugal In the press ## Quoted, interviewed, and profiled since 2003. [All 96 mentions](https://www.alexmelen.com/press/) Forbes Bloomberg Businessweek NPR Fortune Inc. Yahoo! Finance Digital Dealer Reuters - Sep 25, 2026 ### SmartSites Named One of NJBIZ's 2026 Best Places to Work in New Jersey SmartSites, co-founded by Alex and Michael Melen, ranked No. 27 in the medium-sized category of NJBIZ's 2026 Best Places to Work in New Jers… [Read](https://www.smartsites.com/blog/smartsites-named-one-of-njbizs-2026-best-places-to-work-in-new-jersey/) - Sep 2, 2026 ### Alex Melen Named a Finalist for Microsoft Advertising's 2026 Trailblazer of the Year Microsoft Advertising named Alex Melen a finalist for Trailblazer of the Year in its 2026 North America Partner Awards, and SmartSites a fin… [Read](https://about.ads.microsoft.com/en/blog/post/september-2026/announcing-the-2026-microsoft-advertising-partner-awards-finalists-north-america) - Aug 14, 2026 ### Meet Alex Melen – Bold Journey Magazine We were lucky to catch up with Alex Melen recently and have shared our conversation below. [Read](https://boldjourney.com/meet-alex-melen/) ## Bring Alex to your next event. Keynotes, breakouts, and workshops on AI search, digital marketing, and scaling a business. Tell him about your audience and he will come back with a talk built for the room. [Check availability](https://www.alexmelen.com/contact/) [Speaker kit](https://www.alexmelen.com/speaking/#kit) --- Source: https://www.alexmelen.com/ · Markdown version of this page for AI agents and LLMs. Site guide: https://www.alexmelen.com/llms.txt